Mercedes C-Class review: A very solid performer, if a little tame. But that's the idea
The Mercedes C-Class is a very competent performer, if a little tame. But folks, that’s what C-Class customers want and Mercedes itself says their whole focus here was on comfort anywa
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Mercedes C-Class |
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★★★★☆ |
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from €56,425 - €63,330 as tested in AG Line spec with a few more baubles |
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an excellent 2ltr diesel with mild hybrid technology with a generous 163 bhp |
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very impressive, but add-ons will jack the price considerably |
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Austin would have loved it. No more needs saying |
The Mercedes C-Class has been a remarkable success in many ways, especially as it has never been the most dynamic car in its segment and has never offered the sort of driving pleasure that arch-rival, the BMW 3 Series, has always enjoyed.
And, although the C-Class might have also struggled against the sophistication of another rival, the Audi A4, these cars have never really seen the Mercedes off. Why? Well, because it has a three-pointed star on the bonnet. Simple as.
The Merc, since it was first seen in 1993 when the C-Class replaced the legendary 190E/D, has been a massive draw for the punters.
Those buyers might be classified generally as older men or women who no longer need something as big as an E-Class or an S-Class, or simply people who don’t need the driving chops of the Beemer or the erudition of the Audi, but just luurve that star.
I can attest to this assertion because my older brother Austin was exactly one of those people. He passed away suddenly and shockingly just before Christmas, but for the last four years of his life, his proudest possession – apart from his five wonderful children and his six darling grandchildren – was his C-Class Mercedes.
A petrolhead from youth who imbued a lot of that enthusiasm into his younger brother, his later years dampened his enthusiasm for on-the-doorhandles driving (something else he passed on), but his choice of car was a two-litre petrol C-Class which was a very decent performer. But the single most important thing about it was the badge.
Boy, did he love that car and were you willing to give up a couple of hours of your time, he would willingly fill it with a treatise about how this was the ultimate small executive car and how its classic lines and top drawer build quality stood it apart from the boy racers and front wheel drivers which stood in opposition.
Austin rarely brooked argument about anything, let alone his precious steed, so it was an ill-advised cad who would take an opposing stance on the matter – not least a whipper-snapper runt who just happened to write about cars.
“I taught you everything you know, ye little bollix,” he would often remind me. There was no point arguing the toss.
However, much as he loved his C-Class, he would have been consumed by the thought of a new one. It’s a pity he wasn’t around to see this one in the flesh. He’d have loved it.
The last generation underlined the popularity of the car, selling over two-and-a-half million units from its’ introduction in 2014 until they stopped making it last year when the baton was passed to this week’s tester, the fifth generation of the C-Class and the one, perhaps, Mercedes feel is the best ever. Austin would probably have agreed.
Coming to the marketplace here last December and only now really making its presence felt on dealer forecourts, the confidence being placed in the car by the manufacturer is underscored by the fact it arrived hot on the heels of the new S-Class, a car so brim full of tech and baubles that rivals’ heads are still spinning.
Dubbed by Mercedes as a ‘baby S-Class,’ the bar for the C-Class has therefore been set at a very high level. That there may be an element of hyperbole coming out of Stuttgart with regard to the car’s greatness is hardly a surprise, but all that will nevertheless sit very comfortably with those who want to buy one.
“It’s just like a baby S-Class,” Aust would probably have told anyone who’d listen. Owners will undoubtedly and proudly tell admirers the same when they encounter them in the golf club, the pub or the corporate car park. And, when you own something that looks as good as the new C-Class does, it will get talked about in the golf club, the pub and the office; it matters not how it drives.
In this case, it does not drive as well as its bitter BWW rival, but that matters not one whit. The mere fact owners can trace the lineage through the wonderful new S-Class does matter.
What’s not of concern to buyers, it would appear, is tyre-smoking driveability; what is of concern is that it looks good, is oozing with tech and sensible engines which are economical and hushed.
Mercedes, being the masters of their market and fully clued in to their customers desires and needs, have fulfilled the brief in some style.
Exterior changes to the C-Class are many, but not so much that anyone other than an expert might notice. The car is longer, wider and lower, despite being based on the same platform as before.
Stylistically, there have been changes to the rear lights (horizontal now, rather than vertical), the headlights (slimmer than previously) and the grille has also been revamped.
It might not sound like much and to the untrained eye it might not look like much either, but Mercedes has still managed to make the car look fresher and more appealing than before.
On the inside, however, there has been a revolution, but anyone who’s seen or driven the new S-Class will immediately recognised where this transformation has sprung from. Two massive screens dominate the interior design, a 12.9” one for the driver and an 11.9 ‘portrait’ screen for the infotainment.
The latter might initially seem a daunting prospect to navigate, incorporating not only the music and sat nav sources, but also all the climate controls and a raft of other stuff. In some of the versions you can even sign-in to the system via a fingerprint reader and this will set your seat to its preferred position, dial up preferred sat nav locations and music and climate preferences.
But, the beauty of the whole interior and the décor is perhaps underlined by the design, believe it or not, of the window buttons.
These might be simple press and pull buttons, but they are wing-like in design and add greatly to the feeling that every tiny detail has been given great thought.
Under the shapely hood in the tester was a two-litre turbodiesel with mild hybrid technology – and this will probably be the big seller for Mercedes here in Ireland – with a generous 163 bhp and a hefty 380 Nm of torque. Thanks to a nine-speed auto, it will accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h in a brisk 7.7 seconds, top speed is 230 km/h and it will also return 4.2 litres per 100 km (67 mpg), so there’s not much to displease there.
And, while it is not – nor ever intended to be – a direct rival for the 3 Series in the handling department, it is a very competent performer, if a little tame. But folks, that’s what C-Class customers want and Mercedes itself says their whole focus here was on comfort anyway. In that area it scores heavily.
Austin would have loved this car and, I suspect, in very short order would have been decorating his driveway with one, especially as the residual value of his 171 version was so strong. Undoubtedly, when it came to cars, he would probably have talked about little else.
For people already wedded to the C-Class and to those aspiring to one, you could not have asked for a more solid endorsement. “Great car,” he would have told rapt listeners, “buy one – and tell them Austy sent you.”
Missing you, kid.
