Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe 2015 Review

Mercedes-Benz C 300 and C 250d Coupe
International Launch Review
Malaga, Spain

In the era of Dieselgate, where the promises of car companies are taken with a dump truck full of salt, a little modesty is actually appropriate.

So ‘good on you’ to the coupe’s development chief Christian Fruh for actually volunteering that the new W205-generation two-door intentionally provides less rear seat knee room and boot space so the body can be sexier, and is also tuned to provide less ride comfort in search of better handling.

Styling is in the eye of the beholder, so whether the coupe’s diamond grille, long bonnet, frameless doors, pinched glasshouse, pitching roof and S-Class Coupe-inspired droopy tail work is only something you can decide.

For mine – and you are reading this so you might be interested – it doesn’t. It all just looks a bit sad. The BMW 4 Series is nicer and the ageing A5 Coupe sublime by comparison. But then Benz has never sold more cars than it does now and a lot of them have similar styling elements to this. So what do I know?

Whatever you think of the exterior there’s no doubt it’s cramped in the back seat -- so much so you’ll definitely want to get into the driver’s seat before you even know whether it is a decent drive or not.
And the good news is … it is.

So use the back seat to torture your enemies or for luggage space to compensate for the shrunken boot, but stay up front and hog the wheel, thus minimising your pain and maximising your pleasure.

That applies to both versions of the new C-Class coupe we sampled at the international media launch in Spain last week -- the C 300 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder and the C 250d 2.1-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder.

As we have reported separately here, there are four mainstream C-class coupes headed to Australia in March-April 2016; the C 200, C 250, C 250d and C 300. There’s also the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S, but we have dealt with both the development and concept of that car and its drive experience separately.

Pricing has yet to be announced but will go up, as will the level of equipment. That will be in-line with last year’s W205 C-Class sedan, which the coupe is very much based on.

Technically speaking, they share the new MRA rear/all-wheel drive architecture, wheelbase, drivetrains, fundamental suspension structure, electro-mechanical steering, brakes and so on. So on that basis the coupe is going to be a good thing.

But to differentiate the two and appeal to a sportier audience, Fruh and his crew lowered suspensions – standard steel, optional sport steel and optional Airmatic air springs – by 15mm and ramped up the stiffness.

Setting for setting, even when dialling through the multiple Dynamic Select options available with Airmatic, the coupe is firmer and more tactile than the sedan equivalent. So it steers with more directness, sits flatter mid-corner and then hangs on that much harder as you exit.

And that exit is made all the more entertaining by the 300’s 185kW/350Nm version of the M274 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder. This model is kind of meant to be the replacement in the range for the old 3.5-litre nat-atmo V6, giving up 45kW but matching the old donk for torque. Overall, the 300 is 50kg lighter than the 350 and you can tell too in the way it changes direction.

But what about those missing neddies?  A punt along the fabulous Ronda Road reinforced that a car with decent – not outrageous – outputs and a well-balanced chassis more than compensates for power at the brochure.

Dynamic Select also offers the ability to swap engine behaviour from the relative docility of Comfort mode to the aggression of Sport and Sport+. Revved hard the engine makes a delicate yet enjoyable yowl.

Flappy paddles on the steering wheel allow snappy manual shifts, remembering this car has – like other Benzes before it – moved the transmission lever to the steering column.

But not only is the C 300 decently brisk it’s also nicely civilised, so you can drive it every day. OK, the ride can be a bit harsh, as Fruh conceded, but it’s not that bad on the sports suspension and staggered 18-inch rubber our test car was equipped with.

A brief run in a C250d equipped with Airmatic established that some of the sedan’s float in Comfort mode still seeps through, so it’s not a night and day retune. Swapping to sport shut that down and added enough ride brittleness to be noticeable. Steering also weighted up, but not unpleasantly.

The diesel also displayed real civility and surprising quietness – so much so that tyre roar on coarse surfaces was a bigger intrusion. The engine’s 500Nm torque output provided enjoyable shove and the responsiveness was helped by the new nine-speed 9G-TRONIC auto. The diesel is the only car in the range to have it and it’s hard to believe it’s busier than a one-armed fiddle player because you barely sense it’s there.

Inside the cabin – once those long and heavy doors are negotiated – the C-coupe does a good impersonation of the sedan around the dashboard and touch points such as the flat-bottomed steering wheel, COMAND infotainment system and other controls. The media screen remains untouched, however, sitting up there proudly on top of the dash, with the three supporting circular air-con vents lined up below.

The integrated front seats are new and do a fine job of providing comfort and lateral support. They also don’t move forward enough to make entry and exit anything less than inelegant for back-seat passengers.

It’s not all bad back there though. The car is wider, so occupants of the two bucket seats do get more elbow room. There’s also supposed to be more headroom, although it’s still pretty tight. There is a ski-port and the seats also fold down to expand boot capacity from 400 litres (50 litres down on the old car).

There are a couple of other bits and bobs to note; while there is now an electric park brake replacing the old foot parking brake, the key still has to be inserted to start the car. The new front seats have no seat-back pockets, although there are storage bins as well as dual cup-holders for the rear-seat passengers.

But find yourself in the back of a C-coupe, legs splayed awkwardly either side of the front seat backrest, and you’ll know you’ve drawn the short straw. The driver’s seat is the place to be in this car.

Let’s be clear though, the C 300 Coupe is not a compulsively addictive experience like the mega C 63 S, more honest and enjoyable. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

2015 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Coupe pricing and specifications:
Price: TBC
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Outputs: 155kW/350Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.4L/100km
CO2: 125g/km
Safety rating: TBC

What we liked:
>> Admirably sporty yet balanced driving dynamics
>> Fizzy ‘300’ engine (and quietness of 250d diesel)
>> Sitting in the front

Not so much:
>> Droopy styling
>> Price on the way up
>> Sitting in the back

Also consider:
Audi A5 (from $68,200)
BMW 4 Series (from $70,000)
Lexus RC 350 (from $65,610)