First drive: Mercedes-Benz C 250 Coupe

By THOMAS HUONG | 19 May 2016


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The C-Class sedan is selling like hot cakes for Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, and the German luxury marque expects its new two-door, four-seater C-Class coupe to be a hit with well-heeled Malaysians as well.

There are three coupe variants, namely the C 200, 250 and 300 with powerful turbocharged 2.0-litre engines in different states of tune and 7G-Tronic Plus automatic transmissions.  It has very striking looks, especially as it comes in AMG Line as standard, with the diamond radiator grille with pins in chrome and the central three-pointed star, as well as bumpers and sills featuring AMG body styling and a long bonnet.

We know it looks good, because all our friends and neighbours gave it admiring looks, and some even gave a thumbs-up when we drove by. Adding to the style quotient here is the car’s high beltline and frameless doors with free-standing wing mirrors. In the cabin, the style quotient is on the high side too, with an AMG Line interior that includes aluminium trim, black leather surfaces, and sports seats wrapped in white leather.

READ MORE: Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe debuts
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Our test drive unit was the RM333,888 C 250 Coupe, with a satisfying 211hp and 350Nm of torque under the hood, powering the rear wheels.  Now, this luxury two-door, four-seater coupe is not meant to be a comfort-biased car for the family.  You get two rear sports seats, separated by dual cup-holders. And there is a lack of headroom for 1.73cm adults like us, thanks to the sharply sloping rear roofline. Legroom is not too bad, thanks to a 2,840mm wheelbase. The 400-litre boot isn’t that big, although we had no issues putting in five big cartons (each packing 12 1.5-litre water bottles).

In terms of motoring pleasure, our C 250 coupe delivered, with its sports suspension which is 15mm lower than the C-Class sedan, and 19-inch AMG alloy wheels with high performance Pirelli P Zero run-flat tyres sized 255/35 (rear) and 225/40 (front).  The car weights a bit more than 1.5 tonne, and the 0 to 100kph sprint is done in a mere 6.8 seconds, which should satisfy most owners.

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Feature-wise, there are lots to like including keyless entry, Active Parking Assist with reverse camera, and a Burmester sound system with Mercedes-Benz Frontbass technology that simulates concert hall acoustics in the car. The Active Parking Assist takes the stress out of parking in tight spots as the car can steer itself. All we did was shift gear modes when the car prompted us and braked occasionally, for semi-automated manoeuvring into a tough parking spot.

As with many new Mercedes-Benz models, the gear stick here is a shift lever on the steering column, where the wiper or signalling stalk is found in most cars. Flicking the small shift lever downward puts the car in Drive mode, and flicking the lever upwards puts it in Reverse. Park mode is engaged by pushing a button on the lever’s tip.
This takes some getting used to, but it does save space on the centre console where you will find cup holders and extra storage space for small items.

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There’s no touchscreen here, but you get a nice semi-floating colour display perched above the three centre air-conditioning vents, with touchpad control and Bluetooth connectivity. You can control the car’s radio, navigation, media and drive settings via steering wheel buttons, the touchpad controller or a large rotary dial.

The front seats are the best spots to be in this car as the rear ones are not as comfortable for adult-sized passengers.

In summary, the C-Class coupe provides an exhilarating drive with nice handling, precise steering and a powerful drivetrain, and it rides lower than the C-Class sedan.

It looks great, with striking lines and dynamically curved surfaces, and provides ample comfort in a beautifully designed and luxuriously appointed cabin.

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Keywords

Overview

Styling
100%
Comfort
70%
Performance
80%
Safety
80%
Value
70%

CarSifu's Rating: 8.0