Never change a winning team, the saying goes. At the house of the good star, people know this all too well. So the Mercedes engineers and production specialists hone their cars to perfection, and bring them to top quality over the years. Such a car is the bestseller of the Mercedes range, the C-Class. It is entering its fifth year in production and the design of the exterior and interior benefits from a makeover. The electronic architecture is completely new. The customer now enjoys an optionally fully digital instrument display, combined with state of the art multimedia systems.  The assistance systems are now at the level of the S‑Class, no less. New petrol engines and state of the art Diesel engine(s) combined with hybrid propulsion are now also on the cards. Soon we will present these new drivetrain versions to you, but here we drove the more “classic” 1,6 litre 160 HP Diesel, mated to a six speed manual. And a part of the future had arrived nonetheless: our test car was equipped with the full digital instrumentation…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

A new face

The elegant, classic lines of the C-Class have been cautiously improved, notably the front bumpers have been redesigned for all lines. In combination with AVANTGARDE exterior of our test car, this now features a chrome-plated trim strip.

The C-Class comes standard also with halogen headlamps, which incorporate LED daytime running lamps. LED High Performance headlamps are optionally available. Also for the first time in this model series, MULTIBEAM LED headlamps with ULTRA RANGE high beam are additionally available. The colour palette has been broadened by the addition of Mojave silver metallic and emerald green metallic for Saloon and Estate. Our test car had the Mojave silver metallic, and as the photos show, this suited it rather well…

And enhanced interior

In the cabin, the optionally available full digital display takes centre stage. It has three visually distinguishable styles “Classic”, “Sport” and “Progressive”. Basically, we liked the “Sport” display best. Alongside certain menu items such as trip data or consumption figures, the driver can now additionally view the navigation display data or the ECO display in the instrument cluster. In combination with Audio 20, a high-resolution central display in 16:9 format is available for the first time, with a 10.25-inch screen diagonal.

The C-Class has now touch-sensitive controls in the steering wheel. They respond to swiping motions like the screen of a smartphone, and the buttons remember your old Samsung or Blackberry.

The advantage is that you can control the functions of the instrument cluster and the entire infotainment system without having to take their hands off the steering wheel. DISTRONIC and cruise control are now also operated with controls directly on the steering wheel.

The infotainment system can also be operated via the touchpad in the centre console with the controller, which has a haptic feedback, or by means of LINGUATRONIC voice control.

A (long distance) driver’s car

A comfortable workhorse, that is how we would define this C-Class. It is built to serve you, to get you in comfort and safety from A to B, for years on end.

Driving a “classic” Mercedes sedan is always a unique experience, typical for the brand, we would say. The seats are built to withstand the test of time, firm but relaxing and comfortable; all the controls are judiciously placed and ideal for intensive, everyday no-nonsense use.

The dashboard layout and styling emphasizes the quality “feel” of the whole car, the superb overall finish truly impresses.

Pushing the starting knob, the 1,6 litre Diesel jumps faithfully to life. Supersmooth, with all the characteristics of sound diesel: lots of zest and pulling power, hardly any need to rev it up, made for frugal transportation in all circumstances. Coupled to a six speed manual gearbox, it couldn’t be more classic here.

The gearing of the box is quite high, and third gear is just slightly too high for cruising at the now frequent legal urban 30 km/h limit, forcing you to potter around in second, which on the other hand gives you of course rather more power to respond to unforeseen situations. As we said, torque is quite healthy with 360 Nm being available between 1600-2600 rpm. Just give that turbo the change to build up power, and that’s why you shouldn’t stay in third in slow urban traffic. 

With the turbo on song, it is all quite lively. In-gear accelerations are impressive, as the 0 to 100 km/h sprint also clearly shows: it is absolved in 8,5 seconds.  Mind you, there is a drivers’ mode selection, and when you select dynamic, things really start to happen…

This C –Class is built for speed, and indeed, this Mercedes is also a true master on the Autobahn. Top speed is not less than 226 km/h. Wind and road noise, drivetrain, you name it, everything is suppressed, and Gran Turismo driving is in this sedan a very effortless and soothing affair.

The high gearing and efficiency of this Diesel make this C-Class chalk up very impressive consumption figures. It was no trouble at all to stay between 5 and 6 liters/100 km during our test, and even closer to five l/100 km on average. The manufacturer quotes a combined consumption between 4.1-4.5 l/100 km. CO2 emissions are quoted between 108-118 g/km.

This economy is of course a formidable forte of this C-Class Diesel.

Handling and comfort are top of the range, and here the vast experience of a long standing manufacturing of premium sedans truly shows.  

Besides comfort, passive and active safety have always been top priority.

 The new C-Class now comes with extended Active Brake Assist as standard. Depending on the situation, this can help to mitigate the consequences of rear-end collisions with slow-moving, stopping or stationary vehicles ahead, and even with crossing pedestrians and cyclists, or prevent them altogether.

Audio comfort and entertainment too…

The C-Class comes as standard with the Audio 20 multimedia system featuring two USB ports, an SD card reader, Bluetooth connection and media interface. So you are well entertained in your Merc, and one is just as spoilt as the drivers of the larger models.

Conclusion

This Mercedes embodies all the legendary and outstanding qualities of the brand. High build quality, comfort, performance, economy and durability. All this packed in a well styled body with timelessly good proportions, offering adequate room for five.

Its safety, both active and passive, as well as the massive array of (optional) driving aids make it a very wise and safe choice. We are keen to drive for you the larger petrol engine and diesel versions, try out the automatic and enjoy the further comfort and safety options Mercedes has in store for this car. But already in the tested version, this C-Class proved impressive indeed…

Hans Knol ten Bensel