2014 Mercedes-Benz C200 review
Back in 1984 Mercedes-Benz did something not very revolutionary and not very exciting but it was the beginning of something great. You see in 1984 the Mercedes-Benz range was made up of big, expensive sedans, the SL convertible, and the G-Wagen. The 80s were a much simpler time, long before niche markets and an alphabet soup of badging was the norm. So when Mercedes launched the compact sedan which was the 190E, or the W201, it caused quite a stir in 1984. And rightly so.
I could just be making this up but the W201 got its name after Mercedes-Benz spent 201 hours, 39 minutes and 43 seconds testing the car at high speed at the Nardo test track in Italy. That’s such a German thing to; “Hans, ve must test ze auto for precisely two hunzred und vun hours”. In this time the factory standard 190E averaged a top speed of 250 km/h, covered 50,000km non-stop, and broke 12 world records along the way. This was one of the many achievements made by the 190E. It proved to be a great starting point for future Compact executive cars from Mercedes, which of course became known as the C-Class.
While the “first” C-Class was the W202 generation from 1993, many including myself consider the 190E to be the first C-Class only it was launched at a time in Mercedes’ history where their naming structure was quite odd. Anyway, glossing over that and back to the W202. This was a handsome looking car though it wasn’t all the exciting to drive. Then came the W203, “peanut lights” and all. I’l be honest and say this is my least favourite generation of C-Class. The looks, Sport Coupe and AMG models aside, never did it for me. But boy did this have some great AMG models. Two in fact; the C32 with a supercharged V6 and C55 with a 5.4-litre V8. Both are cars I want very much.
At this point the C-Class was always considered to be a 3-Series rival, a worthy contender but more a thorn in the Beemer’s side than a real threat. That is, until the W204 came along. This car was damn close to perfection, especially after its mid-life facelift. It looked great, drove great, had a lovely interior and did everything you’d expect from a Mercedes. The cherry on top was that it was priced quite nicely too. And the C63 AMG version was one hell of a ride. This was the only W204 generation I drove and I remember laughing at myself because the photos I had taken for the review were completely rubbish. It was because my hands were still shaking from excitement so they were either blurry or half the car was missing. That thing was a thrill-a-minute machine.
So we come to the new 2014 C-Class in its W205 generation, the fifth iteration of Mercedes’ compact sedan. I’ve been looking forward to driving this for a very long time. I first saw photos of it online earlier in the year when it was unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show. Then I attended the Launch Event for it in July at Mercedes-Benz Wellington. So here we are now and right from the off I can say with full confidence this is no longer a thorn in the 3-Series’ side but the only car worthy of usurping it from its throne. There is a caveat though; BMW make bold claims about being “the ultimate driving machine” so the 3-Series goes down the sporty path of executive motoring. Nothing wrong with that and there’s no arguing with the results; the 3-Series is widely praised as being pretty fun to drive. That’s just something BMW have always been good at. So with the new C-Class, Mercedes have gone down a different road. The C-Class has gone back to the roots of the old W201 and W202 by becoming a sort of mini-S-Class again. That’s not to say it’s no fun to drive, ooooh no.
When I first moved to Wellington I have to say I was bit disappointed by it. Compared to all the other capital cities I’ve visited (Tokyo, Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore) it was just a bit… small. I thought it was more a town than a city. But then the more time I spent here the more I grew to love this little city and the more I understood its appeal. Everything is accessible. You could literally walk from the top of Mt. Victoria to the sandy beach at Oriental Bay. Not many cities in the world can let you walk from a mountain to a beach in an hour or so. It’d probably take me half a day though. Recently the style bible that is Vogue magazine proclaimed Wellington to be the “coolest little capital city in the world”. I’d have to agree. You have all the benefits of living in a capital city such as great sights, attractions, world-class food, convenience, so and so forth but without all the usual capital city drawbacks such as congestion, pollution, and high living costs. As I was driving around Wellington in the C-Class I realised this could very well be the coolest little limo in the world.
By going down the comfort and refined path and taking the whole “Honey, I shrunk the S-Class” philosophy to heart, the C-Class is like Wellington in that it offers you all the typical benefits of a luxury limo but without all the usual drawbacks. The C-Class looks and feels expensive, it is very smooth and refined, it’s packed full of the latest technology and it makes you feel special. However, unlike the S-Class this isn’t a huge barge of a thing so you don’t need a chauffeur to drive it, because it’s a lot smaller than an S-Class you can have fun with it on a hill road, and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to buy and run.
Let’s start with the looks. Opinion seems to be divided on this one. Some have said it looks very “elegant and stylish”, others have said it looks “awkward and has a weird shape”. Those were the exact comments the first generation Mercedes CLS received when that was launched and now look at it. People are harping over how it was a design masterpiece. Personally I like this new C-Class design, I’d say its the prettiest in all its five generations. As with every other C-Class that’s gone before it, it does look like a shrunken S-Class. Not that that’s a bad thing, it looks very expensive because of it. However if I were to buy one, and how I wish I could, I’d spec it with the AMG package. With the AMG bumpers, the C-Class is undoubtedly the best looking car in its class. And I’ll take no arguments on that. Compared to the C-Class the current 3-Series looks a bit conservative, the Lexus IS a bit too fussy, the Audi A4 too dull and dated, and the Jaguar XE though not yet released, is let down but its half-arsed arse.
I was trying to pin why the C-Class’ design looked familiar and it’s not because of the S-Class but it’s because we’ve seen it before. It was actually previewed 4 years ago at the Frankfurt Motor Show by the F800 Style Concept. Give that a quick Google Images search and tell me that wasn’t the inspiration for the C-Class. Up front you have Mercedes’ now traditional two-bar grille with their badge in the middle. Their old traditional grille where the badge stuck out of the bonnet is now only reserved for the S-Class. We don’t even have the option of it in NZ. It’s the same story with the E-Class. I can live with that, I’m not sure if other Merc fans can. What makes the front stand out though are those pretty headlights. You get lovely daytime running lights as standard but also full LED headlights, which look like expensive jewellery.
From the side you have the classic proportions of a front-engine, rear-wheel drive car. It has a long bonnet and a pushed back cab design. Side on is my favourite angle to view the C-Class simply because I like its shape. I like how the back slopes down too. It’s a short bum but just the way the rear window slopes to the boot reminds me of those old coach-style cars from the 1930s. Maybe I’m alone in thinking that but it just elevates the look of the car to a whole new level. It looks far more expensive than it’s relatively modest starting price. From the back is where the S-Class similarities are most visible. It has a similar taillight design as the S-Class with similar graphics too. I’m not so sure on these yet. They’ll probably grow on as I see more on the road but at the moment these don’t have the same immediate impact as the previous design. People don’t go “ooh, that’s a Mercedes” but rather they went “oh, that’s a Mercedes?”
Step inside though and there’s no mistaking that this couldn’t be anything other than a Mercedes. It looks top class in there. Where do I even begin? Okay, the dash. The dash is dominated by that huge 8-inch display. That’s an optional extra, the standard screen is only 7-inches, but it’s an extra I’d urge you to get. Not only does it look better but it comes with a lot of handy features too. I would’ve preferred a similar screen display as the E and S-Class though. I know why Mercedes have chosen a tablet-stlye screen as per the A-Class and GLA, to appeal to younger buyers, but it does look a bit awkward sticking out like that. Some rivals allow their screens to fold away, that doesn’t happen here. It’s not to everyone’s taste but I could live with it because it does what its supposed to so damn well. Coming down from the screen you’ll notice a black slab of piano black trim. It’s like a big old Steinway was slapped across the dash and that’s that. It’s an elegant looking thing and feel wonderful to touch. Not that you’d be touching it often as there are very few buttons on it. Everything is controlled via a newer and larger COMAND dial or via new and shiny touchpad. The few buttons are a mix between push buttons for the infotainment system and toggle switches for the climate control. Of course you can control the climate control via COMAND but every man loves operating a toggle switch. Speaking of climate control, you’ll notice the air vents are a work of art. Unfortunately this one didn’t have the analogue clock, which is a shame as that alone was reason enough to buy this car over its fellow German rivals which don’t come with an analogue clock.
It’s one thing for it to look nice but it should feel nice too. And thankfully it’s as nice to touch as it is to see. Actually, it’s as nice to smell too. This car plays with your senses in all the right ways. No, not all the surfaces are trimmed in leather as per the S-Class but there’s generous use of soft-touch materials. Everything has an expensive feel to it. The aluminium trim on the doors, the controls for the electric seats, the damping of the buttons and stalks, the aluminium start button, and the quality of the leather are some of the best I’ve come across. The Burmester speakers are gorgeous. I’ve gotten a bit bored with all the usual Bose, Harman/Kardon, and JBL sounds systems that are standard in a lot of cars these days. Only two other car companies use Burmester speakers; Porsche and Bugatti. Yup, quite an exclusive club. The ones fitted to this C-Class were crisp, clear, and just so damn cool. My favourite speakers fitted to any car are the pop up Bang & Olufsens in the SLS, Aston Martins, and Audis but these Burmester ones are a close second. Form and function, what’s not to love? Unfortunately it’s not all perfect. There were some little niggles I had with the controls. The main one was for the cruise control stalk which was awkwardly positioned behind the steering wheel. This is the same in other Mercs but for some reason I couldn’t get to it properly. I ended up getting the indicator stalk more than once by mistake. Then there’s the rotary dial and touch pad combo. Because the touch pad is directly over the dial it makes it awkward to use. I can understand why Mercedes have both, but one would’ve sufficed. If they’d combined the two it would’ve been too similar to the BMW’s iDrive which wouldn’t have gone down well. That’d be like showing up to Oktoberfest with a bottle of champagne and a Frenchman. A massive no-no.
The new COMAND system is pretty similar to the old COMAND system. Why fix something that ain’t broke right? Changing songs you either push the dial left or right or turn it. You’d think turning it would adjust volume but that’s on a separate button. Of course you could use the steering wheel controls which are more convenient, which is what I ended up resorting to. Having two ways to control one thing sounds good at first but it becomes overwhelming. I’m sure with more practice it’d be second nature but on first impressions it was a lot to take in. Other than those niggles, everything else was business as usual. The display was nice and clear with only important information being displayed on the screen (this being a Mercedes golf courses and petrol stations dominated the POIs). It has a 3D mapping which looks great in the city. Not so out in the country. Another great feature was the optional heads-up display. Not only does it make you feel like you’re in the year 2050, it’s also a great safety feature. By displaying only key information such as navigation directions and speed, there’s no need to move your eyes away from the road. It’s brilliant and about time Mercedes got it into their cars. Rivals such as BMW and even Citroen have been doing it for a while now.
Space is plentiful inside. There’s lots of adjustment in the electrically operated front seats, which offer great support too. Steering column adjusts manually for reach and rake. Headroom was great, even with a panoramic roof. In the back there’s decent levels of head and legroom too. The middle seat does have an intrusive transmission tunnel under it but despite this I was able to squeeze myself on it. Once there I found I still had enough headroom, my head wasn’t touching the roof, and the footwells were big enough to put my feet somewhere. The large windows and panoramic roof add a lot light inside and make the interior feel airy. If anything this is the contributor to making it feel spacious and luxurious inside. Thanks to big windows visibility out is great. Looking out, side, and back is easy and there are little blind spots. Of course with blind spot assist on the good sized wing mirrors they’d be dealt with ease anyway. As for practicality, well the boot is as big as the 3-Series at 480L and there cubbyholes in the cabin are plentiful. Since the gear selector is up on the steering column the centre console is just a great big collection of places to lose your phone. Or somewhere to put the key fob.
Driving the C-Class is a wonderful experience in its own right. Call me a snob but to me a premium car must have at least 6-cylinders, any less just won’t do. But then everyone had a look around and noticed fuel prices were going up. We still wanted our posh cars but didn’t want to end up like Greece in debt. So premium manufacturers started downsizing their engines. You can now get an E-Class with a four-pot engine. How’s that for a sign of times? Powering this C200 is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol pumping out a healthy 182bhp and 300NM of torque. That’s enough to get this mini-limo from 0-100 km/h in 7 seconds. That’s pretty good for a car that’s 4686mm long, 1810mm wide, and weighs around 1600kg. It’s actually lighter than its predecessor which is good for performance, fuel economy, and agility. Which brings me to the C-Class’ new Agility Control which allows the driver to choose from different driving modes such as Eco, Comfort, Sport, Spot+, and Individual and adjusts steering, transmission, engine, and damping accordingly. All driving modes are good at what they do, I didn’t have it in Eco for long though. Comfort was great around town and on the motorway as the steering was light, engine and transmission were smooth, and the ride was supple. In Sport the gears are held for longer, and Sport+ was designed with the Paekakariki Hill Road in mind. In this mode, on this road it was a match made in heaven. Okay, I’m going to say it was a blast to drive or it gave me a smile as wide as Kim Dotcom but it still proved to be an enjoyable drive.
This had to be one of the best roads I’ve ever been on and not once did I feel like the C-Class wasn’t worthy of the road. In Sport+ the steering, engine, and transmission are all at their sportiest which to be fair isn’t all that sporty at all. It made the engine response quicker and the steering weights up. It gave decent feedback for what it was, I mean compared something built to be outright sporty such as a Golf GTI it doesn’t have the same level of feel or enthusiasm but still proved enjoyable. Everything was so manageable and you could predict exactly what everything will do. It gripped the road beautifully and there was no butt clenching tail-happy moments like the Lexus IS350 or C63. It was all very, refined. Its rear-wheel drive chassis was well balanced. The suspension damping did firm up and you could feel more of the road but not too much that it made the ride uncomfortable. That was one of the most surprising thing I found with the C-Class, not once did it ever feel uncomfortable. There were no unexpected jolts or crashes as it went over the less than perfect roads. It remained composed on every surface that came its way. For extra comfort the C-Class is the first car in this segment that has the option of air suspension.
That should hint at how this car should be driven. In all seriousness and honesty the C-Class is best driven like, surprise suspire, an S-Class. So while it can put a smile on a twisty hill road, it’ll soothe and calm you on the way back home on the motorway. Around town the C-Class is just as relaxing. When I drive an Audi, BMW, or even Range Rover I’m in a rush to get places and feel like everyone should get out of my way. Not in the C-Class. I didn’t care if I got stuck in traffic or if the idiot in the beat up Honda didn’t indicate before merging. Nope, because travelling in the C-Class isn’t about getting there in a hurry. It’s about enjoying the journey as comfortably as possible. It is as relaxing as sitting by the fire on a leather armchair and having a book read to you by Stephen Fry.
As a way of covering long distances the C-Class is in a Class of its own. An advantage the smaller C-Class has on the larger S-Class is the smaller engine. Thanks to the small 2.0-litre engine it has a long range thanks to a claimed fuel economy of just 6L/100km. On my test, the C-Class’ fuel gauge only moved one bar. That’s impressive for what is practically a limo. So it has range covered but with top class NVH levels and refinement the C-Class makes for a great long distance companion. Road, engine, and wind levels are kept to a bare minimum. The seats are comfortable and supportive. My only graff was the slightly offset steering wheel. You don’t notice it driving in a straight line but on the twisty roads you notice it more. What you will notice, if you have the Driver Assitance PLUS with DISTRONIC fitted, is that you can set your car at a certain speed (say, the legal limit of 100 km/h) and it will maintain that speed. If the car in front slows down or if a car merges in front of you, magical radar elves will spot this and automatically slow down for you. In addition it has something called ‘active lane keeping assist’. I didn’t know this car had that fitted so when I had DISTRONIC on and went around a light bend I was wondering why the C-Class felt like it was on rails. It was amazing. You’d turn the wheel and it would lock on to the perfect angle so you don’t swerve out or go past your lane. I had never experienced this before and as bizarre as it sounds it really works and it helps a lot.
The C-Class comes with so much equipment there is literally not enough time in the world to list them. Everything can be seen on the Mercedes-Benz New Zealand website. Go check out the specs sheet and you’ll see that even in ‘base’ C200 form it comes with a lot of standard equipment. Some highlights include full LED headlights and daytime running lights, AGILTY CONTROL and AGILITY SELECT, Keyless start, and ambient lighting. Unlike other markets where their C-Class aren’t as opulently equipped, the options list isn’t as daunting. I’ll make it easy for you and say to get the Vision Package which comes with the Panoramic sunroof, Intelligent Light System, and the Heads-Up Display. That’s a must have. So too is the COMAND package which increases the screen size from 7-inches to 8 and also brings in the 13-speaker 590W Burmester sound system. Now on a personal note I’d go for the AMG Line package because you get the nicer looking body kit, wheels, and that beautiful analogue clock. So yes, I’d recommend that one too. As for AIRMATIC well it is nice but at $2,490 for a single option it is quite pricey. But hey, if you’re chucking options at your C-Class you might as well go all out? As I see it choosing the colour is the hardest option. Usually I’d have gone for a black one with a cream interior but now I think it might be white or silver with that beautiful dark red leather. The C-Class begs for a light colour to highlight those gorgeous contours on its body.
Choosing between the C-Class and its rivals is a no brainer. The 3-Series is still probably a better drive around a racetrack but I’d put my money on the C-Class coming out on top in real world situations. As an everyday all-rounder its hard to think of anything in this segment that can match the C-Class. The Audi A4 has been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth so a replacement is due soon. The Jaguar XE is an interesting car and certainly looks pretty… from the front and side. The back just looks half done and I don’t think I could ever live with a half-done car. And it’s not even launched yet. The Lexus IS is actually very nice car but compare Lexus’ sales in NZ to the Germans’ and you can see they still have along way to go. Some people aren’t still convinced by them. Which is a shame as they make some nice cars. The Volvo S60 is a bit left-field but if I’m honest it’s not in the same league. So really it’s still a duel between the 3-Series and C-Class. These cars are so similar yet so different in their approaches that I reckon it’d only person preference which would pick a winner. Think of it like this; Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said their philosophy has always been to be the best, not the first.
The same could be said with the C-Class. It’s not the first in this segment but after 30 years and five generations I think it is the best compact executive out there because of the way it makes you feel. Let me put it like this; everything else in this segment feels premium. They feel expensive and well put together but the C-Class goes one further in that it truly feels luxurious. While the exterior does look lovely and elegant, it’s the interior that really sets it apart. Nothing else in this segment makes you feel special driving around in it. As you sink in to the seats which are as supportive and comforting as your own mother, set the driver mode to Comfort, set the climate control just so, and look out the windscreen and see the heads-up display you know you’re in something special. You know you’ve made it and there’s no need to rush everywhere. You can sit back and enjoy being in one of the best interior in the business and appreciate the details such as those wonderful Burmester speakers, the great mix of piano black trim and aluminium, and the analogue clock (if you tick the right options box). The C-Class has a refined approach to this segment but it’s anything but boring. It still manages to put a smile on your face but for a very different reason to something like a BMW. Yes, the C-Class does the same things as its rivals and I’d say in certain ways some of its rivals do certain things better. But if you want a car to flatter you and make you feel special, the C-Class is unrivalled. Few cars manage to feel more expensive than they actually are, especially at this end of the market, but my god this has done it. The C-Class has always been my favourite Mercedes sedan and I’m happy to say that with this new version it still is. C is for cool, the coolest little limo in the world.
Verdict: 9.5/10
Pros: Oozes class, Pretty looks, Stylish and fresh image, Great real-world performance, Impressive fuel economy, comfortable and refined way of travelling, loads of toys and safety kit, special factor, Burmester speakers,
Cons: Slightly offset steering wheel, has some awkward controls which take getting used to, no 6-cylinder option (yet), tablet screen not for everyone.
This has changed everything. The all-new C-Class has ruffled up the compact executive market for the better. While others are chasing perfection, Mercedes have damn nearly gone and done it. It does everything you’d expect from the coolest little limo in the world. It is simply the best and you wouldn’t have expected less.
Revved Up 