My 2017 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C200 ownership experience

The W205 C-Class is designed under Mercedes-Benz’s design language of Sensual Purity.

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Holding synonymity with quality, comfort, luxury, and regality, Mercedes Benz has achieved a soft spot in the hearts of almost every enthusiast in the country. Here's my review of our Mercedes Benz C class.

2017 Mercedes Benz C-Class (C200 W205)

Points to like:

• Design, Mercedes has nailed it with scaling down the W222 S-Class, on the inside, and the outside
• Fit and Finish, is top notch for the most part, everything looks, feels and sounds like out of a car worth this much.
• Enjoys a flat foot as much of a cruiser it is.
• Paddle shifters are standard across the range
• Front seats are supremely bolstered, and feature electrical adjustment and lumbar support
• The rear seat offers knee-room in abundance, and one can tuck their feet beneath the front seats too.
• Fantastic NVH levels inside the cabin
• Sense of occasion as expected from a Mercedes Benz is well looked after - sporting 3-colour ambient lighting, Amber back-lighting for switches, a satisfying “thud” in the way the doors shut, to name a few.
• Long hood and short boot are a good combination to the eye, making the silhouette rather sporty if I must add.
• Comfort, Sport, and Eco modes show no hesitation in living up to their names, -Individual mode is the icing on the cake.
• 7G-Tronic Transmission is a fantastic companion to the 2.0L 181 BHP Turbocharged Petrol Engine.
• City friendly dimensions add to its daily drive capability, Park Assist is helpful too.
• Panoramic sunroof stretching all the way back complements the airiness offered by sizeable daylight openings and beige interiors. (Note: Beige interiors are specific to all exterior colours except Silver.)
• Useful Multi Information Display (To be referred to as MID hereafter) featuring trip meters, speedometers in mph/kph, proximity sensor warnings and TPMS.

Points to loathe:

• Poor overall rear seat comfort, lack of thigh support and low seating forces a knees up position.
• Rear A/C vents do an average job.
• Space saver spare tyre strapped onto the boot floor makes it a gamble between a spare wheel or an extra suitcase.
• Average In-Car Entertainment (To be referred to as ICE hereafter) - screen looks like an afterthought, and the bezels don’t work in favour either. Scrolling is clunky and delayed too.
• Omissions in the Indian C Class like the Larger ICE display, 3 Zone Air Conditioning, powered tailgate, memory seats, Burmester sound system, are discouraging (Furthermore, the cheaper CLA and GLA got memory seats)
• Rather obsolete instrumentation for a time where Audi sported a virtual cockpit in the A4.
• Average speaker system, very disappointing for the price point.

“It all starts with a dream”

A three pointed star in one’s garage is quite a popular benchmark of achievement for the common man in India. My father is not an exception, and a Mercedes was on his checklist since as long as I can remember. That’s the thing about a Mercedes, you know, the form, substance, aura, and appeal set it apart from all other brands in rivalry, and it radiated its way into everyone’s hearts.

The summers of 2017 disguising in its warmth, brought to our home a wave of opportunity and enthusiasm, that instinctively triggered the rebirth of a passion, stronger than ever, to finally buy a Mercedes. It was when my father went for a meeting in his client’s brand new Mercedes E-Class (V213). On returning, he got me to carry out some research on what options Mercedes had in the sub 40 Lakh range.

As surprised as I was, my excited 13 year old self hastily pulled open the laptop and got to work, in the brand new as well as pre-owned market (however, with more inclination toward brand new.)

Options considered

Mercedes Benz GLA

Image Source - Carwale

What we liked:

• Youthful interiors with turbine like vents and silver accents
• Rather peppy 2 Litre Turbo Petrol (same as the C-Class)
• Memory seats
• Due for minor update later that year, therefore good discounts

What we loathed:

• Lacklustre design- too many bulges make it look like an A Class on steroids, takes away the elegance.
• Limited headroom and legroom in the rear seat dropped its worth.
• Small boot + spare tyre strapped on, rendered it useless
• Single zone climate control, and the buttons on the centre console were from older generation Mercs; an issue with all the Merc SUVs back then.
• Just didn’t feel as special as it could have been.

Mercedes Benz CLA

Image Source: indianautosblog

Another member of the A team, we were floored by the CLA’s looks for starters. Our initial dealership visit was for the sole purpose of finalising the CLA. On digging deep, here’s what I found:

What we liked:

• Styling; sporty, aggressive, yet balanced silhouette.
• Interiors complemented the exteriors.
• Pretty much similar to what the GLA’s likes were.

What we loathed:

• Strict no for chauffeur driven or family outings, in-fact dad hit his head while getting into the back, and the experience once in is nothing to write home about.
• Boot loading lip was high and narrow thanks to the tail lamp design, and it opened to a small space saver laden boot.
• We are a family of four, so we didn’t want to compromise to this extent on the rear seat.

Mercedes Benz E-Class (W212 Facelift)

Given that the V213 E-Class was the new kid on the block, we thought we could get hold of a good deal on old stock/Pre owned example of the W212 Facelift given that it’s a bigger car and more stately than any of the other considerations. But on seeing what it was like on the inside, spacious sure but everything felt a generation old, which it was, we struck it off, as the base of the interior was new when the W212 was first launched in the late 2000s.

Other options

The Jaguar XE was briefly spoken of, but that was about it, since dad was hell-bent on Mercedes since the start, the BMW and Audi rivals barely made it to our table.

How did the C-Class enter our spectrum?

Underwhelmed by the GLA and CLA, and walking out of the showroom in vain, my dad’s eye was caught by a Dakota Brown C Class ready for delivery, and how! He requested the SA if he could have a look, and asked him for the price list too. It was a stretch by a few lakhs for a C200 Avant Garde, but it was announced that “if I’m buying a car now, it’s this or nothing.

Excited, we booked a test drive for the following Sunday. The TD Car was a Palladium Silver C200. Dad took the wheel, with the SA in the passenger’s seat. Mom, my sister and I were at the back.

Quick observations:

• Cabin width was adequate for 3 of us at the back
• Ingress and egress wasn’t the easiest due to the low seating position.
• Thigh support was a shocker! Very short seat squab
• However, the short squab made for a generous recline angle
• Three adjustable headrests were a good touch, so as were expanses of leather on all touchpoints on the door.
• Suspension was good for the most part, but the 17 inchers don’t do a job maybe as well as what 16s would do at insulating the sharper bumps.
• Low speed braking was noisy.

Next, the colour conflict:

Out of the palette available for the C-Class, the Black, Brown, and Palladium Silver were unanimously ruled out. So was the Iridium Silver for the simple reason that it came with black interiors, which accented the walnut wood trims to a shade we didn’t like.

Remainders were Cavansite Blue and Polar White.

The blue, a great shade however, we found to make the car look smaller and bulkier especially with the darker wheels on the locally assembled C-Class. Plus, white accented the black roof much better.

And on that note, we booked a Mercedes C-Class C200 Avant Garde in Polar White.

Dealer Experience, Registration, and Delivery:

The dealer in question is Autohangar, Andheri West, Mumbai.

We settled at an on road price of approximately Rs 47,25,000/- after professional discounts and miscellaneous sources. The dealers were prompt and everything flowed smoothly, from insurance, registration to final paperwork at delivery. Car cover, first aid kit and one micro-USB and one lightning connector were part of the accessories.

The car was registered at the Andheri RTO on 7th July 2017, two days prior to delivery.

We opted for the number 5001, as our old Honda City which was also white, bore that number.

Delivery day started a little too early for me, I could barely sleep!

Went for a nice lunch and set out with the family.

We entered the showroom and out of the three cars covered, I recognised ours’ silhouette instantly, and since it was a surprise for my uncle, we decided to unveil the car first, after which paperwork was a breeze!

The showroom’s big screen flashed a personalised congratulatory message.

Lifting the wraps and being welcomed by a face with its intricate balance of poise and aggression was more than just a delivery for us. It was something that reached the heart and made it happy. Seeing the lines flowing to the back and concluding the car proportionately, resonated with the completion and contention we felt in our subconscious.

A day where someone’s dream came true,

A day which unlocked new arenas and targets in the mind of an optimist.

A day where the curve in our smiles set things straight.

A day where along with the engine, a new journey came to life.

Rituals, customs, blessings and pleasantries completed. We drove off.

Careful, Mumbai! There’s a man in his new Mercedes out at large!

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