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Mercedes coupes: the next generation
By
Georg Kacher
Industry news
14 October 2008 13:28
How much will the new C-class cabrio cost?
The fun-in-the-sun C-class will be substantially less expensive than the most basic SLK, and around £7000 less than the cheapest two-door E-class. That points to a starting price around £27,000.
The two-door C offers slightly more rear legroom as well as a bigger boot (450 litres with the roof up, 405 with the top down) than the longer, sleeker and more elegant E-class spin-off.
To keep a lid on costs, the chassis and basic vehicle architecture will be taken over from the C-class saloon – so it should be a roomy convertible package. You won’t have to send the kids ahead in a Smart Fortwo.
Will the C-class cab have a folding hard-top, or old-school cloth?
Our sources point to a power-operated fabric hood, motorised belt-bringers, a clever pop-up wind deflector and the practical Airscarf neck warmer we’ve already seen on the SLK. All this tech will add a lot of heft, mind you…
There will also be new engines galore on the C coupe and cab. Highlights include:
• The super-frugal and extra-clean direct-injection petrol-fed 2.0-litre four (codenamed M271)
• A similarly fuelled V6 (M272)
• The new 2.2-litre diesel CDI (OM642)
• Top-dog 3.0-litre V6 CDI (OM651)
And – inevitably – the hybrid C-classes
These offer an average increase in power and torque of between 10 and 20 percent, but the big news is the hybridisation offered across the board. By specifying mild, full or plug-in hybrid modules, Merc will be able to reduce the CO2 emission in the EC cycle by 10 to 50 percent.
As soon as lithium ion batteries are widely available and more affordable, a useful power boost of up to 65bhp will also become part of the BlueEfficiency package.
