Classic enjoyment

Forget about the supposedly fantastic C63 AMG Coupe, a car that really looks most similar to the beauty we had on test but that roars like a hungry lion, to the magic 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds.

The seats are as good as modern science can dictate.- Hugh Arnett

Our C220 CDI blue Efficiency turbo-charged diesel fails to get to the magic ton by a margin in comparison, but at 8.1 seconds she is no slouch, and she looks good all hunkered down and blasting onward with the promise of cornering agility to match her style and performance.

Call me romantic, but I even get nostalgically happy when I see the good old 190 Mercedes in the sort of brilliant condition that many owners keep these classic cars in.

This was, if memory serves me well, the forerunner of the C-Class and a grand ancestor she was to be sure.

The C-Class has evolved no end and this coupe is really the most magnificent beast. I say ‘beast’ because quite subjectively this car at last promises the sort of masculinity that may well appeal more to men than women.

Yes, she is brilliantly easy to drive and even without the many optional packages available, the basic coupe with a superb six-speed automatic box (with gear change paddles on the steering to allow even more contentment) is a delight to drive fast.

Should the pocket be even deeper or the need to drive long and fast ever more pressing, the seven-speed 7G-Tronic Plus has seven changes tucked into the gearbox, but frankly, here in Malta, even using a bit more speed than the law allows, the standard automatic was more than sufficient.

Obviously, the basic model has enough safety features to stop any competent driver from getting unhinged, even in inclement conditions and there are such a decent amount of optional packages to make life so traumatic that driving the car would be more like sitting at home working out the controls on a modern oven.

I like the standard agility control suspension, which rather cleverly adjusts the damping system to the current road conditions.

The standard Neck-Pro head restraints are useful because if someone rudely bumps into you from behind the head restraints for the front seat occupants are pushed forward and upward in milliseconds to help avoid ‘whiplash’.

The seatbelts are as good as modern science can dictate and the standard range of airbags means that the driver and front passenger have airbags, side bags and pelvis bags with window bags and a knee bag for the driver. At the rear, side bags are an option.

Of equal importance because it may be a life saver for pedestrians and cyclists who thump into the bonnet, a standard fixture springs the rear of the bonnet up by about 5 cm allowing five more centimetres of movement before the bonnet strikes the engine and becomes suddenly rather solid if the whole lot has been abused by a stranger.

Believe me when I say the multimedia systems are fantastic. I say this without having the remotest idea what it’s all about, but I take Marcel’s word for it as he fiddled and drooled from the passenger seat. Marcel owns a perfectly splendid modern Mercedes while on the other hand, my youngest car is a 1980 sports machine without a radio, power brakes, steering or electronic aids of any kind.

I liked the diesel saving device which automatically turns the engine off as the car is stopped, but LED tail lights which flash 5.5 times a second under emergency braking and then put the hazard warning lights on if the car is braked to a dramatic halt from 70 km/h onwards, sadly left me cold and wondering.

However, the fact that this beauty goes round corners, under power, at speed, as if stuck on rails, and can be braked to a halt from well over 80 km/h in a straight line without touching the steering is really exciting in former mode, and comforting when stopping in a hurry.

Far too many cars we test come equipped with seats that provide the lateral grip of peeled banana skins. Not so this coupe. In fact I hazard to say, without being sexist, that the super grippy, competition-type seats have been ergonomically designed by fairly athletic European men with fairly athletic hip dimensions. A superbly comfortable and stabilising force.

This model is very, very difficult to make a hash of driving well, and joking apart, men and women who love properly-made cars will be enchanted by the new coupe and will in all probability plump for all the option packages, and who knows, one of the exciting faster engines for good measure.

Verdict

Comfort
This car restores our faith in interior designers

Performance
Only because there are other faster versions

Quality
We would hazard that this car is as near perfect as makes no difference

At a glance

Top speed
Approx. 232 km/h.

0-100km
8.1 seconds

Fuel consumption
combined 4.9-5.3 litres per 100 km.

C02
128-139g/km

Engine
Four-in-line diesel displacing 2,143cc.

Power
125 kW from 3,000-4,200rpm.

Maximum torque
400Nm from 1,400-2,800rpm.