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January 2016|TOPCAR.CO.ZA 27MERCEDES-BENZ C300 COUPERELAX, MERCEDES-BENZ’Snew coupe also comes in lessvisu ally and mechanically potentvariet ies. Non-AMG models sharejust doors, roof and bootlid; eve ry othe rbody panel is purposef ully more elegant.Up front the three-pointed star sitswithin a sea of ch rome-tipped ‘diamonds’ensuringit won’t be mistaken for anythingelse. Voluptuous curves and gracefulproportions plus a pleasingly less droopyside crease line and an S-Class coupe-mimickin g rear end combinebeautifully.In current Benz fash ion, AMG Lineexterior and interior styling packagesare available for those of a sportierbent. Front occupants familia r with th ecurrent C-Cl ass will feel ri ght at home,revelling in a cock pit design that, speccedappropriately, is a visu al an d tactile treat.Longer and wide r than its pred ecessor,the new coupe also rides on an 80mm-longer wheelbasewhich provides awelcomeboost to cabin space. Rear-riders benefit from incr eased head andelbo w room. They’ll also appreciate Merc’sAirmatic air susp ension, an unusualoption in thi s class that raises the coupe’sride quality from comfortably competitiveto impeccable. A short driv e into thehills near Malaga, Spain reinforced theC-Cl ass Coupe’s key positives of a suppleride, co-operative steering and fluenthandlingcharacteristics. It’s sportyenough withou t everbeing tiresome in itsdemands. About the only quibble isthepronounced wind noise ar ound the frontpillars at speed. Easily drowned out bythe superb thou gh optional Burmesteraudiosystem.The local launch lin e-up comprises twopetrol-drinkingmodels – both 2.0-litr eturbo units – and a C220d powered byMerc’s torquey 2.1-litr e turbodiesel mill.All th ree, along with th e two V8-engined``````AMGs, land this March.We trie d the C300, a 180kW versionof th e 2.0-litr e turbo four th at offersplenty of th rust but perhaps too muchenthusiasm with an uninspiring enginenote whenextendedthat descends into amonotone drone during sustained boutsof acceleration. There’s no doubt a less-stressed six would better suit this car, ifonly to boost refinement higher up therevrange. Driven with less verve, as it morethan likely will be, it’s a fine motor thatdelivers strong early- to mid-range punc hand promises not toquaff its unleadedreserves too quickly.As with thesedan, the coupe can be hadwith an arrayof semi-autonomous driv eraids that on our test car inclu ded activ esteering assistance in conjunction withlane keeping. Along with adaptive cruisecontro l, this allows multi-lane highwaytravel with minimal driv er input as thecar steers and maintains a fixed gap tothe vehicle ahead. You can’t yet get in th eback and take a nap – a regulatory no-no- but that scenario is not far off. Prices start from R529900 for the135kW/300Nm C200 rising to R634900for the C300. A C220d will set you backR569900 plus anextra R49k for thedesirable Edition 1 package with itsgorgeous (or is that adventurou s?)interior colour combination of nu tbrown and black upholstery withturquoise topstitching.tcThe tamer siblingsMercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe>PriceR1 33 7 931>Engine3 982cc, 32v, V8Biturbo375kW @ 5 50 0-6 250rpm, 70 0Nm @ 1750-4 500rpm>Transmission7-speed automatic, RWD>SuspensionMulti-link frontandrear, 3-stagedampers>Performance0-100kph in 3.9sec,250kph (limited), 8.9ℓ/100km, 209gCO 2 /km>Length/Width/Height4 767/1 832/1 456mm>Kerbweight1 725kg>On saleMarch 2016Carbonfibrepackagesadda racyedge. AMGDynamic Selecttoggleswitchwillbewell used.Floor itandthe needlestruggles tokeepup. Madashatters Edition 1:seeyouatthe nextbigtunershowArrestingelegancedustedwitha pinchofAMGspice``````Mercedes-Benz C-Class C300 Coupe>PriceR638 69 6 >Engine1991cc, 16v, 4cyl turbo180kW @ 5 50 0rpm,370Nm @ 1 30 0-4 000rpm>Transmissio7-speed automatic, RWD>SuspensionMulti-link frontandrear, optionalairsprings>Performance0-100kph in 6.0sec,250kph, 6.8ℓ/100km, 157gCO2/km>Length/Width/Height4 686/1 810/1 405mm>Kerbweight1 490kg>On saleMar 20 16