Closing the gap
The range of models bearing the Mercedes star has few gaps. Where there were holes allowing the German competitors to race ahead there are new products coming online to remedy the situation in the next couple of years. From 2012 there will be the new and very competitive A-Class models and a smaller off-roader dubbed the BLK and this will be off in pursuit of the BMW X1 and the Audi Q3. But a coupé version in the well-selling C-Class has up until now been missing. There is admittedly the elegant E-Class Coupé and successor to the CLK models which once counted as the humble entry level sport coupés in the Mercedes world. But now in June the E-Class Coupé will be joined by a smaller sibling, the two-door C-Class version. No longer an entry level automobile the 4.59 metre long C-Class Coupé with be the new top car of its range and a thousand Euros more expensive than the sedan.
The rivals targeted
“With our new C-Class Coupé we clearly have our eye on the 3-Series Coupé made by BMW”, admits the leader of the model range, Wolfgang Bremm, “the E-Class Coupé is a true luxury coupé. Hardly any of our customers would have in the past considered an E-Class Coupé as an alternative to that of the 3-Series. But now that will change.” About ten percent of C-Class buyers who until now have favoured the C-Class Coupé. And most of these buyers will be tuning their backs on Audi and BMW. “In this cohort of coupé customers the buyers are somewhat older and are prepared to spend more for the motorization and equipment level they want.” The best example is the bigger E-Class model. While the customer preference in respect of the E-Class sedans and estate versions is for the E 220 CDI and E 250 CDI diesels those who buy a coupé tend to go for the E350 with V6 engine. “A Mercedes-Benz is not meant to be a brash automobile”, explains product manager Andreas Heidl, “but it expresses confidence, as does the styling of the new coupé. This is the model we have been needing for some time.”
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- The 306 horsepower six-cylinder engine is also a good choice for the C-Class Coupé. It could be said that the 3.5 litre naturally aspirated motor with direct injection is not quite as lively as the turbocharged BMW 350i but it can score well nevertheless.
The perfect cruiser
The 306 horsepower six-cylinder engine is also a good choice for the C-Class Coupé. It could be said that the 3.5 litre naturally aspirated motor with direct injection is not quite as lively as the turbocharged BMW 350i but it can score well nevertheless. Zero to a hundred takes six seconds, with the push coming from 306 horsepower and 370 Newton metres of torque. The top speed is limited at 250 kilometres an hour. The sound of the V6 at 6,500 revs is more than satisfying. Regenerative braking is a feature as are energy saving secondary equipment and stop-start automatic, all of these allowing a fuel consumption of 6.8 litres of super to be seen as realistic. And this is an excellent value for the sports coupé with over three hundred horses under the hood and sending its power to the rear wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission.
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- Apart from its exterior form and the two single sports seats front and back the C350 is only very slightly different from the familiar sedan version. The cockpit, the dashboard and the controls are absolutely identical to those of the four-door auto.
Much of the sedan remains
Apart from its exterior form and the two single sports seats front and back the C350 is only very slightly different from the familiar sedan version. The cockpit, the dashboard and the controls are absolutely identical to those of the four-door auto. The rear windows cannot be opened and atypically for a coupé the windows in the doors have frames. But more typically for a 2+2 coupé the space in the rear seats is reduced. Behind the two rear seats with fixed head-rests the boot provides space for 450 litres of cargo.
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- Despite all sporting ambitions comfort is the priority in the 1.6 ton C-Class Coupé as it is in the sedan and estate models. The 350 has as standard electronic control of the damping and has a 15 millimetres lower sports suspension. This also gives a slightly firmer ride. The variable sports steering available as an option is not completely convincing.
The full program
The behaviour of the C350 which comes with 17 inch alloys as standard hardly differs from that of the sedan. Despite all sporting ambitions comfort is the priority in the 1.6 ton C-Class Coupé as it is in the sedan and estate models. The 350 has as standard electronic control of the damping and has a 15 millimetres lower sports suspension. This also gives a slightly firmer ride. The variable sports steering available as an option is not completely convincing and is one of the boxes on the extras list that doesn’t need a tick. The standard comfort features… other than those delivering safety with ESP, ABS and nine air-bags… are relatively few. But the customer who wants to make his coupé a truly luxurious automobile can choose from a wide range of optional extras and coupé buyers are inclined to spend just that little bit more. Fully electric leather seats, Xenon headlights, the new multi-media navigation system and many other decorative and techie extras will be seen by many C-Class Coupé drivers as essentials.
From 47,540 Euros
When launched the C-Class coupés from Mercedes will be available with five motorization options, diesel and petrol power plants with outputs ranging from 156 to 306 horsepower. For those wanting still more there’s the 487 horsepower C63 AMG Coupé as an alternative costing all of 72,590 Euros but after so long a worthy rival to the long dominant BMW M3 Coupé. The starting price for the 156 horsepower Mercedes C180 Coupé is 33,290 Euros. The 306 horsepower 350 with only a very basic kevel of equipment will cost 47,540 Euros and thus a thousand Euros more expensive than the four-door sedan. Anyone taking heed of the sales success of the all-wheel-drive BMW 3-Series Coupé and the Audi A5 might rightly suspect that before long there will be a Mercedes 4matic version taking up the chase.
