Mercedes-Benz C250d Coupé AMG Line: review

Merc’s latest two-door does its own thing – and does it very well
Mercedes-Benz C250d Coupé AMG Line: a car whose entire intent is its own
John Calne30 November 2015

Mercedes has been known to blur the line between coupés and saloons, most notably when it first came up with the CLS.

But the latest C-Class Coupé is very different to the four-door version of the same car. Not just in its body panels, nor indeed the number of its doors: this is a car whose entire intent is its own.

So too is its interior, though you’re already expecting a snide joke about the lack of room in the back seats and it’s not coming. The back seats are actually surprisingly spacious, so much so that you could carry a couple of six-footers halfway across the country without being struck off anyone’s Christmas list.

It’s better up front, though, especially if you like being able to see out. The seats here make it easy to find your ideal position, and they’ll keep you in it if you decide to get adventurous with the steering wheel.

It’s better up front, though, especially if you like being able to see out

Typically of Mercedes, the cabin is tidy and very well made. There’s a 7” touch-screen, though, and the facia it’s housed in doesn’t look like that’s what it was designed for.

So, some definite elements of unique intent there. And here come more. Good ones, too.

Underneath, there’s a new front suspension set-up using advanced multi-link technology – and, an optional feature on our test car, adaptive air springs.

Its ride and handling are well matched to each other and to the rest of the vehicle

There’s also less distance between the car’s belly and this world our home, courtesy of a 15mm dump.

So that’s a lot of reasons why it should handle like a star. And guess what? It handl es like a star.

We mentioned getting adventurous with the steering wheel, and doing so is no chore. It feels right and the car responds the way you want it to.

Getting adventurous with the steering wheel is no chore

Really keen drivers might wish it felt more eager, but so long as you accept that this is a diesel-engined coupé and not an AMG track hero it’s perfectly up for it. It turns in accurately and doesn’t place any demands on you – it rides well for something with this much sporting intent, and that takes us back to those happy rear-seat passengers.

Includes a 2.1-litre diesel engine with twin turbos

Its ride and handling are well matched to each other and to the rest of the vehicle, basically. Which includes a 2.1-litre diesel engine with twin turbos and 201bhp – that’s going to make it quick enough, and with 369lb ft pushing away through a nine-speed auto it never runs out of spirit.

Fact is, not so long ago this car’s performance figures would have got people very excited indeed. Now here it is hurrying you to 62 in 6.7 seconds while at the same time returning 67.3mpg, and nobody even blinks.

Really, there’s not a lot you can say by way of criticising this car. For it to do so much so well without appearing out of the ordinary suggests we’ve come to take excellence for granted. Because excellent is what the C-Class Coupé is.

Mercedes-Benz C250d Coupé AMG Line

Location: Malaga

On sale: Now

Price: £37,615

Engine: 4 cyls, 2143cc, turbodiesel

Power: 201bhp at 3800rpm

Torque: 369lb ft at 1600-1800rpm

Gearbox: 9-spd automatic

Kerb weight: 1645kg

Top speed: 153mph

0-62mph: 6.7sec

Economy: 67.3mpg (combined)

CO2/tax band: 109g/km, 19%

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in