The current C-Class Saloon may have one of the best cabins available but its four door shape looks a bit strait-laced from the outside.
So enter the raffish new two-door Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe, with its lightweight and aerodynamic body packed with new safety kit, driven by powerful and efficient engines.
It’s an alluring combination that goes up against stiff competition from the BMW 4 Series and Audi A5.
What’s different to the saloon?
Pick a coupe over the standard C-Class saloon if you want a sportier shape with an extended bonnet, frameless doors and sloping roofline.
It is longer and wider than the four-door with an extra 80mm between the axles. This means more shoulder, elbow and headroom for the driver and front passenger.
The suspension is 15mm lower with 17-inch alloys as standard and you can choose between a comfort or sports steel set-up, plus optional air springs.
Six engines compliant with Euro 6
There are four petrol and two diesel engines available, all with four-cylinders and start/stop function, as well as being Euro 6 emissions compliant.
The smallest unit is a 1.6-litre C180 petrol with 154bhp followed by a two-litre engine in three states of tune ranging from 181bhp to 242bhp.
Likely to be more popular with company car drivers will be the two diesel engines with either 168bhp or 202bhp. There are no official figures yet but a C220 saloon with 168bhp in BlueTEC guise is capable of 103g/km of CO2 and 70mpg and the German firm has hinted that CO2 and fuel economy are likely to be close to the saloon.
Mercedes says the new car has an aerodynamic shape as well as a lightweight construction with more aluminium, making the new coupe lighter.
Despite this, the body is much stiffer thanks to the use of high-strength materials, which will help driving dynamics, noise levels, and crash safety.
New safety technology
As well as adaptive front airbags, front occupants also get thorax and pelvis bags and a kneebag for the driver. There are front and rear window bags as standard and rear side bags as an option.
Autonomous safety tech includes Attention Assist, which can detect drowsiness, Enhanced Active Lane Keeping Assist to stop the car wandering on the motorway, and Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus which allows the high-beam headlamps to be kept on permanently without dazzling traffic.
The Collision Prevention Assist Plus suite warns the drive of imminent crashes and can boost the brakes, or even apply them automatically.
Adaptive Distronic Plus cruise control can track the speed of a vehicle ahead and help you stay in your lane, while Pre-Safe occupant protection can now spot rear collisions and tighten seatbelts and lock the brakes before an impact.
Sporty interior with luxury fittings
All cars come with special sports seats and an automatic seatbelt feeder, in special trim combinations including saddle brown and porcelain. Buy an early Edition 1 car and you’ll get nut brown and black upholstery with turquoise topstitching.
Top spec AMG Line cars feature special bumpers and sills, a chromed radiator grille, and 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside you get Artico man-made leather or Dinamica microfibre with contrasting topstitching, a multifunction, flat-bottomed sports-steering wheel and AMG sports pedals.
The air conditioning system uses satellite navigation to detect tunnels and closes the air recirculation flap automatically, while the Frontbass system utilises space within the body structure as a resonance chamber for the bass speakers to enhance sound quality.
Remote Online services gives you access to vehicle information including whether the windows and doors are open, the mileage, tyre pressures and other diagnostic data.
There is also a Vehicle Tracker, remote door locking and unlocking, and remote heating activation and deactivation.
The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupé will go on sale in December this year.
