New Mercedes C-Class Estates and AMG Models To Be Added to UK Line-Up
 Mercedes-Benz C350 Estate |
LONDON - October 6, 2007: The new Mercedes C-Class Saloons were launched in the UK in June this year but right hand drive customers in the UK will have to wait until Spring 2008 for the C-Class Estates to arrive. However order books are already open.
By and large the new C-Class Saloon, on which the Estates are based, have been widely praised for their much improved quality, style, agility, performance, cleaner and more powerful efficient engines and most of all increased interior space, especially for rear seat passengers. The new Estates are likely to reap further praise for their load capacity, 485 to 1,500 litres, which Mercedes claim is the largest in its sector.
 Mercedes-Benz C350 |
 Mercedes-Benz C350 |
Although supplies of the new models are not imminent to European or UK customers Mercedes-Benz have just introduced them to the international motoring media because they are eager to attract advance orders, especially in the fleet and business car sectors
The competitor BMW 3-Series and M3 models are already in place and the new Audi A4 range opened for orders from last month, although deliveries of the saloons will not start until February and Avant estates will follow in the summer. Mercedes-Benz are keen to lay down a marker with prospective customers that their C-class Estate and AMG models are available for order. The C-Class Sports Coupe will follow later next year.
As with the Saloons the new C-Class Estate range in the UK has a revised model line-up structure in SE, Elegance and Sport specifications. In Europe these models will be known as Classic, Elegance and Avantgarde. The change of names for the UK says Mercedes better reflects the two new styling faces available with the new C-Class range for British fleet, business user-chooser and retail customers.
The C-Class Estate SE, the entry model, and Elegance, the luxury and comfort models, feature a wide and louvered front grille with the traditional and classic Mercedes three-pointed star mounted on the bonnet. The Sport and AMG models have a three pointed star mounted prominently in the centre of the grille.
Dermot Kelly, managing director of Mercedes Car Group in the UK said “No prices for next year’s C-Class Estate models have been finalised but I expect them to be more or less budget neutral with Estate models carrying just under a £1,000 price premium over their respective C-Class Saloon models.” C-Class Saloon prices range from £22,937 up to £35,577.
Prices of the new C63 AMG Saloon and Estate are less clear at this stage but prices starting in the region of £51,000 are likely.
Mercedes-Benz is also loathed to talk about future sales figures and will only talk about past sales numbers, which we have to assume they intend to beat. Last year just over 24,000 C-Class models of all types were sold in the UK, 14,500 being Saloons, nearly 3,000 Estates and over 6,800 Sports Coupes. Overall nearly 70 per cent of C-Class sales have in the past been to fleet and corporate sector customers but estate models are more popular with retail customers said Dermot Kelly. He added, “In the UK over the last two quarters we have seen a rise in demand for E-Class Estate models over Saloons so there appears to be a trend towards estates which could be reflected in future C-Class sales.”
Regarding the new C-Class AMG models Dermot Kelly said, “Sales in the past have been limited, between 250 and 275 a year, but there appears to be added interest from customers for the new C63 models and our expectations are that up to 1,000 AMG versions, Saloons and Estates could be sold in the UK in a full year.”
The C-Class Estate range
 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG |
 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG |
For instance the two best selling engines in the UK will be the C220 CDI, by far the most popular choice, and the C180 Kompressor. The C220 CDI diesel engine now develops 170hp rather than the previous 150hp and it has 60Nm more torque developed at lower engine speeds. Average fuel consumption is now quoted as 45.9mpg instead of 40.9mpg. This engine is the sensible choice for customers in all respects. It is relatively frugal to run, tax efficient, quiet, a strong performer and makes light work of heavy traffic conditions.
The C180 Kompressor petrol engine has a modified engine management system, improved Kompressor and redesigned pistons which result in 14hp more power and better fuel consumption. The 1.8-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine now produces 156hp and 230Nm of ‘grunt’ from 2,800 rpm. Top speed is 136mph and 0-62mph is covered in 9.8 seconds. The official average fuel consumption is 35.3mpg and CO2 emissions are 183g/km putting it in VED Band E at £165 a year. For the private buyer who wants a compact, prestigious estate car or for the company car user that doesn’t cover a high mileage this is a pretty good ‘starter’ model in the range.
Buying an estate is mainly about the extra space and load carrying versatility it offers over the boot of a saloon. In this premium sector five door hatchbacks are not considered to be up-market enough so customers go for the saloon or estate, whichever suits their image, lifestyle and business requirements.
The stretched exterior length over the Saloon and the steeper rear end over the previous Estate has given the new model the largest load bay in its class, up from 470 to 485 litres and with the rear seat backs folded forwards there is 155 litres more space to 1,500. The maximum load length from the front passenger footwell to the tailgate has increased by 170mm to 2,820mm. The new estate also has the maximum permissible payload of 605kg and a maximum braked towing capacity of 1,800kg. Various bespoke load securing systems and a function for the tailgate to open and close at the touch of a button are available as extra cost options.
The new Estate has a wide tailgate opening and a wide and long load floor, all the features estate owners want. The only criticisms are the rear seats do not fold completely flat to create a flat load floor and the load area cover and its fittings are not of the same high quality as the rest of the interior.
The new Estates shares all the highly praised technical features of the C-Class Saloons and S-Class models, Adaptive Braking as standard with the options of Intelligent Lighting and PRE-SAFE preventive passenger protection. The Estate also gets a new rear suspension system for all models. Called Agility Control it adjusts the damping forces front and rear depending on speed, driving style, load carried, cornering and braking forces. The aim is to provide a near perfect 50:50 weight and force distribution under all conditions and for customers who need to carrying heavy loads on a regular basis, or use the C-Class Estate for towing, an additional cost self levelling suspension option will also available.
Certainly the handling and ride quality is superb. The new Estate is more responsive in the steering and road holding areas and the feedback to the driver is pin-sharp. It is almost unique to find an estate car that provides a perfectly flat ride, fore and aft and left and right whilst accelerating, braking or cornering. The C-Class Estate does that. Ride comfort is excellent and the suspension’s ability to absorb road noise and thumps and bumps from potholes is remarkable. Only the wind noise from the door mounted mirrors was intrusive.
In any form the new C-Class Estate is no sluggish load carrier with a poor ride quality and compromised performance. Just look at the specification, see the quality and specification and look at the performance figures. It raises the bar in the compact premium estate sector for other manufacturers to aspire to.
MILESTONES. Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate, C220 CDI Elegance. Price: £27,300 (Estimated).
Engine/transmission: 2.2-litre, four-cylinder,
high-pressure common rail diesel with turbocharger, 170hp, 400Nm of toque
from 2,000rpm, 6-speed manual. Performance: 140mph, 0-62mph, 8.9 seconds,
45.9mpg (31mpg actual), CO2 159-161g/km, VED Band D £140.
For: Styling, large load area, excellent fast and frugal range of engines, superb ride
quality, interior passenger space, much improved quality and high specification.
Against: Could be pricey if options are added, load floor not flat at the front,
load area cover and fittings not up to the high quality of the rest of the vehicle.
Mercedes C63 AMG Saloon and Estate models heading this way
Views
First the bad news: UK customers are going to have to wait until
late Spring or early Summer next year to get their hands on one of these
two but if you have an estimated £51,000 to £52,000 to spend get you name
down for one now - the cars are awesome.
The C63 Saloon and Estate models, which share the same powertrain, steering, brakes and suspension, are pitched against the BMW M3 and Audi RS4. Currently, because the Mercedes C63 is available with two body styles, it has the opposition beaten from day one. However we know BMW intend to offer more M3 body options than the new two-door coupe and the new RS4 is still a long way off.
In the past the M3 and the RS4 probably had the Mercedes AMG models beaten for agility and outright performance. Not anymore, the C63 is pure racecar optimised for real-life road conditions.
The new models are products from Mercedes-AMG, a high performance brand within Mercedes Car Group. A workforce of 750 people develops and produces high performance engines and complete vehicles, including their racing touring cars.
The 6.3-litre, V8 petrol engine is no tuned version of a standard production unit. It is designed and built specifically by AMG for several models in the Mercedes range. Their technical boffins said this week at the international press launch; the engine will have the same long life, durability and reliability of standard production units.
The 457hp power output from the engine is impressive enough but the huge amount of torque, 600Nm from 2,000 to 6,250rpm, gives it a huge range of maximum power, ideal for safe overtaking of slower traffic in the minimum amount of time and distance. This is 30 per cent more torque than comparable engines. It has a fantastic exhaust note as well.
Top speed is limited to 155mph and 0 to 62mph is covered in just 4.5 seconds. For the record the official fuel consumption is 20.8mpg and the CO2 figure of 319g/km put it firmly in the £400 VED rating for next year. For the record, during my driving spell with the car in Germany, the fuel consumption was 15mpg for some fast driving on winding and twisty country A roads, levelling out at 18mpg for the test journey as a whole, and this included some in town driving.
Power to the rear wheels is via the Mercedes 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic transmission, which has three settings, Comfort, Manual and Sport and can be operated by the gearchange lever or paddle shift levers behind the steering wheel. In the Sport setting the gear change modes are faster, more responsive and blips the throttle to smooth-out downshifts. The Comfort setting makes the gear changes more slowly and more smoothly.
Choosing the Sport or Comfort modes also changes the suspension and steering response setting too. Comfort is probably where you want to be most of the time as the Sport ride is really very firm, too firm in fact. It is a pity there is not a setting where the Comfort mode can be selected for ride comfort and Sport for engine and transmission responses – that would be ideal for UK motoring conditions.
With the standard 18-inch wheels and tyres the C63 offers huge amounts of grip and adhesion – they need to. The steering is well weighted and precise giving good feedback to the driver and the stopping power of the brakes is just as impressive as the performance of the engine.
The AMG C63 models have a new front suspension and wider front and rear tracks for added stability. Both the C63 AMG Saloon and Estate models are visually stunning and instantly distinguishable from the standard C-Class models. The AMG treatment includes a twin-domed bonnet, unique grille with wide spread foglights, front, side and rear body kit and dual twin exhaust tailpipes.
Inside the AMG treatment continues with sports seats with built in head restraints, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, aluminium pedals and AMG sill guards.
Lovers of high performance saloons or estates not restrained by pressure about green issues or financially worried by high road tax and company car taxation, will without doubt be talking to their Mercedes-Benz dealership pretty soon. The new models cannot fail to be a huge sales success and it will give BMW and Audi something to think about. The M3 is no longer dominant in this sector.
MILESTONES. Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Saloon/Estate. Price £51,000 - £52,000
(estimated). Engine/transmission: 6.3-litre, V8, normally aspirated,
seven-speed automatic with Comfort, Sport, Manual modes and traction
control. Performance: 457hp, 600Nm of torque at 5,000rpm, 155mph (limited),
0-62mph 4.5 seconds, 20.8mpg (18mpg actual). CO2 319g/km, VED Band G £300
rising later in 2008 to £400.
For: Superb performance, impeccable handling,
race-proven quality engineering, distinctive AMG styling, option of Saloon
and Estate models, competitive prices.
Against: Sports setting provides a
ride which is too firm and intrusive.