New Mercedes-Benz C-Class officially unveiled

The new 2021 Mercedes-Benz C-Class has made its official global premiere online after it was unceremoniously leaked earlier this week.

As is increasingly the case with high-profile new model launches these days, there’s not much we didn’t already know about the replacement for the three-pointed star’s best-seller, which has generated more than 10.5 million sales since 1982 and over 2.5 million since the W205 was released in 2014 (excluding coupes and cabriolets).

Revealed in both Saloon and Estate form ahead of their Australian release late this year, the W206 C-Class is based on the same new Modular Rear Architecture (MRA) as the new S-Class limousine and also comes with a completely new 48-volt electrical platform.

The new mid-size sedan and wagon, which will be produced in the Mercedes-Benz Cars plants in Bremen (Germany), Beijing (China) and East London (South Africa), both grow substantially in most key directions.

Now riding on a 25mm-longer 2865mm wheelbase, both models measure 4751mm long overall (up 65mm for the sedan and 49mm for the wagon) and 1820mm wide (up 10mm), while the sedan is 9mm lower at 1438mm high.

Despite its bigger body and wider wheel tracks (up 19mm front and 48mm rear), the new C-Class is just as slippery as before, with an aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.24Cd for the sedan and 0.27Cd for the Estate.

Inside, while front headroom and legroom remains much the same, front shoulder-room is up by 26mm, rear headroom increases by 13mm (sedan) and rear legroom grows by 21mm.

The sedan’s boot capacity remains at 455 litres and the wagon’s rises by 30 litres to 490L, extending to a total of 1510L behind the rear seats.

The new C-Class Estate, which accounts for two-thirds of sales in Germany, comes standard with a powered EASY-PACK tailgate, two-piece cargo cover, 40/20/40-split folding rear seat back and an optional Load Compartment Comfort Package with electric folding.

Under the bonnet, so far only five four-cylinder turbocharged engines have been announced, all with 48-volt mild-hybrid technology and an integrated starter-generator (ISG) that facilitates gliding, 15kW/200Nm boosting and energy recovery functions.

The rear-wheel drive C 200 and C 300 are expected to form the core C-Class range in Australia, but 4MATIC all-wheel drive will be offered in Europe, where an entry-level 125kW/200Nm 1.5-litre turbo-petrol C 180 will also be available.

The C 200 ups output to 150kW/300Nm, consumes 6.2-6.7L/100km and accelerates to 100km/h in a claimed 7.3 seconds (7.5sec for the wagon), while the C 300 employs a 190kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four that consumes 6.6-7.0L/100km and accelerates it to 100km/h in six seconds and a 250km/h top speed.

Both new M254 petrol engines feature a twin-scroll turbo, second-generation starter-generator, NANOSLIDE cylinder coating, CONICSHAPE cylinder trumpet honing and exhaust after-treatment, and are part of the same modular engine family of inline four- and six-cylinder petrol and diesel units.

The nine-speed 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission will be standard in all W206s, and C 220d and C 300d models powered by a new OM654M 2.0-litre turbo-diesel will also be offered in Europe, in 147kW/440Nm and 195kW/550Nm tunes respectively, consuming as little as 4.9L/100km (WLTP).

Mercedes-Benz will again offer plug-in hybrid C-Class models, this time based around the M254, employing fourth-gen PHEV tech and a 25.4kWh battery to deliver an electric output of 95kW/440Nm and an EV range of around 100km (WLTP) up to 140km/h. The battery can be charged to 100 per cent capacity in 30 minutes. Benz says diesel plug-in hybrid sedan and wagon variants will follow.

The new C-Class PHEV models rob less cargo space and allow through-loading from the boot, which expands by 45 litres to 360L and up to 1375L in the Estate. Air suspension will be standard for all C-Class PHEV models.

Naturally, all of the multimedia advances from the new S-Class are also present, led by the latest-gen MBUX infotainment platform with fingerprint scanner, over-the-air updates, ‘Hey Mercedes’ voice assistant and Smart Home function, which networks the car with your house to control functions in both remotely.

Both the driver’s free-standing LCD instrument cluster (available in either 10.25-inch or 12.3-inch sizes) and the central touch-screen (9.5- or 11.9-inch) are angled towards the driver and a virtual 9x3-inch head-up display will be optional.

Other new optional technologies include rear-axle steering (up to 2.5 degrees), which reduces the turning circle by over 400mm to less than 11 metres, and Augmented Video, which shows moving images via a front-mounted camera.

While LED High Performance headlights will be standard, the option of DIGITAL LIGHT from the S-Class can refract and direct the headlight beams using 1.3 million micro-mirrors.

Safety and driver-assist systems will extend to Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC radar cruise control, which Benz says can automatically maintain a preset distance from vehicles ahead on all road types.

Active Steering Assist helps the car stay in its lane at speeds up to 210km/h thanks to a new 360-degree camera, while Traffic Sign Assist adds stop sign and red light warning functions as part of the Driving Assistance Package.

Wheel sizes for the core C-Class range will be 17- to 19-inch, and three new paint finishes – spectral blue, high-tech silver and opalite white – have been added to the paint colour range.

“The letters C and S sit at opposite ends of the alphabet. However, in our portfolio they’re now moving closer together,” said Daimler and Mercedes-Benz CEO, Ola Källenius.

“The C-Class is already our best-selling saloon. Still, I’m certain our new C-Class will excite even more customers with a wide range of high-tech features derived from our flagship S-Class.

“With the latest generation MBUX, rear-axle steering and comprehensive electrification, our most successful model range will once again raise the bar as the most sophisticated offering in its segment.”