2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 Coupe review

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I've never been a big fan of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, particularly the current version, which made its debut in 2008. My verdict back then was "Meh" -- I liked the electronics and I thought the diving experience was okay, but I felt the interior was unbecoming of a luxury car. When I heard the C was getting a facelift for 2012, I didn't expect things to get much better.

Man, was I wrong.

Larger photos: Front - rear - interior - all photos

It's rare to see a flawed car get completely fixed, but that's pretty much what Mercedes has done with the new C. Along with some minor front-end styling changes, the 2012 C-Class gets a desperately-needed revamp for the dashboard (link goes to photo). And as if to make up for the sins of the old C, Mercedes is even offering up a new four-cylinder turbocharged engine, a revised transmission, and a new two-door coupe body style.

Let's start by talking about the coupe, since that's the one I drove. I generally prefer four-door cars -- I long ago gave up hope that a car could make me look cool; I'm just too far gone -- but I like what Mercedes has done with the C coupe. The shape is mature and elegant rather than showy and racy, featuring the same graceful roofline as the E-Class coupe but without that strange hockey-stick body crease above the rear fender. The styling is distinctly Mercedes, and while it doesn't exactly stand out when compared to the BMW 3-series, Audi A5, or Infiniti G37, that's not the worst thing; some of us like to fly under the radar.

Larger dashboard photo

This is where, as far as I'm concerned, all of the C's sins are forgiven. Compare this photo of the 2008 C's interior to this one of the 2012 and you'll get the bulk of the story. You'll note that the pop-up navigation screen has been replaced by an integrated unit, while the dash has been adorned with a broad brushed-chrome trim piece on the passenger's side and metal-look trim around the air vents and on the steering wheel. These changes make all the difference in the world, as they break up that massive expanse of unadorned plastic that made the old C-Class feel so dreary and cheap. It's actually the Sport models that get all that metal trim; Luxury versions get wood trim and a four-spoke steering wheel, but the effect is the same -- a huge improvement over last year's car.

The rest of the interior is typical Mercedes, with ergonomics that range from clever to clueless. The adjustment controls for the front seats are sensibly located on the doors, but the oddly-placed turn signal and cruise-contol stalks make it easy to mix up one for the other -- not a big deal once you get used to it, but if your spouse drives a different type of car, it could become an issue when he or she drives your Mercedes.

I've always found the C-Class sedan's back seat to be a bit tight, and the coupe's back seat, as you can imagine, doesn't improve things, giving up an inch and a half of headroom but only about half an inch of legroom. That means it's cramped but still somewhat usable, and access is as awkward as it is in any coupe. The trunk remains useful at 11.7 cubic feet, but the back seat can't be folded down.

Next to the new dash, the second-biggest improvement is the new engine -- a 1.8 liter four-cylinder with direct fuel injection and a turbocharger, which together boost the wee little engine's output to a respectable 201 horsepower and 229 lb-ft of torque. Its EPA fuel economy estimates of 21 MPG city and 31 MPG highway are a sizable improvement over last year's V6-powered C300, which was rated at 18/26. Still, these are not great numbers -- BMW is launching a turbocharged four-cylinder version of the 3-series this year, which is rated for 24 MPG city/36 highway. I haven't driven the new 3 yet, but it just so happens that in the week before I tested the C250, I drove a four-cylinder BMW 5-series. I averaged 26 MPG in the big Bimmer, versus only 23.2 in the smaller C250. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

I wasn't disappointed by the power, though. The 1.8T engine does an excellent job of hustling the C250 along, at least when the transmission doesn't get in the way. All Cs get a supposedly-improved 7-speed automatic transmission, tuned for better fuel economy and responsiveness. A failure on both counts, as my fuel economy wasn't very impressive and the transmission was slow to respond to the paddle shifters and even slower to downshift on its own, even when in "sport" mode.

Shame, because my C250 tester was quite entertaining to drive, at least by Mercedes standards. The steering still feels a bit indifferent, but the car gripped the pavement well and responded crisply to my inputs. My initial plan was to only drive the sharpest bits of the Top Secret Curvy Test Road in order to get a feel for the C's handling, but after a few turns, I was ready to run the full length, and the C250 seemed just as eager.

Incidentally, if you want more power, the C350's 3.5 liter V6 also gets direct fuel injection for 2012, upping the output to 302 horsepower. And with EPA fuel economy estimates of 20 city/29 highway, it's not that far off the 4-cylinder. The 3-liter V6 remains at 228 hp and is offered only in the all-wheel-drive C300 4Matic sedan, but at 17 MPG city/24 MPG highway, it's the gas guzzler of the group.

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