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Chief Editor and Publisher: Sammy Chan

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Text & Photography by Sammy Chan

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"Venus restauree" by US surrealist Man Ray in 1936	"Mercedes-Benz C320" by Germany luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz in 2000 (note "Venus" at back)

Hardly anybody was next to me when I was taking the above photograph of Man Ray’s famed piece of work "Venus restauree" in The Schirn art gallery in Frankfurt, instead, a crowd had formed around a much more contemporary and less controversial piece of art by Mercedes-Benz exhibited just a few steps away. After all, I am in Germany where things metal are much more appreciated than others, and when things metallic are concerned, it’s the three-pointed star that has to be the most highly regarded, at least here in Germany.  

In an attempt to "forge a link between fine art and fine cars" as one company official said, Mercedes-Benz had recently chosen Frankfurt’s Schirn art gallery as center stage for its worldwide press introduction of its newest baby- the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, or baby "Merc" as some would have it called. However, compared to its predecessors: 1983-1992 Mercedes-Benz 190 and 1993-2000 C-Class, the new C-Class has grown to become more like the brother of the S-Class than being just a baby Mercedes, though maybe not in size, but certainly in features and in technological content.

For the first time, Mercedes-Benz has transferred pioneering technological innovations from the S-Class to the C-Class, technologies like windowbags, adaptive airbags for driver and front passenger, Headlamp Assist, multifunction steering wheel and fibre optics that previously were only available in the flagship model, are now all standard in the new C-Class. There are also others which are listed as options, and for those who have to have every bells and whistles, Mercedes-Benz can also provide you with COMAND, THERMOTRONIC luxury automatic climate control, LINGUATRONIC for audio and telephone and a host of other high-end features.

Technologies like these are certainly welcome news for younger drivers and for those young at heart, but without a dynamic and sporty body to host all these, it would still be Bill Gates, more for admiration than for immediate possession. Rest assured, the new C-Class do certainly have the styling to go with it as well. Although its face with two distinctive eggplant-shaped headlamps

Lift to front and rear axles have also been reduced by up to 57%, enhancing stability during high-speed driving. Thanks to new firewall assembly and structural improvements, the new C-Class is also much safer in protecting its occupants in both frontal and side-impact crashes. Door-mounted sidebags and windowbags that span like a curtain from front to rear roof pillar offer added protection to front and rear occupants from side-impact forces.

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When it arrives on the market here this fall, the new C-Class will feature totally different engines than the outgoing model. There will be no more 4-cylinders and "Kompressors" in the new lineup, instead, a new 2.6 litre V6 engine will serve as standard in the base model C240. Then, shouldn’t it really be called C260 instead of C240? According to Mercedes-Benz, this nomenclature is chosen largely because C240 had existed in its European lineup for quite some time and had been one of the more popular model amongst the C-Class. The next one up is a 3.2 litre V6, the same engine as in E320 and ML320, but here, the car will be badged as C320 in synchro with its engine’s displacement. ( There are actually 7 different models in the new C-Class family, including two 4-cylinder gasoline models, two 4-cylinder diesels and one 5-cylinder diesel, but only the 6-cylinder models will make it across this side of the Atlantic.)

Both the 2.6L and 3.2L powerplants have similar designs featuring single overhead cams and 3 valves per cylinder, with the smaller V6 bearing a higher compression ratio of 10.5:1 compared to 10.0:1 in the 3.2L engine.

Shoehorning a bigger engine into the C-Class is really no big feat considering that Mercedes-Benz had already stuffed a motor as big as one found in the current C43. But, at the same time, this has repositioned the C-Class into the leader of the field by outgunning previous equals such as BMW’s 328i and Audi’s A4 2.8. If you think Mercedes-Benz is really serious about gunning BMWs this time, you’re absolutely right, they’ve even gone as far as blessing the new C-Class with a new 6-speed manual gearbox and also marketing this manual C240 here in Canada as well. Well, that’s a big feat by current Mercedes standard.

I was both delighted and shocked when I heard that this 6-speed C240 will make it into the Canadian lineup this fall, but even more pleasing is that it was also the first configuration I tested in the new C-Class worldwide press intro in Germany this early May. Admittedly, I didn’t start off quite smoothly with the car because I couldn’t figure how to put the gears into reverse. To my embarrassment, a Mercedes-Benz employee told me I had to lift the column plate up first before shifting the stalk, a.k.a. Saab-style. But once this initial struggle was through, it was smooth sailing from then on. The clutch is very light for a European make, but gears are close and throws are relatively short. Thanks to the use of multiple-cone synchromesh, shifting gears is effortless, in fact, this has to be one of the smoothest gearbox from Germany, though I might still add that it’s still not as good as BMW’s when it comes to shifting feel and satisfaction.

Although not as punchy as the outgoing supercharged 2.3L four which has 15 more horses and 23 more lb-ft of torque, this 2.6L V6 is however much quieter and smoother. Power delivery is also more linear and progressive than the four. According to Mercedes-Benz figures, sprinting from rest to 100 km/h in the C240 takes 9.2 seconds, add another 0.3s for an automatically equipped. Optional in C240 and standard in C320, the 5-speed automatic also offers manual shifting capabilities by its one-touch gearshift first introduced on the S-Class. With 218 horses so readily available, there’s really no need for the driver to stir gears himself/herself, but if quick geardown is needed, it’s satisfying knowing that the box will not upshift itself at the redline, it’s also surprisingly calm when it reaches the rev limit instead of making loud protests so often found among other semi-automatics.

The availability of a 6-speed manual coupled with a sweet revving motor will definitely make the new C-Class a lot more enticing to buyers who previously would not have thought of Mercedes as much of a driver’s car. Ditching the old recirculating ball for a new rack and pinion steering mechanism is also another step in the right direction. The result is a much quicker and lighter steering response, and for the first time in C-Class, speed-sensitive steering is now also available.

Chassis has also been reworked to enhance steering response and improve handling dynamics. Front suspension is new with a three-link design replacing the lower wishbones of the McPherson Strut, while the rear multi-link independent-suspension axle stays pretty much the same despite having different geometry. Although I’ve never had much complaint about the handling prowess of the outgoing C-Class, the new model does offer a much better ride and can be pushed harder than before. No doubt, part of the new found confidence has to be attributed to the much better brakes of the new C-Class. Diameter and thickness of both front and rear discs have been increased to performance car’s level, further proof that Mercedes-Benz is serious about luring potential BMW buyers.

Like its bigger brothers, the new C-Class is also equipped with Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Acceleration Skid Control, Brake Assist and ABS- as standard.

Dashboard design of the new C-Class is also much more are better placed behind the driver’s door, ditto for a much more conveniently located trunk opener, speaking of which, trunk volume has gone up from 430 liters to 455 liters.

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Seats are big and comfy and look like they are sourced straight from the E-Class. There are even 3 memory settings and not just for the driver, Front and rear headroom is more generous than before, and because the new C-Class hasn’t really grown much in wheelbase and in length (wheelbase is up by 25 mm and length by 10 mm), room is still quite tight at the back, but broad-shouldered passengers can now co-habit more peacefully with each other. 

Formal pricing for the new C-Class has not been anno but expect it to go up by a few percentage points (see Price Guide for current C-Class pricing). Amazingly, the 7-year old C-Class is still soldiering on at an all-time high with 313 units sold in May, an all-time record in Canada.  That’s what you call success when you can retire at your peak and comfortably knowing that your successor can even reach peaks one can only dream of.

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Additional note as of Sept 11, 2000:
Prices have just been announced and to my surprise, there's not a cent increase for C240 Elegance and C320 despite sporting bigger engines and features. The C240 Classic is only $500 more than the outgoing C230 Compressor. Here are all the 2001 models and their prices:

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