Review: Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe (2017-23)

Overview

Released in Australia in June 2017, the Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe was a four seat coupe. Manufactured in Germany, the Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe range consisted of the E 220 d, E 300 and E 400 4MATIC models, all of which had nine-speed ‘9G-Tronic’ automatic transmissions, complied with Euro 6 emissions standards and had an ECO start/stop function that enabled the engine to shut down when the vehicle was stationary in traffic.

In September 2018, the C238 E-Class Coupe range was revised as the E 400 4MATIC was replaced by the E 450 4MATIC and the Mercedes-AMG E 53 4MATIC+ Coupe was released.

Dimensions

The Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe was based on the Mercedes-Benz W213 E-Class Sedan . Compared to the Mercedes-Benz C207 E-Class Coupe , however, the C238 E-Class Coupe was 123 mm longer (at 4826 mm), 74 mm wider (1860 mm), 32 mm taller (1430 mm) and had a 113 mm longer wheelbase (2873 mm). According to Mercedes-Benz, these increased dimensions resulted in greater interior space, including front headroom (1039 mm, up 18 mm) and rear legroom (912 mm, up 74 mm).

Suspension

The Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe had four-link front suspension and five-link rear suspension. As standard, the C238 E 220 d was fitted with Mercedes-Benz’s ‘Agility Control’ suspension. An amplitude-selective damping system, ‘Agility Control’ utilised:

• A bypass channel in the shock absorber’s piston pin; and,
• A control piston moving within a separate oil chamber.

When linear travel of the shock absorber was low, the control piston forced oil through the bypass channel to produce a smaller damping force at the damper valve. For greater shock absorber movements, the control piston moved to close the bypass channel so full damping force was available. To be clear, Agility Control used hydromechanics, not electronics to vary suspension behaviour.

As standard, the C238 E 300 and E 400 4MATIC were fitted with Mercedes-Benz’s ‘Air Body Control’ multi-chamber air suspension, which included roll/pitch/heave stabilisation. For the ‘Air Body Control’ suspension, three chambers of different sizes in the spring struts of the rear axle and two chambers in the spring struts of the front axle could vary the hardness of the suspension in three stages. The multi-chamber air suspension was also augmented by an electronically controlled adaptive damping system in which damping at each wheel was continually adjusted to road and driving conditions. From the Dynamic Select system, the driver could also select from Comfort, Eco, Sport, Sport+ and Individual settings.

Compared to the Mercedes-Benz W213 E-Class Sedan , the suspension for the E-Class Coupe was lowered by 15 mm.

Steering

The Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe had rack-and-pinion steering with electric power assistance.

Safety equipment

Standard safety equipment for the Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe included dual front airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, front and rear side airbags, full-length curtain airbags, ABS, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control and front seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters.

For Australia, the Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe is expected to be fitted with a ‘Driving Assistance package Plus’ which included:

• Drive Pilot: operated at speeds up to 210 km/h and could control the distance to the vehicle ahead, vehicle speed and steering via the following functions:
  • Distance Pilot Distronic: adaptive cruise control that could maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead at speeds of up to 210 km/h and in stop/start traffic. An extended restart function also enabled automatic starting of the vehicle within 30 seconds after a stop that was initiated by Distance Pilot Distronic;
  • Steering Pilot: used a camera to detect road markings and vehicles ahead so that Steering Pilot could follow those vehicles even on roads with several lanes or unclear road markings. Steering Pilot could also provide steering assistance for ‘moderate bends’;
  • Active Emergency Stop Assist: if the driver removed their hands from the steering wheel, warnings were issued to direct the driver to grip the steering wheel. If the driver did not respond, Active Emergency Stop Assist would bring the vehicle to a standstill within its lane;
  • Active Lane Change Assist: a radar- and camera-based system which operated at speeds between 80 km/h and 180 km/h. Active Lane Change Assist assisted the driver when changing lanes on multi-lane roads and could steer the vehicle into the lane selected by the driver. Once the driver had indicated to turn for at least two seconds, Active Lane Change Assist would steer the vehicle into the adjacent lane if it detected that the lane was unoccupied;
• Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function: operated at speeds from 7 km/h to 250 km/h and used information from radar sensors and a stereo camera to warn of imminent collisions – visually and audibly – with vehicles or pedestrians ahead of the vehicle and provide autonomous braking. Beyond this, the cross-traffic function could detect crossing traffic at junctions and, if the driver failed to respond, applied the brakes autonomously. Furthermore, it could detect hazardous situations at the tail-end of traffic jams (where there was no room to manoeuvre) and initiate autonomous braking far sooner than normal in such situations. Consequently, it was possible to avoid accidents at speeds up to 100 km/h or substantially reduce the severity of accidents at speeds above this level;
• Evasive Steering Assist: complemented the pedestrian detection function of Active Brake Assist. When the driver deliberately or instinctively performed an evasive manoeuvre in a dangerous situation, Evasive Steering Assist would calculate steering torque required to support the movement of the steering wheel – this helped the driver to avoid the pedestrian in a controlled manner while helping to ‘straighten up’ the vehicle afterwards;
• Active Blind Spot Assist: active at speeds above 60 km/h, a corrective braking force would be applied to the wheels on one side of the vehicle if the driver attempted to change lanes when a vehicle was detected in the driver’s blind spot;
• Active Lane Keeping Assist: initiated steering wheel vibrations if the vehicle approached a continuous lane marking line and, if crossed, automatically braked the wheels on one side of the vehicle to return the vehicle to its lane; and,
• Pre-Safe Plus: could anticipate rear-end collisions and warn following traffic by flashing the rear hazard warning lights at high frequency.

As standard, the Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe was also equipped with:

• Attention Assist with adjustable sensitivity: operated at speeds in excess of 80 km/h and monitored driver behaviour and steering movements for signs of drowsiness. If detected, the driver was provided with visual and audible warnings; and,
• Crosswind Assist: could detect sudden, strong gusts of wind and prevent the vehicle from drifting out of its lane via corrective braking forces on one side of the vehicle.

From September 2018, the Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe was equipped with Traffic Sign Assist (TSA) which used navigation data and image recognition to display – in the instrument cluster – the maximum permitted speed, restrictions on overtaking and pedestrian warnings near ‘zebra’ crossings. Traffic Sign Assist also had an extended wrong-way warning, while the detection of stop signs was combined with the ECO start/stop function so that the engine remained on. Furthermore, Active Speed Limit Assist was a sub-function of Traffic Sign Assist that used the forward-facing camera to recognise sign gantries and road works signs to set the vehicle’s maximum speed.

Finally, the Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe had an ‘active bonnet’ which, in the event of a pedestrian collision, triggered a pyrotechnic charge to raise the height of the bonnet and provide additional clearance to ‘hard points’ within the engine bay.

Features: Mercedes-Benz C238 E 220 d Coupe

Standard features for Australian-delivered Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe included the COMAND Online Infotai Nment system which had a high-resolution display, digital radio tuner (DAB+), HDD navigation with 3D maps and dynamic route guidance, internet connectivity and smartphone integration via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

Beyond this, standard features for the Mercedes-Benz C238 E 220 d included 19-inch five twin-spoke alloy wheels, ‘Thermatic’ dual-zone climate control air conditioning, leather upholstery, power adjustable front sports seats with horizontal quilting, LED headlights with integral daytime running lights, dusk-sensing headlights, rain-sensing wipers, front and rear parking sensors, a Nappa leather steering wheel with gearshift paddles, 40:20:40 split-folding rear seat backrests, remote central locking with proximity key, power adjustable and heated door mirrors with folding function, power windows, a power adjustable steering wheel (for height and reach), memory settings (for the front seats, steering wheel and door mirrors), an electric park brake, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, push-button start, an analogue clock, a black roof liner, floor mats, synthetic leather (‘Artico’) dashboard trim, black ash open-pore wood trim, ambient interior lighting, illuminated door sill panels, a 12 volt power socket, a tyre pressure loss indicator, a trip computer and an immobiliser.

As standard, the Mercedes-Benz E 220 d Coupe was also equipped with:

• A rear view camera with dynamic guidelines;
• A 360 degree camera system which provided a bird’s eye view of the vehicle on the centre display and dynamic guidelines; and,
• Parking Pilot with Active Parking Assist: automatically engaged when driving at speeds up to 30 km/h, Parking Pilot could identify parallel and right angle parking spaces. Furthermore, the Parking Assist function could provide automated steering to manoeuvre the vehicle into the space while the driver controlled vehicle speed.

Features: Mercedes-Benz C238 E 300 Coupe

Compared to the Mercedes-Benz E 220 d Coupe, the E 300 Coupe was further equipped with 20-inch AMG multi-spoke alloy wheels, heated front seats and Multi-beam LED headlights.

Features: Mercedes-Benz C238 E 400 4MATIC Coupe

The range-topping Mercedes-Benz E 400 4MATIC Coupe was distinguished by its 590 watt Burmester surround sound system which had a nine-channel digital sound processing amplifier and thirteen speakers, a head-up display, panoramic glass sunroof with sunblind and rear privacy glass.

Mercedes-AMG C238 E 53 4MATIC+ Coupe

Released in Australia in September 2018, the Mercedes-AMG C238 E 53 4MATIC+ combined the M256 petrol engine with an ‘EQ Boost’ integrated starter/generator that produced 16 kW and 250 Nm. Using a 48 volt electrical system, EQ Boost could assist the petrol engine when accelerating and enabled the vehicle to coast or ‘sail’ without the operation of the petrol engine. The generator could also supply the battery with power through its energy recuperation function.

Standard features for Mercedes-AMG E 53 included 20-inch five twin-spoke alloy wheels, Burmester surround sound system, nappa leather upholstery, front sports seats, a panoramic glass sunroof, AMG Performance exhaust system and AMG exterior styling (including a bootlip spoiler). The Mercedes-AMG E 53 also featured ‘Energizing Comfort Control’ which integrated various comfort systems in the vehicle – such as climate control, ambient lighting, massage and fragrancing functions – so that customers could configure settings for six program names: Freshness, Warmth, Vitality, Joy, Comfort and Training. For the complete list of features, please refer to the specifications document, below.

September 2018 update

From September 2018, Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe models were fitted with new steering wheels that featured touch controls.

Specifications and brochures

• Specifications: Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe (March 2017)
• Specifications: Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe (July 2018)
• Brochure: Mercedes-Benz C238 E-Class Coupe (August 2016)

Sources

• Daimler Media: the new E-Class Coupe – stylish and sporty (December 2016)