Comfort class
The trouble with so many new cars is that the sheer range of options can leave you baffled, and means a few select options can leave one car feeling utterly unlike another. That could be the case here – the new C-Class you’ll be able to order in the coming weeks will look exactly like the car pictured, but it won’t have our Germanmarket test car’s adaptive suspension, rear-wheel steering or all-wheel drive.
Mercedes says there’s simply no demand for that tech in the UK. Which is a shame, because so equipped the new C drives rather well. It’s based on the same platform as the outgoing car, but heavily revised. And this new suspension and rear-wheel steering system are key technologies in Mercedes’ tireless pursuit of the superb BMW 3-Series.
As with all rear-wheel steering set-ups, at low speeds the rear wheels turn against the fronts for better manoeuvrability, while at high speeds they turn with the fronts to aid stability. So specified the C-Class acquits itself equally well on B-roads and motorways – feeling agile on the former and stable on the latter. The steering itself is direct and well weighted but not brimming with feel, as is the modern way.
As much fun as a 3-Series? I don’t think so. But maybe more comfortable. The new C doesn’t get the option of air suspension like it used to, but with these new dampers it almost feels air sprung. Comfort mode is sometimes too floaty, but Sport mode does a good job of keeping pitch and heave in check without totally knackering the C’s ability to iron out creases in the road surface. Sport+ is perhaps a step too far, but generally this is a very comfortable car.
We will have to wait until we’ve driven a UK-spec car, with its regular suspension and steering, before we can categorically say whether or not the new C-Class is better to drive than either of its main rivals. But don’t worry because there is plenty here to keep us occupied for the time being.
The interior, for instance. One way to get people talking about your new circa £38,000 four-door saloon is to give it the interior from the über-luxurious, high-tech flagship for which you charge more than twice as much. Indeed, the new C’s interior appears to have been lifted almost wholesale from the recently launched S-Class. So there’s an 11.9-inch portrait touchscreen, another 12.3-inch display for the driver and few physical buttons to speak of. It’s all standard in the UK, too.
Yes, it’ll take you some time to master how it all works. But far as touchscreen user interfaces go, Merc’s is actually pretty good. That said, pinching, prodding and swiping your way around a touchscreen while driving is still far from ideal. Changing radio stations, entering destinations into the satnav and
fiddling with the climate control is better accomplished using Merc’s ‘Hey Mercedes’ voice assistant. Hardly Siri or Alexa, but it’s getting better with every generation and at least that way you can keep your eyes on the road. You’ll try using the swipey touchpads on the steering wheel, but you’ll give up after a couple of attempts.
Material quality is broadly very good, but there are some suspect plastics on the door cards and around the glovebox. And the new C-Class isn’t actually that spacious – no problem up front, where the driving position and seats are both spot on, but head and legroom in the back is only OK for the class and the boot is not only a bit smaller than in a 3-Series, but smaller than the Mercedes CLA.
Petrol C-Classes use either a 1.5-litre or 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. You’ll find the former in the 201bhp C200 and the latter in the 254bhp C300. There are two diesel options too – the C220d and C300d, both 2.0 litres.
From the outset all C-Classes are 48V mild hybrids, but a petrol plug-in hybrid with upwards of 60 miles of electric range is coming later this year (with a diesel plug-in hybrid and AMGs to follow in 2022). All C-Classes get a nine-speed automatic. Elsewhere in the world higher powered C-Classes get the option of 4Matic all-wheel drive, but in the UK the C is rear-drive only.
This is the C300d. Of course it’s not as nice as the straight-six diesel in the BMW 330d, but for a four-cylinder it’s jolly refined, doesn’t make much noise and pushes the C along at a brisk pace. A much better fit than the 201bhp 1.5-litre petrol in the C200, which sounds a bit reedy when you’re pushing on.
Both engines work well with the standard nine-speed auto, which shuffles between ratios quickly and smoothly. It also responds well to the paddles on the wheel, but you can’t lock it in manual mode. It can be a bit hesitant off the line, too, so be wary at junctions and busy roundabouts.
And you’ll need time to suss out the brakes, too – pad doesn’t meet disc until you’re quite a long way into the pedal travel. Then, when it does bite it’s a bit abrupt, meaning you come to a halt more quickly and aggressively than you intended. Not exactly confidence inspiring when you’re steaming into a tight bend, nor particularly smooth until you’ve got your eye in.
So it’s not without problems, but the new C makes a broadly good first impression. Forgive us, but we’ll wait until we can get a UK car together with rivals in comparable specs before we pass definitive judgement on where the new C-Class Benz lands.
“AS MUCH FUN AS A 3-SERIES? I DON’T THINK SO. BUT MAYBE MORE COMFORTABLE”