Mercedes Previews C-Class Coupe Ahead Of Geneva

With the demise of the CLK, Merc's Coupe lineup consists of Medium (E-Coupe) and Large (CL.) For those wanting 2-door Benz style in a compact, efficient package, Mercedes will be bringing the C-Class Coupe to the Geneva show, and they've leaked some pictures to whet everyone's appetite.

Intended as a competitor for both the 1 and 3 series Coupe (as well as the Audi A5, likely), the C-Class Coupe will split the size gap between the two.  Let's get one thing out of the way first, though.  Seperated at birth?

C Class Coupe, circa 2011 above.  Honda Accord Coupe circa 2008 below.  Hmm.

Hmm.  Okay.  I'm not going to say Mercedes stole some design elements from Honda for this one.  Let's just say they're similar looking.  That sounds a lot better.  Similar.  Done.  Moving on...

As you can see, it's the same as the facelifted C-Class for 2012, with the differentiation only occuring from the A-pillar rearward.  The interior appears to be the same as the regular C-Class as well, which is no bad thing.

The engines are expected to mirror the normal C-Class lineup, with boosted 4 cylinders at the bottom end, and the new direct-injected 3.5L 302bhp V6 at the upper end.  It would not be surprising for Mercedes to make a C63 AMG Coupe to compete with the 1M Coupe/ M3 Coupe/ S5 as well, considering all the parts are already there.  That'll really be something to see - a comparison test between the C63 AMG Coupe, M3, RS5, and CTS-V Coupe.  Lovely.

Full details (and hopefully some pictures that make the C Coupe look less like an Accord Coupe) should be released leading up to the Geneva show in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for more news on this classy 2-door Benz.