An online commercial featuring a snow-white Mercedes-Benz coupe and two men was immediately labeled gay propaganda, while ill-wishers immediately labeled cars with the three-pointed star on this body style as gay cars. The editors of Yuzhny Avtomobil debunked this stereotype by taking a Mercedes-Benz E400 Coupe for a test drive.
For some reason, our people seem to see characters with non-traditional sexual orientation everywhere, even when they aren’t. Even the harmless term “rear-wheel drive,” previously applied only to cars, has now been trivialized. Many people unfairly refer to the white Mercedes-Benz coupe as a gay car. For some reason, we chose the top-of-the-line, all-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz E400 Coupe for our test drive, and we can confidently say it’s an aristocratic, refined, and charming car, not a vehicle for those with non-traditional sexual orientations.
It’s all about history
In the early ’90s, when it was a wild ride, calling the owner of a Mercedes-Benz E-Class 124 gay would have been asking for a lot of serious trouble. And the E-Class, in those difficult times, became a cult car for serious guys in crimson jackets. But time passed, and with the advent of the equally popular “Lupatoy” 210th Mercedes-Benz, preferences shifted towards sedans, while the coupe was not in great demand, and on the trunk, instead of the letter E, now three letters CLK adorned the trunk. Now Mercedes-Benz has apparently decided to restore the former glory of its mid-size coupe and returned the letter E to its rightful place.
Time went on, the “lads” retrained as reputable entrepreneurs, and from the legendary 124 “tops” they moved on to new modern models of the German brand.
You can’t tell the difference right away
As for modern Mercedes-Benz coupes, the brand’s designers went in such a way that an inexperienced person will never distinguish the C-class from the E-class, and the E-class from the two-door S-class, until the cars are placed side by side. And even then, visually, the cars differ only in dimensions; the external similarity between them is very obvious. The new generation of the E-class coupe in the C238 body appeared in March of this year and so far these cars are quite rare on the roads of our cities. Still, most of our compatriots still prefer sedans. However, while the previous generation of the E-Class coupe shared a platform with the C-Class, the mid-size sedan and coupe are now built on the same base.
The coupe’s silhouette is uncluttered; its appearance belies a reserved aristocrat, not a boorish upstart. Accents are placed precisely where needed, be it the powerful ribs on the hood or the wide rear arches. The car turned out harmonious and attracts the attention of onlookers in traffic.
Inside the cabin
As soon as you get behind the wheel, you immediately notice the original design of the air vents. They are designed in the form of swirling funnels, and this is perhaps the main stylistic element that distinguishes the coupe from the sedan. The air vents are supposed to visually resemble an airplane turbine. Otherwise, the instrument panel is absolutely identical to the E-Class sedan. It still has the same huge, continuous LCD instrument cluster. The driver sees a traditional analog-style instrument cluster, and in the center is a screen for controlling the car’s settings and the radio. Incidentally, in my opinion, it’s high time to implement a multi-touch screen for navigating the car’s settings. To select the desired menu item, you have to use the touchpad located between the front seats. In terms of controls, this device is similar to an Apple mouse. The control element takes some getting used to, especially when you tap it to select the desired menu item. In my opinion, it’s not entirely user-friendly.
Another visual accent the designer added is the three-tone combination of interior trim and materials. Light leather seats are complemented by pale wood veneer on the dashboard, and its upper section is trimmed in Marsala-colored leather. The interior design, in terms of visual appeal, deserves a solid A.
Despite the lack of a B-pillar, this is essentially not a coupe, but a so-called hardtop body style. The driving position is quite low, and the seats in the new E-Coupe have more developed lateral support. Sitting is comfortable, but again, there is one inconvenience. Due to the sloping roof and low seating position, it is uncomfortable to lean out the window, for example, when entering a paid parking lot while taking a ticket.
As for the rear row of seats, they are more child-sized than fully-fledged passenger seats. Getting into the back row is quite problematic. To get to the second row, simply recline the back of the driver’s or front passenger seat. Then, servos automatically move them towards the dashboard, providing a narrow passage for the second-row passenger. However, coupe-style cars are more of a self-driver’s car, so the E-Coupe owner certainly won’t be carrying anyone in the back seat.
On the move
We drove the top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe. Under the hood of our “four hundred” is a twin-turbo V6 producing 333 horsepower. Combined with all-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic, driving is a true pleasure, especially if you switch the car from Comfort to Sport+ mode. The car corners superbly, and the all-wheel drive adds to the feeling of confidence. The coupe doesn’t have Launch Control, but pressing the brake and gas pedals lifts the front end, and you feel more torque being sent to the rear axle. Releasing the brakes doesn’t exactly make the car shoot like a bullet, but it confidently picks up speed. The 0-60 mph acceleration time is just over five seconds. Yet the car’s very philosophy suggests it’s designed for leisurely weekend drives, coastal highways, or, in our case, trips to the golf course. A Mercedes-Benz, especially in coupe form, isn’t a car for those in a hurry. It’s for those who’ve already accomplished everything. In such a car you need to ride long beauties and enjoy the comfortable and serene movement in space.
