New Mercedes-Benz C-Class C300d Review: Perfect Combination Of Tech And Luxury
Mercedes has gone to great lengths to make sure the new C-Class leaps by borrowing tech from its bigger brother S-Class to having an all-new exterior/interior plus more efficient/faster engines.
New Delhi: Mercedes-Benz is currently continuing with its roller-coaster ride by being ahead of everyone in the luxury car game with its sedans especially seeing high demand. Right from the E-Class to the S-Class, Mercedes-Benz continues to be best known for its sedans and now it was the turn of the C-Class to be launched in an all-new avatar. This is the new generation C-Class and again it would be an important car within their product range in terms of sales numbers. Hence, Mercedes has gone to great lengths to make sure the new C-Class leapfrogs its competition.
How? By borrowing tech from its bigger brother S-Class to having an all-new exterior/interior plus more efficient/faster engines. It is clear that the C-Class is no longer the car which starts the sedan range for Mercedes in India (A-Class is for that) and is now being termed as the 'Baby S-Class' To find out if all those claims are true, we drove it around the wonderful hills of Uttarakhand for a unique test.
Compared to the previous generation C-Class, the new one has grown up and is bigger in every way. It is 65mm longer and now has a length of 4751mm while it is 10mm wider too. As a result, the new C-Class now looks to be more premium and is sleeker. The lines and curves are nicely put together with the latest Mercedes design language being added in too. The C200 and C220 come in a more traditional styling package which fits in perfectly with the C-Class overall design but the car we drove was the all-out sporty C300d which came in the AMG-line trim. That meant a sportier design (different bumper design plus bigger 18-inch alloy wheels). As a result, the C300d looks more visually appealing in a youthful way and we think it looks absolutely stunning!
If the exteriors are nice, then the interiors would bowl you over and here Mercedes have spared no expense to give justice to the term 'Baby S-Class'. The design and the technology is taken from the S-Class and that is seen with the huge 11.9inch screen which is similar to the S-Class. Then the drive display is also a massive digital screen while the rest of the cabin is a delight to be in with an ultra-luxurious vibe. Chrome, aluminium plus the metal weave trim with the C300d is lovely to touch and see. The speaker design or even the touch controls of the steering wheel to the sunroof; all seem to belong to many segments higher.
A lot about the new C-Class is the tech on offer with the latest gen electronics plus features taken from the S-Class. That is huge because the S-Class is a 1.5 cr plus luxury car and the same experience in terms of the infotainment system is added in. The haptic feedback for the screen or the display quality is superb then the maps for the navigation are also in 3D. New to the C-Class is personalization coupled with the Mercedes Me connect. You can personalize your settings to even your preferred sound settings and they can be stored on the car, while you can access it via fingerprint recognition. Rivals do not come anywhere near this kind of tech. The connected tech feature includes the usual commands including remote functions but it can also close the roof when it senses it is raining. There are OTA updates too. Some of the other features include digital lights for the C300d, two-zone climate control, panoramic sunroof, electrically adjustable front seats and steering wheel plus more.
The new C-Class is also more spacious with a longer wheelbase now while comfort is claimed to be better. We think, in comparison to the previous C, the new is surely more spacious at the back and feels wider with better rear-seat comfort but it is still placed a bit too low while overall space still isn't huge. It is still a car to drive, we feel and the lower roofline makes taller passengers a bit difficult to climb out of. That said, storage is huge and the door pockets are big too. The boot loading lip was decent as well with a good amount of space there.
A huge change from the previous C-Class is the driving experience. The car we drove was the C300d which is the most powerful C-Class with a four-cylinder 265bhp diesel engine along with 550 Nm of torque. The standard gearbox is a 9-speed automatic. The C300d claims to do 0-100 km/h in 5.7 seconds and the performance is also getting a boost thanks to a 48v mild hybrid system which adds 20hp and 200Nm torque extra.
All that means the C300d is very fast and also a light on its feet. On the narrow mountain roads, the C300d felt very agile along with quick/direct steering which helped in giving the driver confidence in the car. Performance is instant but linear while torque shove is there but in a restrained way. It is fast alright but the brakes are up to the job too. We drove nonstop on the return journey with the C300d not skipping a beat. This is a driver's car and completely on a new level when compared to the older version. That said, the ride quality is not very hard too despite larger wheels and lower-profile tyres but you do have to be a bit careful over bad roads with the C300d. The same thing goes for the ground clearance which requires a bit more caution with the C300d, however, while we were careful, we did not scrape even once when we were driving and the worst of the roads were well taken by the tyres of the C300d. The suspension is well sorted but tuned towards performance a bit being 'AMG' in a way. However, you can happily drive it every day with the typical comfort with the added performance bonus. With diesel, even the efficiency is not bad at all with the number hovering in the mid-teens in the city!
It is clear that the new C-Class has moved up several places in terms of its looks, quality, interior, tech and even the driving experience. For us, the interior is the highlight along with the features on offer while it also drives very well. On the other hand, it isn't the most spacious car but this is a Mercedes meant for driving rather than being driven around. We expect prices to increase over the earlier gen model but that is expected as the new version moves ahead of rivals in many crucial areas including luxury and tech. Overall, the new C-Class does justify its lofty 'baby S-Class' tag line.
What we like - Looks, quality, luxury, interior design, performance, technology
What we do not like - Low ground clearance, the rear seat still isn't overly spacious
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