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The diesel engine has a good low-end along with minimal turbo lag
Performance – Powering the Mercedes C300d is the same engine (OM654) as the C220d but gets an additional 50 BHP and 100 Nm, resulting in a total output of 245 HP and 500 Nm which is close to 6-cylinder numbers. As expected, performance is extremely impressive with great grunt throughout. The low-end is strong, turbo lag is well contained and drivability is excellent too. The motor is refined lower down but as you push it past the mid-range, it becomes vocal and is very audible near its 4500 RPM redline.
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The C300d comes with paddle shifters & the engine has good driveability
The diesel engine is very powerful and the gearbox offers lightning fast shifts
The mid-range is really strong and the Mercedes C300d pulls relentlessly, taking just 5.9 seconds to reach the ton from a standstill. The 9G-Tronic gearbox is super fast with shifts and gives you a downshift whenever you need it. You can manually control the cogs using the steering mounted paddles but it will upshift if you don’t do so near the redline. The engine revs fast and there are 5 driving modes on offer – Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Individual (this can be configured), these modes alter the engine and gearbox, steering and ESP. The C300d’s engine is BS6 compliant on BS4 fuel and the vehicle returns a mileage of 9-12 km/l.
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The steering offers fantastic feedback and the tyres offer good grip
Driving Dynamics – When Mercedes developed the fourth generation C-Class, they managed some weight reduction due to which they had to stiffen the chassis and suspension but with the facelift, they have softened the suspension a bit as it felt quite stiff. It still feels firm though but the ride quality is quite good even on the low profile tyres of this AMG line trim. However, on bad roads, you can feel the stiff suspension as the vehicle thuds through.
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High speed stability is incredible & the brakes offer good stopping power
The stiff suspension does make the ride harsher but it also leads to very confident handling around corners
The steering is well weighted and feels light at low speeds but weighs up brilliantly at high speeds. Body roll is very well contained too and the C-Class is a joy to drive around the corners as the wide tyres offer terrific grip. In fact, turn off the traction control and it becomes a bit tail happy, yet it’s less prone to oversteer than the C220d, in spite of having more torque because of the grippier rubber. The brakes offer very good stopping power and the C-Class remains stable at high speeds although expansion joints due to affect the car due to the stiffness and low profile tyres.
