2017 Mercedes-Benz C-class Coupe: Two to Make It Right

2017 Mercedes-Benz C-class Coupe: Two to Make It Right

When the last C-class made its debut, the exterior aesthetics were right-on, but the interior was quite a bit off. During a period where BMW finally felt compelled to dispense with cheap-as-free cabins, and Audi’s across-the-board improvements resulted in positive unit-shifting juju, the C’s insides reeked of the DaimlerChrysler peace dividend. Which is to say, costs were cut. Worse, the car itself was of little note dynamically, the mighty C63 AMG Black Series notwithstanding.

With the CLA now pinning down the bottom end, Daimler has presumably felt free to sweat the details without chasing low, low lease payments. The C sedan that hit highways last year immediately earned praise for being a 3/4-scale S-class. We actually walked out of a store recently and tried to get into the C we’d rolled up in, only to find ourselves flummoxed as to why the car wouldn’t unlock. It took a moment before we realized we were trying to enter somebody else’s S550.

While the smaller sedan might aspire to the S-class's laid-back sophistication, the 2017 C-class coupe won’t. Expect a broad-shouldered, butch variant. Our sources suggest that Benz is chasing the BMW 4-series hard. And in flaming-currywurst trim, the 503-hp 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 available in the C63 AMG S model should deliver a swift knee to the sternum.

Following Ingolstadt’s lead, the 362-hp C450 Sport and C63 AMG S variants will feature four-wheel drive as standard, with the AMG S model receiving Affalterbach’s sport-biased 33/67 front/rear torque split. The basest of base C coupes will feature two driven wheels, so smoky-burnout aficio­nados are advised to opt for the regu­lar-grade C63, which sacrifices 34 of the S model’s ponies but remains rear-wheel drive, as God and Shirley Muldowney intended.

The C300 coupe should roll out early next year, followed by convertibles offered with the full array of powertrains just in time for summer. The C450 Sport and C63 AMG coupes arrive in fall 2016. With the next Audi A5 andInfiniti Q60 also due in 2016, the 4-series, Cadillac ATS, and Lexus RC will suddenly find themselves the old dogs of the segment. After a somewhat sleepy period for the luxury sports coupe, we’re more than pleased to see so many manufacturers taking the category seriously again.