Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe,priced below sedan,sits on older,cheaper C-Class platform

[1SICKLEX]

One of the hottest cars set to grace the stands at next month’s Geneva Motor Show has been revealed today in the form of the all-new 2010 Mercedes Benz E-Class Coupe. The svelte two-door is the hotly anticipated replacement for the aging CLK Coupe, which has been falling behind against newer competition such as the Audi A5 and E92 BMW 3-series Coupe, and on initial inspection it looks like the latest E-Class Coupe has the competition nailed in the styling department.

The Coupe’s styling is based heavily on the new 2010 E-Class Sedan, unveiled at last month’s Detroit Auto Show, and it shares most of its engines and its interior with the four-door as well. Thankfully, the new E-Class Coupe also retains the pillar-less glasshouse design and fully retractable side windows of the previous generation CLK.


Coupe interior has been lifted straight out of the recently revealed E-Class Sedan
At the same time the most aerodynamic variant of these achieves an impressive drag coefficient of just 0.24Cd – a figure that is comparable with cars like the Toyota Prius and upcoming Chevrolet Volt.

The range of engines available for the new E-Class Coupe comprises four, six and eight-cylinder units with outputs from 100 kW/136 hp to 285kW/382hp - the top end model being the E500/550. Expect to see an AMG version, however, debut with at least 500hp (373kW) later in the year. The four-cylinder engines are newly developed direct-injection units, which develop a higher output and torque than the comparable V6-engines of the preceding series despite a smaller displacement.

The new E-Class Coupe will first hit European showrooms this May and should be on sale in the U.S. by the third-quarter of the year. Expect pricing and availability details to be revealed following the car’s debut at the upcoming Geneva event.


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