X Factor

2013 MERCEDES-BENZ COUPE REVIEW

Vehicle Luxury coupe

Price: (plus on-roads) | $85,870

Fuel Economy claimed: 6.9 | tested: 8.6 l/100km

Not everyone is cut out to be an While some of us can tackle a most of us break into a at the mere sight of a staircase.

But inconvenient truth doesn’t put a in the sales of tracksuits, sports or bicycles. It’s all about an image. And it’s the same cars.

The practice of appending the “Sport” to a car’s nameplate and on a bodykit is certainly not new.

at face-value, many might be to dismiss Mercedes-Benz’s C 250 Sport as just a faux C 63 AMG — just dressed up in athletic

But that’s not the case. A raft of changes by AMG have resulted in a car handles exceptionally well, sublime and is ‘quick enough’ if not ‘quick’.

It’s not a true — it’s no hard-edged — but it’s far from a couch potato.

Quality: one of Mercedes’ newer models, the of the C-Class coupe is a nice to spend time in.

Quality of fit and finish is superb, and a few of the centre-stack buttons not feeling as premium as they should, is a fine cabin.

It’s by a number of AMG Sport-specific touches. The red pop out against the black interior, as the red contrast-stitching on the steering wheel, door trims and centre

Rubber-studded stainless steel are another feature of the C 250 Sport, and complement the silver metallic on the dash, steering wheel and

Comfort: For the C 250 Sport, Mercedes has a pair of heavily bolstered part-alcantara seats. There’s no adjustment, but they offer comfort and great support.

We did a stint behind the wheel, and from the C 250 without any aches These are most definitely seats.

Even the back is comfortable. There’s a bit of contorting to get into the back, but once there’s a decent amount of even for tall adults.

air outlets are also a plus.

As standard, the C 250 Sport comes all the usual luxuries: cruise dual-zone climate control, computer, speed limiter, wipers, dusk-sensing headlamps, integration, USB input and satellite

Our tester was optioned up with the Package, which adds a Kardon surround sound bi-xenon headlamps and a panoramic glass sunroof that almost the entire roof

Storage: Seats up, there’s a 450 litres of luggage room. It was to swallow up the luggage of three for a weekend away, with a bit of to spare.

The rear seats down to expand luggage too, should you need it.

The C 250 Sport’s 1.8 litre turbocharged four isn’t overwhelmingly

Its 150kW of power and 310Nm of is bettered by most modern hot With a 0-100km/h sprint of 7.2 seconds, straight line is brisk rather than

But this engine has strong low and torque, and is tractable and effortless town. Once moving, hard to believe this is a 1.8 litre.

It’s not as good off the though, and can feel a bit leisurely away from the lights especially when in the default Eco mode.

Eco mode dulls response and makes the seven-speed shift sooner, with the being increased fuel at the cost of sluggish performance.

It’s easily remedied by over to Manual or Sport though, and in these modes the gets a more aggressive map than the regular C 250. The is better responsiveness and a sharper of speed.

In manual mode, the performs very well. are crisp and quick, and downshifts are rev-matched. It’s not quite as through the gears as the twin-clutch in the A 250 Sport, but, as far as hydraulic go this is a rather good

Refinement: Although the engine may be internally, the exhaust has been by AMG to produce a throatier note the cabin — and it works.

The C 250 has a pleasing rumble to its exhaust when under load, and it pops and burbles on upshifts at throttle.

The engine pipes at a cruise, however there is noticeable tyre noise driving at speed on coarse

Suspension: The C 250 Sport’s AMG-fettled delivers a good balance comfort and sportiness. The damping and aren’t too firm for long stints, yet there’s good body control and roll once you tip it into a corner.

We the C 250 on a long journey from through Gippsland and up to Eden on the coast of New South Wales.

Whether cruising on the highway or the long, flowing corners Orbost and Eden, we were impressed with how well the C 250 handled.

AMG has reworked the steering to make it more direct. decent feedback through the but also quite a bit of steering on rough, choppy corners. It is a bit too light for our liking.

Braking: The C 250 gets a larger brake than the cooking model C and also benefits from and cross-drilled rotors.

Stopping is very good. The pedal is without being too grabby, although the C 250 Sport is no lightweight at it stops rapidly and is resistant to fade.

ANCAP rating: stars, 35.51 points out of 37.

Safety features: Stability traction control, ABS, EBD and assist round out the C 250 Sport’s safety suite, while are protected by three-point seatbelts on the front seats) and eight (front, front side, side, full-length curtain).

AND SERVICING

Warranty: Three years, kilometres.

Service costs: sets servicing intervals for 25,000km or 12 months. Servicing can vary from state-to-state, so your local Mercedes-Benz

Audi A5 2.0 TFSI quattro — The Audi is more than the C 250 Sport but its 2.0 litre four-pot has five more and 40Nm more torque.

also all-wheel-drive, and has a super-crisp twin-clutch automatic transmission. expensive, yes, but you do get more for money. (see A5 reviews )

BMW ( $83,915) — BMW’s 3 Coupe is right at the end of its life and compared to the C 250 Sport the value doesn’t quite stack up for the

The 325i has 160kW of power but 250Nm of torque. It’s with a wonderfully balanced RWD but is $5k more expensive than the and newer Merc. (see 3 reviews )

Infiniti G37 GT ($75,900) The Infiniti G37 is based on the same and mechanical package as the Nissan and not lacking in sporting credentials.

235kW and 360Nm, the G37’s 3.7 naturally-aspirated V6 is a strong performer but its isn’t quite up to the same as the Benz. (see G37 reviews )

Note: all prices are Manufacturer’s Price and do not include dealer or on-road costs.

TMR VERDICT |

It might not be especially quick in a line, but don’t dismiss the C 250

Fling it into a corner and be pleasantly surprised by the way it grips. involvement in the development of this car is no gimmick — this is a cut an ordinary C-Class Coupe.

are faster cars for similar but with the C 250 Sport Coupe you get comfort, and outstanding driveability. a good all-rounder, and competitively

If you’re after a luxurious that’s got more than a bit of athleticism in its DNA, the C 250 Sport is well worth a look.

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