Category: Affordable Sports 
Price Range: £19,672 to £51,570
The concept, bold looks, enjoyable handling, practicality, spray-reducing wheel-arch liners
Automatic transmission, awkward rear end styling, parking brake, rubbery steering, unexciting C200 K engine, lack of rear wiper, illogical electric window switches (they move in and out, not up and down)
The Sports Coupe hasn't taken off to quite the degree expected, as it's neither an out-and-out sports coupe nor a luxury cruiser - but it's an interesting concept, and a nicely adult proposition for those who have outgrown their hot hatches but who aren't ready for a stodgy saloon.
A hatchback? That's more or less what it is, although Mercedes prefers to call its new, abbreviated C-Class derivative a Sports Coupe. This Mercedes interpretation of the BMW Compact idea is designed to broaden the brand's appeal to younger, more sporty-minded buyers, and currently, it's one of few 'posh' hatches on the market, with only the Compact and Audi A3 as serious rivals until Saab and Volvo produce their premium contenders. It's clearly a C-Class family member from the front, but the Sports Coupe has a strongly wedge-shaped profile and a dramatic-looking tail. What's more, despite appearances, every external panel is unique. More expensive than sporty hatchbacks from more mainstream manufacturers, the Sports Coupe also offers a different driving experience, thanks to its rear-wheel-drive layout.
The engine line-up now consists of four petrol engines and, in answer to growing demand even from sports-minded buyers, two diesels. The petrols are the C180 (143bhp), supercharged C200 K (Kompressor, 163bhp) and C230K (192bhp) and the refined V6 C320 (218bhp). The diesels are the C200 CDI (122bhp) and C220 CDI (143bhp). There's no hot AMG version, however. Transmission choices include a Sequentronic sequential-shift clutchless manual, and options include the Evolution sport-it-up pack (fatter wheels, lowered and stiffened suspension and tastier interior trim) and more extreme Evolution AMG pack.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mercedes C-Class
wrote on 14 11 2006