WATCH: Spoil yourself with the new Mercedes-Benz C200 AMG

I’ve always been a Mercedes-Benz baby. I learnt to drive in my dad’s Mercedes-AMG at the age of 17 and haven’t looked back since.

This kind of spoilt my driving experiences, when I learnt that the driving school car was a manual Toyota Tazz, but that, I think, helped make me a better driver and it sure was character building.

The thing about Mercedes-Benz is the cars spoil you and because I come from a Merc-loving family, being in one, new or old, always feels like home. For me, it also means that road trips are an absolute pleasure.

The new Mercedes-Benz C200 AMG with the “Eco charging” version, its name for a turbo petrol engine, comes in at R912 563 while the diesel will set you back R954 850.

That’s quite eye-watering when you think this is “just a 200” – but it is a Merc, after all, so you pay for quality.

And this price seems fair because it won’t be long before you’re going to struggle to find a reasonably equipped and powerful car for under a million… so this is more about the way of the world than the way of the Mercedes-Benz.

While you can see it is a Mercedes-Benz, it still turns heads. Looking at the appearance, the shark-like nose remains as sexy as the shape of all other Mercs while adding a classic edge.

Performance and fuel economy

One thing did surprise me: the fuel-economy. In an old school AMG, you’ll become good buddies with your local petrol attendants because you’ll find yourself filling up at least twice a week.

This new school Mercedes-Benz C200, however, will only visit the petrol pumps once every two weeks, in my estimation.

That’s because the designers combined the latest petrol turbo technology with a small mild hybrid electric motor to increase peak power and provide better fuel economy.

The 2.0 litre turbo petrol engine is described as a mild hybrid, with 300Nm of torque, and 150kW of power. The mild hybrid system provides small bursts of power when needed.

A few years ago, that was hot hatch territory. It means the Merc will not be disgraced if you want to teach someone in a Polo a lesson.

ALSO READ: Mercedes-AMG speaks: Next C63 will not have V8 motivation

One thing about this Mercedes-Benz is its quiet engine, much like an electric car. Merc knows, however, that some petrolheads like a reasonable amount of sound, so there is an option to turn up the noise by engaging Sport Mode, just to get that growl.

The Sport Mode setting is one of four driving options available in the C200 AMG – the others are Eco, Comfort and Sport Plus.

I’m constantly complaining about navigating corners and bends when I’m behind the wheel of a luxury sedan… but this time round I felt zero loss of traction at high speeds, which made driving easy.

C200 AMG packs a punch in tech department

The car is equipped with 360-degree view cameras, which can be turned on and off… so if you’re at a busy intersection, you can see exactly what is happening around you, which is a great feature.

It has an auto mode which will, for example, switch on the front camera if it detects anything dangerous happening, or about to happen, ahead of you.

But, my absolute favourite feature is the parking assist. I’ve never experienced one like this. When you’re reversing, to prevent you from smashing or bumping into the car behind you, the car will immediately kick into stop and not move back at all.

This is super important if you are not confident with your parking – it’s almost impossible to back into the bumper of another car.

The truth is, Mercedes-Benz has upped its game on all the bells and whistles. For example, its digitised infotainment “Mercedes me connect” app allows you to personalise your preferences.

The car memorises what you like, including seating position and lumbar support for your back while navigating load shedding traffic.

Remote starting is a feature you can enjoy with the app. I like the ability to change your interior ambient lighting to suit your daily mood using this built-in technology. And as has become a hit on social media, Merc drivers have taken to showing off their ambient lighting in well-lit posts as well as matching it with their clothes and accessories.

Much like me, my nephew has grown up in a Merc family and he calls the locator signs on the sides of the doors that flash the Benz logo as you unlock, the “Batman signs”.

This sounded funny at first until I remembered that in the movie the Batman sign is used to call the superhero anytime the Gotham police need him.

This is a valuable piece of info seeing as I’m the type who forgets where I parked my vehicle on most days, with locator signs you’ll find your car easily when you press unlock.

Abundant boot space

Let’s get into the daily necessities: with a 540 litre boot space, it’s good for shopping days as well as family trips with the luggage.

Tucked into the boot lid is a visible reflective triangle while in the boot itself, you’ll find a repair kit for a flat tyre… But the car is fitted with run-flat tyres, which should get you home or to a place of safety without needing to stop.

When it comes to the interior, I think the stunning and sporty red leather interior is the one to get, with heated seats and isofix for the baby seat. There are charging ports for front and back passengers. And there’s an additional wireless charging mat for the driver.

It goes without saying this car is among the safest on the road… That’s what you can expect from a brand like Mercedes-Benz.

Wanna spoil yourself, save petrol, and have a comfortable daily drive all at once? This is the perfect car for that.

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