First Drive Review
High among the things many Americans don't understand about European life are traffic circles, bidets, cheese that smells like flatulence, and luxury-brand hatchbacks.
There's not much anyone can (or should?) do to bridge the cultural divide on those first three subjects. Mercedes-Benz would like to introduce you to the luxury hatch with its 2002 C230 Kompressor sports coupe.
Luxury-brand hatchbacks are popular in Europe, where streets are small and gas prices large. But only BMW tried to sell a hatchback, the 318ti, in the United States, in 1995. It attracted few buyers, and those who did buy one were much older than BMW had expected. After 1999, the ti was gone.
That explains the calculated misnomer Mercedes has given to its new "sports coupe," although it's obviously a hatchback. "Hatchback" is such a marketing cuss word that Mercedes officials wince at the mention of it. Forget for a moment that Mercedes sells a proper coupe, the CLK.
The sports coupe is based on the 2001 C-class sedan, sharing its 106.9-inch wheelbase, suspension, steering, and brakes. The "sports" portion of its name is justified, Mercedes says, by the car's rakish styling and its standard sport suspension tuning.
Unlike BMW's failed U.S.-market hatchback, the Mercedes sports coupe does not share any body panels with its C-class donor sedan. Mercedes is counting heavily on this fact to convince shoppers that the sports coupe isn't just a budget-minded C-class but is something with a distinct image. Viewed from anywhere but behind, the sports coupe is distinctive and attractive, with an aggressive wedge shape. Only the rear view will be seen as controversial. It's vaguely French-looking, almost Renaultlike.
The standard tuning of the coupe's strut-front and multilink-rear suspension approximates the C-class four-door's optional Sport package, although specific spring rates and shock valving differ slightly. All U.S.-model sports coupes come with 16-inch wheels bearing 225/50VR-16 performance tires. The result is an impressively smooth ride--at least on the nearly faultless roads of southern France where we drove the car.
But the sports coupe is no more sporting than the sedan. As with most Mercedes, the coupe feels heavy, despite its reasonable 3300-pound heft. The car's body remains nearly flat going around corners, but it feels more confident and composed than frisky.
The only engine offered is an improved version of the familiar iron-block 2.3-liter supercharged four-cylinder found in the SLK roadster. For the sports coupe (and the 2001 SLK) Mercedes added a new fuel-injection system and upgraded the intake plumbing to increase low-end power and improve the engine's sound--both former weak points. With 190 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque, the 2.3-liter Kompressor can power the coupe to 62 mph in 7.5 seconds, according to Mercedes. Compared with most of the Euro-boxes on the roads we traveled, the sports coupe is pretty quick, although it's not as fast as the "sports" moniker might imply. And although the engine feels better in this application than in its original form in the SLK, it's still a little weak down low and slightly rough higher in the rev range.
A six-speed manual is standard, and a five-speed manumatic is optional. Either choice represents a compromise. The six-speed, taken from the C240 sedan, allows a driver to keep the supercharged engine in its power band, but its shift feel is poor, rubbery, and uncertain. The five-speed automatic shifts beautifully, but this was supposed to be a sports coupe, right?
Although based closely on the four-door, the sports coupe's interior does have a dash of sport feel. Instead of wood-grain trim, the coupe uses satin aluminum bits. The seats are firm and have thicker bolsters than what you'll find in the sedan. And the rear-passenger quarters are sporting-car small. Despite the cramped rear, the sports coupe has a big enough back seat to qualify by our reckoning as a sedan.
