The C-Class has been an extremely successful car for Mercedes-Benz in India and has contributed significantly to the growth of the luxury car brand in the country. More than 37,000 units of the car have been already sold in our market till now and that is a big number for a luxury vehicle. Now the German carmaker has launched a new generation of the luxury car in India, one that it says it much more advanced than earlier in many ways. In fact, according to Mercedes the C-Class now in many ways is a “baby S-Class”.
DESIGN
The new car clearly looks like the most stylish and exclusive C-Class ever. It follows the brand’s design philosophy of ‘Sensual Purity’ which also adds a bit of sportiness. There 2 are styling trims offer – Avant-Garde and AMG, the latter being available only on the top-of-the-line C 300d. This variant also exclusively gets Digital Light which has a light module with three extremely powerful LEDs in each headlamp, whose light is refracted and directed by 1.3 million micro-mirrors. The resolution is, therefore, more than 2.6 million pixels per vehicle. The C 300d also gets 18-inch, AMG 5-spoke light-alloy wheels while the other two variants – C 200 and C 220d get one size lesser wheels. All variants get Obsidian Black, Opalite White Bright and Cavansite Blue colour options while Mojave Silver, High-Tech Silver and Selenite Grey are available with C 200 and C 220d only. The car is now longer and wider than before while the wheelbase has also gone up which would mean more space in the cabin.
INTERIORS
The cabin is where you realise just how close has the C-Class come to the S-class. The 11.9-inch touchscreen is loaded with features and is also tilted towards the driver by 6°– 7°. The car is equipped with NTG7, the latest generation MBUX that now gets more connect features and a “Hey Mercedes” voice command system. The C 300d exclusively gets a Burmester 3D to surround sound system. The car also gets Wireless smartphone integration and over-the-air updates where the software is always kept up-to-date. Then there is biometric authentication which helps the car remember your settings for seats, music, climate, etc. Car to X Communication technology has been adopted from S-Class, which is a ‘social network’ for Mercedes-Benz cars, where cars can talk to each other, ensuring more safety in real-time. In total there are 5 different hazard warnings that Mercedes-Benz cars capture and transmit within the network – rains, skidding, general warning, accident and winds. Mercedes is claiming more legroom, headroom, shoulder and elbow room for rear passengers on the new C-Class.
ENGINE
The new C-Class has been launched in three variants: C 200 (Petrol), C220d (Diesel) and C300d (Diesel). While the Petrol is a 1496 cc motor that makes 240 hp and 300 Nm, the C220d has a 1993 cc engine that churns out 200 hp and 440 Nm. On the C300d, the same engine makes 265 hp and 550 Nm and all the engines are paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission. The car also uses a 48V Integrated Starter Generator that helps in getting more power and torque along with better fuel efficiency. While the C 200 returns 16.9 kmpl, the C220d gives an impressive 23 kmpl. The C300d also isn’t too far behind at 20.37 kmpl.
PRICES
The price for the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class starts from Rs. 55 lakhs for the C 200 while the C 200d will set you back by Rs. 56 lakhs. The C300d with its AMG line and some extra features has been priced at Rs. 61 lakhs (ex-showroom). Finance plans for the car starts from Rs. 60,000 per month with the flexible end of term options while service packages start from Rs. 85,000 for 3 years and unlimited km. The brand is claiming overwhelming customer response with more than 1000 confirmed bookings coming in even before the launch, the highest ever for a single Mercedes model in India. According to them the current waiting period on the car already extends to 2-3 months.
The author is a senior editor at carandbike.com
In total there are 5 different hazard warnings that Mercedes-Benz cars capture and transmit within the network: rains, skidding, general warning, accident and winds. Mercedes is claiming more legroom, headroom, shoulder and elbow room for rear passengers on the new C-Class.