There is a fine line between a good car and a great car. So what do we make of the new C-Class from Mercedes-Benz? Read on to find out
Story: Aninda Sardar
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
Time flies. It really does. It doesn’t seem so but Mercedes-Benz have been in India for two full decades now. In those 20 odd years the market segments where they operate have gone from being a monopoly with Merc as the only player once to a full-bodied competitive environment with the other two German manufacturers, namely, Audi and BMW, also having made their entries. Thereafter it’s always been a battle among the three along with entrants from the UK and Sweden to see who comes out as India’s top luxury car-maker. With that battle all set to continue into the future, the German manufacturers from Stuttgart have a new weapon in their arsenal in the form of the new C-Class.
We got the opportunity to get into a top-spec C 200 CGI and we were fairly impressed by what Merc have done to the car. From the outside the car seems to have added bulk to its body, which makes it look more muscular than it used to. A good thing, we say. Combined with the large three-pointed star on the grille it looks more youthful too. Which, too, is a good thing, we say. At the same time, the car hasn’t lost any of its class (no puns, please) and will continue to appeal to buyers looking for something really sophisticated where exterior styling is concerned. Needless to say, that fit-and-finish is absolutely top-notch, exactly what is expected from a manufacturer like Mercedes-Benz. In a segment-first move, Mercedes have introduced full LED headlamps on the new C.
