THESE days the term coupe is being applied to an increasingly wide range of cars of various shapes and sizes.

Just stick a sloping roof on what the rest of us might regard as a hatchback, saloon, or even an SUV, and the marketing men are happy to call it a coupe - eager to encourage potential buyers with the image of sportiness that the moniker conjures.

There are motors in the Mercedes fleet that are guilty of this same flexible interpretation - but the E-Class Coupe is not one of them, sticking to the more traditionally accepted low-slung, two-door, four-seater format.

That rakish roofline is also an integral feature, of course, in what is a stunning motor to look at and was drawing admiring glances the minute it arrived for its tenure on my driveway. The wife even spotted one driver pull over on the opposite side of the road for several minutes just to gawp at it.

The dynamic visual impact is also helped by the fact that the car is only available in highly-specified AMG Line and AMG E53 trim, incorporating many of the bold muscular design cues of Mercedes' high-performance division.

Beneath the expansive bonnet you can choose between a selection of 2.0 and 3.0-litre petrol or diesel engines offering between 194 and 367ps in AMG Line cars while the AMG E53 comes with a potent 435ps 3.0-litre petrol unit.

Depending upon your choice you'll get rear-wheel drive or Mercedes' 4Matic all-wheel drive system and all power plants are mated to a super smooth nine-speed automatic transmission.

While the 2.0-litre options, and especially the diesels, will appeal to business buyers and those wishing to keep running costs to a minimum, the 3.0-litre units offer performance much more in keeping with the sporty looks.

Our car was powered by the 340ps six-cylinder, 3.0-litre diesel, which comes with four-wheel-drive as standard and will shift you from 0-62mph in a snip over five-seconds and on to a restricted top speed of 155mph.

As you would expect from figures like that, the E-Class Coupe is a consummate motorway cruiser, effortlessly eating up the miles in a relaxed and refined manner.

Power is delivered smoothly and promptly while the automatic gearbox goes about its work almost imperceptibly. Paddles on the steering wheel allow the driver to intervene, should they wish, but I can't really see why they'd want too.

A drive select function also offers five modes, including sport and sport+ if you want to liven things up a little but despite this, and the sheer pace on offer, the E-Class Coupe is not necessarily an out-and-out driver's car.

That's because the steering, although light and precise, offers little by way of real engagement while the chassis and suspension are set-up with a focus on comfort rather than agility. The result is a driving character and experience that is perhaps best compared to a grand tourer.

If that is what you are after, though, this is a pretty easy car to like in all other respects, offering impressive rear space for a coupe and absolutely bristling with high-tech gizmos and creature comforts.

Unless you're more than six feet tall, head and leg room in the back should be fine and the boot, at 425 litres, offers plenty of capacity.

Man-made Artico leather upholstery, black ash wood trim, soft-touch surfaces and 64-colour ambient lighting give the cabin a suitably premium feel while equipment levels are generous and, typically of prestige German brands, can be supplemented with plenty of packages and upgrades.

Standard kit includes an 8.4-inch multimedia display, automatic climate control, heated front seats, keyless ignition, navigation, parking assist, rearview camera, cruise control and automatic emergency braking.