The new Mercedes CLC is not what the Mercedes C250 is all about. Instead it is more about the new concept that Mercedes introduced as a counter action for the new 1 series which had cropped up in that time. It was and at that time the poor man’s alternative to the Bavarian’s 1 series. The new C-Class Coupe is expensively expensive and bigger than the 1 series and also significantly a genuine 2 door coupe and not a 3 door hatch. The earlier CLK model was replaced by the slightly odd looking coupe form of the E-class. This was done last year as well and it is actually a step away from Mercedes’ fabulous history of being a car manufacturer reputed for pricier less value for money products. The Mercedes C250 CDI coupe in India is a two door variant of the ubiquitous Mercedes C-class. The to be launched Audi A5 as also the BMW 3 series coupe are its direct competitors in this field. The reason why Mercedes were prompted to bring out this model was because there were a considerable number of sales from both the 3 series coupe, amounting to over 6k world wide and about a 8k Audi A5 being sold, adding to the equation.
So, being at par with competition means that Mercedes is not creating a niche here and infact is more on taking on the competition headson. An overall attentive job has been done by Mercedes on this conversion thing. The body panel as also the bonnet are carried over from the C-class saloon whereas the rest of the body parts have being specially created for this car. It is said that the entire platform and some of the engines would also be shared. Most of the metal parts in here are new. The saloon has a 4 centimeter edge in its roofline than the Coupe’s. The windscreen has been raked in more steeply. Like most of the others in its ilk, the C-class coupe would be a 4 seater at best. A plastic rack would separate the two passengers in the rear. For extra boot space, the rear backrests can be split and folded. However the lack of a rear armrest is clearly an oversight. Two six footers, one behind the another wouldn’t be a problem in the C-Coupe. Infact, the rear passenger would only have a problem if he or she decides to sit straight ahoy. Though not billed as a tourer, this car is pretty much easy for long drives, albeit not exactly long in the sense of the word. Build quality as with all the Mercedes products is top notch.
The shift from the back end of the C Coupe to the front is where all the difference lies. The engine menu has got about 4 options. 2 petrol and 2 diesel. A 1.8 liter petrol motor has been used for producing two different varying power outputs. The first one brings in 154 Bhp of power and the second one throws out 201 Bhp of power. As for the diesels, there is a 6 cylinder 302 Bhp diesel as also a 201 Bhp one producing 499 Nm of torque. That’s not all. Combined with Mercedes’ BlueEfficiency technology, this car can go 20 kilometers on a liter of diesel. The 325d engine of the BMW 3 series coupe in comparison is less fuel efficient and is also down on power quotient. Needless to say, it is not so eco conscious as well. Its real hard to out maneuver BMW in the power and fuel efficiency ration but Merc has just managed to do it with this coupe.
The BMW 3 series coupe would encourage one to wring out the juice from it while the Mercedes coupe would infact take things in a very relaxed manner. The bottom end is said to be very good which aids drivability in traffic and thus bumping up the fuel efficiency. On its own or in auto mode, the 7 speed auto gearbox would shift up as early as possible to make for all the difference in the fuel efficiency and at the same time maintaining decent pace. It is said that this coupe hustles from 0-100 kmph in only 7 seconds and that is not slow by any standards. Requests for faster acceleration are marred down only by the gearbox, which isn’t the best in the business and in this regard the BMW would have it creamed. Great bellowing low end wafts is how the engine and gearbox deliver the torque in real world driving conditions.18 inch wheels are the standard choice of transportation and since this is something which is supposed to hamper the ride quality, many buyers would rather not buy the coupe model. However, typical to Mercedes, the ride quality of this car has been retained and it is more or less the same as the C-coupe. Absence of road noise is another salient feature in this car’s feather.
Inspite of having an amplitude dependent suspension system, which automatically adjusts the compliancy of the shocks for a stiffer ride, the C-Coupe doesn’t make for a good choice of wheels on twisties. Body roll is minimal and the chassis, as seen in the C-class sedan is dynamic as well. However it likes to take things lying down or better still not in a hurry. Some might argue that Mercedes should have made the C-coupe sporty and more inclined towards being the driver’s machine that BMW proudly proclaims to be in the DNA of the 3 series coupe. Buyers wanting a coupe with softer dynamics would definitely make a beeline towards the C-coupe. After all, in India, there is nothing better than going for a Mercedes. The world has got enough of smart coupes which would entertain a munching setup on the drivers who would give into full bore Nurburgring assaults just below the belt antis and stuff to be on a list of enjoyable things to do on a weekends? Mercedes, however, thinks that its intended clientele would be more of a sanguine bunch of people. If however, any Indians want a C-Coupe with proper dynamics package, then they would have to wait for the C AMG option which would be launched after the coupe is launched.
For the prices, the Mercedes C250 CDI coupe price in India would approximately be around the Rs 48 lakhs mark. This variant would be the most popularly preferred one other than the entry level petrol variant. As for the C-Coupe’s AMG version, it would be priced at a premium of Rs 12 lakhs more than the regular versions. Estimated time of launch for the usual variants are early 2012 while the AMG version would follow on later on in the year.
