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"There are lesser versions of the new 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe, but like a fighter looking to stun an opponent early in the first round, let&amp;#039;s first talk C63 AMG\u2014a sharp midsection jab followed by a vicious haymaker to the jaw. Maximizing power to weight, AMG engineers stuffed their handbuilt M156 6.2-liter V-8 into the smallest viable platform, much in the manner of the C63 AMG Sedan. But now it&amp;#039;s a stylish 3816-lb. 4-seat coupe that, despite providing no real weight savings over the 4-door, offers a small increase in structural rigidity. They&amp;#039;ve also fitted their AMG Speedshift Plus MCT (Multi Clutch Technology) 7-speed gearbox, a clever amalgam of a familiar planetary automatic gearbox and an electronically controlled, hydraulically actuated wet clutch that replaces the fluid-filled torque converter. This beauty, also seen in the AMG SL63 and E63 models, snaps off shifts in as little as 100 milliseconds depending on which mode is selected (Controlled Efficiency, Sport, Sport +, Manual, or RaceStart) through a rotary switch on the center console.        2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe    If its long hood/fast windshield/short rear deck styling doesn&amp;#039;t grab you (with a mid-cycle redesign that features a more upright grille with, for non-AMG models, twin slats on either side of a prominent 3-pointed star), maybe the sounds from the quad-tipped exhaust will. The engine erupts with a sharp bark, the sound of something being angrily, instantaneously ripped apart, and acceleration from the 451-bhp powerplant is forceful and giddily unrelenting. Opt for the AMG Driver&amp;#039;s Package, and there&amp;#039;s a full 481 bhp on tap, thanks to some SLS donor internals that remove nearly 7 lb. of rotating and reciprocating mass...a lighter crankshaft, connecting rods and pistons that allow a lofty 7200-rpm redline. Mercedes pegs standing-start acceleration to 62 mph at 4.4 sec. (4.3 for the AMG Driver&amp;#039;s Package, which also includes composite aluminum/cast-iron rotors and red-painted Brembo calipers). Personally, I think the S+ mode so expertly finds the right gear (and aggressively auto-blips on the double-declutch downshifts) that I&amp;#039;d pry the paddle shifters off the chubby 3-spoke wheel and toss them in the nearest dumpster. Top speed is a governed 155 mph, but rises to 174 mph if the AMG Driver&amp;#039;s Package is selected.        2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe    Suspension of Disbelief?   Got camber? Yes! More than any production car I can remember, the C63&amp;#039;s tires (ContiSportContact 3s, 235/40ZR-18 front, 255/30ZR-18 rear) tilt in aggressively at the tops. Tobias Moers, the C63&amp;#039;s chassis and overall vehicle guru, says the front spec ranges from -1.8 to -2.0 degrees, and the rear from -2.0 to -2.2. Combined with a C63-exclusive 3-link strut suspension, a strengthened rear multilink setup and a complete re-do of all the elastic bits and bushings, there is remora-like adhesion and, despite suspension firmness and roll control that only an enthusiast could love, remarkably good rear compliance over bumps in the high-speed sweepers found throughout our road loop in Spain.        2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Interior    Our track experience at Circuito Monteblanco, an FIA-approved facility just 30 miles out of Sevilla, showed that 443 lb.-ft. of torque applied through 255-section rear tires means power oversteer on command...mitigated, however, by the Sport setting on the stability control system we were asked to use by AMG personnel. In this mode, Mercedes&amp;#039; excellent safety systems became an annoyance... for instance, under heavy braking, the optional PreSafe seatbelts tighten to ribcage-crushing levels (tighter than I&amp;#039;d cinch a 5-point harness), and when ABS is invoked, the brakes clamp down harder by themselves and seem to release a heartbeat too late. We&amp;#039;re told the intrusion is far less Draconian with the system full off. Minor criticisms aside, the C63 is huge fun and a pretty wicked track machine wearing a street plate, a car you could lap extensively with no modifications.        2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 Coupe    Forced Induction for the Base C250; Direct-Injected V-6 for the C350   For the base C250, the former V-6 is replaced with a 1796-cc turbocharged direct-injected inline-4 making 201 bhp at 5500 rpm, and 229 lb.-ft. of torque from 2200 to 4300 rpm. Though there&amp;#039;s a touch of lag, the new engine is a strong, smooth powerplant with just a little low-pitched clacketiness (from the injectors, probably); it&amp;#039;s also estimated to achieve 30 mpg in EPA&amp;#039;s city cycle. The C350 introduces a new direct-injected V-6 (302 bhp at 6500 rpm; 273 lb.-ft. from 3500 to 5250), a torquey, well-rounded performer that gets a little reedy (yet not thrashy) near its 6750-rpm redline. Its 60-degree vee angle eliminates the need for its predecessor&amp;#039;s balance shaft. Each is paired with the 7G-Tronic Plus automatic with wheel-mounted paddle shifters.        2012 Mercedes-Benz C350 Coupe Interior    Inside, both models are treated to the same freshening that the 2012 sedans received, with bolder instruments housed in a silver-finish triple-tube shroud, with brighter graphics for the screen that resides within the central, floating-needle speedometer. Plastics are now far richer, switches have a higher-quality look and feel, and here&amp;#039;s hoping that seats will be as good as the ones in our Euro-spec test cars. All U.S. Coupes will come standard with the Sport package suspension (15 mm lower and stiffer than European base models) and an optional Advanced Agility Package with cockpit-selectable shock damping. Tire sizes are identical at 225/45R-17 front, 245/40R-17 rear, the C350 coming standard with AMG split-spoke wheels. The C250&amp;#039;s 143-lb. lighter curb weight (3419 lb. versus the C350&amp;#039;s 3562 lb.) can certainly be felt in a good way, both in front-axle ride motions and increased transitional agility.        2012 Mercedes-Benz C350 Coupe    Rear seating is a little tight for 6-footers, helped by scooped-out &amp;quot;Gurney Bubble&amp;quot; depressions in the headliner. The Coupes are strictly 4-seaters, with some noticeable bolstering for the individual rear buckets...welcome for both support and as a line of demarcation for the &amp;quot;Billy keeps touching me, Mom!&amp;quot; squabbles of siblings.   Prices for the Coupes (on sale in September) haven&amp;#039;t been announced, but should all be slightly higher than their sedan counterparts. So figure on base prices in the neighborhood of $35,000 for the C250, $42,000 for the C350, and $60,000 for the C63 AMG Coupe. That&amp;#039;s a more expensive neighborhood to be sure, but a bargain for a car that will not only keep up with the Joneses, but pass them at will. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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