Mercedes C-Class Coupe Review

Sporty, stylish and upmarket: the Mercedes C-Class Coupe covers all the bases

Strengths & weaknesses

  • Stylish design
  • Upmarket-looking interior
  • Choice of frugal or super-powerful engines
  • Expensive
  • Cramped rear seats
  • Awkward media system

Strong comfort levels and a satisfying drive make the Mercedes C-Class Coupe an appealing proposition that isn't quite as expensive as it looks. Its sleek shape and stylish interior make it a strong competitor to rivals including the sporty BMW 4 Series and high-quality Audi A5 Coupe.

Thankfully, there’s substance to complement the Mercedes' style, with a choice of six engines, ranging from a couple of sensible and frugal diesels offering impressively low running costs to a high-performance petrol unit in the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S that underlines the C-Class Coupe’s sporting credentials. This produces a monumental 510hp, helping it to blast to 62mph in just 3.9 seconds - that's similar to many supercars.

Those sporting credentials are apparent in all versions of the C-Class Coupe. Accross the board, it has a well-judged balance between comfort and sportiness, with separate driving modes to tailor the way the car feels to your taste. There's also plenty of grip and well-weighted, accurate steering to give it a sharp and precise feel around corners. These elements all combine to create an engaging drive. Ride quality is also good – especially when fitted with the optional air suspension system, which adds an additional cushioning from poor road surfaces, if the sportiness ever gets wearing.

The C-Class Coupe's interior looks good at a distance, but doesn't feel as well built as BMW and Audi rivals, with dashboard creaks far too common for such a pricey car. The materials used, however, are relatively good quality and drivers can choose between several distinct looks for the cabin plus bright leather seat options - should you prefer these to piano black trim and dark leather.

The media system is good on the whole, but lags far behind the best in class – the touchpad controller isn't good enough for such a costly car, it doesn’t feel as intuitive as rival BMW or Audi systems, which feature simple, easy to use and far less distracting rotary controllers. 

However, the C-Class Coupe claws back some brownie points with its safety offering. Here, there’s an autonomous emergency braking system, an Attention Assist system that can detect if the driver is drowsy or inattentive - pinging up warnings to alert the person behind the wheel to the fact their driving isn't up to scratch - plus numerous other active safety features that use data from cameras and sensors around the car to help avoid or mitigate the effects of collisions.

Key facts

Warranty 3 years
Boot size 400 litres
Width 1810mm
Length 4686mm
Height 1405mm
Tax (min to max) From B (£0 in first year and £20 thereafter) to J (£500 in first year and £270 thereafter)

Best Mercedes-Benz C Class Coupe for...

Best for Economy – Mercedes-Benz C220 d Coupe

With an official fuel consumption of 68.9mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 106g/km (depending on wheel size), the manual version of the 220 d combines a sporty appearance with real economy.

Best for Families – Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe

This is only a family car if you have fairly young children, because of the restricted space in the rear, but the base petrol version offers a smooth, relatively quiet engine with decent claimed economy (53.3mpg)

Best for Performance – Mercedes-AMG C63 S

This is a real performance car, with the credentials that the three letters of A, M and G pretty much guarantee – especially with a 510hp V8 engine enabling a rapid 3.9-second 0-62mph time.

History

  • 2015 The current Mercedes C-Class Coupe is launched

Understanding Mercedes-Benz C Class Coupe names

Engine C220d

Diesel models are designated with a d, while petrol models have no letter. The numbers are related to the amount of power produced: the bigger the number, the greater the power.

Trim level Sport

There are just two trim levels, Sport and AMG Line. In addition, the Mercedes-AMG is also available in a higher-powered S form, plus there was also a limited-edition C63 S Edition 1.

Mercedes-Benz C Class Coupe Engines

Petrol: C200, C300, C43 AMG, C63 AMG, C63 S AMG Diesel: C220d, C250d

The two diesels are versions of the same four-cylinder 2.2-litre engine, both of which offer impressive economy.

The C220d is tuned to produce 170hp, while the C250d has 204hp available, the variation in outputs obviously leading to a difference in performance. So the C220d is able to post a 7.8-second 0-62mph time (which lowers to 7.5 seconds when fitted with the optional 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic gearbox, or 7.6 seconds when 4Matic all-wheel drive is added), while the C250d manages the acceleration test in 6.7 seconds (6.9 seconds with 4Matic). Both diesels, in common with many Mercedes units, are a bit rattly sounding and lack the refinement of engines found in the Audi A5 or BMW 4 Series. But there’s enough drive going to the wheels, and the economy and CO2 figures are impressive enough (68.9mpg and 106g/km for the C220 d, 67.3mpg and 109g/km fro the C250 d).

The 184hp C200 and 245hp C300 petrol engines (both 2.0-litre units) are smooth and flexible, offering enough power to drivers. The C200 – which will be the most popular variant among UK buyers – returns a 7.7-second 0-62mph time (7.3 with the 7G-Tronic seven-speed auto ’box, or 7.5 with 4Matic all-wheel drive), while 53.3mpg and 123g/km won’t break the bank. The C300 cuts the 0-62mph time to just 6.0 seconds, while 44.8mpg is also very respectable for a sporty, petrol-engined coupé.

But the real sportiness comes with the two Mercedes-AMG-badged cars. The C43 4Matic has a 3.0-litre V6 under the hood that pushes out 367hp and hits 62mph from a standing start in 4.7 seconds (which is Porsche 911 territory). Meanwhile the 4.0-litre V8 in the seriously hot C63 produces 476hp (0-62mph in 4.0 seconds), or gets ramped up to 510hp in the C63 S (which shaves 0.1 second off the acceleration test).

 

Fuel

Fuel economy

Power

Acceleration (0-62mph)

Top speed

C220 d

Diesel

68.9mpg

170hp

7.8 secs

145mph

C220 d auto

Diesel

68.9mpg

170hp

7.5 secs

145mph

C220 d 4Matic

Diesel

61.4mpg

170hp

7.6 secs

143mph

C250 d

Diesel

67.3mpg

204hp

6.7 secs

153mph

C250d 4Matic

Diesel

61.4mpg

204hp

6.9 secs

149mph

C200

Petrol

53.3mpg

184hp

7.7 secs

147mph

C200 auto

Petrol

52.3mpg

184hp

7.3 secs

146mph

C200 4Matic

Petrol

42.2mpg

184hp

7.5 secs

142mph

C300

Petrol

44.8mpg

245hp

6.0 secs

155mph

C43 4Matic

Petrol

35.3mpg

367hp

4.7 secs

155mph

C63

Petrol

32.8mpg

476hp

4.0 secs

155mph

C63 S

Petrol

32.8mpg

510hp

3.9 secs

155mph

Mercedes-Benz C Class Coupe Trims

Sport, AMG Line (Premium and Premium Plus packages)

The standard equipment on the base Sport trim level includes LED headlights and tail-lights; Active Park Assist; parking sensors; a reversing camera; sports seats with man-made leather-upholstered and heated front seats; seven-inch colour screen for the Comand media system; Garmin sat-nav; electrically folding mirrors; and Collision Prevention Assist Plus, Mercedes-Benz’s automatic braking system. If you choose the C300, there’s also a sports exhaust system with switchable sound.

The AMG Line adds an AMG sports steering wheel with flat bottom, brushed steel sports pedals and a black roof lining in the interior, while an AMG bodystyling kit, 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels and 15mm lowered sports suspension help dial up the sportiness

And this wouldn’t be a premium car without giving the opportunity to buyers to add to the bill with a few options. So there are a couple of packages, Premium and Premium Plus. Premium (£1,695) includes a full-length glass roof, keyless go, a seat memory package and ambient lighting. The £2,995 Premium Plus package also adds a Burmester surround sound system and Comand online with seven-inch screen.

In addition, a £1,695 Driver’s Assistance package includes Distronic Plus with stop and go, adaptive cruise control, active blind spot and lane-keeping assist, and Pre-safe with pedestrian detection.

Mercedes-Benz C Class Coupe Reliability and warranty

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe, like every other Mercedes model, comes with a three-year unlimited mileage warranty against manufacturing or material defects and up to 30 years warranty against perforation due to corrosion from the inside out. The cars also come with roadside assistance that comprises up to 30 years pan-European cover.

The current C-Class models are still relatively new to make a definitive judgement on reliability, but Mercedes-Benz is the 18th most reliable carmaker in the list of 34 manufacturers in the latest Driver Power survey.

Used Mercedes-Benz C Class Coupe

Used versions will start to filter on to the market in the next 18 months to two years, As it’s a Mercedes Benz, a C-Class and a coupé, demand for used examples  - and prices - will be high.

   

List price

BuyaCar new

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

Best for economy

Price

£35,595

N/a

N/a

N/a

N/a

Mercedes-Benz C220 d Coupe Sport

Save

 

N/a

N/a

N/a

N/a

Best for families

Price

£33,085

N/a

N/a

N/a

N/a

Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe Sport

Save

 

N/a

N/a

N/a

N/a

Best for performance

Price

£68,710

N/a

N/a

N/a

N/a

Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe

Save

 

N/a

N/a

N/a

N/a

Other Editions

C Class (2014 – 2021)

The Mercedes C-Class is a is a luxurious and hi-tech family car

C Class Estate (2014 – 2021)

The Mercedes C-Class estate is a stylish, comfortable family car but its boot could be bigger and its handling more satisfying

C Class Cabriolet (2016)

Cruise in style with this handsome four-seat cabriolet