C-Class Grade the new C-class

[Centurion]

So now it's finally here, the new C-class and there seem to be mixed feelings about it here on GCF. What do I think of it? To be honest I'm very suprised, in a positive way. I thought MB was with the new C make an attack on the 3er and create the sporties MB model opposite but they have done the complete opposite. MB has created a car which is so much a Benz that most dedicated Mb fans will probably buy one.
The interior looks very upscale and luxurious while the exterior is as delicate and expensive looking like the S-class. I think that MB has made te right move. If MB had gone against their own philospy and created a car as sporty as the 3er it would weakened their image and projected an unsure image in the automotive world. MB is one of the top three manufacturers in the world and should not follow the lead of other companies, especially Audi and MB.
To sum it up I'm pleased with the new C. although the exterior isn't that exciting I sure it looks very luxurious and fresh IRL. The interior on the other hand the interior is superb, beating the other cars in the class. Now I just need to see the C63 AMG.


Edit:
The rating numbers should have been written in a decending order. Sorry, but 5 is the best.

 

[Choleric]

Is 1 the best or is 5 the best?

 

[MikeJ]

Would 1 be the best or the worst?

 

[Yperion]

I like the exterior design so i give 4/5 to the C class for that but the interior is not as good so i only give 2/5 for that.

Overall i give the new C a 3 out of 5.

 

[LaArtist]

well i voted for 5 so lets say that five is the best..lol

PS
i loved your sum up of the car luw

 

[Zafiro]

I dont like the Elegance version as much as the Avantgarde. The new C-class need the AMG kit and the big star integrated between the frontlights. Then the car looks really nice.

The front is the best part on the car, I have nothing to complain on.

The rear looks so ordinary and plain and not very exciting. I have a feeling the rear is the hardest part to design on a car because in most cases the front looks better than the rear. So its not only C-class that doesnt look exciting in the back.

In profile the colour is very important for the C-class to look good. In white the car looks very good but in other colours the car can look really weird, compact and boxy.

The interior need a light colour (like Caw said). In black I dont like it at all, the look is very sterile and boring. Too much black becuase the center is black as well. So a light interior and its fine.

My biggest concern is the steering wheel, one of the ugliest steeringwheels I have seen in a modern car.

However, Im positive surprised about the total package. Look a lot better than the last generation. Sure, there are things that could be better but in all a very goodlooking car. Kudos to Mercedes.

Whats my grade then? I give the Elegance version a 2 and the Avantgarde version a 4. So what is the final grade, I think I put it between a 2 and a 4 which means its a 3

 

[PanterroR]

C gets from Tycoon 4/5... 4 because of the boring rear and some interior details (their design)...

But who cares how it looks? Not me for sure. Design doesn't sell the car AFAIC...

 

[Matt]

4.

 

[SDNR]

Design doesn't sell the car AFAIC...

Aha .......that explains a lot

 

[PanterroR]

Aha .......that explains a lot

Lol! Rob, you know i speak about myself, right?

I've stated thousand times that the design is not the 1st thing that i look when going for the car...

 

[PanterroR]

Sure, but who wants a great performance car that looks like hell? ...but then again, the Z8 looked great ...but was criticized for its messy handling.

It doesn't look like hell to everyone... If i like it, it's design, why would i care or give a damn what the others say? I like it and that's what counts.

 

[PanterroR]

And, my friend, where did i mention M5?

I was talking about any performance car that looks like hell to any person in the whole world... That's why i've said:

If i like it, it's design, why would i care or give a damn what the others say? I like it and that's what counts.

Hope you get what i'm saying...

 

[LaArtist]

^yep like the Bentley CGT Hhaha

 

[PanterroR]

I get you.

Finally! I feel like i was diggin' a grave instead of trying to explain you what i mean... j/k...

but ...some cars just look like hell to everybody don't they?

AZTEK!!!

 

[cawimmer430]

I gave it a 4/5 for now.

Exterior
I am liking the exterior a lot. Dynamic and sporty looking with a hue of elegance a la Mercedes S-Class. Someone in another forum said: "It looks more expensive than the class of car it is in." I think I can somewhat agree with this.

Also, a lot of people don't like the rear: I love it. I think it looks very sporty actually and in a way, has some degree of elegance to it. I think the best trim level for my needs is Elegance followed by Avantgarde. Even on the W203, the Classic trim level was made to look more premium, and on the W204, the entry-level trim looks pretty decent.


Interior
The interior looks really good, especially in lighter colors like beige or khaki. Not to thrilled about the darker interiors even though they don't look cheap, they just don't come across as HQ as a lighter interior does IMO.

The design was a little shocking at first to me, but I've quickly warmed up to it after finding some A and SLK-Class design cues in it, so I think.

The cockpit looks really good in this color combination, I feel.

Once the car is tested, we'll see if it is worthy of a 5/5, but for now, 4/5.

 

[Bruce]

4/5

Exterior: Nice, perhaps a little plain. Need to see IRL first

Interior: A little mixed on it right now

 

[sfbayfan]

I like it, great improvement over W203. The older C class always looked like a luxury car want to be that never quite made it, kind of pleasant but dull. I think the new model has a stronger personality, it looks sporty and more contemporary but still has nice clean lines. The interior is better than the old model and is nice for this class car, but nothing spectacular. I gave it a 5 overall.

 

[cracker123]

guys they are using the same plastics found in SLK and I think those plastics are pretty good.

 

[phaeton]

3/5

Exterior isn't anything new looks boring (Australia's Holden Statesman has the same front).

Interior is rather messy, no connection between doors and central dashboard zone.

Overall a BMW 3-Series or Audi A4 is a better package overall both are conservative but stylish at same time with no clutter of interior.

BTW if I was going for a car in this class I'd pick the Jetta or Passat depending on engine

 

[Mr. Chigga_Chan]

3

Exterior: Its good, decent, mildly hovering above acceptable. The elements are all there, the aggressive stance, the wheel arches, the profile line. The car is consistent with MB's new design themes and makes it look like a miniature S-Class, which is good, luxurious and elegant looking.

However, I'm not attracted to it like I am with say, the new CL, CLS or even the current E-Class. Something about it doesn't inspire the same passion and desire as other MB models which is rather disapointing. The rear is a good looking in that it follows more classic MB designs, and the overall shape is nice too, but I'm not getting that 'feeling.'

I hope this changes with more pictures or when I see the car in the flesh, which often changes peoples' minds.

Interior: Lets see, first off I was sort of shocked at the design. Since I'm American I don't get to see the A/B-Class designs up close and the resemblance to them is lost on me.

Wow, I just don't like it. It looks too much like a different car brand's interior, like an Audi, or some Japanese brand, not an MB interior. This is tragic.

Here's what I like first, since its shorter. The gauges, trim, buttons and surfaces looks good overall from what I can tell, I need to actually touch and feel them to get a better gauge on their real quality. Small things like the nice big COMMAND screen and the chrome strips along the doors and the glove box are nice touches as well.

Now here is my rant. WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE CENTER CONSOLE?!?!?!

Why is it this black solid mass of plastic that sticks out from the interior trim?! What happend to individual buttons built into a nice wood layout. Call me old fashioned, regressive, wood-happy, I don't know, but I like to have more luxury trim pieces on my dash. Not like Bentely/Roller/Jag/CLS wood, but a little bit more in the front 'wood' be nice. The interior isn't "flowy" enough to me, the passenger console is too rigid for me, and then the sharp cut to the center console dips too low. This accentuates that nasty hunk of plastic in the middle, and even in black interior its far too blatant. Someone else mentioned this I think, and I agree as well: The percieved line from one side of the front to the other isn't there like in other designs. The sharp cutdown in the center ruins that flow as well, and it sort of makes this partition between the driver side and the passenger side.

I wish they could have atleast slipped a small slab of wood or aluminum trim under those chrome strips in the front. On the doors they have the metal door handle with the chrome strip surrounded by the wood, I wish they would have done a similar concept with the chrome strips on the dash.

OK, thats quite a bit more than I'm used to typing in one post, but its because I'm sort of upset at the design.

Overall, I would prefer an A4 or a G35 as a car to purchase in this segment. Looks are decent, but its not enough to sway me from the afformentioned cars. I'd still take it over a 3-Series or anything else, but its not up to par for me.

Ok I'm done. 3.