After the CLA compact, the next big thing in the world of small German executive cars is surely this, the all-new C-Class. Making its way into US dealerships right now, our four-door hero arrives on the scene to the sound of "we don't make compromises" and a barrage of marketing talk.
Two fresh commercials for the 2015 model year sedan just hit the web and while Mercedes' marketing teams remain quiet, we really didn't need their help to figure out what's going on. The gist of it is that the new C-Class "is, quite simply, the lightest, strongest, smartest, quietest, sleekest, sexiest, safest, quickest C-Class ever built."
The ads aren't that funny, which is a bit of a shame, but the fact that they placed an elephant on the roof of a car makes up for that. If anybody ever decides to buy a German sedan that can hold a 5-ton African animal, Mercedes pretty much has that part of the market cornered.
The new C-Class went onsale nationwide on August 25th. Right now, it's only available in three flavors (C 300, C 300 4Matic and C 400 4Matic), with prices ranging from $38,400 to $48,590. In 2015, the company is planning to launch two more versions, the C 450 Sport and an all-new C 63 AMG, expected to pack a 4-liter twin-turbo engine.
Both C 300 models use the same 2-liter turbo turbocharged direct-injection in-line four-cylinder engine delivering 241 hp and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) of torque. However, the cheaper rear-wheel drive version of the C300 will be launched in the first quarter of 2015.
As for the C 400, this uses the same brand-new 3-liter bi-turbo direct-injection V6 producing 329 hp as the updated E-Class. It offers superior performance to the BMW 335i and will receive a boost to around 360 hp (367 PS according to EU rating) for the C 450 model we mentioned, designed to compete with the Audi S4.
Editor's note: The tightest… really Mercedes, you had to say that?
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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