The inside story is much the same where quality and fit-and-finish are concerned. Every bit of the cabin feels premium to look at as well as to touch. Mercedes have changed the dash on the new C-Class and as a result there are fewer buttons than before. The dash and the centre console, therefore, is now a much less cluttered affair than before. The top of the centre stack is dominated by a large 8.4-inch TFT screen and the wood finish on the dashboard has a fine veneer to it that turns things from premium to luxury. At the bottom of the centre console is a new addition in the form of a trackpad, under which sits a rotary selector knob for the COMAND system. The seat adjustment buttons continue to be in their familiar location on the door with the seat being adjustable for height, recline, thigh support and lumbar support. Although, frankly speaking, the effectiveness of the thigh support function isn’t too much. The steering wheel, which can be electrically adjusted for height as well as reach, is new and nice to grip. Space up front is quite good. Even at the back leg-room and shoulder-room are decent. What disappoints is the abject lack of headroom – a result of that sloping roof-line that makes the car look dynamic. I suppose there’s a price to pay for everything.
Starting the 1,991-cc in-line four-cylinder petrol engine is done via a large aluminium Start/Stop button to the right of the steering wheel. You do need to look for it a couple of times since it’s mostly hidden by the steering wheel. Mated to Mercedes’ 7G-TRONIC Plus six-speed automatic transmission, the C200 CGI’s engine puts out a maximum of 184 PS at 5,500 RPM and a peak torque of 300 Nm from 1,200 to 1,400 RPM. Combined with a low drag coefficient of 0.24 cd the end result is a quick car. In fact, in our road test we got an acceleration of 0-100 km/h in 7.85 seconds, which is very close to the company’s claimed figure of 7.3 seconds. While Merc claim an approximate top speed of 235 km/h, we achieved 213.4 km/h. So we have proof that the car is certainly as good in the real world of metal and tyres as it is on paper. Well, at least in a straight line. But what about when the road starts to get winding?
In the past, relative to its rivals, the Merc’s Achilles heel was its handling. Compared to its competitors it would inevitably turn out to be the one with the softer set-up. Not the new C-Class, though. This time Mercedes have found the right balance between a plush ride quality and able handling characteristics where suspension set-up is concerned. As a result, the fast left-right-lefts on the climb up to Lavasa for the photo shoot turned out to be super fun. The engine was willing and the chassis coupled to a quick and feedback-rich steering made for great driving pleasure. The only grouse was that even in the manual mode the Merc’s 7G-TRONIC Plus transmission proved to be a bit slow with downshifts being delayed by a fraction of a second. The car rides very well over road irregularities. Bumps, ruts and potholes are barely felt and only the deepest of potholes or largest of bumps catch the C-Class unawares. Unlike at least one of its rivals, Mercedes have chosen a sensible tyre profile, 225/50, for its 17-inch wheels, which further aids the C-Class’ superlative ride quality.
