2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Expert Reviews, Specs And Photos

2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Expert Reviews, Specs And Photos

Despite some dental work last year, the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is getting long in the tooth, with performance and space concerns that will need a full redesign to address. Mercedes鈥?rear-drive sport sedan has a slew of competitors, including the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Cadillac ATS. Following a range of 2012 updates that included the addition of a four-seat C-Class coupe, the C-Class gets a more powerful V-6 in the midlevel Mercedes-Benz C-Class C 300 sedan for 2013. Compare the 2013 and 2012 C-Class here. The coupe and sedan both offer rear- or all-wheel drive, and variations range from the turbo four-cylinder C250 to the V-8 C63 AMG. We put a rear-drive C250 sedan through its paces on public roads and a racetrack. We also drove a rear-drive C350. Sport sedans usually have snug interiors, but the C-Class sedan feels downright miniscule. I needed the driver鈥檚 seat all the way back for my 5-foot-11 frame; the center console encroaches on legroom, and headroom runs out if you elevate the seat. In back, adults鈥?legs touch the front seatbacks, and the low seat cushions elevate passengers鈥?knees in an uncomfortable way.

Competitors offer more room up front and better confines in back, and the numbers show it. Passenger volume in the C-Class sedan totals a cramped 88.2 cubic feet. Every major competitor exceeds 90 cubic feet, and the Acura TL and 3 Series top 96 cubic feet. The increase may sound modest, but taller drivers 鈥?and their backseat passengers 鈥?will appreciate it. 60,000-plus C63 鈥?is absurd. Cabin materials are competitive overall, but other details are hit and miss. The gated gearshift still snakes from Park to Drive with satisfying heft, but the chintzy door locks feel cheap. So do the flimsy climate dials and crude sun visors. Characteristic of Mercedes-Benz, the C250鈥檚 accelerator has plodding, gradual progression. The C250鈥檚 modest output 鈥?201 horsepower from a small turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder 鈥?makes matters worse. Takeoffs around town are sluggish even in the automatic transmission鈥檚 Sport mode. Hammer the gas and the C250鈥檚 229 pounds-feet of torque lend some midrange oomph, but the drivetrain runs out of steam as the tachometer needle swings to the right.

Indeed, our C250 needed 8.2 seconds to hit 60 mph 鈥?slowest among the five competitors we tested in a recent Sport Sedan Challenge. An A4, TL and ATS hit the mark in less than 8 seconds; a 328i and Volvo S60 needed less than 7 seconds. Step up to the C300 for a 248-hp V-6. For 2013, it added 20 hp and 30 pounds-feet of torque. Saddled with standard 4Matic all-wheel drive, however, the car weighs some 300 pounds more than the C250. Mercedes-Benz quotes similar acceleration times as the C250, but given our own results, I鈥檓 skeptical of any additional acceleration. The C350鈥檚 302-hp V-6 revs smoothly, with punchy thrust at the high end. Still, it lacks the immediate torque of a BMW 335i or Lexus IS 350, and even its high-rev thrust falls short of Audi鈥檚 screaming S4. In regular (Economy) or Sport mode, the transmission resists downshifting until too late.

The car feels quick if you manhandle the gas pedal, but it鈥檚 a constant game of wake-me-up. With a standard seven-speed automatic, EPA fuel economy ranges from 22/31/25 mpg city/highway/combined in the C250 to 20/29/23 in either the all-wheel-drive C300 or the rear-wheel-drive C350. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class C 250 falls a bit short of the four-cylinder 3 Series and A4, but the C350 compares more favorably to the six-cylinder competition. Mercedes requires premium gas, however; some competitors merely recommend it. We haven鈥檛 tested the C63 AMG since Mercedes-Benz updated it for 2012. Its V-8 kicks out 451 hp, and an optional performance package raises that to 481 hp. I can only hope the C63 AMG improves on the standard C-Class鈥?brakes, which are miserable. In both C-Class sedans we tested, the brake pedal felt spongy and tentative before clamping down. The C250 finished midpack in our 60-mph-to-zero braking tests, but editors agreed pedal feel was as vague as a modern-art exhibit. The car鈥檚 lackluster handling diminishes things, too. Most C-Class sedans have Luxury or Sport layouts, the latter with a sport-tuned suspension.

It does little to contain the C-Class鈥?body roll, however; our C350 Sport pitched into corners, with vague, disconnected steering that threw too much guesswork into each corner. Outfitted with the Dynamic Sport Package, which includes what Mercedes-Benz calls an Advanced Agility Suspension, the C250 fared better, but it鈥檚 still no champ. Steering and cornering improve a great deal, but the standard electronic stability system cuts power early and often to control pervasive understeer as the nose pushes wide. Turn the electronics off and you can nudge the tail out more easily, but the C-Class never feels as drift-happy as the ATS or 3 Series. The payoff comes in ride comfort, which scores in both ride and noise isolation. Even with the sport-tuned suspension 鈥?or our C250鈥檚 advanced adaptive setup 鈥?the C-Class is a comfort-oriented car. The C-Class sedan is a Top Safety Pick for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, having earned top marks in front, side and rear impacts, as well as roof-strength tests.