Mercedes C Class car review
The Mercedes C-Class is the world’s first production vehicle to be designed and developed based on a digital prototype
Price as tested: £25,312
(Buy used Mercedes C Class | Buy new Mercedes C Class)
Range price: £22,937 - £35,577
Insurance group as tested: 14E
Insurance group range: 13-17
Date tested: November 2007
Road tester: Adrian Higgins
Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 82%
Few brands come close to Mercedes in terms of heritage. And the Mercedes C-Class saloon is the daddy of the brand when it comes to UK sales.
Fascinating fact? The Mercedes C-Class was the first car to be designed and developed based on a digital prototype rigorously tested before a REAL prototype was actually produced.
Web Editor Adrian Higgins found out whether it lived up to the history with a week-long loan.
Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor
The Mercedes C-Class saloon is available in two styles. The Mercedes C-Class Sport has a distinctive three-pointed star integrated into the grille. The SE and the Elegance (which we drove) are characterised by the traditional bonnet-mounted badge and has a more conservative look. It’s an instantly recognisable exterior which is very subtle and easy on the eye, it doesn’t scream “Look at me!” but rest assured, people will know what you’re driving – and we mean that in a good way. The latest version is longer and wider than its predecessor.
8/10
We kept using the phrase “sense of occasion” when driving the Mercedes C-Class for a week. The quality of materials, the attention to detail and the room (the new car’s increased width and length translates to more space inside, with front shoulder room up by 40mm) combine to make motorist and passengers feel special. You can’t ask much more of a car than that. Everything just feels right and very well thought-out. From the soothing dial-illumination to the moulded finger ridges set into the door interior’ handles – we were impressed.
9/10
The Mercedes C-Class can easily accommodate five while there is 475 litres bootspace available. Our week-long loan coincided with a weekend break for four and luggage was carried with room to spare. The cabin felt roomy and storage space was available in the form of cupholders front and back, magazine holders set into the back of the front seats and storage between the driver and front seat passenger.
8/10
The Mercedes C-Class is the world’s first production vehicle to be designed and developed based on a digital prototype, and noise and vibration were simulated before an actual car had actually been built. Then it underwent 15 million road test miles. It shows. The ride is super comfortable; one rear-seat passenger used the phrase “like gliding”. But it also handles well too. The manufacturer supplies all Mercedes C-Classes with a suspension/damping package called Agility Control which, among other things, adjusts the suspension and damping (contributing to ride quality) according to the nature of the road travelled on. You can also switch easily between Sport and Comfort gearshift settings depending on whether it’s predominantly a cruising or overtaking-heavy journey.
9/10
5. Performance There are four petrol engines and two diesel engines to choose from, with 13 per cent more power output than the outgoing model. We found the Mercedes C 200 Kompressor’s 184bhp, 1.8-litre engine more than adequate for comfortable cruising with the pulling power to make smooth overtaking a pleasure rather than a chore, it boasts an extra 20bhp over its predecessor. The model we drove came with a smooth five-speed automatic gearbox with cruise control as a £1,095 extra. The top speed was 146mph (143mph for the manual) with a 0-62mph time of 8.6 seconds (8.8 seconds for the manual). Go for the top of the range Mercedes-Benz C350 (3-litre engine, 272bhp) and the performance improves to 6.4 seconds for the 0-62mph sprint.
8/10
The model we drove returns an average 35.8 mpg with an output of 187g/km (tax band F) for the automatic and 169g/km (Tax band E) for the manual. The Mercedes C-Class is the first car of its kind to be awarded an Environmental Certificate and its Green credentials include up to six per cent lower fuel consumption than the outgoing model while the volume of recycled plastics used has been increased by 34 per cent.
7/10
Mercedes has a good reputation for reliability and this is backed up by the rigorous testing applied to the latest version of the car, including simulating 115,000 miles of everyday driving. The car feels immensely solid.
7/10
The Mercedes C-Class comes with seven airbags as standard including one to protect the driver’s left knee. The German manufacturer also subjected the new model to more than 100 crash tests. Should you need to brake hard at speeds in excess of 30mph the brake lights will flash. Does this make a difference? According to Mercedes, flashing lights make drivers react 0.2 seconds quicker than they do to conventional brake lights. Mercedes PRE-SAFE co-ordinates driver aids including electronic safety prevention and brake assist technology activates safety systems in advance of a crash. On top of this, bi-xenon headlamps adapt to driving conditions with a wider beam on narrow country roads and longer beam on motorways.
8/10
Buyers can choose between three equipment levels SE, Elegance and Sport. All models feature Mercedes’ Agility Control and PRE-SAFE packages for ride, handling and safety as well as two-zone climate control, front foglamps, 16-inch alloy wheels, tinted glass, and power windows. The Elegance adds features including the interior lighting 
package, chrome inserts in the radiator grille and a rear seat unit with centre armrest and twin cupholder. The Sport adds features including 17-inch AMG wheels, AMG body-styling, steering wheel-mounted paddle-shift gears and sports seats. Our Mercedes C 200 also came with an extremely easy-to-apply cruise control and superb heated seats.
9/10
Sense of occasion. It’s a saloon with subtle wow-factor and we were sad to bid it farewell after a week’s loan.
9/10
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