The folks over at Car and Driver were able to get the chance to take a ride along in a pre-production Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe in beautiful Northern California. With C-Class model chief Christian Früh at the helm, Car and Driver editors were able to ride along to get a feel for how the new C Class rides, feels and looks. From their pre-production rides, it seems to be a fine machine.
On the outside, from the B-Pillar forward, it’s typical C-Class. Not that that’s a bad thing, the new C-Class looks excellent. But look rearward from there and, even underneath the slight camouflage, you can make out the short rear deck and smooth sweeping roof line. In profile, this is a good looking car and a large improvement over the predecessor. On the inside, things seem C-Class as usual, which is also not a bad thing, as the new C-Class’ interior is best in class and absolutely lovely. Though, rear headroom and passenger space is obviously penalized from the sedan and it’s also worse than the previous C-Class Coupe. But you don’t buy a coupe for rear headroom.
From the passenger seat, the folks from C&D were able to discern that the C-Class Coupe is definitely sportier than its sedan counterpart. It apparently rides firmer, but not harshly, and sits .08 inches lower on the road, giving it a sportier feel. The suspension and steering have also been re-calibrated to be sportier than the sedan’s. So this isn’t just a body-job, the C-Class Coupe is meant to be the sportiest Mercedes-Benz with out an AMG badge on it. Mercedes has also messed with the driver’s settings, making the switch from Comfort to Sport mode and smoother process.
Some proper thought has gone into making this Benz.
The engine that was powering this preproduction C300 was a 2.0 liter turbo four-cylinder, making 241 hp and can take the C Class Coupe to 60 mph from a standstill in under six seconds, according to Mercedes. There will also be a C450 AMG, coming in summer of 2016, which will have a 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged V6 making 362 hp. All variants will be available in rear or all-wheel drive.Obviously, a manic AMG version will be available later one, which will use the same 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 that the sedan uses.
Regardless of which engine or drivetrain you choose, the C-Class Coupe looks like its shaping up to be a seriously good sports car. The sedan is already a great car, but it lacks a bit of sports car bite that cars like the BMW 3 Series and Jaguar XE have. So if the Coupe can bring that extra bit of athleticism to the C-Class, the 4 Series Coupe will have a serious competitor to answer to.
Next year, the 4 Series Coupe will also get a refresh and along with a facelift it will also bring a new top model, the 440i.
