The new Mercedes-Benz C-class of the fifth generation in the back of the W206 was introduced in February 2021, and arrived in Russia only in December last year, so the car did not have much time to become familiar on the roads. And in general, for a relatively small sedan now, the price is quite invigorating, so there are no queues for it. For the starting C 180 with a 1.5-liter petrol turbo engine with 150 hp. and rear-wheel drive, they ask for a minimum of 3,660,000 rubles. Modification of the C 200 with 4Matic all-wheel drive and forced up to 197 hp. engine, as we have on the test, will cost 4,406,799 rubles already. Today, this is the most expensive offer in the segment, the same BMW 3 Series starts at 3,230,000 rubles, and for the initial Audi A4 they ask for a little less than 3 million. But in defense of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, it’s the most recent model among premium sedans, so it makes sense that it costs more.
The appearance of the Mercedes-Benz C-class in the fifth generation did not turn out to be any frankly new, the sedan just began to look more downed, got narrow taillights in the spirit of the latest models of the brand and a recognizable radiator grille. I would not say that the car outperforms its competitors in terms of exterior; when choosing, the personal predilections of buyers for a particular brand will rather play a role.
But where the W206 is definitely better than competitors from Audi and BMW is in interior design. In my opinion, the new “tseshki” has the most beautiful interior in the class. The designers approached its design with full responsibility and some details, such as the design of the central air ducts, it even outperforms the older S-class, which, in fact, gave this interior design to the younger sedan. It is also worth paying attention to the extended contour lighting, which is very much in the fresh Mercedes, with it the interior looks just cosmic at night. In addition, the manufacturer has also made the backlight interactive, it changes in some modes, thereby performing the function of a kind of visual notification.
There are no questions about landing behind the wheel of the new Mercedes-Benz C-class, all the adjustments are enough with a margin, and a driver of almost any height and build will comfortably sit in the chair. Interestingly, in our car, the front seat adjustments were partly mechanical, partly electrical. We are already accustomed to the fact that the power seats in Mercedes are placed on the door card, but not in our case, where even the power buttons were located, like in other manufacturers, on the side of the pillow.
The control of the fifth generation C-class is not sharp, but slightly wadded and relaxed, as is customary for cars with a three-pointed star on the hood, that is, the car does not provoke the driver, but, on the contrary, pushes to move slowly, enjoying it. Sharp maneuvers are not only contraindicated for a sedan, but you don’t want to make them once again. The engine and nine-speed automatic are set up quite well, the box quickly and accurately goes through gears without making mistakes. In addition, now the so-called “moderate hybrid” is used here, that is, when accelerating, the electric motor of the starter-generator is connected to the internal combustion engine, which adds power for a while. In the city, the Mercedes-Benz C-class with a hybrid installation performs well, but on the highway, overtaking starts to seem like the car lacks power, somehow it spins up from 100 km/h quite sluggishly.
The suspension handles most bumps well, although average potholes at city speeds are a bit harsh in the cabin. But on the track, no complaints. There are not enough stars from the sky in terms of soundproofing, but in general it is quiet and comfortable in most situations.
The most important change in the new W206 is the second-generation MBUX system, which debuted on the new S-Class and brings a number of dramatic innovations. Now the central screen is not widescreen and is not integrated into one box with a digital dashboard, but has a vertical orientation and is moved down the center of the console. The display looks interesting, its diagonal is 11.9 inches, and it is made using OLED technology. The virtual dashboard has been retained from its predecessor, it can be 10.25- or 12.3-inch, depending on the configuration. The saddest moment for me was that the second generation MBUX now does not allow you to customize the data on the dashboard, here you can only choose one of four fixed options for its design, and even one of them has the ability to scroll through the on-board computer data. For some reason, call data also disappeared from the digital panel and is displayed only on the central screen. Yes, even the digital speedometer cannot be displayed on the central part of the digital tidy, you have to be content with the one fixed at the top of the screen.
In addition, the classic climate control unit has disappeared in the new Mercedes-Benz C-class, which has now moved to the central display screen, where it eats up part of the usable space on an ongoing basis. No, the screen itself and the virtual climate control buttons on it are located in such a way that the driver does not have to reach for them, but still they are not as convenient to work on the go as the physical keys that were very good in Mercedes. As a kind of compensation, the new C-class has an advanced Mercedes voice assistant that can adjust the temperature in the cabin for you on command, but I never managed to use it to adjust by half a degree, only by a whole. And in general, the voice assistant in Russian does not work very well, understanding only exact commands and not welcoming deviations from its algorithms.
But what has become well implemented in the second generation MBUX is support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay platforms, the latter can work without a wire. Systems display data on a large screen area, so it becomes very comfortable to work with them. Plus, in the new Mercedes system, it is possible not only to create user profiles, but also to enter them using a fingerprint under the screen or using a voice recognition system. This feature allows you to quickly change users, immediately activating the settings for specific drivers.
All in all, the new fifth-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class is an interesting car that pleases with a very pleasant interior design, and the second-generation MBUX brings new features. It is a pity that diesel cars were not brought to our market, and the only gasoline unit with a hybrid system performs well only in the city.