New Mercedes-Benz C-class review, test drive

The new C-class may look unusually sleek, especially with the AMG Line styling upgrades, but its watchwords are, in fact, mostly to do with emissions and economy. According to Mercedes’ engineers, efficiency is of more significance than its ability to hit 100kph in a mere eight seconds.

What is it like to drive, you ask? This car is surprisingly lovely. Its rack and pinion steering system may be electrically power assisted – again to improve fuel economy by that little bit extra – but the feel and accuracy that it provides on the move is close to breathtaking at times. You can place the nose of the new C-class to the nearest millimetre in most corners, and although the assistance is quite strong, there is genuine feel on offer beneath your fingertips.

The chassis, certainly in the case of the car that we drove, feels every bit as good to go with it. There is a delicious fluidity to the way that the new C-class tackles most roads. It feels almost as if the car itself takes one good look at what lies ahead, works out precisely what’s required, and then dials up the perfect mix of settings to enable you to sit back and enjoy the ride.

There is, however, a proper level of involvement to the ride and handling at the same time. It’s not just as overtly driver-oriented as a BMW 3-series, perhaps, but in its way the new C-class also feels every bit as crisp as the BMW on the move, with a more soothing ride on most surfaces to boot. And, as in the BMW only more so, you can tailor the car’s responses almost endlessly by playing with the new ‘Agility’ button, down where the gearlever might normally be.

Five drive modes are available, with Eco at the bottom and Individual at the top. In Individual, you can set the engine and gearbox, steering, throttle and dampers to whatever levels you wish, independent of one another – so, if you want the dampers on the softest setting with the engine and gearbox on super-sport, no problem. And beneath this, there are four other settings in which all the car’s various systems can be tuned simultaneously to respond in whatever way you might require.

Sounds complex, and it is, but it does allow you to dial the new C-class into a road and make it react accordingly in a way that, ten years ago, no C-class driver would have dreamed possible. What’s less successful, however, is the new touchpad screen that sits just behind the regular rotary COMAND dial, which you use to adjust the car’s various systems. For some reason, Mercedes has provided drivers with both control options to scroll through the various menus, and nobody seems to know why.