A Class Of Its Own

We are at a time when the Indian government is mulling over banning diesel cars by 2027, which has led to a 17 per cent decline in sales of diesel cars. However, the sales of diesel vehicles have been on the decline for the past several years. But, environmentalists keep their yardsticks ready for internal combustion engines. I believe that the future is going to be a mix of technologies and ICE vehicles too will hold a significant share in it. Let’s talk about the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class. 

The C-Class is the second sedan offered in the Mercedes-Benz India line-up. It sits after A-Class and comes before E-Class. The design language of the new C-Class seems to be inspired by the S-Class. So, let’s begin with the exteriors of C300d first.

Exteriors

The all-new Mercedes -Benz C-Class got an update recently. The fresh exterior enhances the style of the car. The head lamps, bumper, and grill, everything is new. The head lamps now get a single DRL and blue tinge, and at night it has a dancing effect as well. 

The front grill receives an option for the front camera above the threepointed star. The grill gets the tri-arrow pattern and the vehicle has ground clearance of less than 160 mm, so you need to be careful on bumps to avoid scratching the underbelly. The sporty 18-inch AMG 5-spoke alloy wheels suit the overall appeal of the car. 

The length of the vehicle is also improved which means that you will get more space in the rear. The earlier generations of the C-Class always had a design language where the window lining was going upwards and that is still maintained.

The missing part on the handlebars is the request sensors for locking and unlocking the car. You still have to do that manually from the key.

Coming at the rear, the design is different and fresh in appeal. New tail lamps, revised bumpers, and some cool bits make the rear, a charm and modern.

The reverse parking camera is hidden and pops out when the reverse gear is engaged. It gets allLED tail lamps but the presence of the fake exhaust kind of dulls the rear look. The rear diffuser adds some more aerodynamics to this beast. The C300d badge says it all that you are driving an AMG-spec vehicle. 

The C300d is available in three paint schemes -Manufaktur Opalite White, Cavansite Blue & Obsidian Black.

Interiors

Once you get onto the driving seat, you will notice that the front seats, dashboard, steering wheel, and instrument cluster have been inspired by the S-Class. 

The use of a dual-tone theme, leather, and carbon fibre treatment on the dashboard gives a sense of true luxury. The 11.9-inch vertical centre screen is equipped with the latest MBUX and is inspired by the S-Class. This is the only car after S-Class and Maybach that gets the latest MBUX: NTG7. 

What grabs the attention after that is the, largest in the segment, a 12.3-inch LCD driver display with three unique themes. The turbine-shaped AC vents and both screens create a very tech-friendly vibe inside the cabin. The C-Class comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The steering wheel is inspired by the S-Class that gets touch operative controls for toggling between different modes of the instrument cluster, volume and cruise controls.

The flat bottom steering wheel in Nappa leather, the metal weave trim, and the paddle shifters on the steering wheel are well crafted and give it a sporty look.

The AC controls are also integrated into the 11.9-inch infotainment screen and one might get distracted to use the screen on the move but it is slightly tilted by 6-7 degrees toward the driver and the touch is intuitive to use. 

One can set up personal profiles in the MBUX system and can set up biometric fingerprint to adjust the steering wheel, ambient lighting, and seat position. The dynamic button helps to toggle between the different driving modes. 

On the front, the presence of ambient light takes away all the attention at night. The sunroof is operated by a slide of your finger and gets dual panes, one for the front passengers and the other for the rear. The use of gloss black material on the centre console can be a fingerprint magnet.

The rear seat experience is different, surreal and comfortable. You sit quite low but what allures you is the luxury it offers.

The leather upholstery, touch and feel of materials, and quality are topnotch. The recline angle is good and the knee room and leg room has also been improved from earlier generations. The C300d gets dual-tone interiors with Black and Sienna Brown colours. There is an option for all Black interiors too. 

On a hot summer day, if you’re sitting in the rear seat of the Mercedes-Benz C300d, just pull up the manual sunshades in the window to block the sunlight and enjoy the music by Bermester 3D surround sound system.

The comfort even increases with the rear AC vents and centre armrests. The premium feel of the cabin gets to the next level with the presence of 64 shades of ambient lighting to enhance the feel of the cabin. 

Powertrain

The C300d gets a 195 kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that churns out output of 265hp and 550Nm. This engine is codenamed OM 654 M and this is the company’s first diesel engine with an Integrated StarterGenerator, which is paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission, the company calls it a 9G-Tronic unit.

Also, as standard, you get a 48V mild-hybrid to provide a boost and increase fuel efficiency. The car provides an ARAI-rated mileage of 20.37 km/l, which is quite impressive. 

Features

On the features front, there’s a long list but to give you the highlights, the new-gen C-Class comes with driver-assist features which include active braking and parking assist. There is an inbuilt navigation system and new 3D maps for all the major cities across India. There’s no Features On the features front, there’s a long list but to give you the highlights, the new-gen C-Class comes with driver-assist features which include active braking and parking assist. There is an inbuilt navigation system and new 3D maps for all the major cities across India. There's no 360-degree camera though. 

Some other features include wireless smartphone integration, natural voice recognition, dual-zone climate control, electrically powered front seats, and a new-age connectivity feature in the form of ‘ Mercedes Me Connect’.

There’s also a special Car-to-X communication feature which connects the S-Class and C-Class on the roads through a social network. Through this feature, the data collected by the S-Class on the roads, such as traffic jams or bad road conditions, would be transmitted to the C-Class so that the C-Class owner can be well aware and take a better route while driving.

Performance

This fifth-generation of the Mercedes - Benz C-Class is definitely a head-turner. Coming to the performance, the ride quality is good but you would have to be a bit careful on bumpy and bad roads as the car sits quite low. However, you can happily drive it every day. 

The headlights throw at 1.3 million pixels lights up the dark roads completely. The brakes not only look good with a large caliper and crossdrilled rotors but also feel solid and reliable in case of emergency. The car can attain a top speed of 250 km/hr and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in about 5.7 seconds, which is blistering quick.

Conclusion

The new C-Class leaps ahead of its predecessor and borrows tech from its big brother S-Class. The new Mercedes C300d gets good looks, a modern and luxurious cabin and a powerful engine. For us the highlight of the Mercedes C300d is the modern cabin, driving performance and the fuel - efficiency. T h e C-Class comes at a starting ex-showroom price of Rs 60 lakh.