Universally praised by the press for its head-turning S-Class design cues with distinctive LED headlights, a swooping profile and jewel-like rear light clusters, the C-Class remains a class leading sedan and a serious contender for 1st place leaving rivals BMW –series and Audi A4 in the mid-size sedan dust.
While pretty to look at on the outside, it is the cabin that has always set the C-Class apart for me and it is the interior that is most likely to retain fans and new buyers over the line. The new C-Class offers superior craftsmanship, with a superb blend of soft-touch materials, genuine wood veneer trim and polished metal accents. The C-Class, like our test C250, is arguably the only sedan in its segment that looks good in plain white.
The Mercedes-Benz C250 sedan sits in the upper half of the model range and shares the same 2.0-litre direct-injection turbocharged four-cylinder engine as found in the C200 with a seven-speed auto box driving the rear wheels albeit with tweaks to give the C250 power and torque.
What it’s like inside?
The dashboard is wonderfully simple and elegant with a new floating infotainment screen taking centre stage. It’s a high-resolution unit that’s controlled by either a touchpad or a more intuitive rotary dial. Our test C250 came loaded with a raft of standard equipment including luxurious inclusions like ambient lighting with three different colours and five dimming levels, a 7.0-inch display with satellite navigation and touchpad control, auto-dimming rear view mirror, electrically adjustable front seats, reverse-view camera and dual-zone climate control.
I loved the feel of Nappa leather-clad steering wheel with paddleshifts, automatic wipers and headlamps, power windows with one-touch control, LED headlamps and daytime running lights, front and rear parking sensors, 19-inch alloy wheels and an electrically-operated boot.
Performance and safety
The new C250 is safer than the outgoing model due to some pretty nifty active and passive safety features like attention assist, blind-spot assist, collision prevention assist plus and electronic stability program with acceleration skid control which come standard in the C-Class across the range. The C250 adds steering assist, radar cruise control with stop and go function, auto brake with pedestrian recognition, rear cross-traffic assist, active blind-spot assist (with steering intervention) and active lane-keeping assist, in addition to the standard nine airbags. The only option missing was the Air-Balance system that automatically pumps beautiful scents through the air conditioning. In my view, this is quintessential Mercedes-Benz and should come standard on all models going forward.
While there wasn’t much wrong in the previous C-Class models when it came to ride comfort, the new C250 takes ride comfort to a whole new level. As a driver, you can choose between four suspension settings; Eco, Comfort, Sport and Sport plus, which combines with the Agility Select system to change things like engine response and steering weight. We preferred to drive the C250 in Comfort or Eco mode for a soft comfortable ride and the car just floats over the bumpiest of roads. Even in Sport or Sport Plus modes, the C250 still soaks up potholes and uneven road surfaces better than its German rivals despite the taut hankered down stance. There’s minimal body roll even under heavy load and twisty corners are a breeze thanks to the Mercedes’ new multilink front suspension that keeps tyres planted on the tarmac. The turbocharged four-cylinder C250 is no slouch when it comes to performance and dishes out 155kW of power with 350Nm of torque available on tap from just 1200rpm with barely noticeable turbo lag. With an additional 20kW and 50Nm of torque compared to the previous C250, there is a price to pay at the pump. With 11.9 l/100km fuel consumption at mostly Eco or Comfort modes, this is one thirsty piece of German engineering. If extra grunt is not top of your list, stick to the more sedate C200 sibling.
Verdict
The C250 is a remarkable improvement from the previous rendition. The C250 is no speed demon by any stretch of imagination but it doesn’t need to be. The selling point of a Mercedes-Benz car has always been the superior comfort offered in an impressive cabin with top drawer finishes that cocoons you in the lap of luxury. On that score, C250 doesn’t disappoint. The new C-Class has hit a home run and leads the class in luxury and refinement, and has arguably effectively redefined affordable luxury in an act that will be much harder to follow in its segment.
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