Like the sedan, which just received an extensive interior makeover, the C-Class coupe's cabin is much closer in quality to Mercedes' high-ticket offerings than you'd expect in an entry-level vehicle. It's an attractive cabin, borrowing design cues from the more upscale CLS and E-Class, with a variety of colour combinations, all in premium, soft-touch materials with well-crafted trim.
Seats are comfortable and well-bolstered. The driver's seat is fully adjustable, with the familiar door-mounted controls found throughout the Mercedes-Benz line-up, but – reminding us this is indeed an entry-level car – the passenger's seat on the lower trim level has manual fore and aft adjustment, and there's no easy rear-entry function that slides the seat forward. Rear seating is adequate, and both seats fold down for extra cargo space.
The well-designed centre stack houses a 5.8-inch LCD screen displaying navigation, audio and connectivity information, which can be repeated in the handy info centre located in the gauge pod.
There's a beautiful, flat-bottomed, leather-wrapped steering wheel that just plain feels good in the hands; thick and grippy, it also boasts paddle shifters and scroll-through controls for the info centre.
There's a variety of available safety systems, trickled down from the luxury models such as available blind-spot assist, lane-keeping assist, park assist sonar (which determines correct parking space), ATTENTION ASSIST and 11 standard airbags.
Although the C 350's reworked 3.5L V6 puts out more power, it's actually more fuel-efficient too – thanks to variable valve timing and direct fuel injection. Combined with the economically-calibrated 7-speed automatic transmission, it achieves 10.8 L/100km in city driving, compared to the 12.3 it previously recorded in the 2011 C 350 sedan.
The V6 and seven-speed transmission beautifully compliment each other – delivering silky-smooth performance – but it's lazier to move off the line than the turbocharged 4-cylinder.
The slightly noisier turbo four is livelier and more engaging drive thanks to its abundant torque and resultant quicker response. Generally, I tend to ignore paddle shifters in all but high-performance coupes and dreaded CVT-burdened vehicles, but they really work well with the C 250's lively powertrain – with instant response for passing manoeuvres. Considering that it also delivers fuel economy figures of 9.6 L/100km city and 6.3 on the highway, the C 250 is, for me, the clear choice.
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| The well-designed centre stack houses a 5.8-inch LCD screen displaying navigation, audio and connectivity information, which can be repeated in the handy info centre located in the gauge pod. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush/Auto123.com) |
Seats are comfortable and well-bolstered. The driver's seat is fully adjustable, with the familiar door-mounted controls found throughout the Mercedes-Benz line-up, but – reminding us this is indeed an entry-level car – the passenger's seat on the lower trim level has manual fore and aft adjustment, and there's no easy rear-entry function that slides the seat forward. Rear seating is adequate, and both seats fold down for extra cargo space.
The well-designed centre stack houses a 5.8-inch LCD screen displaying navigation, audio and connectivity information, which can be repeated in the handy info centre located in the gauge pod.
There's a beautiful, flat-bottomed, leather-wrapped steering wheel that just plain feels good in the hands; thick and grippy, it also boasts paddle shifters and scroll-through controls for the info centre.
There's a variety of available safety systems, trickled down from the luxury models such as available blind-spot assist, lane-keeping assist, park assist sonar (which determines correct parking space), ATTENTION ASSIST and 11 standard airbags.
Although the C 350's reworked 3.5L V6 puts out more power, it's actually more fuel-efficient too – thanks to variable valve timing and direct fuel injection. Combined with the economically-calibrated 7-speed automatic transmission, it achieves 10.8 L/100km in city driving, compared to the 12.3 it previously recorded in the 2011 C 350 sedan.
The V6 and seven-speed transmission beautifully compliment each other – delivering silky-smooth performance – but it's lazier to move off the line than the turbocharged 4-cylinder.
The slightly noisier turbo four is livelier and more engaging drive thanks to its abundant torque and resultant quicker response. Generally, I tend to ignore paddle shifters in all but high-performance coupes and dreaded CVT-burdened vehicles, but they really work well with the C 250's lively powertrain – with instant response for passing manoeuvres. Considering that it also delivers fuel economy figures of 9.6 L/100km city and 6.3 on the highway, the C 250 is, for me, the clear choice.
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| The entry-level Benz now adds a high-tech, high-output turbocharged four-cylinder to the bewildering mix of old and new powertrains across the C-Class coupe and sedan line-up. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush/Auto123.com) |