16/08/2015
The bones of the C-class sedan wrapped in the beauty of the S-class coupe.Official Photos and InfoWhen we covered the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-class coupe last year, inarguably one of the most beautiful cars you can buy, one of the German firm’s internal employees leaned close to our ear and said, “If you think this car is pretty, wait until you see the new C-class coupe.”At that time, it was hard to imagine anything coming close to the Benz flagship’s eminent loveliness, but now we know what they meant. The 2017 C-class coupe is truly stunning. It’ll be half the price of the S-class coupe, but it is no less beautiful. From the low, scowling visage to its tapered, sloping tail, there are few details we haven’t seen before, yet it comes together in a striking whole. Credit the long wheelbase, the bottle-contour body sides, the thick roof pillars, and the slim greenhouse that not only mimics the S-class’s styling but imparts a measure of visual substance desperately needed for the low man on the Benz-coupe totem pole. Audi is going to have to step it up with the next A5 if it’s going to out-pretty this one.The 2017 C-class coupe rollout begins next spring, with the rear-drive C300 and all-wheel-drive C300 4MATIC, which, like the C300/C300 4MATIC sedans, are powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine good for 241 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. The only transmission is a seven-speed automatic, and Mercedes’ Dynamic Select adjustable-chassis system is standard fare. Also standard are 18-inch wheels, all-season tires, and a sport suspension that has the coupe riding 0.6-inch closer to the ground than the sedan. An optional Sport Appearance package brings Airmatic springs and 18-inch AMG-styled wheels, plus an AMG body kit, a more chrome-intensive grille, AMG pedals, and a flat-bottom steering wheel.As we reported during our first ride in a C300 coupe prototype, the C300s will be joined within a few months of their launch by a C450 AMG coupe powered by a 362-hp twin-turbocharged V-6, as well as a fire-breathing Mercedes-AMG C63 coupe with a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 in 469-hp and 503-hp states of tune. We’ve also been told that the Mercedes-AMG versions will feature swollen fenders to make room for larger rolling stock.The 2017 C-class coupe’s interior design is, not surprisingly, closely akin to that of its sedan sibling—no bad thing. Front passengers sit nearly an inch lower on standard sport seats, and all passengers have more head-, shoulder-, …