Cultured C-Class Coupe a Feast to the Senses

It’s here. Mercedes-Benz has just launched its sumptuous new C-Class Coupe for those of us who can afford to drive luxurious German grand tourers without space for rear passengers. But Coupe buyers don’t care about trivialities such as these. So if the C-Class Coupe is this pretty and there are no children to be carted about, why bother buying a regular C-Class? Well, it’s more expensive in order to be exclusive, and also, it has only just launched.

When local media arrived at the National launch in George, a lone Polar White C-Class Coupe 220 d stood parked at the entrance of the Oubaai Hyatt. It’s a car that cannot be ignored, that has silent, majestic presence. No surprise then, that this sleek piece of Germany eye-candy is being referred to as a ‘baby S-Class Coupe’. And if you walk around to the rear, there they are: Those elongated tail-lights that have transformed the rear into something quite special. The flowing Coupe roofline and drawn-in C-pillars have resulted in less head, leg and elbowroom for rear-passengers. But like we said, hardly something to worry about if you’re seriously considering a Coupe. For the front passengers, there’s 19 mm more shoulder room, 29 mm more elbow room and a miniscule 8 mm more headroom. The C-Class Coupe is also 95 mm longer and 40 mm wider than its predecessor, and is 15 mm closer to the ground than the latest C-Class sedan.

The sportily designed interior is just as opulent as the Coupe’s sedan sibling, the C-Class, and has been copied almost verbatim. It’s all about the bling, yet never tacky. The most attractive interior feature must be the newly designed seats. Apart from offering supreme comfort, they are beautiful to behold. Spec them in dual-toned black/nut brown ARTICO man-made leather with turquoise coloured topstitching (part of the limited Edition 1 package at R49 000), and you’ll have a cabin so gorgeous you’d never want to get out of your car.

There are currently 3 C-Class Coupes available to the South African public: The C200 (R 551 100), the C220 d (R 592 700) and the C300 (R660 300). All three were available for sampling at the local launch, and we selected a C220 d for our first part of the route, which took us over some of the prettiest passes in the district. The George area has dramatic, mountainous scenery, and for a while we could imagine we were driving through Germany, in the lap of luxury.

The Diamond White C220 d was the perfect companion to this mini-roadtrip, enveloping both my co-driver and I in superior coziness. There is so much legroom in front that I sat with my legs straight out in front of me, while he drove. The new seats are not just pretty, and support you in all the right places. When it was my turn to take the wheel, another mountain pass appeared on the horizon, and with the DYNAMIC SELECT transmission mode set to Sport, I continued up the pass with great zeal. For a 1.6-tonne machine, the C-Class Coupe is firm, composed and grippy, and sticks to the tarmac like it’s nobody’s business. If you have dough to spend on optional AIRMATIC Air Suspension, then go for it, especially if you prefer a more cushy ride. On the low-profile tyres it’s a little harsh and there’s quite a bit of road noise.
The smooth 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission is used in the C-Class Coupe for the first time, and there are ‘flappy paddles’ behind the steering wheel for manual changes.   

Head room in the Coupe is not generous, and I had to lower my seat to the max.  Anyone over 1.85 metres may have some trouble with this. Also, the optional COMAND online infotainment screen in the middle of the dash, seems to take up too much visual space of the already narrow windshield. I should add that It is something we got used to as we spent more time in the car. The one place where space is not an issue, is in the very voluminous boot. But don’t expect a button on the bootlid - you’ll have to use a button on your remote or pull the switch in the door. If you have your key in your hand and you swing your foot underneath the car’s behind, it will open autonomously, but this is yet another optional extra.

Standard equipment in the 220 d (R 592 700) include Collision Prevention Assist PLUS, Cruise Control, A tyre pressure monitor, sump shield protection, Audio 20 CD media system with touchpad and Bluetooth, automatic climate control, an interior light package and ECO start/stop. Runflat tyres are standard and the C-Class Coupe has an Anti-Theft Protection package. The entire media fleet was kitted out with almost every optional extra imaginable, easily adding R200 000 or more to the price. But it’s hardly necessary, as all the safety kit you need is there. The rest are all luxuries.

So how does the C-Class Coupe compare in price to the sedan? I think it would be worth stretching a little further to own the Coupe if you won’t be needing any rear space - it’s light years better looking than the C-Class saloon and not that much more expensive. For example, the C-Class 220 d sedan costs R 521 300 and the C-Class Coupe 220 d carries a price tag of R 592 700. If you’re buying a car in this price range, R 71 400 shouldn’t make much of a difference, now should it?

The C-Class Coupé comes standard with a six-year/100 000 km PremiumDrive maintenance plan without customer contribution.  The C 220 d is exempt from CO2 emission tax due to its low footprint of 113 g/km.