The Hindu Business Line : New Mercedes C-Class, more techy, sporty and elegant

The new C-Class possesses a product profile, which meets the needs of different target customers. It is comfortable without seeming sedate, sporty without becoming awkward and youthful without being adolescent.

— S. Muralidhar

Third Gen C, now as luxurious and aggressive as its bigger cousins.

The invasion of the Indian luxury car market by the Germans continues. Last week we profiled BMW’s M cars and this week we look at an equally iconic and now even more popular and resurgent German model from the stables of Mercedes-Benz.

The new C-Class sedan, Mercedes-Benz’s entry model in India, has just been launched, making it here a mere nine months after its global debut. After months of work, testing and homologating the new C, this award winning mid-size luxury car finally makes it to showrooms this month. This third generation version of the C-Class sedan promises to be better equipped and much more exciting to drive than its predecessor.

You’ve come a long way baby

Introduced in 1993, as a replacement for the Mercedes 190 range, the C-Class was then called the Baby Benz, because it was then the cheapest and smallest car from this German marquee. Making a car that would be an affordable Mercedes was the reason behind why the C-Class was developed in the first place. Of course, later when the A-Class super-hatch was introduced in 1997 it took over that accolade. In India though, the C-Class will continue to remain the most affordable Mercedes car in the foreseeable future.

The latest C-Class is an all-new third generation model, which has seen big changes on the inside and out. It replaces the earlier generation, which has been around for the last seven years.

With a length of 4,596 mm, the saloon is 68 mm longer than its predecessor. The body width has increased by 42 mm to 1,770 mm and the wheelbase is up by 45 mm to 2,760 mm. These dimensions translate into more generous space, and therefore more comfort. For example, the front shoulder room has increased by 40 mm.

The design of the new C-Class is based on the modern Mercedes idiom, which reflects the technical superiority of automobiles bearing the star with taut lines and large, tranquil surfaces. The pronounced wedge-shape of the front end serves to emphasise attributes such as agility and performance. In the Elegance model Mercedes-Benz employs a three-dimensional, louvered radiator grille with a high-gloss paint finish to accentuate other brand-typical attributes such as comfort and luxury.

The fused twin-eyed look of the previous C-Class’ headlamps is gone and instead a more simple, elegant trapezoid lamp takes its place. The new C-Class sedan’s stance is slightly raised and more dynamic, with the higher waistline giving the car, visually, an even larger profile.

Cast from a single mould

When developing the cockpit for the new C, Mercedes designers have taken cues from sports cars and have included clearly laid-out instrument dials as is usually found in roadsters or coupes. Silver-coloured bezels, black dial faces, white markings and glowing orange needles combine form with function for a high value impression and good visibility.

The new C-Class’ interior has a number of novel additions and changes that give it a neatly laid out and well-arranged look. The two-tone dashboard and centre console of the new C-Class form a harmonious unit in line with the ‘cast from a single mould’ design principle. The same applies to the integration of the colour display at the upper centre of the dashboard.

This is perfectly positioned within the driver’s line of vision, but can also be covered or folded away as required, without switching off the radio, navigation system or other units linked to the display. Even if the pivoting cover of the display aperture is closed, the infotainment units continue to operate.

Same engines, but…

Mercedes-Benz has chosen to launch the new C-Class with essentially the same supercharged petrol and diesel engines that the predecessor was offered with. But the characters of both the engines have been altered dramatically to enable them to take on the competition’s cars.

With a boost in output by up to 13 per cent and an increase of around 9 per cent in torque, the engines also do more than their bit to create the lively nature of the new C-Class. The four-cylinder units not only excel with powerful responsiveness, but also contribute to the excellent ride comfort of the C-Class with their improved smoothness.

In the petrol range, the C 200 Kompressor develops 15 kW or 20 bhp more than before. It has an output of 131 kW/ 178 bhp and generates its maximum torque of 240 Nm from 3,500 rpm. These modified engines considerably improve the performance and fuel consumption of the four-cylinder models. When accelerating from standstill to 100 km/h, the C 200K is 0.5 seconds faster than its predecessor.

Improvements in fuel consumption are equally impressive, with the combined fuel consumption of the C 200K being reduced by 0.5 litres per 100 km.

After further improvements to the engine, turbocharger and common-rail direct injection, and modifications to more than 90 components, the C 220 CDI diesel now develops a peak output of 125 kW/ 170 bhp (previously 104 kW/ 141 bhp), and generates a torque of 410 Nm from 2,000 rpm, an improvement of about 21 per cent. Fuel consumption has been reduced by up to 0.3 litres per 100 km.

Latest safety inventions

Occupant protection in the new C is based on an intelligently designed body shell, 70 per cent of which consists of high-strength and ultra high-strength steel. Compared to the previous series, Mercedes-Benz has enlarged the deformation zones even further and improved energy flows.

Mercedes says that the safety technology in the interior has been complemented with the very latest protection systems including six airbags as standard equipment. Two adaptive airbags for the driver and front passenger, two ‘sidebags’ in the front seat backrests and two large ‘windowbags’ which extend from the A to the C-pillar during a side impact.

The standard head restraints operate on the ‘Neck Pro’ principle, which means that during a rear-end collision the padded surfaces are pushed forward within milliseconds to support the heads of the driver and front passenger at an early stage. This significantly reduces the risk of a whiplash injury for the occupants of the new C-Class.

Another special feature that Mercedes had introduced only in its bigger cars — PRE-SAFE, is now being offered with the new Mercedes C-Class saloon.

This optional preventive occupant protection system is linked to the other active safety systems such as ESP (electronic stability program) and Brake Assist, and is able to recognise critical driving manoeuvres at a very early stage.

If the car is in danger of crashing as a result of heavy under- or over-steer, or if the driver needs to brake very heavily in a dangerous situation, PRE-SAFE activates certain systems as a precaution to prepare the vehicle and its occupants for an impending accident. Accordingly, the passive safety phase does not begin when the impact has already occurred, but before an impending collision.

The C-Class is now loaded with further technology in the form of the Agility Control suspension, which controls the shock absorber forces according to the driving situation. Offered as part of standard fitment, this feature automatically reduces damping forces when driving normally with low shock absorber impulses for making a noticeable improvement in ride comfort but without any compromise in handling safety. When driving more dynamically, the maximum damping forces are set and the car is effectively stabilised.

On offer in the new C, the ADAPTIVE BRAKE is another new development in the area of running gear technology. This is based on the technology of the S-Class and provides additional support functions for even more safety and comfort. Examples include Start-Off Assist for uphill gradients, priming the braking system in critical situations and light contact to dry the brake discs under wet conditions.

Aggressive package

The third generation C-Class has set new standards in its segment since its market launch in March 2007. In addition to an uncluttered, handsome design and trademark Mercedes refinement levels, it now comes loaded with the latest technology advances from this famous German.

Mercedes Benz India’s best selling sedan of the last couple of years has been the E-Class, the C’s bigger cousin. Now that the new C has gained a new profile, with a more self-assured, imposing and stylish presence than ever before, it has the potential to claim the top spot and can confidently take on competing models such as the BMW 3-Series. The new C-Class sedan’s prices start from about Rs 25 lakh for the petrol and about Rs 28 lakh for the 220 CDI diesel.

S. MURALIDHAR

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