10 Things You Need To Know About The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe

Every once in a while market pressures force a car company to debut a new model just so that they can keep up with the Joneses. This seems to have become a regular affair for Mercedes-Benz, which just recently brought out the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe in order to better compete with Teutonic rivals BMW and Audi in the pursuit of entry-level luxury dollars. Pressure from Japanese luxury brands such as Infiniti have also made a compact two-door a 'must-have' for premium automakers.

Let's take a look at 10 things you need to know about the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe.

01. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe Is All-New

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe shares its platform with the sedan edition of the compact car, but it offers a brand new take in terms of styling and attitude at the starting point of the Silver Star's lineup. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe features a lower roofline than the sedan, borrows some of its forward styling from the much pricier Mercedes-Benz SL and offers a four-passenger interior that helps to further set it apart from its four-door progenitor. Mercedes-Benz has also elected to stuff the C-Class Coupe with a long list of standard features, incorporating many items that are pricey options on the sedan C-Class and helping to further justify the Coupe's slightly higher MSRP.

02. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe Comes With Fresh Two Engine Options

Both of the power plants on offer in the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe are new for the current model year. The Coupe starts out with a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine under the hood that makes use of a turbocharger to generate 201 horsepower and 229 lb-ft of torque, allowing the two-door to hit 60-mph from a standing start in just a tick under seven-and-a-half seconds. A 3.5-liter V-6 is also available with the C-Class Coupe, and this motor improves significantly over last year's C-Class sedan power numbers by posting up 302 horses and 273 lb-ft of torque. The extra mojo helps the two-door luxury car knock almost two seconds off of its 60-mph sprint.

03. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe Offers Good Fuel Economy

A big part of the reason why the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe is initially outfitted with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine has to do with improving the vehicle's fuel mileage. Efficiency is very much on the minds of automakers facing stringent corporate average fuel economy regulations in the United States, and as a result the C-Class Coupe's turbo four is good for a reports 21-mpg in stop and go driving and 31-mpg on the highway. The V-6 edition of the car drops only slightly to 20-mpg city and 29-mpg during highway cruising, a testament in part to the wisdom of including an advanced seven-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment with either engine.

04. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe Comes In Two Different Trims

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe is available in two distinct models. The base Mercedes-Benz C250 enjoys features such as LED running lights up front, a panoramic sunroof, dual automatic climate control, imitation leather seats, Bluetooth connectivity, a CD player and a folding rear seat. It also offers rain-sensing windshield wipers and the ATTENTION ASSIST feature, which monitors the behavior of the person behind the wheel and keeps them alert should it detect their concentration starting to drift. Stepping up to the C350 adds items such as heated seats, an upgraded Harman Kardon stereo system and power adjustments for the Coupe's steering column.

05. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe Offers The Mbrace System

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe is compatible with the mbrace mobile application that is designed to allow owners to interact with their vehicles remotely via their smart phone. The mbrace system offers a long list of safety-related features included automatic collision notification, stolen vehicle tracking and text / email / voice alerts sent in the event that the automobile's alarm has been tripped. Mbrace also facilitates trip planning by using the Send2benz function to transmit maps to the Coupe as well as convenience features such as remote door unlocking and locking and the ability to find the C-Class Coupe in a crowded parking lot via its GPS locator.

06. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe Can Be Had With A Long List Of Options

Like most Mercedes-Benz models, the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe is available with an extensive number of options and packages. The Full Leather Seating package adds real leather upholstery and trim throughout the entire car, while the Lighting package installs HID adaptive HID headlights. The Multimedia package provides a navigation system, a large LCD display panel to go with it as well as a hard drive for storing digital music (which can be accessed using voice commands). The Premium 1 package (available with the C250) includes seat heaters, upgraded audio and satellite radio.

07. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe Features Available AMG Tuning

Those seeking the utmost in performance from the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe can opt for the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. The C63 has been given a thorough going-over by in-house hot-rod tuners AMG in order to tweak every aspect of its character. The Mercedes-Benz C63 gains a slickly-styled exterior treatment, bigger brakes, an adaptive suspension system and 18-inch wheels.

The C63 AMG is also gifted with a fire-breathing 6.2-liter V-8 engine that develops a startling 451 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. A seven-speed automatic is the only gearbox offered with the Mercedes-Benz C63, which can leap to 60-mpg from a standing start in a mere 4.2 seconds. An additional 30 horses are on tap for buyers who choose to equip the AMG coupe with the AMG Development package, which also includes a carbon fiber trunk-mounted wing and a bumped-up speed limiter.

08. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe Is Safe

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe comes with the very latest in safety technology. In total, the vehicle boasts 13 airbags strategically placed throughout its passenger compartment, including a driver's knee airbag, side-impact airbags for those riding in both the front and the rear of the vehicle and window curtain airbags to go with them. A long list of optional safety gear can be had with the C-Class Coupe, such as Lane Keeping Assist, parking sensors, a rear view camera and a blind spot monitoring system. All versions of the car come with electronic traction and stability control, as well as a tire pressure monitoring system.

09. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe Offers A Sporty Sedan Alternative

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe is intended to offer entry-level Mercedes-Benz buyers the chance to get behind the wheel of a vehicle that is more fun to drive than the standard C-Class sedan. Automatically-adjustable Agility Control suspension continually monitors road conditions in order to custom-tune the vehicle's shock absorbers for optimum performance, while the two-door's ride height is lower and its springs stiffer than what are found with the sedan. Even in foul weather the C-Class Coupe excels, thanks to features such as automatic brake drying that pinches the discs when wet in order to use the brake pads to remove potentially dangerous water build-up.

10. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe Competes Against Some Tough Customers

There is no question that the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe has its work cut out for it when evaluating the entry-level luxury two-door field. While the C250 and C350 might not be at quite the same level as the Infiniti G37 or the BMW 3 Series in terms of performance, it more than makes up for it in terms of the premium features and ultra-comfortable ride that it counts as standard. The C-Class Coupe is a compelling choice for those drivers who are more interested in enhancing the calm and style of their daily commute than turning in hot laps at the local race track - although if that's more your style, then the C63 AMG is of course available to help make your dreams a reality.