With over 2,000 nip-and-tucks, this mid-gen "facelift" could, and would by most othmanufacturers, be billed a completely new model. But this is Mercedes-Benz, and with predictably austere accuracy this is officially a facelifted C-Class, albeit created by Stuttgart’s finest team of engineering surgeons.
Needless to say we lost count after a handful of fairly obvious tweaks and resorted to taking Mercedes' word that there were 2,000-odd -- well, we were in the sun-soaked Canary Islands after all.
The C-Class is Mercedes' big-seller. Shifting a cool $8.5 million since 1982, a healthy $1 million of that has been from the current 2007-gen model. It’s the most popular Mercedes ever and with BMW and Audi set to release their all-new 3-Series and A4 rivals early in 2012, Merc has pinned its hopes on the reliability and familiarity the C-Class has always thrived on.
Needless to say we lost count after a handful of fairly obvious tweaks and resorted to taking Mercedes' word that there were 2,000-odd -- well, we were in the sun-soaked Canary Islands after all.
The C-Class is Mercedes' big-seller. Shifting a cool $8.5 million since 1982, a healthy $1 million of that has been from the current 2007-gen model. It’s the most popular Mercedes ever and with BMW and Audi set to release their all-new 3-Series and A4 rivals early in 2012, Merc has pinned its hopes on the reliability and familiarity the C-Class has always thrived on.
PERFORMANCE
While Europe gets to choose from seven different engines, ranging from the C180’s entry-level 1.8-liter 156 hp gas engine to the C350’s 3.5-liter 306 hp V6 range-topper -- and a flurry of frugal diesels in between -- there are only two options to pick from on the new C-Class menu stateside.
Of course, our pick is the full-fat C350 V6 Sport. Surprisingly it’s also labeled a "Blue Efficiency" engine, as is every new C-Class heart, and it boasts a bonus 34 hp and 31% better fuel consumption over the previous gen C350.
The updated 7G-Tronic Plus auto box has a big part to play in the C350’s efficiency gains which also doesn’t use any more fuel than a 6-speed manual box would.
There’s no question this silky V6 is rapid yet not in a racy or overtly keen driver kind of way. Power delivery is predictably refined and the pliant carry-over chassis from the last C-Class keeps things rolling in the well-established and class-leadingly comfortable manner this Merc has always achieved.
Dynamically speaking, it trails the BMW 335i M Sport but that’s only because its balance is notably biased toward greater luxury and refinement.
Of course, our pick is the full-fat C350 V6 Sport. Surprisingly it’s also labeled a "Blue Efficiency" engine, as is every new C-Class heart, and it boasts a bonus 34 hp and 31% better fuel consumption over the previous gen C350.
The updated 7G-Tronic Plus auto box has a big part to play in the C350’s efficiency gains which also doesn’t use any more fuel than a 6-speed manual box would.
DESIGN
It’s far from a radical departure but the improvements become more apparent the more time you spend with it -- though a head-turner it’ll never really be.
Swept-back new headlamps and a re-profiled grille and air scoops kick things off stylistically, provoking a more toned, more sporty signature for the 2011 C-Class' aesthetic.
Stuffed with 10 new state-of-the-art safety features we won’t bore you with, on-board internet, full-color instrument cluster graphics and loads of soft-grain leather and soft-touch plastics, this new C-Class is doing a surprisingly good impression of the uber-posh CLS.
Sport spec gains a bold grille with an integral three-pointed star smack in the middle, a sporty 3-spoke steering wheel (stolen from the CLS) and brushed aluminum trim juxtaposed with a high-gloss black ash finish. An AMG styling pack, if you can’t wait for (or afford) the imminent fire-breathing C63 AMG, can also be optioned. It won’t make the C go any faster -- it’ll just look like it might.
The C has moved on. It’s still no game-changer but crucially it doesn’t confuse what it offers -- smooth riding luxury -- over its direct German rivals. The everyman’s Merc has evolved into something seemingly designed for the elite, and in all guises has succeeded in putting first class back into the C-Class.
Swept-back new headlamps and a re-profiled grille and air scoops kick things off stylistically, provoking a more toned, more sporty signature for the 2011 C-Class' aesthetic.
Stuffed with 10 new state-of-the-art safety features we won’t bore you with, on-board internet, full-color instrument cluster graphics and loads of soft-grain leather and soft-touch plastics, this new C-Class is doing a surprisingly good impression of the uber-posh CLS.
Sport spec gains a bold grille with an integral three-pointed star smack in the middle, a sporty 3-spoke steering wheel (stolen from the CLS) and brushed aluminum trim juxtaposed with a high-gloss black ash finish. An AMG styling pack, if you can’t wait for (or afford) the imminent fire-breathing C63 AMG, can also be optioned. It won’t make the C go any faster -- it’ll just look like it might.
The C has moved on. It’s still no game-changer but crucially it doesn’t confuse what it offers -- smooth riding luxury -- over its direct German rivals. The everyman’s Merc has evolved into something seemingly designed for the elite, and in all guises has succeeded in putting first class back into the C-Class.
There’s no question this silky V6 is rapid yet not in a racy or overtly keen driver kind of way. Power delivery is predictably refined and the pliant carry-over chassis from the last C-Class keeps things rolling in the well-established and class-leadingly comfortable manner this Merc has always achieved.
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