ANOTHER C-CHANGE (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_mercedesc-class_2019

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 77

You may think you know this 'W205'-series fourth generation Mercedes C-Class - but if you haven't tried one featuring all the changes made as part of this model's far-reaching 2018-era mid-term update, you probably don't. What was needed here was a completely rejuvenated engine range -and that's what we got, along with improved safety and connectivity. If you're looking for a MK4 C-Class on the used market, then try and seek out one of these later versions.

Modelsword count: 21

4dr saloon / 5dr estate (1.6 diesel, 2.0 diesel / 1.6 petrol, 2.0 petrol, 3.0 V6 petrol / 4.0 V8 petrol)

Historyword count: 528

For years, Mercedes has talked about 'democratising luxury' and more than any other car the company makes, it's their C-Class model that's tried hardest to epitomise that approach. In the past in its earlier forms, this contender has sometimes rather struggled with the whole idea of delivering elements of 'S-Class'-style opulence in a more compact form, but this MK4 'W205'-series design did better in meeting this challenging brief. Here, we're going to look at the much improved version launched in the Spring of 2018. One in every five cars that this Stuttgart brand sells is a C-Class and many will tell you that it's really with this model - not with the company's smaller front-driven offerings - that Mercedes ownership actually starts. By 2018, over 9.5 million C-Classes had been sold since the original first generation 'W202'-series version was launched in 1993, with sleeker 'W203' and 'W204' second and third generation designs following in 2000 and 2007, before this 'W205'-series fourth generation car first arrived in 2014. For our market, this car was built at the brand's South African East London plant, but it was also assembled in China, Germany and North America and sold in over 120 countries. Coupe and Cabriolet versions of this model provided a fashionable twist on the C-Class formula, but here, our focus is on the core saloon and estate variants that most used buyers will want. By 2018, the C-Class didn't have to be the cheapest saloon Mercedes made - that role in the range was by then occupied by a four-door version of the front-driven A-Class - so there was by the time of this facelifted MK4 model's introduction a little more scope for this car to include pricier technology. And with this revised MK4 model, there was plenty of that as part of what the company told us was the most extensive update in the history of this model. Over 6,500 parts were changed - half of the car's complete tally - to make sure that it could be a more complete rival for revitalised versions of its 'D'-segment premium competitors. This car had out-sold both those models in our market in its original form, but to continue that showing, Mercedes knew it had to substantially improve the available engine range, so that's where much of the effort was directed as part of this fourth generation model's mid-life package of changes. The volume diesel variants got the vastly improved 2.0-litre black pump-fuelled unit we first saw in the 10th generation E-Class. And in addition, the mild hybrid 48V technology used on luxury models like the S-Class and the CLS filtered its way into this car, transforming the power and efficiency proposition of the mid-range C200 petrol model. There were also plug-in petrol and diesel units too - and updates to the top AMG performance models. Across the range, C-Class buyers also got smarter looks, upgraded cabin infotainment technology, extra safety kit and fresh elements of autonomous driving tech. This then, was to some extent the C-Class that BMW and Audi perhaps always feared Mercedes would build. It sold until an all-new fifth generation model arrived in the Spring of 2021.

What You Getword count: 423

From a casual glance, you certainly won't appreciate the vast scope of this MK4 model's mid-term update. Indeed initially, you might struggle to see that anything's changed at all from the original 2014-era version of this 'W205'-series C-Class design. At which point your seller will draw your attention to this updated car's revised bumper with its wider central lower air intake. Go for a car with the 'AMG Line' level of trim and the corner inlets get twin black strakes on either side, along with a 'Diamond'-style radiator grille that incorporates shiny chromed pins. From a profile perspective, the shapely silhouette remained elegantly understated with this updated model and the painstaking attention to detail that went into things like the wafer-thin shut lines remained impressive. As before, apart from this saloon, there was also an estate body shape available, which is exactly the same length as the four-door, but sits 15mm taller. You'd expect the interior to really sell you on a premium model at this price point - and this one doesn't disappoint. The smart silvered vents, the classy compartmentalised centre console, the elegant analogue clock. It's really not that far from here to an S-Class. Because this was an update of an older design, it couldn't include the latest MBUX infotainment system that features at this time on Mercedes' smaller models - or even the seamless twin-screen layout that by 2018 we were familiar with from larger Mercedes cars. Still, in compensation, the brand standardised a 10.25-inch central screen with smarter graphics across the C-Class range as part of this car's facelift. And added in the option of the kind of 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster that by 2018 you could have further up the Mercedes model line-up. Which meant that when specified right, this car could still feel just as sophisticated as the more modern designs it competed against. And the rear seat? Well, as with most cars in the premium section of this class, it's comfortable for two adults but rather cramped for three - mainly because of the rather over-prominent central transmission tunnel. Leg space is decent - there's 686mm of it, enough for one six-footer can just about sit behind another. The boot in the saloon model is usually 455-litres in size (which is 25-litres less than you'd get in a rival Audi A4), but that figure falls to 435-litres in the C200 thanks to the mild hybrid EQ Boost hardware. Choose a C-Class estate and the boot capacity is normally 460-litres (or 440-litres in a C200 variant).

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