Merc’s new weapon:Mercedes has rolled out its new C-class in western markets in June 2007. Daimlerchrysler is facing one of its toughest times in india due of the advent of its arch rival BMW. BMW sold nearly 340 3- series cars during the april to june this year while the early entrant Mercedes is managed to sell only 235 during the same period. The C class not only fails to meet the peer it trails its cousins too. Mercedes E class and S class is witnessing maximum record growth. To counter the BMW threat and revive the glory Daimlerchrysler will launch the new C-class once it clears stocks of current c-class.
The new c-class is the first mercedes saloon being marketed in the west as a sporty sedan. Yes, the classical Merc gets a new spory avatar through the new c-class. New c-class has a sporty exterior theme, single mould interiors and many advanced features like Agility control and LINGUATRONIC voice control system. It seems Merc is pulling up its socks to face the bavarians in india. Let’s check out the new c-class!
Engine and Transmission:
Autocar reported that Mercedes will retain the 1.8L and 2.1L for the 2008 C-class to keep cost down. But internationally Mercedes – Benz has revamped the complete set of engine for the new C-class. The retuned C200 KOMPRESSOR now develops 15 kW(20 hp) more than before. C200k now has an output of 135 kW(184 hp) and generates its maximum torque of 250 newton metres from 2800 rpm. When accelerating from standstill to 100 km/h, the C 200 KOMPRESSOR is claimed to be 0.5 seconds faster than its predecessor. The engineers in Stuttgart have also made improvements to the engine, turbocharger and common-rail direct injection engine by modifying more than 90 components. As a result of these measures the new C 200 CDI has 11% more output than the preceding model, with 100 kW(136 hp) versus the previous 90 kW(122 hp). Both the retuned engines are claimed to offer higher fuel efficiency than its predecessor. 5 speed automatic and 6 speed manual transmission will be mated to this engine. As with the 5-speed automatic, you can also choose to shift gears manually either through the gear stick or with the Sport, change gear using the steering wheel mounted gearshift paddles
Design and Engineering:
Exteriors – a Merc in BMW theme:
The car has a significantly taller front end to meet stringent US safety standards. Styling for new generation C-Class mimics the S-Class and CL-Class. Mercedes wants to lower the average age of C-class customers i.e it wants a sporty machine. Sporty theme results in shedding of Merc’s chracterstic double barrel headlamps and it even made some compromises in the grille For the first time ever, the C-Class will come with different front ends denoting trim packages Classic(SE), Elegance and Avantgarde(sport).The radiator grille is used as a distinguishing feature to position the model variants more clearly.SE and Elegance models have the traditional bonnet-top star, while the Sport has it grille-mounted. Wanna to enjoy all the tastes? just swap the grille only minimal tools required to swap. Because of these changes the new C-class gets a more wedge-shaped and aggressive look, and this is supplemented with prominent wheelarches and a sharply cut-off tail. C-shaped rear indicator and matt finished wide boot lid handle are the design elements at the rear.
Mercedes C-class sport version feature stiffer suspensions and lower-profile tires that sharpen handling but at the expense of a rougher ride and a greater likelihood that a big pothole can flatten a tire and/or damage the rim. Sporty presence can be enhanced even further with the AMG sports package, which includes striking front and rear aprons plus side skirts. Merc believe the sport variant with the grille-mounted star will take on the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, while the other variants will satisfy the traditional Merc’s customers.
Build:
There’ll be two distinct chassis settings, too – one providing a slightly firmer ride and quicker steering response than the other. There’s no aluminium in the suspension, as in the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, but both C-Class set-ups feature what Mercedes calls Agility Control – shock absorbers that change the way they operate according to how the car is being driven, so that you get a softer ride at low speed and firmer responses when you’re pressing on. That’s not the end Merc’s agility package covers the reengineered steering which has become more precise and an agility control gearshift with a short travel and precise shifts.
Interiors:
The sporty theme on the outside is reflected in the control and instrument layout. Trim quality seems to have been markedly improved, too. The two-tone dash and console looks as though it has been carved from a solid block. Instrument faces are now all black with white markings, and the needles on the gauges glow orange. The colour display panel in the centre of the dash folds away if you find it too much of a distraction(not a BMW’s iDrive), but anything linked to it, including the sat-nav(satellite navigation system), continues to function. This control-and-display system has filtered down from the latest S-Class and allows the driver or front-seat passenger to operate hi-fi, sat-nav, phone and various other functions from a single rotary switch. The driver also has steering wheel-mounted controls as in the present C-Class, with any dialled-up information displayed in the instrument cluster. Three-zone climate control is available, allowing the two front passengers and those in the rear to set their own air temperature.The AUX-IN connection is another welcome standard addition in the C-class, which enables you to hook up your any MP3 player to the audio system via a socket in the glove compartment.
With a length of 4581 millimetres, the Saloon is 55 millimetres longer than its predecessor. The body width has increased by 42 mm to 1770 millimetres, and the wheelbase by 45 mm to 2760 millimetres. These dimensions create the conditions for a generously sized interior, and therefore more comfort. This may scuttle down the BMW 3 series much talked rear comfort but a 3 series driver will continue to have more comfort since even the new Merc C-class doesn’t have the necessary memory function for the driver’s seat as standard.
Safety and Special Features:
Occupant protection in the 2008 mercedes C-class is based on an intelligently designed bodyshell, 70 percent of which consists of high-strength and ultra high-strength steel. Compared to the previous series, Mercedes-Benz has enlarged the deformation zones even further and improved energy flows. The front-end structure of the new C-Class has four independently acting impact levels, which enable forces to be distributed over a wide area while bypassing the passenger cell. Mercedes C calss occupants will benefit from belt tensioners and belt force limiters which will be offered as standard. The head restraints on the new C-class operate on the NECK PRO principle: during a rear-end collision the padded surfaces are pushed forward within milliseconds to support the heads of the driver and front passenger at an early stage. This significantly reduces the risk of a whiplash injury.
PRE-SAFE is another special feature of the new Mercedes C clas. This preventive occupant protection system (may be offered as optional in India) is linked to active safety systems such as ESP and Brake Assist, and is able to recognise critical driving manoeuvres at a very early stage. If the new C-Class is in danger of crashing as a result of heavy under or oversteering, or if the driver needs to brake very heavily in a dangerous situation, PRE-SAFE activates certain systems as a precaution to prepare the vehicle and its occupants for an impending accident.
Mercedes-Benz has developed flashing brake lights as a major help in reducing rear-end collisions, and these are also standard equipment in the new C-Class. If the driver needs to brake hard at speeds in excess of 50 km/h, the brake lights flash rapidly to warn drivers following behind.
The Intelligent Light System developed by Mercedes-Benz is now available in the new C-class for the first time. Bi-xenon headlamps now provides five different lighting functions suited to typical driving and weather conditions: country mode, motorway mode, enhanced foglamps, the Active Light System and cornering lights. This will help you to counter delhi’s fog and move past the dangerous corners with ease.
IIHS, NHTSA & JD power:
All these safety features makes the North American new C-class to get 4 star rating(second highest) in NHTSA and Good rating (highest) in IIHS . In JD power Initial Quality study it scores higher marks than its peer BMW 3 series in design department but in quality the bavarians still holds the lead.
Price and the launch:
Here’s official word on the time of the launch, Dr Wilfried Aulbur, company’s CEO and Managing Director said, “We are committed to bring in the latest products in the least possible time. In line with this strategy, we are looking forward to an early introduction of the recently launched new C-class and expect to offer the product in India by the first quarter of 2008.”
New C-class is expected to be priced slightly higher than the price range of the current models in the ‘C’ series. New C-class will be the third – after the C 200 Kompressor and the C-220 CDI – to be manufactured at the Daimlerchrysler’s plant at Chikhali near Pune. Daimlerchrysler’s proposed greenfield plant at Chakan is progressing as per the schedule, and it is scheduled to go into production in early 2009. Expect more crackers from the Benz makers!