Category: Executive 
Price Range: £30,280 to £48,360
Quality cabin, high comfort levels, punchy 2.1-litre and 3.0-litre diesel engines.
Not very exciting to drive, limited headroom in rear seats, gloopy manual gearbox.
Lacks coupe-like road manners despite the Coupe tag - it's more of a comfortable cruiser.
There are lots of worthwhile contenders vying for supremacy in the executive coupe market. The Audi A5, Volkswagen Passat CC, Infiniti G37 and even the Renault Laguna Coupe all offer business types a conservative company car that's just a little different.
Enter the Mercedes E-Class Coupe - a slicker version of the executive's 'default' choice. It comes in two versions - SE and Sport - and this is where it gets interesting, depending on how saucy you want to be. If you are feeling particularly rakish you could shell out £1,995 extra for the Sport model, which includes an AMG body kit, a single-tone interior and sports-tuned suspension. More conservative types will go for the SE - a more sedate-looking machine with a standard suspension set-up and a stylish two-tone interior.
There are five engines to choose from: four-cylinder 2.1-litre (250 CDI) and six-cylinder 3.0-litre (350 CDI) diesels and four-cylinder 1.8-litre (250 CGI), six-cylinder 3.5-litre (350 CGI) and eight-cylinder 5.5-litre petrols (500). All boast improved fuel economy and reduced emissions over the previous model.
It's a reasonably nice looking coupe and the sloped roofline has conspired to make this the most aerodynamically efficient production car in the world.
The financial downturn has also prompted a 5% reduction prices too - prices start at £33,285 for the 350 CDI available from early June (the 250s will arrive in the UK in August and a 220 model will be available next year). The 500 flagship model, also available in June, will set you back just over £48k.
