mis3

My friend absolutely adores my CLK320 and he is thinking to get a new MB coupe himself.

He is torn between the E Coupe and C Coupe: E350 or C250 or C350. This will be his daily commute so he is concerned on gas mileage.

since he likes the ride and the feel of my CLK, which of these 3 cars comes close to the CLK320?

Whufc

I cant say which one is like the other. But, I can say I'd rather have the E350 Coupe.

steelgrey

The E350 coupe is about 10 inches wider than the C coupe and slightly longer and a little lower. Because of it's overall design in my opinion it looks like a bigger more elegant care. Even though they have the same chassis and wheelbase. The interior of the E class looks more expensive and feels much roomier. I recently had a C300 sedan loaner and couldn't believe how much smaller it was inside. It really boils down to about a $15,000 price difference (similar options). Only way to really know is wait for the C's to arrive and drive them all. I am very pleased with my E350 coupe.

mis3

I checked, with mirrors extended, the E Coupe is 0.67 inch wider than the C Coupe.

I agree. The E Coupe is more classy and elegant. We don't have 2012 E Coupe in Canada yet. I assume 2011 and 2012 models are similar but come with new engines.

My friend commented that he wished they make a smaller engine for the E Coupe for better fuel economy.

steelgrey

On the MBUSA site the only width they have for the C coupe is 69.7 w/mirrors. However for the E coupe they list both w & w/o mirrors. Without mirrors the E coupe is 70.3. With mirrors the E coupe is 79.3. It appears that your comparing the C with mirrors and the E without.

mis3

10-inch in width is a lot of differnece.
Hard to believe.

steelgrey

Not really if you take into consideration that the E sedan is 2.2 inches wider still. The E coupe is also 4.3 inches longer than the C coupe. The reason i'm aware of all these measurements...as I stated above I had a 2011 C sport sedan as a loaner and was surprised how much smaller it felt both inside and out. So, I started researching the differences. I'm not being critical of the C coupe/sedan. Just pointing out that the E coupe is more in line with it's E sibling.

BenzMan369

Every year it seems MB Marketing gets something wrong when a new model is introduced. I would not quote the figures listed for the C Coupe as they appear in the mbusa.com Specifications.

Set your browser to view the C Coupe and E Coupe Specifications line drawings side by side and you can see that they are saying the front of the E Coupe is approx. 10" wider than the C Coupe, while at the same time the rear of the E Coupe is approx. 18" narrower than the C Coupe. New "Wedge" design, perhaps?

In reality, the C Coupe (excluding the C63 AMG Coupe) Length should be approx. 182.9" and the width approx. 78.6" including mirrors. I believe it will all be sorted out as the model year progresses.

If I'm wrong, I'll hide out in the D.U.M.P. until this all blows over. (Dummy Protection Program). But I do think the MB technical writers are to be believed over the Marketing Department's track record.

BenzMan369

First, I have no hands-on driving experience with the new C Coupe.

I traded a 2000 CLK320 for my new E350 Coupe. I can unequivocably state the two cars are not even close to each other in ride, performance, handling, comfort, fit and finish....I could go on. No comparison.

The only possible negative I can cite is that my new one rides a good bit harder than the old one. Your friend may be able to mitigate this by choosing to avoid the "Appearance Package" I have, with its noticably stiffer sport suspension and 18" wheels. The car without that package does ride better, but it also sits a little higher and the "Cool Factor" melts away a bit.

The tradeoff for the harder ride is confidence-inspiring handling and outstanding performance that goes far beyond my old CLK. It couples beautifully to the quick and instantly responsive new engine/trans combo.

I also have much better visibility all around in the new car. In addition, I always felt I was kind of sitting "down in a hole" in the CLK320, due to the relatively high dash, although I did get used to it. The new car's dash is lower and the windshield seems larger overall, contributing to very comfortable forward visibility.

As for fuel mileage, I am happy to report that I am actually getting slightly better MPG than with the old 215hp V6 CLK. With only about 1,000 miles on the car, I am getting approx. 17-21 in suburban driving. On a recent 165 mile trip I achieved 30.6 MPG on the open highway and overall 28.8 MPG door-to-door. These figures come from the Trip monitor and they are confirmed by my monitoring fill-ups at the pump. I don't do enough city driving to report on that.

I am a bit prejudiced, but to me the extra cost for the E over the C Coupe is well worth it. While the E Coupe is not an E Sedan in some significant ways, I feel its spirit, its general appearance, interior finish and certainly some of its controls and other appointments are much closer to it than the C Coupe.

And I just can't help being reminded of the two Honda Accord Coupes I've owned in the past every time I look at the C Coupe.

Hope this helps.

vcruiser

C63 AMG coupe has better technology, feel, drives better and looks better than a fully loaded e550 coupe.

I still love the E coupe a lot, but i wish there was an AMG

Dueclaws

My wife and I discussed the C63 vs. E550, but although we "wanted" the C63 we bought the 2012 E because it has more safety features available. In addition, the C63 will go through tires much faster (like our SLK55), has a Gas Guzzler tax, gets worse mileage, and insurance is higher in most cases.

We have high hopes that the new engine will make the E a better-performing car: we'll know in December (approx).

mis3

In my opinion, the look of w208 is more muscular and w209 is more elegant.

Since the E-Coupe is kind of the "next generation"of the w209, does anyone here go from w209 (post 2003 CLK320) to the E Coupe?

mis3

No one?
I am surprised since E Coupe is kind of a replacement for w209.

axhoaxho

My wife just traded her 2009 C350 Sport Sedan to a 2012 E350 Coupe; and when we were at the dealer, it had a 2012 C-Coupe parked side-by-side to a E-Coupe.

From my personal impression, if we are comparing the 2012 C350 Coupe to the 2012 E350 Couope -- I guess Mercedes is trying to target the E-Coupe to the more styling & design oriented customers, and to target the C-Coupe to the more sporty & driving oriented customers...

If we have noticed -- Even the E350 Coupe and C350 Coupe are based on the similar chassis & drivetrain, Mercedes gave the C-Coupe a 2.81:1 rear axle ratio (verse the E-Coupe has a 2.65:1.) I guess Mercedes hopes to make the C-Coupe feels a little more sporty punch of power off the line, and the E-Coupe a more leisure highway curising feel. The interior design of the C-Coupe also presents a more tight & compact driver-oriented feeling, thus enhances a more sporty sensation when one is in the driver's seat.

On the styling & design side -- upon close inspection, one can sense where the extra money has been spent on the E-Coupe for the driver as well as all three passengers... from the beautiful pillarless chassis design, to the all four fully-retractable windows, to the rear passenger openness cockpit sensation, to the Bently-ish rear fender, to the more complex taillight design, to the robotic front seatbelt extender, to the digital-display climate control, to the five-dials instruments, etc., etc. Just a little bit here and there to showcase a mini-CL-Class pillarless two-door coupe.

I guess by the end of the day, both are nice Mercedes coupes that are targeted for different clienteles.

Just my personal experience.

With best regards,

Dueclaws

I agree to a point:the '12 C63 has a better transmission, handles superior (if you drive aggressively) and a mean NA engine, but my opinion is that the '12 E550 has an engine with better technology (less HP, but great torque), handles good for normal sporty driving, and looks classy.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

mis3

Thanks. These are exactly the comments I was looking for. I was looking for comments on the E-Coupe from ex-CLK owners.

So, E-Coupes are more elegant than the C-Coupes in both exterior and interior. Coming from a CLK, I would feel uncomfortable that the rear windows are not functional in the C-Coupes.

I personally feel that the interior of the CLK is classy and very comfortable.

cmcbenz

false... it's very simple to me, the C63 Coupe and E550 Coupe are for two different markets at nearly the same price point

i love my e550 coupe loaded and ... it's plenty of car, power, etc.

E has no B pillars and has tons more interior room

storm10

Here is the review, which compares both C-Class Coupe and E-Class Coupe in details: C-Class Coupe vs. E-Class Coupe. Also, gives short overview of each model...

MBNUT1

Anybody able to provide a comparison of the ride quality of the E350 coupe with amg wheels vs the C250 with the 18's. I found the latter to be too responsive to expansion joints for my liking. Haven't been able to drive the E350 yes so don't know how it compares.

The reason I ask is that I have fallen in love with the E350 coupe design and either need to be retreived from the abyss or pushed headlong in.
TIA

OBXbeachBUM

Wow -- interesting to see others have difficulty deciding between the e class and c class coupes. There are things that I absolutely like, and dislike, about both; so much so I am almost resigned to keeping my '02 CLK 320, which I particularly like, for another few years until another round of coupes are designed; that or migrate away from MB to another manufacturer (which is yet another difficult issue to resolve). Anyone here thinking about the 6-series BMW? I'd buy IT in a heart-beat if the price weren't so high.

southflguy

I was also torn between the C and E coupe. Ultimately I went with the E350 coupe because there was just something very refined about the interior and exterior, yet it remained sporty. The pillarless design gave me that convertible feel and sold me.

Dueclaws

Change December to January. The vehicle was just produced and completed, but now waits for shipping. We were hoping for a Christmas present from MBZ.

HakonLykaas

Don't have a B-pillar do they?

Two door cars with B-pillar is a two door sedan in my opinion.





Br.

Hakon L.

bzliteyear

The new bimmer 6-series looks better, but whenever I take a look at the rear seats, I realize what a joke it is. As for high prices, no worries as they're like most AMGs - 50% off MSRP after 3 yrs, and just get a CPO warranty and drive it for 3-4 yrs.

Importantly, let's put all of these rear seat "jokes" together on a list - Porsche Carrera, Jaguar XK, Lexus SC430, Aston Martin, Bentley GT, etc....

Btw, I'd almost put the CL-class in this as well. I've tried to look at the CLs many times, and they have less rear seat room(real world vs. MB specs) than my CLK55(W209).

PGT

as an E550 Coupe owner, I was VERY impressed sitting in a C250 Coupe at the dealer today. That said, I dislike the C Coupe's passing similarity to an Accord Coupe and I like the fact I have no B-Pillar (something my daughter loves...she has her own window control but she can't open a door....).