Mercedes-Benz C-Class Facelift Launch Tomorrow

It’s been over three years since the current Mercedes-Benz C-Class made its debut in the India market, as with its predecessors this has been one of the most popular models for the company in India. While the competition is as strong and evolving as ever, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class has had to get ready to become more efficient and less polluting in the run-up to stringent norms in India and worldwide. The C-Class facelift is thus nicely poised to take on this new challenge while also getting a healthy update to keep it fresh for the next couple of years.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class facelift will be launched tomorrow (20 September 2018), here’s a brief look at what’s new:

It’s the same size

The C-Class facelift, being a facelift, has not been fiddled with dimension wise, LxWxH remain identical to the pre-facelift model at 4686mm x 1810mm x 1442mm.

It looks familiar

The C-Class facelift is the definition of a nip and tuck. Depending on the variant you choose (details of the trim levels are not available as of now) the new C-Class may look no different than the current model. The changes to the sedan include a smarter looking star-studded grille, redesigned headlamps, new front and rear bumpers, new alloy wheel designs and redesigned taillamps.

The regular projector headlamps feature new LED guide lights, with optional units offered with an all-LED setup. The faux front intakes now feature horizontal slats to break up the monotony. The rear seems to look taught thanks to the redesigned taillamps and the slightly sculpted bumper with more prominent exhausts, diffuser and chrome highlight.

Familiar on the inside too

At first glance, it would be easy to miss the changes made to the C-Class’ interior, but there have been many.

As standard, the analogue dials of the C-Class will be replaced by an all-digital unit, which should allow for more relevant data to be shown. The multimedia screen in some variant will continue to be a 7-inch unit, but a larger 10.25-inch screen may be offered on top-end variants or as an optional extra. The system can be had with a new 225W nine-speaker surround sound system or an optional Burmester setup.

The steering wheel gets touch-sensitive buttons and the metallic-scrollers from the flagship S-Class sedan.

Features?

A sunroof, switchable driving modes, ambient lighting, automatic ambient temperature control etc. are expected to be offered on the new C-Class.

While we await the launch tomorrow for a proper idea, there is speculation that Mercedes-Benz may add some semi-autonomous tech to the C-Class for added safety and convenience.

7 airbags, adaptive braking, active park assist will be carried over from the pre-facelift model.

The engines

The most important updates as part of the facelift are the new BSVI-compliant engines.

Two petrol motors will be on offer - an all-new 1.5-litre turbo 4-cylinder with ‘EQ Boost’ mild-hybrid system and a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder unit. The 1.5-litre motor develops 184PS of maximum power (same as the pre-facelifts model’s 2.0-litre unit) and 280Nm of peak torque (-20Nm). The mild-hybrid system should make it more economical and less polluting though, with a slight bump in performance as it can develop 14PS of boost for short intervals.

The C-Class gets a new diesel engine in two states of tune - 194PS/400Nm and 245PS/500Nm. All these engines will be paired with 9-speed automatic transmissions.

How do these engines feel to drive? Check out our first drive review here.

Price?

Stay tuned for live updates on ZigWheels tomorrow!

We expect the prices to remain similar to the pre-facelift model which currently retails from Rs 39.90 lakh to Rs 46.87 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi. Competition includes the BMW 3-Series, Jaguar XE, Audi A4 and the Volvo S60.