Oh boy, Mercedes is getting way serious these days. I mean, look at it. It's the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe! Just look at it! I bet it screws some potential Beemer buyers out there!
Am I being too sarcastic right now? Okay, I'll try to be calm as possible here. You see, Mercedes-Benz is trying to reach out younger buyers by making most of their cars to be, "hipster-friendly" by providing special characteristics like classic touches and some unique luxury bits, and it's no longer an average "uncle car" instinct. Like the new C-Class Coupe for example, Merc got it right by making it to blend in every curves and sporty design into one, leaving out the old sharply design back in the last decade. At least it's rear design has the S-Class look, which is pretty premium to it over it's nemesis, the BMW 4 Series.
The W205 C-Class Coupe is actually looks more supreme than the predecessor. By seeing the nameplate itself, it still based on the sedan W205, but it is longer and wider than the old C-Class Coupe. This black W205 coupe is the C200 Coupe, one of the lowest trim level in this model, the other two are the C250 and the C300. The C43 AMG and the C63 AMG are not available here yet, but Merc of Malaysia might bring either each of them at the end of the year. All trim levels have the AMG line kit as standard, such as AMG light alloy wheels and AMG bumpers. If the AMG kit is not really your vibe, you can go for the Brabus package if you buy the W205 Coupe at Naza Wheels, but it may take about next year for the Brabus parts to reach here.
It does have frameless doors, the old one does not. Now it matches to all other Merc coupes.
Move along, the C200 Coupe gets the 18" wheels, while the the C250 and C300 get the 19" wheels. All of them are light alloy wheels and purely designed by AMG. Thank God, there's no typical small wheels for the base model.
The rear profile does have a fastback-style rear, with a uniquely designed rear boot. Maybe more like the new Civic or Audi A5 Sportback
There's two vents at each side of the rear bumper, and it's just fake and pure cosmetic enhancements.
Under the hood, you'll find an inline-4 turbocharged M274 DE 20 AL engine, yep, one engine only. But, these three trim levels have different power outputs according to the "displacement" number. Curiously, this engine is not only for Mercedes-Benz, Nissan also using it as well for the current Nissan Skyline (Infiniti Q50 in here, but who cares). The C200 Coupe has 184 hp at 5500 rpm and produces around 300 Nm of torque at 1200 to 4000 rpm. The C250 Coupe bumps up the power up to 211 hp at 5500 rpm, while having a torque of 350 Nm at the same rpm range like the base model. For the top-of-the-line C300 Coupe, it boasts 245 hp at the same rpm and brings out 370 Nm of torque at 1300 to 4000 rpm. All of them are paired with the 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic transmission.
Stepping inside, you will find a unique looking interior like its sedan counterpart. Compared to the W205 sedan, the steering wheel of the coupe has the flat-bottomed design to provide a sporty feedback to the driver. Bear in mind that the center console trims have different design materials for all three trims. The low range C200 has the black wood trim, which I don't think it's a real wood. The mid-range C250 gets the gloss black trim while the high-end C300 has the so-called carbon fiber trim. Besides that, it has ARTICO leather on the dashboard, which only exists in the C250 and C300. All models get the Audio 20 infotainment system with a new COMAND control unit. It includes a 7" screen that displays every infos as well as Garmin GPS Navigation. The lucky C300 get a 13-speaker audio system by Burmester and sunroof as an extra gimmick.
Getting behind is not as easy as what you expected. It does have two seats at the back, but for me, there's a minimal legroom. Maybe that's a typical coupe to us.
At least you do get an extra vents behind to cool yourself.
Since the C200 Coupe wasn't available for test drive, I went to the huge-ass Cycle and Carriage dealership at Federal Highway and guess what, I tried the C250 Coupe instead!
19" wheels look way cooler than the 18" one like in the lower variant.
The reverse camera is a bit laggy over others. Really.
Without further do, let's go for a spin!
So how does it drive?
Just to let you know, I am not really a Merc fan myself as I'm a Bimmerfag since then. But driving the new C250 Coupe, it completely changed my mind. When getting inside, try to imagine that you are driving a baby S-Class Coupe. Since this car got the AMG vibe, it does not have the plain looking German car anymore, except, the column gear selector. I really, really dislike it so much because it feels like I'm driving an old truck. I understand that the main purpose is to create more space in the middle, but with this knob, it feels like I'm driving my parents' RD1 CR-V. Even the C450 AMG and C63 AMG got that too, dammit.
The C250 Coupe, well, it does have a peppy acceleration. North to 100 is about 6.8 seconds, which is pretty quick over the 420i, but loses to the 428i. If you look at the bright side, the C250 Coupe reached 250 km/h, compared to the 428i which can only reached around 236 km/h. Handling is way, way better than its nemesis. The steering feedback is not as artificial like the 4 Series, but it is really spot on depending on your speed and drive selection. Moreover, you can adjust the driving modes by moving the drive selector button to change your preferred driving dynamics such as Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Individual. I was using Sport mode when I test this one though, so I got some sporty vibe on it while driving.
The good thing about the C-Class Coupe was the Collision Prevention Assist Plus system, which alerts me if the car is really close to upcoming car in front up to 200 km/h, while immediately brakes the car by itself to reduce collision. It can be displayed in the dash with the red triangular icon with a car inside. In short, just called it as Auto Emergency Braking system (AEB) to make yourself easier.
Even though this car has no Burmester audio system, the standard audio system still sounds great, I played some beautiful music in the car and there's zero distortion or vibration. Even the clarity is really spot on too.
Final Verdict
The new W205 C-Class Coupe is a new step forward by Mercedes-Benz. It gets a lot of attraction and classy feel, and putting most of the safety features over the BMW, like what Mercedes-Benz supposed to be. It is also cost a little bit cheaper over its nemesis too. Price for the C200 Coupe starts around RM 308,888, while the mid-range C250 Coupe cost RM 333,888, and finally for the top-model C300 Coupe, it costs RM 388,888. Do note that these prices do not include insurance.
Thanks to Cycle and Carriage for letting me reviewing the all-new Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe.
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