Mercedes announces 2013 C Class for Europe

The Mercedes C Class is constantly under threat from the competition and the recently-launched BMW 3-series has had Mercedes looking for a fitting reply. Here's part of their answer: the 2013 C Class. Among the changes are a new 1.6-litre turbopetrol in the C180 and a revamped variant structure. 

The 1.6-litre petrol develops 152bhp which is slightly less than the car it replaces, but 250Nm of pulling power is spread wider than the previous car, whose torque figure was identical. The 3.5-litre V6 petrol is now available only on the coupe, which makes us wonder if we'll have the V6 petrol for much longer here. The C63 still remains, thankfully. 

The youthful trim level ('Sport' there, 'Avantgarde' here) has given way to AMG Sport and AMG Sport Plus - a very good marketing strategy. The AMG Sport variants have 17-inch AMG wheels and halogen headlamps. The AMG Sport Plus gets silver gearshift paddles, 18-inch bi-colour wheels, bi-xenon headlamps, AMG sports seats, contrasting red upholstery stitching, AMG floor mats with red edging and cringe-worthy red seat belts. 

The coupe has an AMG Handling Package as an option, which tweaks the steering, engine, exhaust noise and gearshifts to be more sporty. These are expected to become options on the sedan and estate as well in the future.