The Goodwood Test – Mercedes‑Benz C250 d AMG Line Coupe

Heritage

Which of the many strands of Mercedes lineage to pick from the rather long model name? The c-class, perhaps, introduced in the early Nineties to replace the hardy, popular 190 model, or the handsome coupe version, or the AMG badge? Given that the AMG badging here is largely cosmetic, and the first two-door coupe version, the SportCoupe (which became the CLC – keep up at the back), was introduced in 2000, with this coupe a new model for 2016, let's stick to a potted look at the C-class. It's not time wasted; after all, the 190 was extremely significant for M-B, acting as the badge's first foray into "small" cars, and immediately pitting Merc against BMW, which was already selling the 3-series. The W202 C-class came along in 1993, followed by an estate and the first C63 AMG.... and it was off and running as an established branch of the family tree, siting below the E- and S-classes.

Design

The new C-class coupe is a handsome beast. It has the fantastic new family grille, a star-spangled silver affair of little beads exploding outwards from the central familiar three-point star badge. The roofline slopes downwards at the rear in traditional coupe fashion, but is rounded where it meets the stretched, flared LED taillights, giving the back of the car a more contemporary design. A high beltline, frameless doors and lowered suspension complete the more sporting flavour of this derivative. Our test car had the AMG-line treatment: a smattering of upgraded, more sporting design cues, such as new bumpers and sills and 18in alloys. Inside, there are sports seats designed specifically for the coupe, and unique upholstery colour combinations. Again, the AMG trim adds contrasting stitching to the Artico man-made leather/microfibre material, a multifunction sports steering wheel with flattened bottom and AMG sports pedals. A touchscreen, controlled also by a rotary button, offers clear, easy to navigate graphics. There's also, joy of joys, a surprising amount of head and shoulder room in the rear for a smallish coupe.

Performance

There are four petrol and two diesel engines on offer with the C-class coupe: our four-pot, 2.1-litre 250 diesel, with 201bhp and 368lb ft (500Nm) of torque, is the ideal workhorse of the lot for the best compromise between  performance and economy – the 1.6 petrol doesn't suit the sporting character, while the C300, lovely though it is, isn't necessary. We had the 9G-Tronic Plus, nine-speed auto transmission which is just sublime. The AMG-line means sports suspension as opposed to the standard steel set-up or the optional air suspension which, luxurious though it is for long-distance cruising, again doesn't suit the coupe character as much as the stiffer sports version with its tauter damping and spring revisions, and sharper steering. On the move, the Merc falls only just shy of BMW's 4-series for dynamic agility, which is a pretty good accolade.

Passion

There's something so distinctive about the way a Mercedes smells, feels, looks, rides and handles, that runs through the core of every car in the range, and the C-class Coupe is another fine example. To our mind, Mercedes cars are looking the best they ever have, with that stylish family grille, and a series of daring body shapes, some of which have become proper love-them-or-hate-them Marmite cars, and all the better for that. Sure, a 2.1-litre diesel engine with an AMG-trimmed body is never going to provide the dynamic passion that are a proper AMG-touched engine does, but the C Coupe does give some genuine sporting flare to Mercedes' first compact car, which isn't a bad start.

Price of our car: £44,400