Mercedes-Benz C200
Mercedes-Benz £33,180
WE SAY: C-CLASS GETS TONS OF EXTRA TECH AND A NEW ENGINE
This Mercedes C-Class, believe it or not, is almost 50 per cent new, with 6,500 of its components changed. Hard to believe, isn’t it? It looks the same as the old one… It’s no surprise to learn those changes are nearly all under the skin, then, split into two key areas. Firstly, the electrical architecture has been nabbed from the luxo S-Class. What sounds like the dullest piece of news you’ve read today is interesting, honest; it means the C-Class provides a new suite of safety tech and is another step closer to self-driving.
Secondly, there’s a heap of new engines. Most interesting – particularly post-Dieselgate – is a new entry-level petrol. Called the C200, it’s a 1.5-litre 4cyl, but with a bit of sneaky electrical assistance. Merc doesn’t call it a hybrid; there are no motors or batteries, but an additional 14bhp fed in via an alternator-based system too clever for our little minds to understand.
A total of 182bhp is easier to comprehend, though, and it’s far brisker than you’d think a 1.5-litre engined car this size would be. The electrifcation blends in pretty subtly, and you’ll only know it’s there if you switch the car into its more eco-minded drive modes, when the engine will cut out under coasting and you’ll hear a little whirr as you pull away. Merc is going to roll this tech out more in the coming years, and it’s even promising performance cars with the system tuned for power, rather than economy.
This C200 errs towards comfort, so despite its RWD chassis, it doesn’t entertain like a Giulia or 3-Series. But you no doubt expected that, and what this car majors on is doing a remarkably decent impression of the S-Class whose tech it borrows. At autobahn speeds it remains quiet and unrufed, so at saner, UK speed limits, it should be as comfy as small saloons get.
That luxury saloon tribute act continues across its dashboard, and the combination of steering wheel thumb pads and supremely well designed digital displays will keep your eyes on the road better than any of the C’s rivals. An outrageously sensible thing to point out, yes, but the C-Class does sensible like nothing else in its class. It may be nigh on 50 per cent new, but its ethos hasn’t changed one bit.