[Arnav612]

Luxury mobility is an indulgence that's hard to get rid of. Aspirational value combined with sheer social image qualifies into the Indian lifestyle. The trophy-like stature for years of blood sweat and tears comes from the car standing at the porch, for most of us. The garage queen - the kinds that you make sure your hands are clean before touching, the kinds that you don't give out keys to the valet, the kinds that you trust in altering your lifestyle and that one, penultimate gift to yourself. As they say, boys grow older and their toys get faster.

Here's the story of the two boys in my family - my father, and myself.

Dad and I share the same roots of enthusiasm towards cars (mine is multiplied a few hundred folds though). I grew up sitting in his lap while travelling and recognizing cars on the road - as young as the age of 2. He made sure I was always involved in every car-buying decision since as young as when I was 8-9. We had different priorities though, my bang-for-buck criteria was fast, sporty, eventful. His is more on the lines of opulent, luxurious, simple.

Having gone through waves of buying Honda Citys, Innovas, Swifts etc, it was this fine evening in 2017 that we sat to discuss the possibilities of buying one of "those" cars. Dad being himself, started and ended the conversation at Mercedes. We gave little room to BMW, Jaguar and the likes, but pretty much for namesake. The first contender was the Mercedes CLA, but thanks to its not so dad-friendly characteristics, we brought home a W205 C Class in the C200 guise.



The C-Class was a thrill for all of us as our first step into the luxury segment. It complemented our Innova Crysta and City beautifully with the perfect appointment of duties. Amidst these workhorses, the C was special. Yeah, it wasn't the most spacious car out there, it wasn't loaded to the brim (our Seltos was way more contemporary), but from the way the doors shut, to the way the knurled aluminum knobs turned, and the way the motor purred, it exuded class. A certain amount of class which in my opinion, even BMW and Audi couldn't imagine.

Cut to 2022, 5 years and 18000 kms of the C Class later, we suddenly sold our car to a rather enthusiastic individual. He had been eyeing the car for a while and gave us an offer we just couldn't refuse. We're still in touch and I keep seeing the car whenever I go back to India. Since the C went suddenly, and I had my university commitments starting, we were in a fix. We initially decided to stick with the Seltos and ZS for a while till we were prepared for a proper upgrade. Which made sense given our usage. But, indulgence.

This time, it was my turn. I looked no further than this Blue-Black 530d M Sport of 2014. And boy, what a machine. I had never seen dad smiling when he accelerated, before he did in the BMW. This car was the polar opposite of the C which was way more tame, supple and significantly more nimble. The 5 was business. The M Sport guise made it even damn better. A business suit never looked this good in sneakers, with the way those M Sport rims blended with timeless lines. My 9 year old 530d never looked 9. And a large part of it was owed to its design.



A year went by and I was away from home. Now remember that the 530d was much more to my tastes than it was to dad's. And lastly, maintaining a 9 year old german luxury sedan. Throw these things into one mix and it's not a pleasant experience. One thing failed after the other. Sometimes the steering rack, sometimes interior wear, a suspicious CEL, and so on. We had done our share of preventive maintenance, but you do such stuff for a car that you deeply desire. The deep desire is what dad didn't have. He felt out of place in a 2014 pre-owned car after selling a 2017 showroom bought car.

While I wouldn't have taken this step individually, collectively we sold it in exactly one year of ownership, in July 2023. Same fate of the Mercedes, the new owner is an avid team-bhp reader, an enthusiast, and an assurance of good hands. We're still in touch and he keeps sharing pictures of the car in new avatars. I commend his enthusiasm for driving the car down from Mumbai to Kochi.

NOW, what next? We concluded that since I'm away from home, we should prioritize the parents' wishes when it came to their luxury barge. Hopefully I cross paths with another 530d later on. Sigh. We casually surfed through new cars like the E-Class, C-Class, GLC etc. But the prices were enormously unjustifiable.

72 Lakhs on the road for a C-Class??? Man!

We were even considering cars like the Camry and the Superb. The value proposition is unmatchable. But, indulgence.

Meanwhile in Italy I was, casually surfing through classifieds and Autohangar Advantage and came across an inventory of W206 C-Class'. Interesting. The prices quoted - even more interesting. Almost 25% off the price tag of a brand new car. Quickly rung up a known dealer at Autohangar Advantage in Prabhadevi, and found out the funda. I initially was of the impression, that these might be TD cars or demo cars and I wasn't keen at all. But these were their fleet cars being used individually by their directors from Chakan, and not random potential customers from all over.

The car came to Mumbai and dad went over to the showroom. He LOVED it. The interiors were a big step up from anything we ever had. I never was a fan of the all-screen interiors, but see it to believe it. Indulgence. Pulled our own strings and got a sweet deal on a 14k driven Mercedes Benz registered C200. The Mojave Silver + tan interiors wouldn't be our choice, but that's when Mom stepped in saying, no. more. white. Hmph. It's a beautiful colour though.

I returned to Mumbai and gave delivery of the 5. And went to check out this C all alone on the same day. Took a test drive and while it sure was lacking in comparison to the 5, the only thing in my head was "Dad must have loved this", and the dealer agreed. My first impression was strong. I loved how supple the ride was and it took potholes and ironed them out like they never existed. The low seating made for a generous couch-like driving position, my favourite. MBUX was actually pretty easy to use on the move. AC controls were digital, but they were constantly displayed on the screen. No moving through menus and stuff. I would only change the haptic glass panels for actual buttons though.

Just once more, I took a friend along with me for final checks of the car. We sniffed the car all over like CBI guarddogs and had a few panels realigned, and a tiny dent vacuumed out.

We cracked a sweet on road price with transfer charges waived off, and one free service. We will be extending the warranty to 5 years next year. Overall the dealership experience was extremely courteous and frank. All their teams worked in fantastic harmony and all we had to do was pick up the car. My SA, DK Sinha at Prabhadevi is excellent to deal with. Along with specifics of the car, his conversation and work ethic was commendable. Everything was sorted before time and it was more of him waiting for us than the other way round.

Alternatives:

This 2020 E200 Exclusive came around. With only 21k kms clocked, and the exact same price as the C, it was appealing. But the dealer's unresponsive attitude was too slow to catch up with how enterprising Autohangar had been.

Delivery Pictures:

[Arnav612]

The Review

Since the Mercedes C Class of this generation has already been comprehensively reviewed by Team-BHP, find some personal insights and opinions in this review.

What I Like:
- After the mature and stately W205, the 206 exhibits a much more sporty avatar with the sharper, more angular light clusters. It still exudes class though, and it's a fantastic mix.
- The suspension is fantastically sprung. It flattens out almost every routine undulation on Bombay roads.
- The MBUX infotainment makes the C-Class a lot more contemporary, and makes you forget how clunky the W205's Audio 20 system was to operate.
- I love how the AC controls are a constant display on the screen. A certain amount of muscle memory does set in.
- MEMORY SEATS!!! now as standard unlike the omission in the CKD W205 (and most of the v213 variants)
- Burmester audio (not 3d) is way way better than the stock mercedes speakers in the previous generation.
- Extremely supportive front seats (especially the headrest), and a wide range of adjustment.
- Rear seats are a little more roomy than before, thigh support is still a grouse though.
- Ambient lighting looks so special. Creates a world of its own inside the cabin. We have set it to amber to go with the tan interior theme.
- The navigation is beautifully animated with accurate building shapes, corporate logos, and actual waves for water bodies.
-Absolutely silent. Need to often check the rev gauge to see if the engine is running. Shuts off the whole damn world.
- The different instrument cluster themes also translate onto the infotainment screen. Really pleasing to the eyes.
- 9G Tronic gearbox is butter smooth on city roads.

What could have been better:
- I do certainly miss some bits like the Mercedes analogue clock. This may have looked a little out of place in this cabin, nonetheless.
- Would have preferred a physical volume slider. The current one is pretty annoying. Moreover, there's one spot on the volume level below which it's really soft, and after which it's annoyingly loud. Need a midpoint here.
- Guzzler. Even after the mild hybrid and the car being run-in (14k), never seen more than 8 kmpl overall.
- Somewhere down there, there's no replacement for displacement. The 1.5+Mild Hybrid feels a lot less creamy than the old 2.0 Litre motor.
- Rims have a very bland design as compared to the rest of the car.
- Spare wheel is still strapped on to the boot floor - Mercedes haven't learnt anything and I don't think they will for a while.
- The touch based haptic buttons on the steering wheel are too small for comfort. Gets pretty fiddly to use.
- My W205 C Class costed around 25k per annum to service, and this one is at 50k! Exactly double.
- The boot springs are noisy on opening. I asked the dealer to rectify it but he tried it on a few other cars and it turns out that it's an issue on every C Class of this gen.
- Base variant treatment. Misses out on a 360 degree camera (My Seltos and ZS both have it). Cooled seats are a sore miss.

[Arnav612]

The C Class is a major step-up from the entry level luxury sedan it used to be. It isn't an exhibition of mere brand value that it used to be until this generation. Find this review referencing a lot to the W205 C-Class and more of a comparison in almost consecutive ownership.

The previous generation C-Class was a scaled down S-Class in essence, and it was visible with almost identical lines and elements, and moreover, the interiors took a lot of inspiration in colours, materials and layout. But, from what I've noticed, the W205/W222 correspondence was based on inspiration from a more expensive model, while the W206 is a blatant (if I may) cut-copy-paste job of the W223 on a smaller footprint. Almost to an extent where I sympathize with S-Class owners of this generation for being mistaken with a car two segments lower.

However, as a C-Class owner, I can't complain can I?

Speaking of exteriors, the C looks fresh. Fresher than any generation has ever looked at launch. It masters the ideology of Mercedes' sensual purity (also referenced in my W205 Review), and takes it to a new level. Noticeable design changes are cleaner lines across the side profile of the car lending it a hint of timelessness unlike the make-belief sloping stature of the previous generation. The smaller, more angular headlamps and taillamps take due advantage of this straight-line form, and make the overall package a beautiful amalgamation of aggression and elegance.

The smartly contoured bonnet is a fine example of form and function. Lending aerodynamic enhancement alone, it also adds an amount of completion and balances the rather aggressive front end. While the air dams on the front may look dull on darker colours (blue, grey etc.), this Mojave Silver makes it looks really subtle and balanced in my opinion.



The side-profile is clean, but the rims make it look "too-clean". It lacks emotion and takes away from the general appeal of an otherwise beautiful design. I'm not saying I want AMG-rims on a C200, but I would have liked something either more sharp, or more full. This one's in the middle of nowhere.

Rear end has a nice, complete design. For the first time in a C-Class we see split taillamps, but that's something I've never liked on a Mercedes, ever since I saw them on the V213 E Class facelift. They look too Korean for my liking. But, that's only in comparison. In isolation, it works in favour of the understated aggression. The boot is identical to the previous generation with a narrow, high loading lip and spare tyre strapped onto the floor. For a recent airport run I had to take a friend's Slavia along.

Overall, it's safe to say that this C-Class does turn heads and true to its heritage, you can't hate it.

[Arnav612]

The S-Class resemblant exteriors only amplify into the interiors. Open up the solidly built door and the first thing you'll notice is the projection of the Mercedes logo onto the ground. This was once missing on standard variants of Mercedes' cars and it's good to see this across the range. This small touch is symbolic of how Mercedes is doing away with the base-variant/entry level treatment to its cars in this generation. The doors shut not only with a satisfying thud, but also shut off the world outside. Full marks for insulation.



It's this silence in the cabin that sets the foundation for the experience inside. Given that this is a baby-S Class, the sense of occasion blows the 3-series/A4, and maybe even the current E-Class out of the water. The sharp-looking steering wheel however, is more form than function. Small, hard hornpad and fiddly touch controls are only aesthetically pleasing. I would have been happier with fewer buttons and more real estate for each of the buttons given that they're scrollers too. The brushed metal inserts on the steering wheel are beautifully sculpted and it only enhances with the effect of light. Proper example of cohesive abstractness.



Unlike the majority, I personally love the pin-stripe design. More than being a design touch, it lends concrete direction to the vertically arranged centre console. Quality on all the touchpoints is very good. And even most of the lower parts of the dashboard too. The tan interiors, while not entirely to our taste, I feel blends way better with this dashboard than beige would. Also, with this car, I finally have NO beige interiors in my garage.

Attention to detail in sculpture is top notch here. From the knurled finish on the storage bin button, the intricately sculpted AC vents (also have ambient lighting inside), it not only looks good but also feels built to last. It's a breath of fresh air after receding quality in Mercedes' of the recent past.

The tablet is placed vertically with a shortcut button glass panel right below. Now before I dive into the tablet and its features, I want to echo a lot of people as I call out the physical buttons in the cabin. It's all on a glass panel with haptic feedback, from the seat adjustment, seat memory, hazard lights, all other shortcut buttons, sunroof and cabin light operations, and everything on the steering wheel. While it's innovative, it isn't the best to operate. Press one of the buttons on the horizontal shortcut button panel beneath the screen and the entire panel tilts in the direction of pressure applied. It's not a good sight and while it isn't flimsy by any means, it does come across as an annoyance. You almost don't feel like touching any of the buttons. The window switches, stalks and headlight knob is are the only pure-physical buttons in the cabin.

Coming to the elephant in the room, the award winning MBUX System. To start off with, this is where the gap between entry level Mercs starts bridging with much more expensive models. Seat kinetics, top-notch graphics, 64-colour ambient lighting with preset mixed options, BUTTER smooth operation and comprehensively laid out intuitive menus make this a game-changer. It's a whole new world for anyone that has experienced the clunky, annoyingly bezel-ed, strictly average Audio 20 system of the C-Class. Back when a mediocre Garmin Map was a Rs. 40,000 accessory, this system gets comprehensive navigation system, beautifully designed with logos and graphics.

You get an individual/guest login option on startup, which is linked to your profile on the Mercedes-Me App. The individual settings combines your entire driving experience under one roof which makes it easier for owners to share with their chauffeur. The fingerprint sensor is all you need to touch to login and have your custom seat, steering, ambient light, sound and display configuration all loaded up for you.

It's beautiful how much more importance Mercedes has given to owners to have their cake and eat it too. While not a lot of owners resort to using all of these customization options, it's always good to know that there's so much more that you can extract out of your C-Class in terms of equipment.

The front seats are supportive with great bolstering and thigh support. Special mention to the headrest which was apparently designed with the help of orthopedic surgeons. It's not difficult to find your ideal driving position and the range of adjustment is pretty wide for a car of this size. Moreover, the low set seat makes the couch-like driving position very possible without hampering visibility.

The MID is a massive digital display with a host of customization options. There's three basic display options - Understated, Classic, and Aggressive. The understated theme has a pink background with only half of the meters numbered and marked out and the invisible numbers show up with increasing speed. The Classic is a blue, easy on the eyes theme with a wide range of information that you can scroll through (eco-score, music, mileage, trip info etc.) The Aggressive goes hand in hand with the sport mode. Full red display with additional meters for torque/power. It's beautiful how you can also implement these themes onto the main MBUX display with the touch of a button. More than the drive, Mercedes ensures that the entire experience of your drive is cohesive with how you look at the car. A lot of attention has gone into the visual appeal and digital design has been pushed to respectable limits.

The rear door for starters is way longer than the outgoing generation. You can tell just by glancing at the car from the side. Wide opening and RELATIVELY easier ingress makes this a lot more competitive for the occasional chauffeur driven folk too. Step inside and you easily notice that kneeroom is way more than before, as is the headroom. Thigh support remains a shocking grouse though, and a knees up position is inevitable. Overall there's a sturdy armrest with cup-holders, manual sunblinds, panoramic sunroof (operated with a touch-slider, not the most intuitive), and AC vents (no individual zones though). Speakers are on both doors as well as the parcel tray. Materials from the front door pad are carried to the rear and look neat. Window area while being long enough, is a little narrow. But I do understand that for proportion and stability sakes. Chrome lining around the windows is thinner than the outgoing C-Class and looks alot more elegant. The panoramic sunroof aids airiness in the rather dark cabin. Overall, it's an improved backseat but it still has a lot more potential considering the competition (even the standard 3 series).

[Arnav612]

Driving the C200

On the specs front, the C200 comes with a 1.5L Turbo Petrol + 48V Mild Hybrid with an integrated starter. Close the doors and push the high-quality start-stop button and you won't even notice the crank. The starter is soundless and you often need to check the rev-meter for whether it's idling or not. Lift off the brakes and there is an evident brake noise in 0kmph/low speed conditions (was also in the last gen C-Class).

Tap the large throttle and the C soundlessly accelerates forward. At lower speeds and city-driving conditions the car is predictable in response and the 9G-Tronic (standard across all variants) is responsive. The downsize though is evident at higher speeds and kickdown acceleration conditions. The creaminess and responsiveness of the 2.0 Litre is missing in this smaller motor. It's to note how the larger motor of the W205 C200 was paired with the 7G-Tronic and felt more adequate than this 1.5 Litre mated to a 9G-Tronic. I don't think it's justice to this gearbox. The mild hybrid adds around 20 hp making the cumulative power figure a shy over 200 hp. The kick-in of the hybrid is seamless and it does make a difference to the acceleration notably.

The suspension is fantastically sprung and irons out undulations like they never existed. Body roll is minimal and the car is stable at triple digit speeds. But this very suspension is the culprit for an increasingly annoying number of times the car scrapes on routine speedbreakers. The ride is definitely not half as choppy as the previous gen C-Class and really accentuates the luxury value of this Benz. In this generation, the 17 inch wheels don't compromise ride quality and like most owners of the previous generation C were envious of cars wearing 16 inchers.

Of-course, comparing side by side with the 530d driving experience I was getting used to, this car can't even hold a candle. But rest assured, NVH (though the 530d had a lovely note), comfort and sublimity is a lot more appreciable in the C.

I do find the steering feedback a little artificial and the overall drivetrain lacks connect with the driver. It's more commuter-like.

To sum it up, this car is for no enthusiast to drive. You are happier with a BMW hands down. But yes, it beautifully exhibits a grown-up version of the USP of a Mercedes. Easy to drive, light steering (unlike my 5), gradual acceleration and high speed stability.


Conclusion

I'm exceedingly happy with this decision made by the Boys in the family. We love our routine sunday drives in the garage queen and while the drive is not as engaging as some of its rivals, the pure indulgence that this car offers diverts your expectation criteria on a psychological level and the supple, nimble and comfortable nature of this drivetrain is nicely complemented. As of now, as for niggles, there have been none. The best part of the entire process has to be the price and dodging depreciation on an as good as new car. I feel the C still doesn't justify its retail price and I wouldn't have been so keen had it not been for the deal.

Note : I understand that there's very few pictures attached given that I'm currently overseas. This thread will be updated with smaller finer details in the coming month when I spend more time back home. Till then, that's all from me.

The customary parting shot:

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Raghav07]

Congrats on the C Class. Also brave decision to buy petrol! 8 kmpl is low, but I am sure you will get better mileage, you could get at least 10-12 on the highway. The silver also suits the car well. I hope you have some fantastic drives with it!

Also has to be one of the few petrol C classes I have seen on the forum(most are diesels).

[Cresterk]

Congrats on your new car!

I quite like the dynamics of the new C. It is better to drive than the 320LD. It has a newer platform, it has more tech, better insulation and is even larger than the previous gen, offering almost as much space in the rear as the 3 grand limo without the compromises of looking odd. Only fly in the ointment is ground clearance and the omission of some features that you have mentioned.

[SouravS]

Congratulations on the new C! It's a lovely machine. The star seems to be getting more serious and mature, as you reightly pointed out. There's a lot to like about the new mercs, thoughtfulness shows up. Happy driving...

On a side note, I'm from Mumbai too and I seem to have seen your earlier C - somehow the car and it's no. seem familiar!

[Arnav612]

Originally Posted by Raghav07

Congrats on the C Class. Also brave decision to buy petrol! 8 kmpl is low, but I am sure you will get better mileage, you could get at least 10-12 on the highway. The silver also suits the car well. I hope you have some fantastic drives with it!

Also has to be one of the few petrol C classes I have seen on the forum(most are diesels).

Thanks Raghav. Yeah, firstly the 220d variants in the fleet inventory were demanding a marginally higher amount of moolah. Secondly, the running on this one won't justify the diesel use case by far. Moreover, our ZS is there to compensate the running costs

Originally Posted by Cresterk

Congrats on your new car!

I quite like the dynamics of the new C. It is better to drive than the 320LD. It has a newer platform, it has more tech, better insulation and is even larger than the previous gen, offering almost as much space in the rear as the 3 grand limo without the compromises of looking odd. Only fly in the ointment is ground clearance and the omission of some features that you have mentioned.

Thanks Cresterk. I'm not sure how much better than the 320Ld it is to drive, but I can imagine that the C feels way tighter and much more comfortable to ride in. The insulation can't be put into words. Moreover, there was a time when the 3 and the C both looked beautiful but catered to a different customer base. To my eyes, the current 3 looks way less palatable than the W206.

Originally Posted by SouravS

Congratulations on the new C! It's a lovely machine. The star seems to be getting more serious and mature, as you reightly pointed out. There's a lot to like about the new mercs, thoughtfulness shows up. Happy driving...

On a side note, I'm from Mumbai too and I seem to have seen your earlier C - somehow the car and it's no. seem familiar!

Hi Sourav, thanks for your wishes. Completely agree with you, the C Class no longer feels barebones and dare I say "entry-level". About my earlier C, you're not the only one. There was a brief period between 2021-22 where we only had 2 cars (ZS' waiting period was insane) and the C was a daily driver from Bandra to Town. The 5001 plates were a standard in my garage and almost everyone who knew me knew my cars. Received "spotted" pictures day in and day out. Should meet up with this C next time I'm back

[rag_nfs]

Originally Posted by Arnav612

The Review

- Guzzler. Even after the mild hybrid and the car being run-in (14k), never seen more than 8 kmpl overall.
-

Congrats on the car. 8kmpl is low, Should easily get around 11kmpl in city driving conditions.

[Arnav612]

Originally Posted by rag_nfs

Congrats on the car. 8kmpl is low, Should easily get around 11kmpl in city driving conditions.

Turns out you were right.

In a recent recall, Mercedes mentioned something about a faulty fuel delivery system in my batch of cars. Earlier, even a full tank displayed around 390 km of range which was actually surprisingly low (EV displays the same at 100%). Post recall, a full tank is a healthy 500 km displayed range and fuel economy has gone up to around 10 in the city.

[sawnilrules]

Congratulations on the new C, it is truly a fantastic product. I was this close in buying the C300D, but had to let it go eventually after booking the car due to low GC and non existent boot space. Mumbai roads, just don’t warrant low GC and I do not have patience to go left and right over the bumps.

Enjoy the car and wishing you safe and happy miles.