Mercedes for the Rest of Us

If you’ve been lusting after the luster a Mercedes-Benz would add to your image but have felt constrained by little impediments, like the need to make house payments and buy food, now might be the time to take a hammer to the kids’ piggy banks.

When the new Mercedes C-Class sports coupe arrives in the U.S. this summer, the supercharged hatchback will be priced lower than any Benz since 1986.

How low is that? A mere $25,595, including delivery charges.

That makes the coupe, styled just like the far more expensive S-Class and loaded with safety and handling features, cheaper than many Toyotas and Fords.

It also comes in under almost all competing luxury models except those from South Korean car makers.