"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?"

Introduction

Janis Joplin sang about a Mercedes-Benz two days before she died. It wasn’t her last wish, but she did pass over the Porsches for the Merc. For many in India, the three-pointed star is as alluring as the real ones in the night sky. It shows to all that you’ve arrived; you’ve achieved it all – but the previous-generation C-Class (the W203) got a little long in the tooth, especially when the upstart 3-series arrived. Enter the new C-Class, in a natty new suit. Does it have what it takes? We’ll gladly take the pains of spending some time in and around the C200 Kompressor and find out for you.

The C's got a mini-S-class look to it. We like!

Exterior

People will envy you if you own a premium car, but if you own one that lets you fly under the radar, they will think you strange. If you’ve got it, you’ve got to flaunt it – and the C-Class manages to do that very effectively. A lot of the styling for the W204 is S-class derived. Out goes the twin-eye theme and the new lights and front follow the new Mercedes design philosophy. New cuts and creases are born, make trips across sheet metal and die away with no other purpose than to make the car look good. Our calcite white test car showed off its cuts and creases admirably. The silhouette is now a long bonnet/short boot with a big, bluff nose. The rear has got an update as well, with subtle curves and wide haunches giving it a purposeful look. The subtle chrome rub strips, the restrained flaring of the wheel arches all hint at power but never display it aggressively. We don’t like the design of the mirror indicators, but at the same time we can’t help but admire the complexity of the panel that begins as the A-pillar and ends up as the panel that flirts with the tail-lamps, rear wheel arches, running board and has a crease running through it. The Avantgarde version gets a sportier grille, with the three-point star a part of it and not as a hood ornament, an bigger 17-inch, 5-spoke alloys. One surprising omission in a car of this class is that it lacks electrically folding mirrors!

Like the trim's name suggests, it's elegant inside the C.

Interior

Mercedes-Benz has developed a reputation for being the last word in luxury, and not without good reason. Step into the C-class, and it’s, well, a ‘C’ of luxury. There’s a lot of creamy leather everywhere, well-thought out shades of beige and brown, and special touches everywhere, like the floor mats, that have the three-pointed-star on them. There aren’t any space-age design elements, just a quiet confidence that shows in the design.
The COMAND system takes some getting used to, but other than that all the buttons are logically laid out, within reach and have excellent tactile feel. We didn’t like the COMAND screen cover, though, because it didn’t snap shut like with a definite solidity like everything else did. Fit and finish is faultless – the leather, plastics, fabrics and metal all have passed through strict quality control.
The speedometer’s floating needle looks very appealing, but it’s limited to the speedo. The tachometer, temperature and fuel gauges make do with conventional, easy-to-read needles. A perfect driving position is a few button tweaks away – although lumbar support is adjusted manually. There’s a surprising amount of legroom even in the back, for a rear-wheel-drive car. The W203 lacked the kind of rear seat space and comfort that this new C now offers. In the old car, tall passengers would constantly find their hair saying hello to the roof lining and the arch of the C pillar in the old car made one feel rather claustrophobic. Mercedes have tackled this and the W204 is far roomier inside than its predecessor. The middle passenger at the rear isn’t treated inferiorly, either – he gets a three-point seatbelt and headrest just like the other two.

The audio system in the C Class has a fair amount of depth and clarity, even when pushed and the sound staging is fairly good. However apart from playing with the basic lows, mids and highs, the system does not offer a more advanced equalizer setup – something which would be nice to have in a car of this class. Once you get used to the COMAND system and the navigation through menus, using the system is a breeze and is almost intuitive. That said, the A4 can give the C a run for its money as far as audio quality is concerned! Bluetooth telephony in the car is a boon. Pair up the phone to the car’s audio system and phone calls will never be a problem whilst driving. The microphone is capable enough of picking up your voice clearly even with plenty of ambient noise and the voice clarity through the speakers is fantastic.

The blower's whine can get addictive. As can the burnouts...

Engine

If you want to know what the C200K sounds like, watch the Shelby Mustang at the beginning of the film “I am legend”. Dial out the engine noise, and you’ll hear a mechanical whine, especially during the in-car shots. That’s what a supercharger sounds like, and that’s what the C200K sounds like when you poke it awake with your right foot. The 1.8-litre engine makes 131bhp, which some of us will realise is the same amount that the Corolla makes minus any forced induction, and is of the same capacity. However, the benefits of the blower are apparent in the torque figure – peak torque, 240Nm, is available from 3500-4500rpm, as opposed to the Corolla’s 170Nm. It shows in the way the car drives – it behaves more like an electrified two-litre than anything else. Prod the throttle and the car responds, no questions asked. Refinement is immaculate, with a snarl only at very high revs and there’s a deep, gruff exhaust note once you’ve wound the engine past 4000rpm.

Drivetrain

The gearbox is sporty enough but isn’t lightning quick on shifts in manual mode. Sport mode holds a cog so you can tackle corners with aplomb. The gear shift lever is nicely traditional, with a three-pointed star on top, and leather keeping things neat.

Fuel Economy

We didn’t have the car long enough to carry out our fuel efficiency tests, but we’re working on it. The E200K has quite a frugal unit (by luxury car standards!) and should give you around 8kpl in the city and close to 11kpl with a gentle right foot on the expressway. But do watch this space for the exact test figures!

Ride/handling compromise is excellent.

Ride and Handling

The steering with the new electro-hydraulic assist is fantastic. The new wizardry in the suspension makes sure the car feels surefooted through any road conditions you may encounter. Some will say the C isn’t exciting enough or powerful enough. But the point of the C-class isn’t to do those ‘exciting’ burnouts or razor sharp handling that people often talk about very excitedly. It is an understated yet sophisticated way to tell the world that you’ve arrived. For all the exciting driving, there’s the AMG variants!

That doesn’t mean that the C handles like a cow - the steering wheel weighs up beautifully in bends if they’re taken enthusiastically, and the two-stage dampers switch to their stiff mode to help things along. Oh, and while testing, we discovered by accident that it can and will do a minor burnout if asked to.

It's a Merc, so safety levels are of the highest order.

Braking

The brakes have genius levels of artificial intelligence guiding them to help the driver stop effectively – the pedal feels a little soft during the initial inch or so of travel, but press down harder and you get satisfying resistance from it.

Tyres

The car has plenty of grip from its 205/55 R16 Goodyear Eagle NCT 5s. Sure, it doesn’t impart the same levels of grip like the E class can, but it does give you enough confidence to press on at speeds on expressways and through the hills. It is fairly hushed at cruising speeds on the expressway and with the cruise control set, you could read the day’s business paper.

Safety

Safety in the C begins from the ground up: the instrument display lets the driver know if one of the rear seat passengers isn’t wearing a seat belt. Numerous other active and passive safety technologies include a tyre pressure monitoring system, ESP, Brake Assist, six airbags (including two-stage ones for the driver and passenger, and optional curtain airbags for the rear), the ‘Neck-Pro’, which inclines the front headrests forward in case of a rear collision to reduce whiplash, seat belt tensioners for all but the middle rear seat belt, and it even closes the windows and sunroof if it detects an impending collision!

It isn't cheap, but quality never was.

Cost

At Rs 28.8 lakh, ex-showroom, Mumbai, the C200K isn’t cheap. Maintaining a Merc isn’t going to be very cheap, either. The competition like the A4 may offer more value for money, or the BMWs more driving pleasure, but for sheer awe from the hoi polloi and grudging admiration from the rest, our money’s on the M-B fleet.

Overall evaluation

The C class does almost everything well. It’s got tasteful interiors and all the goodies you would expect in a car of this class. It’s got enough power to knock on the other side of 180kph without too much of a fuss. It has enough surefootedness and handling to keep you in control. It also has a larger and more comfortable rear seat than a couple of its immediate rivals and still makes a statement in your driveway. Yes it may be a bit soft on the performance front and may not have razor sharp handling, but there’s no denying that fact that it does everything it needs to do, and does it all really well. And let’s face it – the three-point star is recognized anywhere in the country and it does command more respect in the eyes of the common man or hotel valet in India. Plus with the more established sales and service network, and the fact that you most certainly will get better trade-in values on your Mercedes when you move up the chain, makes it a tough choice to beat.