BackThe new Mercedes C-Class looks different; it looks expensive
Mercedes-Benz has given the C-Class a massive makeover and made it a class leader, but the class is not what it used to be
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Once upon a time, it was easy to buy a German luxury sedan. You could buy a not-so-large one, something like the Mercedes C-Class. You could buy a large one, such as the Mercedes E-Class. Or you could buy one the size of a cruise ship loaded with all the toys that you can imagine—the S-Class. You could, if push came to shove, choose between Mercedes, BMW and Audi. (Unless you were in India, in which case you choose between a Mercedes and…a Mercedes.)
Then you handed over a large sum of money to a dealer and had a chauffeur drive you off into the sunset.
That was the past. A simpler time. The problem these days is best illustrated by Mercedes’s line-up. This is the line available just in India—the A-Class, B-Class, CLA, C-Class, E-Class, CLS and S-Class. That is before you add the GLA, ML and GL Sports-Utility Vehicles, the SLK roadster and the various AMG performance-tuned vehicles (and the upcoming AMG GT sportscar).
So, Mercedes-Benz India, a company that sold 10,000 cars last year, has almost as many stock-keeping units (or SKUs as marketers love to call them) as Maruti Suzuki—a company that sold close to a million cars last year. And then there is the competition. There are the regular German rivals, a British rival (owned by Indians), a Swedish rival (owned by the Chinese) and some sundry competition from the Far East.
Choice is a good thing, but as someone who has visited the milk shelf of a Western supermarket, choice can be extremely confusing. Do you want 1% fat, 1.5% fat or 2% fat or the deceptively vague full-fat?
But the outgoing C-Class was the entry-level sedan in Mercedes’s line-up. If you are a regular reader of this column, you will remember that in January we wrote about the Mercedes-Benz CLA, the new entry-level sedan. Sure, that was a front-wheel-drive car. But in terms of size, performance and kit, the CLA felt more like a replacement for the old C-Class than this new car that actually wears the C-Class badge.
Confused? Join the club.
The new C-Class feels different. Most of all, it feels expensive. And that is because it is: billed in the range of ₹ 39.9-42.9 lakh ex-showroom, Delhi. But, given the way the car feels inside, you do not mind that one bit. The controls resemble those on the new S-Class, particularly the much improved seat controls. The switchgear made from machined aluminium feels much more solid than any plastic button ever can. The infotainment system, named COMAND by Mercedes’s engineers is the same new improved version that you see on the S-Class. There is a touchpad controller (more on that in a bit), there is cruise control, there is stupendous legroom at the back, and a level of both driving and riding comfort that currently has no match. Heck, you can even change the interior ambient lighting between three colours. Yes, the S-Class has more colour options for interior ambient lighting, but this car is 33% cheaper.
Driving performance is reassuringly Mercedes. You expect a nice rear-wheel-drive German sedan to step out of line ever so slightly when you take a sharp and fast turn-in, it does that as well. Put the car into Sport+ mode and it explodes off the tarmac.
But is it noticeably better to drive than a BMW 320d or Audi A4 TDI? Err, no. One could make a case that the BMW 3 Series is the best car of the lot to drive. But, as a complete package? The C-Class, thanks in no small part to its ‘newness’, is the best.
For now.
The new C-Class isn’t without its flaws. We wish Mercedes-Benz would remove the gear-changer from being a stalk on the steering column. And then there is the touchpad. (Which, incidentally, is where the gear shift should probably go.) Firstly and sensibly, Mercedes has ensured that you can only use the touchpad, which features handwriting recognition, when you are stationary. Great. Thing is, it is not that good at recognizing handwriting.
This is possibly because your writer is not a southpaw and the central console is on the left as it should be in India. The touchpad works fine for skipping through radio stations and songs on your iPhone, but you soon thank the gods of Stuttgart that they’ve retained the rotary controller.
Then there is the other problem with crowded product line-ups nowadays: pricing. There are very convenient eight-lakh rupee gaps between the CLA and C-Class and a similar gap between the C-Class and E-Class. The E-Class, make no mistake, still has a sense of presence that the smaller cars don’t. And the gorgeous CLS is sex on wheels.
Still, the C-Class stands out as having far more modern interiors than either of those two other cars. Is that enough? The most compelling reason to buy the new C-Class is because it feels wonderful inside. Yes, the panoramic sunroof might feel like overkill in a sedan and the touchpad is a bit pointless.
But sitting in this car is pure pleasure. And that has got be worth something.
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