Higher

In the mountains, the all-new Mercedes-Benz C-Class was unleashed and it's undergone a massive change. It brings more power, elevated comfort and technology, and a higher voltage parallel electrical system that leads to even greater efficiency

- Jim Gorde

RAISING THE BAR HAS BECOME a sort of standard for the 136-year-old automobile marque. The luxurious and technologically advanced Mercedes-Benz S-Class and its even more luxurious and opulent Maybach avatar reset the benchmark in the luxury saloon segment. The E-Class sits below the S, while the C-Class, of course, sits below the E. While price brackets have evolved from what they were merely a decade ago, there is a lot that has changed.

The next-generation Mercedes C-Class brings some attractive new styling with elements inspired by the S-Class. These include the Digital Light headlamps, sharp new grille design, and sleek body. The LED tail-lamp clusters, again similar to the S', look sharp and the design of the wheels, too, is new. The shape almost seems bulbous from some angles, yet, from others, it appears to have a sleek, almost CL-Class coupé-like silhouette. There's no doubt the design reflects a modern effort and the smooth lines accentuate its next-generation aura.

The W206 generation C-Class has grown in size again. It now measures 4,751 millimetres long, 1,820 mm wide, and 1,438 mm high but with a ground clearance higher by seven millimetres, and a 2,865-mm wheelbase. These figures make it 65 mm longer, 10 mm wider, and with a wheelbase longer by 25 mm. The wheel-track is now wider at the rear at 1,594 mm against the 1,582 mm for the front, unlike its predecessor's. That's 24 mm up from before at the rear, but six mm less at the front. However, with a coefficient of drag of 0.24, it's still just as aerodynamically gifted.