BACK in March 2012 Mercedes-Benz was celebrating the arrival of the latest C-Class Coupe.

This expressive piece of automotive kit saw Mercedes into its 125 year of corporate history while entering a new market segment and for the very first time offering drivers a compact, classic coupe.

The German car giant announced the C-Class Coupe to be "The Perfect Shape" for a new model which was youthful, stylish and dynamic and since then Mercedes has made significant upgrades to the 2013 C-Class range, introducing an all-new trim structure for saloon and estate models of Executive SE.

In addition the Mercedes AMG Sport also gets the treatment, as does the AMG Sport Plus which is driven here, and this proved to be an undoubtedly seriously set up motor from the German masters.

From the side, the new coupe is designed to attract the head-turning brigade with its compact proportions featuring a low silhouette, which is 41mm flatter than the saloon, plus some powerful shoulders and a narrow rear pillar in a classic three-box design.

In addition, typical coupe features include the short front overhang, long bonnet, steeply raked windscreen and long, stretched out roof. The cabin also extends far beyond the rear axle over the rear window.

While the wedge-shaped, sloping beltline demonstrates affinity with the C-Class, its strong upsweep to the rear is an entirely distinctive element.

Meanwhile, the final part of the beltline trim moves sharply upwards to meet the roofline trim. Interestingly, this upsweep not only adds a sporty flourish to the way the side windows look while the shaping at the bottom of the rear pillar also enhances the design's powerful shoulders.

At the front the new coupe shares the same styling as the latest C-Class and yet still enjoys its own twist.

It is dominated by the prominent radiator grille surround which includes the bumper. The centre air intake opens upwards, forming a base for the grille which boasts the double-louvre style very typical of a coupe.

Meanwhile, a pair of chrome louvres extend left and right either side of the central star, tapering off at the outer edges and creating a sporty arrow-shaped horizontal sweep which provides the front end with a very pronounced V-shape.

The inside story surrounds a dashboard instrument panel which features a strong, sporty and high quality design.

As standard the coupe comes with three-spoke steering wheel with its chromed central spoke. The surfaces of the controls are finely detailed while the stepped top of the instrument cluster also accommodates the central display and continues onto the front passenger side as a discreet light catching contour while the control panel of the new generation communication and info unit comes with silver coloured keys.

Strictly a four-seater the C-Class Coupe features rear backrests which can split and fold down to provide extra bootspace on top of the standard 450 litres.

There is sufficient room for a pair of six footers to sit front and back and, while overall accommodation proved plenty comfortable in all parts while the panoramic sunroof allows for an airy, pleasant cabin while all controls are nicely finished and user friendly.

AMG Sport trim helps to give the Coupe its muscular appearance while taking to the roadn the diesel coupe realises some splendid mpg returns.

To achieve this the C250 CDI diesel engine proved the tops. It is highly fuel efficient and produces low CO2 of 139g/km. Yet it is also exceedingly swift and torquy while returning an average of 53.3mpg.

As one would expect, build quality is very good overall and this is a decidedly well sorted, fun to drive member of the Mercedes Benz stable and, like a number of my colleagues, I found its road manners a joy to work with.