Mercedes-Benz's C300 Coupe, Third Generation, A Smaller S-Class Coupe With Plenty of Tech!

2017 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe C300 Shown.
A cabriolet and the C43 & C63 AMG models due out in the fall.

At first look, you will do a double take: Is this Mercedes-Benz’s top-of-the-line luxury coupe? The lines flow elegantly from the hood to the trunk, Check! The long hood and sloping roof line, Check!  Muscular rear haunches and slippery, sexy looking trunk, Check! The 2017 C-Class Coupe is similar to the full size S-Class Coupe, but with more approachable proportions. The diamond grill, which became popular with the CLA, is the key design feature that differentiates the two.

C300 Coupe features the Diamond Grill.

The C-Coupe front and Rear show S-Class design cues.

Mercedes-Benz hopes that a coupe version of it’s biggest selling model, the mass-market C-Class, will appeal to a wider audience, a younger audience, one not needing extra doors, but still looking for all the safety, technology, and great design that the brand is so well-known for.  

2nd Generation and the '17 C-Coupe. 

Optional Burmester® Preimum
 Surround Sound 

While the US government classifies the C-Coupe as a sub-compact, is four inches longer, and three inches wider than the previous generation. While the exterior of this high-strength, steel-reinforced cabin, complete with a panoramic sunroof, is impressive, it is inside where the driver and passenger benefit most. Similar to the sedan, the coupe has touches that are different. The sound system’s speakers are built into the frame for more bass. Sportier high-back seats feature extendable thigh support, so no matter your height, you are comfortable on long drives in the coupe. The iconic seat belt extenders, once a hallmark of the classic full size S-Coupe, the SEC, hand you your seat belt. Cup holders that will hold 1 liter bottles are larger than before. The dashboard is still round gauges, not flat screens like the S-Coupe. The center instrument stack provide easy reach to controls for the radio and HVAC. Keyless start and Mbrace are standard. Optional features are many: Heads up display, Burmeister premium surround sound, and Air Balance (just like the S-Coupe), as well as a number of premium packages.

C-Coupe's cockpit features a 7" color screen and plenty of  center stack controls with a choice of wood or aluminum trim. 

C300 Coupe features a 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine

C-Coupe has muscular lines fore and aft.

Performance is impressive for a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder turbo charged engine, with 241 HP, 273 LP torque, mated to a 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic transmission with DYNAMIC SELECT provides a 5.9 seconds zero to 60 time. Select one of the multiple settings (Eco, Comfort Sport, Sport Plus and Independent,) to adjust engine, steering, and transmission to fit your driving style. While rear-wheel drive is standard, there is a 4MATIC All-Wheel Drive (a $2K option,) that provides additional traction and peace of mind in areas that experience inclement weather. I was pleased with the 28 miles per gallon the 4MATIC equipped model I drove during two days in a mix of city, suburban, and highway driving.

Nimble handling, a hallmark of the C-Class. While the ride is tight with the standard sport suspension, if you want more control of the softness or sportiness of the ride, order the optional AIRMATIC Air suspension (a $1200 option,.) Eighteen inch wheels are standard, or chose the optional 19” AMG rims. You can also customize the coupe’s appearance with a number of optional packages. 

Technology is abundant in the C-Coupe both as standard and optional.

Advanced technology is what the new C-Coupe is all about, providing added safety to the equation in the long list of standard equipment. In addition to the normal Anti lock Brakes, Mercedes-Benz provides Brake Assist System®, Electronic Stability Program®, Attention Assist®, Collision Prevention Assist ®, Pres-Safe, and Adaptive Brake technology. The C-Coupe has LED headlights, daytime running lights and tail lamps as standard. Rearview camera options including surround view, are available. DISTRONIC PLUS with steering assist, lane keep, and speed limit assist, blind spot and pre-safe can all be added to the mix.

The 7" center screen is for more than just entertainment
lots of engine management information can be displayed.

For those wanting a drop top or more power, wait until this Fall when the C-Coupe Cabriolet, a C43, and a C63 Coupe with a wide-body option become available. Unlike the C-Class Sedan, the C-Coupe, as well as its engine and transmission is made in the German assembly plants. (The US-sold sedan is made here in the award winning, world-class Alabama factory.) With the C-Coupe, you can take European delivery, which offers the added advantage of a few days in Europe and a chance to experience Mercedes-Benz’s delivery center.

Again Mercedes-Benz provides a strong value in the ownership of their vehicles. The only downside that I can see is that the $42,600 base price can elevate quickly with a few desirable options to a $60K plus price tag. While the past two generations of C-Coupes have failed to generate market buzz, this one surely will with its elegant and sporty design, as well as a complete cadre of safety features.

For more information or to build and price a C-300 Coupe, go to MBUSA.com

William West Hopper at the end of my two day test drive.

Photos and words by: 

William West Hopper

Racing the Mortal Minivan.Toyota's Sienna on the One Lap America Circuit

Sienna R-Tuned (rear) and Sienna SE+ front at Summit Point

Toyota and Racing: Toyota vehicles racing is nothing new, from enthusiast’s auto crossing Scion’s to Camry’s chasing round the NASCAR oval; Toyota Trucks going at it in the dessert in an off-road rally; Lexus IS F-Sport in a street race. Toyota has a racing brand, TRD, that you see proudly on street vehicles, pretty much everywhere you go. But the common family hauler, the Sienna minivan, that is not what is thought of when the topic of competitive racing is discussed.

Toyota Sienna One Lap America Poster

This April, Toyota took two of their Sienna vans and put them on a week-long – multi-state racing event, One Lap America. And this was not just for show, though they did invite the press out, but more to compete one-on-one with other race cars, and to expand their own knowledge of how well these minivans were able to compete. Each day when the event was finished, they were loaded up with gear (not loaded onto a transport) and driven, often 700 miles or more, well into the night, to the next stop, and then competed again the next morning, only to repeat the process of picking up and driving to another venue that next night, for eight days! This was not just Toyota, more than seventy other race cars joined in this event to raise funds for Brock Yates Tribute Fund, Alzheimer’s Association, and Tire Rack’s Street Survival program.

Rutledge Wood and Craig Stanton
sign autographs for fans in the pit.

The minivan long the admission, that one has achieved stable adulthood and needs to transport their kids, friends of the kids, the dog, and a variety of belongings, around suburbia. It is no wonder automotive marketers are wanting to appeal to that “younger Dad”, and make him think of motorsports and minivan in the same sentence. With this experience, Toyota is not only showing that the family haulers can be the equivalent to racecars, as these two Sienna minivans indeed hauled it down the racetrack with the best of them.

TRD Logoed Oil Filler Cap

Using original Manufacturer built vehicles, not customized racecars, Toyota USA’s Engineering and Marketing departments got together and campaigned two Sienna vans: Sienna R-Tuned, that they modified, and the Sienna SE+ that was more like one that rolled off a neighborhood dealership lot, the day before. They brought on Top Gear America’s bearded hipster host Rutledge Wood, as well as Grand-Am Rolex GT Champion race driver Craig Stanton, to drive these vans, and a crew to support them as they raced the week away, everyone working together, like a seasoned race team.

Inside the Sienna R-Tuned  Rollcage, but
little else but the metal body.

A Toyota Sienna R-Tuned Concept vehicle, interior stripped out, caged with a custom suspension, and many modifications the Sienna SE+ was tricked out with TRD Badging, on the shifter and oil cap, dark tinted lights and Pirelli P Zero tires, and the fluids replaced those that perform better under racing conditions. Inside, sans roll cage, the seats were slipped in for passengers, or removed when out on the racetrack in competition. While they labeled both vans “Concept”, each appeared to be using off the shelf parts and products that any amateur racer could get.

Toyota’s purpose was both a promotional, but also a engineering one. Showing off that both Toyotas could compete heartily with serious racecars, but also this as an opportunity for the engineering team to tweak the van for better overall drivability in everyday situations and longevity.

Our brief visit with the SiennaOneLapofAmerica.com team was on its third day, a stop at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia, we then followed the team online, as it completed the event in first place with 160 points, 65 more than its Acura MDX Competitor, the other entrant in the Truck/SUV Class.

Based on time, the Sienna was competing with Corvettes, Vipers
and other fast cars with more powerful engines.

One Lap America is the ultimate road trip, stopping at 12 different tracks over 8 days, in 7 different states. One Lap America is a race series for the enthusiasts sponsored by Grassroots Motorsports Magazine and Tire Rack. Starting in 1984 this is the 32^nd year running. A legendary race, made even more so by the movie Cannonball Run.

More information on the Sienna One Lap program and the Toyota Engineering Motorsports team can be found at SiennaOneLapofAmerica.com as well as on  

toyotaengineeringmotorsports.com. In addition, fans can follow along via Toyota’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram channels.

Information on the One Lap of America event can be found at OneLapofAmerica.com.

As they say while out racing, "Keep the Shinny Side UP!"

Text and Photos by: William West Hopper