New Mercedes-Benz C-Class an impressive return to form

To say the highly anticipated wait for the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class has been a prolonged one would be an understatement.

Unveiled to the world in February last year after, the internally designated W206 only made local landfall earlier this year after the planned reveal towards the end of 2021 had to be cancelled due in part to Covid-19.

Defending C-Class crown

Now officially available in a slimmed-down model range spanning two powertrains and a similar trim level count, the C-Class, once again built at Benz’s East London plant following a R3-billion investment in June last year, potentially faces its toughest challenge since replacing the 190E in 1993.

Aside from its perennial adversary, the BMW 3 Series, and to a much lesser extent than before, the Audi A4, the C-Class arrives at a time where sedans are continuing to fall out of favour with buyers at a rapid rate as the SUV migration continues.

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While famously described for years as one of the German Big 3 alongside its rivals from Munich and Ingolstadt, Stuttgart’s favourite three-box son has had to face stern competition internally from the GLC and to an extent, the step-down GLA and GLB.

The looks

This, together with soaring price tags previously unheard of even for a C-Class, all conspire to spoil the W206 that has been billed as the closest generation yet in terms of styling and technology to a contemporary S-Class.

As much as the three-pointed star attracted criticism from some quarters for the styling of the W205 versus that of the W204 C-Class, the W206, arguably, faced the biggest backlash for being styled along the lines of the new S-Class not everyone had welcomed universally from an aesthetic perspective.

While always a subjective topic, the High-Tech Silver Metallic C200 that arrived for the shortened five-day stay had an ace up its sleeve in the form of the AMG Line styling package.

Officially a trim level on its own now instead being of a cost-option exterior package, the AMG Line adds sportier bumpers and door sills, the AMG wing lower air intake, a stud pattern grille and in the base of our tester, 19-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels, to the mix in order to distinguish it from the now entry-level Avantgarde.

Longer and lower than the W205 dimensionally, the W206, in this writer’s opinion, is more of a styling triumph as it manages to blend classy and premium, with subtle sportiness its predecessor took leave from when succeeding the W204.

While still resembling the S-Class look when viewed from the rear and side, the overall execution usurps that of the W205 as the elongated LED taillights, vents integrated into the bumper, small bootlid spoiler and chrome tipped faux exhaust outlets lends to an all-out better looking product.

Interior masterpiece…

The interior though is a world away from any previous C-Class with the S-Class influence being even more prominent.

Aside from the heated and electric sport seats trimmed in absolutely stunning red and black leather, carried over the doors, the main drawing card is the new portrait-style 11.9-inch MBUX infotainment system.

An option that comes with over-the-air updates, an augmented reality navigation display that acts as the default view, the system also gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and rates as one of the easiest to navigate through and understand, never mind how responsive the latest MBUX software housed within it is.

Underscored by a number of shortcut buttons for amongst others, the Dynamic Select system, optional surround-view cameras and audio volume for the optional Burmester sound system, the integrated dual-climate control display is just as easy to fathom and without the annoyance of other digital layouts.

The minimalist and clean design extends to the centre console, while the tech fest is rounded off by the configurable freestanding 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

…almost

While endowed with more standard gadgetry than ever before, which can take up the rest of this article, the interior is not all good as evident by the optional imitation metal trim Mercedes-Benz calls metal-weave.

Inexcusably cheap and clunky, the admittedly good looking trim certainly contributes to the interior, but also spoils it for lacking in premium quality control.

What’s more, the grippy three-spoke Nappa leather steering wheel features touch-sensitive instead of physical buttons, which proved to be a real pain when scrolling though the various displays of the instrument cluster.

In another oddity given the C200 AMG Line’s eye-watering before-options price tag of R911 812, separate controls for rear passengers are omitted despite vents being present.

Fortunately, sitting in the back is anything but akin to a leather coffin as legroom is plentiful and headroom is just good even with the optional panoramic sunroof our tester came with.

It’s revised MRA platform being 63 mm longer than that of the W205, the W206’s wheelbase has been increased by 20 mm, which has resulted in a deep boot able to swallow 455-litres of luggage.

Petrol and electricity can mix

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the C200 is its engine. In typical Mercedes-Benz tradition, the 2.0-litre implying “200” designation is anything but as the W206 is motivated by a now electrically assisted version of the carryover Renault derived 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol.

Revised to produce a 2.0-litre convincing output of 150kW/300Nm, the inclusion of a 48-volt mild-hybrid system adds an addition 15kW/200Nm for short bursts or when overtaking.

Despite the 1 575 kg mass, the blown four-pot provides a decent amount of shove once on the move, countered by the immediate response of the electrical system that makes progress feel faster than what it actually is.

In a big improvement, the 9G Tronic automatic gearbox, which exhibited a horrible jerk sensation in the W205 C180 this writer drove in 2017, is slick and well-matched to the engine with little in the way of lag or abrupt downshifts.

C-Class dynamic hit and miss

Dynamically, the C-Class continues to be skewed more towards luxury than out-and-out prowess as demonstrated by the optional AMG sport suspension.

While firm, the ride is nowhere as rock hard or unsettling as the setup fitted to the GLA 200 yours truly drove towards the end of 2020.

In fact, this more restrained AMG setup suits the C200 as the ride is comfortable, the electric power steering ideally weighted and road noise intrusion well isolated.

Spells with the five mode Dynamic Select system involved mostly Comfort and occasionally Sport, the others being Eco, Sport+ and Individual.

Although characterised by improved throttle response and the transmission holding on to the selected ratio for longer, it is a setting that doesn’t really suit the C200’s persona.

The same applies to the paddle shifters which, despite upping the level of engagement, are unlikely to be used much, if at all.

Worthing noting is that our C200 featured the must-have optional rear-axle steering system. In effect, this aids manoeuvrability in tight spaces or cornering at slow speeds. And one that can be felt as it makes the C-Class feel nimble and not as long as its 4 750 mm length suggests.

The most troubling dynamic aspect however is the brakes. Best described as spongy, the soft pedal had this writer on more than a few occasions worried as a greater than usual amount of input is required for there being usable feel.

As for consumption, the C200 recorded an indicated best of 8.6 L/100 km in mixed conditions, a far cry from Mercedes-Benz’s highly optimistic 6.8 L/100 km claim.

Conclusion

Has the wait for the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class been worth it? To a large extent, yes.

Now very much the junior S-Class always labelled as, it has managed to dispel the styling criticism thrown at its senior sibling by being an improvement over the W205, in addition to a tech phenomenon motivated by a well sorted powerunit.

It is however more expensive than ever before and while the quality niggles are likely to be looked over in favour of the Mercedes-Benz badge, it still faces a challenge, literally the size of an SUV, to keep its dominance as the “most attainable” luxury German for all. 

For more information on the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, click here.