C Class - Great looks & comfort but poor features for the price

Exterior The mini-S looks great and screams for attention as compared to rivals.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Interior styling and comfort is great with high quality materials. The wood however is glossy and scratches and fingerprints show up easily. Leg space at the back is best among rivals.

Unfortunately, the significant premium over the BMW / Audi is not justified due to lack of features vs rivals. Seats are made of Artico (synthetic) leather, while there is a reversing camera there are no parking sensors even in the front, no seat memory (even the cheaper A/B/GLA/CLA have this), GPS (Garmin) is a complete waste of money as it has no live traffic info (while Garmin provides this info for free on their GPS modules sold online at a 3rd of the price), no ambient lighting, no intelligent headlights, no Burmester sound system, no AC controls in the rear, no boot closing switch on the boot, front passenger airbag indicators are disabled because they have used the left hand drive centre consoles for the right hand drive cars in India!

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox The petrol engine is smooth and also has decent power delivery and torque. Fuel economy in Delhi city driving is 7.5 kms/litre. Gearbox could have been better... It is inferior to that of the BMW as it has a slow response when you floor the accelerator even in sports + mode; also the gear box is not dual clutch. If you are looking for a smooth driving experience where the gearshifts go unnoticed, this is your car. However if you are looking for an exhilarating driving experience, the BMW wins hands down.

Ride Quality & Handling The suspension is a bit on the stiffer side. Go over a typical (not too bad) bump or even the plastic speed breakers on the road and the suspension makes an uncomfortable 'thud' - not as smooth as the suspension on the current Audi A4. However, on relatively even roads the car is a pleasure to drive. Handling at high speeds is good and the steering also feels fairly responsive and sturdy. Ground clearance has been raised so no hassles on that front.

Final Words Fantastic product, especiallly for those looking for modern and attractive styling and high interior comfort. However be prepared to pay the significant premium and still not get all the features which shoud be given on cars at this price.

If driving performance is what you are looking for, also consider the BMW 3 Series, it's also better value for money. Still better value for money is the Audi A4, which has the best features in its class (Technology edition) at a cheaper price.

Areas of improvement The cars that Mercedes Benz provided to professional reviewers in India at the time of launch were fully loaded on features. Their CBU versions sold earlier were stripped off many of these features; and now their CKD versions are stripped down even further despite paying a massive premium vs BMW or Audi - do compare the professional reviews with the cars sold currently. MB also does not offer any of these features as paid options. I wrote to the Mercedes Benz India MDs office, only to get futile responses and clearly reflecting how they take Indian customers for granted!

Fantastic styling and comfortSlow gearshifts, stiff suspension, poor value for money