new  Mercedes C Class

New 2015 Mercedes C-Class C220 CDI review: Bantamweight Brilliance

new 2015 Mercedes C Class  (3)

Inspired by the all-conquering, supremely luxurious S-Class and meant to take the expectations from the basic premium sedan segment to a new level, the new 2015 C-Class has impressed us right from the day it emerged in those first official images. From inside and out, the C-Class leaves no stone unturned in mimicking its exceptional limousine sibling, and in the process has created a template which would be extremely difficult for its direct rivals to emulate.

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But is that visual magnificence perceptible from behind the wheel too? Does it cocoon and cosset those who would rather sleep comfortably in the back seat than make efforts to understand what goes into making that grand cabin. Does the new C-class have the dynamic brilliance of the segment benchmark? Is it really all-new from under the skin or is M-B just serving some old German beer in a bejewelled new bottle? We took the diesel powered C220 CDI for a 400 km drive to find out.

Images: Suraj Vishwanathan

Design and styling

Before we get started with the aesthetic aspects of the new C-Class, let’s peel its skin off just a little bit to see what its bones are made of. Like every subsequent generation of any car model these days, the new C-Class has grown in size, and substantially so. At 2840mm, the wheelbase is 8cm longer than the car it replaces. The new C-Class is also 95 mm longer and 40 mm wider making the cabin a lot roomier. The benefits have been passed primarily to the rear occupants with increased head, leg and shoulder-room.

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Even with the increased size, the car has managed to shed 100Kg. This has been possible by employing an unusually high proportion of aluminium for a mass-produced car. The amount of aluminium in the chassis has gone up to a staggering 50 percent from a mere 10% on its predecessor. Those weight savings go a long way in making the new C a greener and nimbler car without compromising its crash worthiness even a wee bit.

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Surgery over, let’s get back to the aesthetics. The new 2015 C-Class can be had with two radiator grille types. You may either have your much coveted Triple Pointed Star sitting atop the far end of the bonnet with a classic grille, or the sportier, Avant Garde version with the M-B logo taking a giant shape and giving the new car an athletic, sporty face.

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We drove the C220 CDI in its Avant Garde version – a visual variation for for those who want their ride to look sporty. The big logo is flanked by twin louvers, finished in satin silver and inlaid by fine chrome. It’s by far the most athletic looking C-Class, and just like the S-Class, marks the youth-oriented shift in Mercedes-Benz’s design philosophy. Tight, pronounced lines on the bonnet flanks with a mild crease in the middle highlights the sedan’s shapely tendons.

Headlights get the signature Mercedes LED eyebrow with Orange LED blinker strip atop and LED headlamps beneath. The headlamps assembly gets twin angular LED elements apiece and is adorned by intricate chrome elements inside, thus making itself a very important, characteristic aspect of the new C’s fascia.

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Down below, the bumper adopts a rather aggressive theme for two big, side air scoops with a pair of horizontally positioned chrome lines. The central air dam is narrower, with the registration plate sitting atop and covering a part of it. At the very bottom, a wing-like surface extending out of the bumper adds to the squat, sporty attitude with a fine chrome line forming the lowest lip.

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The new C-Class’s face, as we mentioned before is manlier than any of its processors. That said, it hasn’t entirely shed its genteel aura. We’re tempted to liken it to one Roger Federer, one of the most athletically gifted sportsmen in the world, with the most gentlemanly face.

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Moving on to the sides, the new signature creases, found on almost all new Mercedes cars, and strikingly evocative of the S-Class have been replicated here without many changes. The beltline, emanating from the eyebrows of those headlamps, start off in an extremely pronounced manner, as though pinched hard out of that metallic surface. And they diffuse gradually as they carry out their journey rearwards – like the smoky trail of a jetliner in a clear European sky with the faint, trailing cloud merging into the tail lamp. The prominent upper character line is complimented by another bottom crease spanning the two doors, duly completing the new family look for this M-B.

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17 inch 5×2 alloy wheels for the C220 CDI fill up the wheel arches. They are visually connected by a chrome highlight running through the car’s door sills, and extending over to the rear bumpers. The entire greenhouse area is lined with thick, shiny chrome in typical M-B fashion.  The short boot, which really isn’t as stubby as it looks, finishes off the visual affair in profile.

new 2015 Mercedes C Class rear (3)

At the rear, the C-class’s deck-lid is strikingly reminiscent of the smaller CLA, while the tail-lamps somewhat mimic those of the bigger S class. The curvy boot lid carries the M-B emblem in the middle flanked by C220 and CDI badges on either side. A chrome slat sits atop the registration plate recess and covers the entire width of the boot-lid. At the bottom, a pronounced horizontal crease on the bumper emphasizes the car’s width, with beautiful horizontal pseudo exhaust vents on either side (ala E-Class) making the car’s rear look properly cool.

Interestingly, there is no exhaust outlet peeping out from beneath the new C-Class’s bumper. The exhaust pipes have been nicely concealed and are visible only when you look at the car from a low angle.

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As a whole, the design of the C-class somehow looks and feels familiar. A deliberate attempt by Mercedes to keep the tradition of making the C look like a baby S has succeeded. The new C-class echoes the design of M-B’s flagship offering in a very evident way. And it’s never, ever a bad thing to emulate the best.

Next page for Interior and features>>>

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