2019 Mercedes C220d Review
Car Tested: 2019 Mercedes C220d; Road Test No. 1050; Test Location: Mumbai
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 47.96 – 52.97 lakhs
The Mercedes C220d is the perfect balance between performance & entry-level luxury
The entry-level luxury car segment might not be entry-level anymore (due to the launch of 4 MFA front-wheel-drive cars) but for purists, the C-Class is still the baby Merc. The current fourth-generation model was launched in 2014 and was given its mid-life facelift in 2018 and although the changes might not look comprehensive, there is a lot to talk about. With competition in the segment getting intense thanks to new generations of the BMW 3-Series and Volvo S60 being unveiled and due for an India launch later this year, are the updates to the C-Class enough to keep this Mercedes the segment pick?
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The Mercedes C-Class looks opulent and graceful
Exteriors – Mercedes-Benz has made the usual changes on the outside with new headlights (that are all LEDs) to revised bumpers, wheels and new tail-lights. The lights look spectacular at night, both the front and rear ones but unless you have a keen eye, it’s difficult to differentiate the old car from the new. It still looks elegant despite being in the market for almost 5 years now with lots of visual cues from the bigger Mercs.
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The interior has been updated to be in line with new Mercedes models
Interiors – Step inside and the changes are a bit more comprehensive as you can immediately notice the bigger 10.25-inch infotainment screen that replaces the old car’s rather small 7.0-inch unit, it also gets 80% new components. The steering too resembles the one we see on the E-Class with the Blackberry style touchpads on both sides that make it easy to browse through the instrument cluster and infotainment screens. The new system is very fluid, has a crisp display and offers plenty of features including reverse parking camera with adaptive guidelines, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Unfortunately, though, there is no digital cluster on offer which the Audi A4 offers.
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The large transmission tunnel robs space from rear passengers
The cabin feels premium but some more space would have been welcome
Gone is the fingerprint loving gloss black finish on the centre console, replaced by classy wood which is less prone to scratches. Fit-finish levels are excellent although some parts of the dashboard (mostly the lower half) have hard plastics while the massive panoramic roof gives the cabin an airy feeling. That said, the cabin is still quite compact and there isn’t much space at the rear with the transmission hump making this car a strict 4-seater. Further eating into practicality is the spare wheel which has been placed on top of the boot floor, not under it.
