23 Jan 07
The three diesel and five petrol engines are the current four- and six-cylinder units with improvements to power and efficiency; more extensive use of high-strength steels allows the new car to be longer, wider and taller than the outgoing model but also a few kilos lighter.
'We have put an end to the weight spiral,' says R&D head Thomas Weber.
Aerodynamic improvements - which even see the rear lights metering out airflow to take on the drag-reducing role normally entrusted to a spoiler - contribute to version-for-version fuel consumption reductions of up to 6%: the likely best-sellers, the C200 CDI and C220 CDI, both promise an impressive 46mpg in the combined cycle.
Advanced safety technology has filtered down from the S-Class. Seven airbags, including a standard driver-side knee airbag in Euro NCAP countries, make Mercedes confident of a five-star occupant safety rating; optional intelligent lights automatically switch between five different modes to suit driving conditions; and Pre-Safe senses if an accident is imminent, tightening the seatbelts and closing the windows. Yet absent from the list, even as an option, is the radar-guided autonomous cruise control that is already on several Hondas.
Five different engine versions will appear at the model's June UK launch: the C200, C280 and C350 petrols, and the C220 and C320 CDI diesels. In August the entry-level C180 will be added, along with the V6-powered C230. UK prices have not yet been fixed, but expect the range to cost only slightly more than the outgoing line-up, starting around £22,000.
