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The Mercedes C220d is the perfect balance between performance & entry-level luxury Mercedes Benz C 220d has made the usual changes on the outside with new headlights (that are all LEDs) to revised bumpers, wheels and new tail-lights. The lights look spectacular at night, both the front and rear ones but unless you have a keen eye, it’s…
The Mercedes C220d is the perfect balance between performance & entry-level luxury Mercedes Benz C 220d has made the usual changes on the outside with new headlights (that are all LEDs) to revised bumpers, wheels and new tail-lights. The lights look spectacular at night, both the front and rear ones but unless you have a keen eye, it’s difficult to differentiate the old car from the new. It still looks elegant despite being in the market for almost 5 years now with lots of visual cues from the bigger Mercs.
Step inside and the changes are a bit more comprehensive as you can immediately notice the bigger 10.25-inch infotainment screen that replaces the old car’s rather small 7.0-inch unit, it also gets 80% new components. The steering too resembles the one we see on the E-Class with the Blackberry style touchpads on both sides that make it easy to browse through the instrument cluster and infotainment screens.
The cabin feels premium but some more space would have been welcome Gone is the fingerprint loving gloss black finish on the centre console, replaced by classy wood which is less prone to scratches. Fit-finish levels are excellent although some parts of the dashboard (mostly the lower half) have hard plastics while the massive panoramic roof gives the cabin an airy feeling.
That said, the cabin is still quite compact and there isn’t much space at the rear with the transmission hump making this car a strict 4-seater. Further eating into practicality is the spare wheel which has been placed on top of the boot floor, not under it.
The Mercedes Mercedes Benz C 220d is available with three engines – 2 diesels and 1 petrol. In this review, we will focus on the Mercedes Benz C 220d which uses a new 2.0-litre oil burner that belts out an impressive 194 HP (24 HP more than its predecessor) while torque output is the same as the old 2.2-litre unit at 400 Nm but is produced in a wider rev range.
This new diesel motor is BS6 compliant on BS4 fuel, it’s very refined, a big step up in NVH over the pre-facelift model and has a good amount of punch lower down, pulling in a linear fashion. The mid-range is strong and power tapers off in the top-end with the redline coming in at around 4500 RPM.
Underpinned by the MRA platform (Modular Rear Architecture), the Mercedes Mercedes Benz C 220d is a light car and offers the same feel as well. It is set up on the stiffer side and due to the lower weight over the third generation model, Mercedes has stiffened both the chassis as well as the suspension and the same can be felt over bad roads. The ride does get better as the speed increases and the car does remain glued to the road at high speeds. Even road and tyre noise is kept out of the bay.
The motor does get vocal past the mid-range but in a sporty way while the 9G-TRONIC dual-clutch gearbox offers seamless shifts and is very quick to respond to throttle inputs, you can also manually change cogs using the steering mounted paddles but the car won’t hold onto a gear and will upshift. There are 5 driving modes which alter the engine, gearbox and steering feel, these are Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Individual in Mercedes-Benz C 220d.
Traction control can be turned off but you have to go through the menu for the same, not a one-button operation. Once TCS is off, the car does spin its rear wheels with an aggressive launch.
The Mercedes Benz C 220d is an eagle handler, it offers good feel around the corners with the steering having a lot of feedback too, weighing up as the speed increases. Body roll is well contained and the brakes on this vehicle offer surefooted stopping power.
The Mercedes Benz C 220d has been more of a driver’s car than a chauffeur-driven one. That’s the reason why Mercedes has launched the C300d which is available in the AMG Line trim. However, for those who want a balance of performance and economy without stretching their budget closer to the E-Class, the Mercedes Benz C 220d makes a lot of sense as the base Prime variant is priced quite attractively while the mid-level Progressive trim is also kitted well. The Mercedes Benz C 220d might come under threat from newer generation models in the segment but the baby rear-drive Benz is still a brilliant sedan.