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2002 Benz C-Class Coupe
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| Benz tries opulence ? and performance ? at an affordable price. |
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| Updated |
Jul 7, 2004 20:39:12 |
| Rating |
 55 ( -10 -18.18% ) | | Author | Paul A. Eisenstein |
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Description:
What is the cost of exclusivity? Not all that long ago, there weren’t many models in the Mercedes-Benz lineup, the S-Class, the E-Class, the SL roadster. And you’d pay quite a premium for the tri-star hood ornament.
These days, you can add the SLK, the CLK, the CL, the M-Class sport-ute, and of course, the “Baby Benz,” the C-Class; a Mercedes for every driveway—and pocketbook, it seems. With its latest addition to the line-up, the C-Class Sports Coupe, the German marque is going after an entirely new class of “entry luxury” buyer. But does the sporty $29,000 two-door deliver what one would anticipate from a Mercedes-Benz?
No Survivor
To find out, we took the challenging assignment of driving the new coupe along the coast of the French Riviera over the course of two brilliantly sunny days. As a squad of hang gliders circled over our heads, catching the offshore breezes, we took our C-Coupe for a hard run along the coast’s tight and twisty roads with consciously jaded expectations.
From first glance, the new car is not your typical Mercedes-Benz. To start with, it shares no common sheet metal with the C-Class sedan. Oh, the look is what you’d call familial. The “organic” dual headlamps framing the crossbar grille speak pure Mercedes. But the overall look is more aggressive. The coupe stands higher on its haunches, as if waiting to launch into motion.
The C Coupe's panorama sunroof lets in the sunshine for even back-seat passengers.
The rear end is the car’s most controversial, and least Mercedes-like, feature. If anything, it has an almost Japanese look, as if borrowed from the Asian member of the DaimlerChrysler family, Mitsubishi.
The car’s interior is, once again, very clearly a Mercedes. We did notice a few little details that suggest cutting corners to hold the price down, but on the whole, it is elegantly tailored, quite lavish for a car in this price class. Instruments are where you’d expect them, gauges are easy to read. And in the mold of the new C-Class overall, there’s a more modern look than that of the traditional Mercedes-Benz. The carbon fiber-like style of the center console underscores the automaker’s effort to make the C-Class coupe a bit more youthful.
Seating is comfortable, and more in line with the sporty character of the coupe, with good lateral support. Unlike older Mercedes seats, you sit in them, rather than on them. There’s decent roominess up front and back, though I wouldn’t want to spend a long trip in the rear seat.
Inter-nation domination But appearances only carry you so far, especially when you’re attempting to enter a sporty, performance-oriented segment long dominated by Mercedes’ Teutonic rival, BMW. So, shifting into gear, we began our drive.
European C-Coupe buyers will get an assortment of engines to choose from, though we in the States will only get the 190-horsepower, 2.3-liter in-line four. The coupe is by no means the fastest car in its class—BMW’s 3-Series will easily outrun it—but with the lighter, two-door body, the Benz delivers a decent amount of punch when you step on the accelerator. (Mercedes claims a 0-60 time of 7.5 seconds.) The supercharger is responsive, with none of the lag you get from a turbo, and it’s surprisingly quiet, with just enough of a roar to underscore the performance feel.
Our first test vehicle mated the engine to a manually-shifting automatic, which is already available in the States on other C-Class models. It’s an especially nice feature with the sporty coupe, though we preferred the six-speed manual we took out later in the day. Mercedes does not build the best stick shift in its class, but it’s made some notable improvements, and this package calls for a manual. Indeed, the stick is standard on the American edition.
We also took a brief spin in a coupe featuring Mercedes’ new, sequentially shifting manual transmission—which is due to reach the U.S. in several years. Think of it as a clutchless manual, though to shift, you simply toggle the stick forward or back. It’s a neat idea, and has proved quite popular on several Ferrari models, but we were a bit disappointed.
To minimize shift harshness, Mercedes has slowed the speed at which the system shifts. It actually happens faster than you’d be able to disengage a conventional clutch, throw the stick and reengage the clutch. But perceptions have a tendency to become reality, and one perceives an unacceptably long wait between the time you toggle the transmission and the shift is completed. Look for Mercedes to tweak the system before it arrives in America.
French twists Climbing into the hills from the coast city of Nice, the roads twist and turn wildly, posing a challenge to even the most sporty of machines. The C-Class coupe’s suspension proved unexpectedly taut, much stiffer than the traditional Mercedes, but not at all harsh. For someone used to the third-world roads of Detroit, that’s especially pleasing. The coupe can handle corners without jarring your fillings loose.
Steering is precise and predictable, though a little bit lighter than a comparable BMW. Indeed, one could almost describe the C-Class coupe’s road manners as BMW-Light. It’s not quite as much the “ultimate driving machine.” But those aren’t damning words. The C-Coupe balance its performance feel with a level of comfort and refinement that clearly maintains the Mercedes-Benz “brand character.”
Of course, one would expect plenty of luxury features in any car worthy to wear the tri-star, and our test vehicle delivered with aplomb. U.S. buyers don't get all the features found overseas, but the package still includes 8-way seats, power windows, power mirrors and a tilt/telescope steering wheel. The controls for the heating/cooling system were automatic and relatively easy to operate. So was the audio system, with a new, built-in CD changer. The COMAND system displays a range of vehicle information. And, as with all Mercedes-Benz models sold in the U.S., the coupe will come with the new TeleAid roadside service system. In an emergency, simply press a button and it will automatically bring help to your door.
But with the bright sun offering us a respite from the gloomy gray Detroit winter we left behind, our favorite feature was the optional new Panorama sunroof, which is 30 perrcent larger than conventional sunroofs. Requiring just one touch to operate, it covers virtually the entire roof of the C-Class Coupe—the only vehicle it will be offered on, at least for the time being. The green tinted safety glass sharply reduces ultraviolet transmission into the passenger compartment, but occupants can further darken the interior through the use of a two-section roller blind, much like a conventional home pull shade—in this case power-operated.
The bottom line is a positive one. The C-Class Sports Coupe is an admirable addition to the Mercedes-Benz line-up. The styling is a bit quirky, but in no means offensive. The car delivers a lot of value for the money. The automaker has some aggressive sales targets that may be tough to hit in this year of a flagging economy. But the new two-door will definitely attract a new class of entry-luxury buyers who might otherwise only dream about driving a car with the tri-star on its hood.
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2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sports Coupe
Base price range: est. $26,000 to $28,000
Engine: 2.3-liter supercharged in-line four, 190 hp
Transmission:Â Â six-speed manual or optional five-speed automatic
Wheelbase: 106.9 in
Length: 171.0 in
Width: 68.0 in
Height: 55.4 in
Curb Weight: 3300 lb
EPA (cty/hwy): manual 23.2 mpg European combined cycle; automatic 23.9 mpg combined
Safety equipment: dual front airbags with passenger occupant sensor, side airbags for front and rear passenger, front seat head curtains, ABS with Brake Assist, Traction Control, Electronic Stability Program
Major standard features: manual tilt/telescope steering wheel, dual climate control system, Tele Aid emergency call service, AM/FM/cassette stereo, auto-dim mirrors
Warranty:Â Four years/50,000 miles
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