2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe

It has not been an easy life for the smallest Mercedes in the United States. It certainly hasn’t been as tough as the European A-Class, but the road to success for the C-Class has been paved with hardship and tough com

petition.

In that very segment, buyers will find one the best vehicles ever produced, the BMW 3-Series. Here is a vehicle that has dominated the German sports saloon segment with strong sales and a driving experience that is second to none. If that wasn’t enough to damn the C-Class, Audi has brought along the A4, a strong 3-Series rival that offers up a brilliant interior and build quality that has stood the test of time.

On top of all this, Mercedes has fallen behind in other areas as well. BMW offers their 3-Series in coupe form and Audi has the A5, but what does Mercedes offer? Well, until now, nothing, but that is all scheduled to change with the new C-Class Coupe.

Hit the jump to read more about it.

Exterior and Interior

Many have found the new E-Class Coupe to be a bit over-styled, as if the designer just couldn’t put down the pen. The front and rear ends will be adopted from the facelifted C-Class sedan due early next year. We will see more sculpted headlights, enlarged air intakes, and a newly redesigned hood. For those that have disdain for the E-Class, this might fit the bill.

The upward kink at the trailing edge of the rear window looks a bit like a BMW design cue, and the wedge-shaped body and the sleek greenhouse convey Audi overtones. Perhaps the Germans are doing a bit of spying on one other. When you buy a two-door, one expects to lose a bit of practicality, but that’s not the case with this model, as the boot has the same 16.8 cubic feet of room as the four-door model. A little bit of packaging voodoo from the fine folks in Stuttgart.

Inside, the C-Class Coupe will take some design cues from the larger E-Class. Major improvements over today’s C-Class are the repositioned and enlarged nav monitor, the easier to use Command system, and a host of extra-cost driver assistance systems such as - take a breath - lane guidance, lane-departure warning, blind-spot warning, traffic sign recognition, night vision, an automatic parking aid, cornering lights, and cruise control with brake actuation. Most of this stuff you could do without, but it’s fun to discuss when bragging to your neighbors.

Other items that will be making the jump include the E-Class’ seats, so that means you can set up your C-Class’ front buckets to massage that tired body. Interior quality will also be getting jumped up, as Mercedes is going back to what they once were before the Chrysler era.

The Power

Sources say that the European range is comprised of five models: 180 CGI (1.8-liter I-4,156 hp); 250 CGI (1.8-liter I-4, 204 hp); 350 CGI (3.5-liter V-6, 306 hp); 220 CDI (2.2-liter turbodiesel, 170 hp); 250 CDI (2.2-liter turbodiesel, 204 hp). One can pretty much assume most of these diesel models won’t be coming to the United States and as much as we would like to get into a argument as to why this is, we’ll just let it go for now. That new V6 model will be turbocharged and will have a close relation to the V8 found in the old C55 AMG. Most of these motors are simply rumors at this point and we’ll have to wait and see what the official engine list will be when the time comes.

Mercedes might also offer a hybrid motor, along with the plethora of choices you see above. There might also be a plug-in hybrid, but that seems a bit to un-Mercedes like to us. The old transmission will get chucked to the bin in a favor of a seven-speed gearbox.

Of course, before we move on, we can’t forget the C-Class Coupe AMG, which will likely ditch the 6.2-liter V8, in favor of the 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8.

The Competition

As we stated earlier, the A5 and the 3-Series Coupe are natural competitors, as is the Cadillac CTS Coupe and Infiniti G Coupe. We aren’t too sure that Mercedes is worried about the G, it’s more their German rivals that are giving the boys from Merc nightmares.

The 3-Series Coupe has long been a performance machine and it has carried over the brilliant driving characteristics of the sedan. We would prefer the C-Class styling over the 3-Series, but when you have a vehicle that drives this good, you might as well throw styling aside because it just doesn’t matter. By the time the Mercedes hits showrooms, there might be a new 3-Series upon us and we think it feature the same toys as well. So, based on the past, Mercedes is going to have to step it up to beat Bavaria.

Audi’s A5 is a something of beauty. You can have it anyway you want it; in base mode, the more invigorating S5 version, or the all-out incredible RS5. There are numerous motors that can be placed in one of these machines, including a 4.2-liter V8. Sadly, as good as it was, it still didn’t live up the BMW. Sure, it matched it on build quality and interior design, but as far as driving goes, the 3-Series reigns supreme.