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Mercedes-Benz Unveils 2012 C-Class Coupe

 
478 views Feb 15, 2011



Remember the CLK? The small Mercedes-Benz coupe that was based off the C-Class? It disappeared when the current-generation C-Class rolled into showrooms a couple of years ago. But in March, Mercedes-Benz will unveil a new version of the C-Class based coupe and call it: the C-Class Coupe.



Along with dropping the CLK moniker, Mercedes-Benz is abandoning any pretense that the sedan and coupe were two different cars at all. The two-door C-Class essentially shares the updated nose and tail of the sedan, with a few minor tweaks here and there to differentiate it. Still, none of it is distinctive enough to tell a nose-on difference from 50 yards away.  That's slightly less true in the rear, where the coupe gets a unique rear end. However, it's heavily based on the sedan's styling. Call it a 100-yard difference. From the side, obviously, the difference is stark. The coupe cuts a clean profile, with a laid back rear glass and an upward kick at the trailing edge of the rear side windows that make it look like a BMW 3-Series coupe at first glance.



With the exception of a tighter rear seat that's for two only, the interior design is also largely the same as you'll find in the 2012 C-Class sedan. The good news is that all C-Class cars get an upgraded interior treatment this year, with nicer materials replacing some of the harder, cheaper feeling stuff that drew criticism when the car debuted a couple years ago.
Mechanically the story is the same. The C-Class Coupe will come in two direct-injected varieties: A C250 with the company's 1.8-liter 201-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine, or a C350 with the 3.5-liter 301-hp V-6 engine. Both engines are connected to a seven-speed automatic transmission.

No word yet on a cabriolet or AMG version, but fitting the C63 AMG's powertrain and suspension to the coupe should be a slam dunk, so it would probably show up before a drop-top model. The C-Class coupe will go on sale in the U.S. in September of this year.



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