Quebec City — A couple of months ago, auto123 brought you our first impressions of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe, based on a press event in Tuscany, Italy.
Well, we’ve just had another opportunity to sample this all-new Coupe, this time on home turf, and really picturesque turf at that. We jumped in the cars at the Quebec airport, ran then up and down the St. Lawrence Valley, and took shelter for the night at a charming hotel nestled among the cobble-stone streets of Quebec’s ancient “Lower Town.”
Along with the scenery, we got a dose of history, ingested lots of local cheese, and learned a few more things about these new coupes.
New name and positioning
To recap, the E Class Coupe replaces the CLK Coupe, with more dramatic styling, more electronic programming, and keener pricing.
The E350 Coupe starts at $58,600; $10,900 less than the CLK350. The E550 starts at $68,200; $14,200 less than the CLK550. You’ll notice that this makes E-Class Coupe’s V8-powered model less expensive than CLK’s V6-powered model.
According to Chris Goczan, Manager — Product Planning, Mercedes-Benz Canada, this pricing move is part of the automaker’s desire to be somewhat more price-sensitive. “We still will be the premium product in any segment, but we want to be more competitive, for both current and new customers.”
Goczan also noted that the new coupes are “uniquely positioned in the marketplace.” He feels they have no direct competitors, since E Class Sedan competitors — such as BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Infiniti M — offer no coupe variants. As such, he cites that the E-Class Coupe’s closest rivals are cars like Audi A5, BMW 3 Series Coupe, and Infiniti G37.
Target buyers — 40 to 50 somethings — are younger than E-Class sedan buyers, and should be among the youngest customers that Mercedes-Benz sees in its dealerships.
 |
| The E Class Coupe replaces the CLK Coupe with more dramatic styling. |
Well, we’ve just had another opportunity to sample this all-new Coupe, this time on home turf, and really picturesque turf at that. We jumped in the cars at the Quebec airport, ran then up and down the St. Lawrence Valley, and took shelter for the night at a charming hotel nestled among the cobble-stone streets of Quebec’s ancient “Lower Town.”
Along with the scenery, we got a dose of history, ingested lots of local cheese, and learned a few more things about these new coupes.
New name and positioning
To recap, the E Class Coupe replaces the CLK Coupe, with more dramatic styling, more electronic programming, and keener pricing.
The E350 Coupe starts at $58,600; $10,900 less than the CLK350. The E550 starts at $68,200; $14,200 less than the CLK550. You’ll notice that this makes E-Class Coupe’s V8-powered model less expensive than CLK’s V6-powered model.
According to Chris Goczan, Manager — Product Planning, Mercedes-Benz Canada, this pricing move is part of the automaker’s desire to be somewhat more price-sensitive. “We still will be the premium product in any segment, but we want to be more competitive, for both current and new customers.”
Goczan also noted that the new coupes are “uniquely positioned in the marketplace.” He feels they have no direct competitors, since E Class Sedan competitors — such as BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Infiniti M — offer no coupe variants. As such, he cites that the E-Class Coupe’s closest rivals are cars like Audi A5, BMW 3 Series Coupe, and Infiniti G37.
Target buyers — 40 to 50 somethings — are younger than E-Class sedan buyers, and should be among the youngest customers that Mercedes-Benz sees in its dealerships.
 |
| Apparently the Sedan and Coupe share not one body panel. |