California

I always thought the problem with the 203 Coupe was where the badges were placed... too low on the "butt" of the hatch. So I moved mine up to the little wndow (no it does NOT block out the view, and that window is mighty handy as any coupe driver knows)... I had the 2004 pre facelift Coupe c230, just sold it for a CLK (i was surprised that the coupe and the CLK have the exact same wheel base, btw) but wanted to show how the aftermarket grille with a larger MB star and the raised badges made it look good.

I pulled off the upgraded 05 tail light rear tinting in the last few months of owning the car, the tails were pretty new when I got them and had them tinted for five years (I got the car pre owned from the dealer in 06, just sold it) only put on 20k miles in all that time, car garaged so it looks pretty much like new.

Took a pic of my Coupe in a garage with some other guy who placed his badges way too low on the car, for contrast. The higher badges "lift" the rear of the car and I think look particularly good on the black coupes.

The shot of my car is next to an 05 Coupe for comparison purposes, when I had the tails tinted. The grille and the lifted badges really make the car look better imho.

AnthonyY21

Good effort but not really a fan of the raised or lowered badges to be honest, the lowered badges look the least appealing out of the 3 pictured though (raised, normal, lowered).

I de-badged my coupe today, prefer the cleaner look leaving just the Mercedes emblem.. Will certainly make polishing/waxing a little easier

I also have tinted tails, what tint or film did yours have on them out of interest?

I like the grille, wonder how good it would look in gloss black (apart from Mercedes star).

California

It was a thickish film, I think more than 50 percent. I actually still have the film if you want it (if it can be pried apart).


I took a lot of industrial and art design in school, and I also tried the de badged look on the Coupe when I had it, and one time got pulled over and really confused the cop, also for some reason it really confused someone who was doing a smog test on my car and they somehow thought it was a diesel! Weird. I think it looks "ricey" (Sorry!) when there are no badges on a car. The C230 Kompressor engine is a great little piece of machinery, why not tell everyone what it is?

But in strictly in terms of design, if you notice, raising the badges is exactly what Mercedes did on the CLC redesign of the 203 Coupe. By raising them, the "butt" of the car appears higher and not so weird.

I recall when I first got the car someone else had one in a parking lot and I remember looking at the butt of his car for a long time, my eyes resting on the badging. I thought: "There's something wrong with the badges..." In terms of design, there is something wrong when your eyes rest on something that isn't pleasing to look at.

I feel vindicated that Mercedes themselves "raised the badges" on the Coupe because the MB designers knew there was something wrong with the "butt", too.

But, hey, they also made the CLC coupe less safe in the Coupe redesign of 2008... they took out the little window that is needed so much when you are driving and trying to see who is on your tail when you need to pass... The earlier coupes are safer to drive.

tommy

I think that any coupe is better without the silly "KOMPRESSOR" on the right side flank.

I'm with Anthony on the badges, though - I don't really see anything wrong with the vertical placement of the badges, honestly, and think that both alternatives look fairly retarded.

So you feel vindicated that they raised the badges, but think they were wrong in removing the window? Good to see you're consistent.

If people all saw things the same way, the world would be pretty boring.

As far as the wheelbase of the clk matching the c coupe, they do because they're both built off the same platform.

California

Here's the deal.

When you look at something, you look at it left to right. The higher something is on the left, the more of a forced perspective you will have as your eye flows to the right of an object, a room, a building, a face, whatever you are looking at. By raising and also separating the badges (I'm speaking of the badges as design elements only, now, not their function as indicators of engine type) but by raising and separating the badges, the car looks bigger. Note also that outside line of the license plate indentation runs up and past the badging. This is a better "layout" of the badges as design elements. Your eye is not blocked by the lettering.

(BTW, this is a major flaw on the back of the 209 CLKs. The badging is too wide for the upwards slope of the license plate indentation. I will be moving my badges up and over on the CLK as well.)

The CLC re design on the coupe figured this out. They also figured out that the blackened top of the coupe taillight should just come off. This smooths out the top line around the back of the car, keeping the eye on a linear plane as you look at it from different angles -- and the badging is on that linear plane.

Finally, the badging is at the apex of the other lines along the side of the car. The CLC redesign was great from a design perspective, unfortunately not from a functional one with the missing little window.

Most sites that reference the CLC note its poor rear visibility as a big liability.

California

Might be cool. I sold the car, my friend who bought it put on 18 staggered AMGs in chrome so they look great on the coupe with the bigger chrome grill.

tommy

As soon as you say that chrome rims look good on any car other than a 80-90s Caddy, you lose me.

It's all personal choice, anyway. I don't think that moving letters and numbers 3" suddenly makes the coupe's rear attractive; you'd need much more work done than that. I completely agree with you on the little window, though - no amount of cleaning up the design is worth making the car much less safe to drive.

ncmudbug

That's why I generally don't comment on the way people change the look of their car - because it is such a personal choice. Hell, I like the KOMPRESSOR on my sedan!

AnthonyY21

Thanks for the offer of the film, very kind of you but i am in the UK, plus i already have mine tinted (glazed).

No need to apologise as everyone likes different things which is good, as Tommy said below if everyone liked the same stuff it would be pretty boring.. I'm not sure how de-badging a car makes it look ricey personally, prehaps some of the other things i've done may be considered as such by others but this doesn't bother me as i've changed things to my taste


Yes it's something i'm considering buying as i currently have the stock grille painted gloss black (except the mercedes star), i do like the design better on the grille you pictured as the star is bigger with less slats..

See now i don't like the sound of the chrome alloys, one because i'm not a fan of alot of chrome and two because most chrome rims just look overdone.

That said i haven't seen a picture of them, so may well look good

I hear what your saying although there's nothing wrong with good or bad comments as long as no one is rude or insulting..

MW_ATL

Neither is my style, but if I had to pick one, I would say up looks better than down lower. But then I tend not to be one that plays a lot with the visual imagery for any vehicle, as I find most changes tend to sacrifice fit, finish and overall appeal for me. But, to each's own. It would be a very boring world if everyone drove the same thing I drive -- and make it very hard to find my car in the parking lot!!!

California

I agree with you on the chrome, they may be polished aluminum, actually.

If you look at the way the MB re designed the CLKs for the new C class sedans and coupes, you will see that their designers were thinking the same way I am on the w203. The body of the CLK and the C class sedan is exactly the same width yet, by good design, reducing the height of the taillights etc. the MB designers have forced perspective on the new C class to make it look like a wider better looking car. I could go on about the design elements of even the badging all day...

tommy

Please don't.

California

LOL

I sold the car to an artist, and he appreciates it all very much.