By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(September 2, 2015) Hoping to get ahead of the media scrum to come out of the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the 2017 C-Class Coupe. The new car is 2.4 inches longer than its predecessor between the firewall and front axle alone, which has the advantage of moving engine weight rearward while increasing interior room.

Overall, the wheelbase is 3.1 inches longer, while overall length grows by 3.7 inches, and width is up 1.6 inches. The suspension is 0.6 inches lower than the Sedan’s, and the fender, hoods and trunk are now formed from aluminum sheet.

The C-Class Coupe features a new four-link front suspension that decouples the wheel from the spring strut to improve both handling and ride comfort.Out back, there’s a five-link independent design that also uses tauter springs and damping. The ride height of the 2017 C-Class Coupe has been lowered by 0.6 inches. Airmatic (don’t you love the name Mercedes gives its technologies?) air suspension is available as an option. The self-leveling suspension changes its damping to fit one of the five driving modes — "ECO", "Comfort", "Sport", "Sport +" and "Individual” — chosen by using the Dynamic Select switch.

The C300 Coupe comes is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 241 hp and 273 lb.-ft. of torque. Interestingly, this is the only engine Mercedes mentions in its pre-Frankfurt press materials. Well, at least something will be left for the unveiling of the car on September 15th.

Of course, that didn’t stop the PR folks from waxing lyrical about the C-Class Coupe’s available technology. For example, there’s Attention Assist with adjustable sensitivity. It can warn the driver of inattentiveness and drowsiness, and is standard. As is Collision Prevention Assist Plus. It features an acoustic warning at speeds above 4 mph, and Adaptive Brake Assist which helps avoid collisions by boosting the braking effect.

Should the driver fail to respond to an imminent collision, it is able to carry out autonomous braking at speeds of up to 124 mph. This reduces the severity of collisions with slower or stopping vehicles or, in the best-case scenario, avoids the collision entirely. Also, at speeds up to 31 mph it brakes in response to stationary vehicles, thus helping to prevent rear-end collisions.

Optional assist systems include Distronic Plus with Steering Assist. This is an adaptive cruise control system that, if required, automatically adjusts vehicle speed to compensate for a slower-moving vehicle ahead. It has a speed range of 0 to 124 mph, and offers steering assistance to help the driver stay in his lane. At speeds below 81 mph, the system can follow the vehicle ahead even where there are no or unclear lane markings.

The BAS Plus brake assist system detects crossing traffic, and boosts braking force if the driver fails to apply sufficient braking force. Plus, the Pre-Safe Brake system can also detect pedestrians and brake autonomously if the driver fails to react. It can prevent accidents at speeds up to 31 mph, and reduce the severity of collisions at speeds up to 45 mph. In flowing traffic it provides assistance from four to 124 mph.

If that’s not enough, Enhanced Active Lane Keeping Assist can prevent the vehicle from drifting out of its lane by applying the brakes on one side. It engages when the lane markings are solid or broken, and there is a risk of collision. In addition Pre-Safe Plus helps reduce rear-end collisions by warning following traffic by activating the rear hazard warning lights at increased frequency and initiating preventive occupant protection measures.

And there’s more. Active Parking Assist enables semi-automated parking with active steering and brake intervention in both parallel and end-on parking spaces, using a 360° camera able to show the vehicle and its surroundings from various perspectives, including a virtual bird's-eye view, to assist with parking and maneuvering.

Passive safety equipment includes three-point seatbelts with pyrotechnic tensioning and force limitation, adaptive front air bags for the driver and front passenger, a knee bag on the driver’s side, thorax/pelvis bags for the driver and front passenger, front and rear curtain air bags, and the option of rear seat side air bags. The 2017 C-Class Coupe launch in the U.S. in Spring 2016.



The AMG C63

Prior to its formal debut in Frankfurt on Sept. 15, Mercedes-AMG has pulled the wraps off the 2017 AMG C63 Coupe. Powered by a 469 horsepower 4.0-liter V8 in standard trim, or a 503 hp version in the C63s, the twin-turbo AMG has unique front and rear fascias, a wider track, and larger wheels and tires. The power difference cuts 0-60 times by 0.1 seconds at 3.8 seconds, and raises the limited top speed from 155 mph to 180 mph. It goes on sale in the U.S. in the summer of 2016.

The only body panels shared between the standard C-Class Coupe and C63 are the doors, roof and trunk lid. The flared wheel arches make the AMG Coupe 2.51-inches wider at the front and 2.59- inches wider at the rear. The larger wheel arches allow the use of wider tires, up to 10 inches in front and up to 11.2 inches in the rear.

Also, the body structure has been reinforced in key areas to handle the upgrades that have come in both power and cornering force.

The aluminum hood is 2.36-inch longer and has two distinctive powerdomes. There are large lower inlets with, says the press kit, “precisely positioned aero flics” and a three-dimensional"A-wing" front spoiler that also serves as an air deflector for the three cooling air inlets. Additional “aero flics" direct airflow to the cooling modules, while the front splitter helps reduce front-axle lift.

The rear fascia features a diffuser insert, twin chrome-plated twin tailpipes and air outlet openings, while the trunk lid includes a narrow lip spoiler to reduce rear lift.

The redesigned front suspension is a four-link design with radial, racing-style brake connections and is used with revised steering knuckles and a wider track. In back, the multi-link independent rear suspension features an AMG-specific rear axle carrier that moves the contact surfaces of the wheel bearings about an inch outboard of their position on the C-Class sedan.

It also includes AMG-specific wheel carriers, stiffer elastokinematic tuning, higher negative camber and three-stage adjustable damping. The C63 has a mechanical limited-slip differential, while the C63 S swaps this out for an electronically controlled unit designed to work in unison with the three-stage electronic stability control system.

The Virtual Driver