Mercedes-Benz C 220 CDI – End of term
Having a Mercedes daily-driver has to be one of the nicest perks of this job, but this is a job nevertheless and our long term tests are serious business. We drive the cars over a variety of roads, subject it to a variety of tests and accelerate the miles to tell you how the car or bike in question will live up to regular long term use. And I can tell you a Mercedes-Benz C 220 CDI will put a big, fat smile on your face.
But first let me tell you what you may not like. The new Mercedes-Benz C 220 CDI, like BMW, does not have a spare wheel well so the space-saver tyre is strapped into the boot and eats up a fair bit of space. It also has run-flats and while that means punctures are rare (we never had one), the ride is also stiff. Coupled with a new found dynamic focus from Mercedes-Benz, the C-Class is much stiffer than any Merc before it.
Which brings us to the good bits – particularly the way the C-Class drives. It is just so much better than any C we’ve sampled to date. The suspension is properly tied-down, there’s great body control, the steering is one of the nicest in this class, and there’s an enthusiasm and eagerness in the way it goes about its business. In the past you’d not have taken a Merc to a winding road, but the C-Class changes all of that. Stick it in Sport+ mode (quickens engine responses, makes gear shifts quicker and weights up the steering though there’s no change to the suspension as it has steel springs) and the ESP allows you some leeway to get the juices flowing. Even the small things, like the thickness and diameter of the steering wheel, feel a touch sporty.
In the city, the C 220 CDI can feel a bit stiff and you have to take it easy over speedbreakers that I didn’t care about when I ran the E-Class last year, but on the highway it eats up the miles brilliantly. We took it to Bengaluru last month and were really surprised to check into our hotel at Hosur in time for evening tea. It’s not the high speeds it tops off at but the way the C-Class can maintain a steady and high average speed without any fatigue creeping in that makes the difference. The lights are also great for early morning driving – little things that make a difference. It also delivered great fuel efficiency, over 12kmpl on our very fast drive down to Bengaluru, so you waste less time tanking it up.
As for the cabin, it is brilliant. It really does feel like a mini S-Class in here with great quality materials, excellent fit-finish and an overwhelmingly expensive feel. I had the new Jaguar XE for a couple of days last month and what immediately struck me was how much better the C-Class’s cabin is. Even the little things, like the tactile feel of the power window switches is absolutely brilliant. The only thing I miss over the earlier C-Class is that the old car had better road-noise insulation, I think it’s the aluminium-intensive chassis of the new C that transmits more road noise into the cabin, so you crank up the Burmester stereo and soak in the tunes.
On the Tanjea Aerospace runway at Hosur we also ran the C 220 down the strip with the VBOX strapped on and she did 100kmph in 8.7 seconds. That’s great, considering the car has done 25,000km on the same set of tyres and, frankly, they’re well past their best. Of course, the rest of the time the C-Class was used as a support car for Gaurav and his cameras. After all, we needed a fast car, with a big sunroof that he could stick his head out of to keep pace with all those mad M cars and capture them on film.
That we will miss the C 220 CDI is without question. What we have learnt is that Mercs are no longer cars for older folk. It is elegant and stylish; it is great to drive devouring the miles with authority; and it has a cabin that makes it well worth the money. No wonder the C-Class is the best-selling Merc in the country today.
Date acquired: December 2015
Duration of test: 4 months
Total mileage: 25,465km
Mileage this month: 493km
Overall kmpl: 9.8kmpl
Costs this month: Nil
