Mercedes-Benz has been manufacturing the all-new
C-Class sedan at its East London Plant in the Eastern Cape for some months now. The cars are sold domestically, as well as exported to several international markets.
C-Class has always been regarded as a
“baby S-Class”, for the simple reason that aesthetically it has long taken from big brother, to the exclusion of the other popular sedan,
E-Class.
The new car is 4.75 metres long, 1.8m wide and has a wheelbase of 2.87m, which is class-leading. It means the interior is quite spacious for passengers.
Mercedes-Benz has promised to get rid of the kinky lines we have recently seen in their cars, in favour of smoother contours. We see that in this car, with sleep design lines from the front grille with its LED headlights, to the side profile where only two kinks are found, as well as 18 to 19-inch wheels. More smooth lines and LED taillights can be found at the rear.
Mercedes-Benz has gone with two chrome-crusted trapezoidal exhaust tailpipe housings.
Ushering a brand new interior is the car’s second generation of
MBUX (
Mercedes-Benz User Experience) infotainment system that features a large “floating” touch screen at the centre, as well as an instrument panel behind the hi-tech steering wheel. Everything works with touch sensitivity, thus doing away with many knobs and buttons of the past. The surfaces combine leather, high quality plastics and alloys to create an ambiance of sophistication.
Mercedes-Benz says the “Hey
Mercedes” voice assistant system is now improved from the first-generation and is the same as the one found in the
S-Class.
Two powertrains are made available for the
South African market. The first is a
C200 powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 150kW and 300Nm of torque. Acceleration from 0 -100km/h is a claimed 7.3 seconds, while average fuel consumption is said to be around 6.6 litres per 100km. There is a
C220d model too, with a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine producing 147kW and 440Nm. From this car you are expected to return 4.6 litres per 100km, and acceleration is identical to the petrol’s. Both models are fitted standard with the 9G-Tronic automatic transmission. The new
C-Class is optionally also available with continuously adjustable damping and a sport suspension.
If you ever doubted that the
C-Class is merely a smaller version of the bigger
S-Class then the new one should convince you completely.
