Mercedes-AMG E50 to join E-class coupé family

Mercedes is preparing a hot AMG E50 variant of the new E-class coupé. Celebrating 50 years of AMG, the model is set to crown the new E-class coupé line-up. It is slated to launch internationally in the second half of 2017.

The E50 Coupé 4Matic is earmarked to become among the first models to receive the German carmaker’s all-new M256 in-line six-cylinder petrol engine. In standard guise, the electrically turbocharged 3.0-litre unit delivers 408hp and is combined with an integrated starter generator and electric auxiliary compressor capable of boosting performance when required.

All up, Mercedes plans to offer up to five E-class coupé models internationally, with the choice of both four- and six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. Included in this is the E200 Coupé with an 184hp version of the carmaker’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an E300 Coupé running the same engine but in a higher state of tune at 244hp. Higher in the line-up is the E400 Coupé.

On the diesel side is an E220d Coupe fitted with Mercedes’ new turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 195hp and an E350d Coupé running the carmaker’s familiar turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine with 253hp.

The entry-level E200 Coupé receives a six-speed manual gearbox, while all other models are fitted with Mercedes-Benz’s 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic transmission. All models come with either standard rear-wheel drive or optional 4Matic four-wheel drive, save for the E300 which comes exclusively with rear-wheel drive.

At 4,827mm in length, 1,860mm in width and 1,430mm in height, the new E-class Coupé is 141mm longer, 50mm wider and 25mm higher than its one-year-old stable mate, the C-class Coupé. It also rides on a unique but as yet unspecified wheelbase, one of six now supported by Mercedes’s flexible MRA (modular rear-drive architecture) platform upon which the new two-door is based.

Inside, it predictably shares many of its appointments with the existing E-class saloon and estate, including its optional twin 12.3-inch high definition instruments and infotainment displays as well as its basic dashboard design and switchgear. But in a move that successfully provides the new E-class coupé with its own dash of style, it receives intricate new air vents within the fascia, Mercedes’s so-called integral front sport seats and, in time honoured fashion, electronically-controlled feeder arms for the front seat belts.

Interestingly, the new E-class coupé will become the first model to offer a delete option for the rotary controller that has formed an integral part of Mercedes’s Comand infotainment system since 2003. In a move that will be followed on other future models from the carmaker, buyers will be able to order the E-class coupé exclusive with a touchpad mounted on the forward section of the centre console between the front seats.

The new two-door coupé also forms the basis for a new E-class cabriolet, which is planned to get its first public airing at the Geneva motor show in March 2017.