A FEAST of style and performance is on the way for Mercedes' fans with the arrival of two new C-Class models.

Sleek and sensuous, the new coupe joins the existing C-Class line up of saloon, estate and convertibles.

And this is a true coupe - not the unconventional approach Mercedes took with the CLC and the previous Sport Coupe.

The newcomer is in the same vein as the current crop of Mercedes good lookers which include the new CLS and CL super coupes.

On sale in June, the C-Class Coupe will be joined later in the year by a thunderingly potent AMG version which will be capable of 0 to 60mph in less than five seconds.

But while not being quite as quick as the awesome C63 AMG Coupe, the regular models deliver a composed and sporty drive good enough to satisfy anyone who wants a car which looks as good as it can perform.

The coupe will be priced from £30,220 making it £1,600 more than the saloon.

There are five models and all will come in AMG Sport trim signalling Mercedes' intention to take on the likes of the Audi A5 and BMW M Sport cars.

Significantly, the entire C-Class Coupe range will fall within an £8,000 bracket with the most expensive version costing from £37,640.

That's for the 3.5-litre V6 C350 fitted with a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

The V6 is one of three petrol engines Mercedes will be using in the couple alongside two diesels and all are fitted with economy measures such as stop/start.

The cheapest will be the C180 powered by a 1.8-litre 156bhp petrol engine which is good enough to average more than 40 to the gallon with CO2 emissions of 169g/km.

Most frugal in the coupe line up is the £32,580 C220 diesel which can average almost 65mpg and with emissions reduced to 133g/km it will have big appeal to business drivers.

So will the more powerful C250 diesel which takes the 2.2-litre engine up to 204bhp resulting in very sporty performance with a top speed of almost 150mph, 0 to 60 acceleration at a shade under seven seconds yet still managing a claimed 57mpg on average with CO2 at 139g/km.

Such performance is in keeping with the true sporty image of coupe motoring and the V6 flagship is capable of 0 to 60 in less than six seconds with a top speed limited at 155mph yet thanks to the sophistication of the auto box it can almost match the C180 for economy.

The 7G-Tronic automatic transmission is standard on both the 204bhp C250 petrol coupe as well as the V6 and is available as an option on all other models.

Although the autos are some £1,500 more expensive they get the best from the engines and in all but the manual C220 diesel are more economical to run.

On the road the coupe is designed to be fun with active suspension making the car nice and nimble.

Flick the sports mode switch on the dash and the change in characteristics is outstanding when it comes to added agility, extra firmness and throttle response.

Under acceleration there is a satisfying but not overloud growl from the exhaust and road roar is well suppressed.

Drive the coupe enthusiastically and the quality of the Mercedes engineering shines through while around town it mimics any other member of the C-Class family when it comes to all round refinement.

The coupe sits on 18-inch alloys as standard and also comes with a sporty-looking nose embellished with LED running lights set into the front skirt.

Head on it really looks the part and with its chiselled body lines the coupe is distinctive from any angle.

As any real coupe should be it is a two door, four-seater and although knee room in the back is not over generous the amount of head space is exceptional, especially for a car with such a swept back roofline.

The boot space is equally impressive at 450 litres which can handle enough luggage for touring and there is extra space available with the rear seats being foldable.

Onboard systems include driver fatigue detection and adaptive headlamps while options include devices for stopping the car unintentionally drifting out of its lane.

It can even be set up to receive an Internet feed, enabling web browsing when stationary although certain online features are available to enhance the information from the sat nav while on the move.

The full blown Mercedes COMAND communications and navigation system is an extra but all models come pre-wired to accommodate a portable Becker sat nav unit which plumbs into the car's instrumentation.

There is plenty of emotion tied up in the C-Class Coupe and the car delivers on all fronts with great poise and power - but those prepared to budget a few thousand pounds more for the extras will discover a car which is quite remarkable in every department.