Revised C-class to start from £33k

Mercedes has given its C-class saloon and estate a facelift.

Prices for the updated model start at £33,180 for the saloon, with the estate version commanding a premium of £1,200. There’s a choice of one petrol and one diesel, not including a high powered petrol unit in the AMG performance models.

The most efficient petrol choice is a 1.5-litre unit, which produces 184hp, and is capable of achieving 46.3mpg on an official combined cycle and CO2 emissions of 136g/km.

It’s aided by mild hybrid technology, with a 14bhp 48-volt motor boosting power and economy. The diesel offering is a 2.0-litre unit producing 194hp, which is capable of 61.4mpg.

All models benefit from a new ninespeed automatic gearbox, with rearwheel drive as standard. Mercedes’ 4Matic four-wheel drive can be picked for the petrol C 200 AMG Line for a £1,600 premium.

Three trim levels are available – SE, Sport and AMG-LINE (the latter of which is not to be confused with the AMG high performance model).

SE cars come with 17in alloy wheels, reversing camera, and a 10.25in multimedia display with satellite navigation as standard.

Sport trim adds an extra £1,650 to the bill, and includes LED headlights, suspension lowered by 15mm, and sports seats. AMG Line bags you sports styling features. An optional Premium equipment line adds features including the 12.3in cockpit display, ambient lighting and an upgraded infotainment system, while the Premium Plus line adds a Burmester surround sound system and panoramic sunroof. Air suspension is another optional extra.

If the mainstream line-up is a tad on the slow side for you, Mercedes is also releasing a high performance AMG version of the C-class, in both saloon and estate.

It comes with a 3.0 litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine that has 390bhp. The saloon version can sprint from 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds, with the estate trailing just 0.1 seconds behind.

Four-wheel drive with a rear-wheel bias helps put that power down while retaining a sporty drive. Top speed for both versions is electronically limited to 155mph.

Such pace doesn’t come cheap, however – the AMG C 43 saloon is priced from £49,675, while the estate starts at £50,875.

Buyers can easily bump that price up, with a performance exhaust system available for £1,000 and an exterior carbon fibre package adding another £1,260. They’re not frugal either, with fuel economy of 30.4mpg for the saloon and 29.4 for the estate version.

Mercedes dealerships are taking orders for the updated C-class now and first deliveries of the new models should take place in July.

jmckeown@thecourier.co.uk

The updated Mercedes C-class starts at £33,180 for the saloon and £34,380 for the estate version. There’s also a high performance AMG model that has 390bhp.