Petrol is now more preferred in terms of luxury cars, especially in terms of sedans. Hence, Mercedes-Benz recently launched the C300 AMG Line to replace the C300d. This is the flagship C-Class trim below the C43 AMG of course and is a sports luxury sedan of sorts. This sedan along with the E-Class has been one of its most popular models which have propelled its 9 percent growth in the first six months of 2024.
The C300 AMG Line has a 2.0-litte turbo petrol engine along with an electric boost which gives more power. While the engine develops 258bhp, the electric boost chips in with an additional 22 bhp plus there is even an overboost function also which lasts for 30 seconds. There is no limit for the times the overboost function is used too.
Styling wise, there are two new colours and our test car wore the lovely Patagonia Red which goes well with the AMG styling. The bumper, grille and the alloys have a sporty look which goes well with the C-Class shape. Inside, it is very much a 'baby S-Class' with excellent quality levels plus the excellent portrait touchscreen.
New to this car is the all black look which goes well with the character of this car. Added features like cooled/heated seats, 360-degree camera, fast-charging USB-C ports, Augmented reality navigation and Blind spot assist further strengthen the features list.
Quality is brilliant and same goes for the Burmester audio while it gets dual sunroofs too. Entry and exit is a slight issue for tall folks though as it is a low car while space at the back is decent but could have been better. Anyways, the C300 AMG is for the driver with its more aggressive powertrain.
The engine is silent at first and around town, the gearbox is smooth along with a much more compliant ride than the earlier C300d. We also noticed that there were no ground clearance issues either unlike the previous C-Class but you do need to be careful as it is a low car. We drove the car all the way to Jaipur and it was fast but smooth while the powertrain makes it an effortless cruiser.
When pushed hard in Sport mode, it has a nice enough sound and the steering also is direct in the way it feels while not being overly sporty unlike the more hardcore AMGs. 0-100 km/h is just 6 seconds and yes, it does feel that fast but out on the highway the engine was also frugal at 15 kmpl when driven sedately. The C300 AMG Line costs more than the C300d at Rs 69 lakh and a sizable Rs 7 lakh more than the C200. For self driven owners, the extra power and the looks are worth it for being a sports sedan which is not too aggressive yet also entertaining at the same time.
What we like- Looks, quality, features, performance
What we do not- low ground clearance, rear seat space could be more
