Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Pictorial: The W205 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a Masterclass of Design - Featuring the Pre-facelift C200 AMG-Line


This is a short pictorial on the outgoing, pre-facelift Mercedes-Benz W205 C-Class, featuring the C200 AMG-Line. 



The W205 C-class could be one of the greatest premium compact sedans ever to be made by Mercedes-Benz. It basically rewrote the rulebook when it comes to how luxury sedans are to be made and this is a short article with a lot more photos on one of its variants. Take a look at its interior and you can see where the money in terms of development went. 

Four years after its launch it is still a stunning place to be in. No other premium mid-sized compact sedan has an interior as well built and as stylish as this. The perceived levels of quality are actually extremely high in terms of interior design. 



In terms of its exterior, Mercedes-Benz also changed its approach. No longer styled like the previous models in terms of its overall stance and look. It now looks like a very modern take on a 1950s style limousine with its long bonnet and short boot. Long and slender looking rather than taking up the styling of the wide arch looks that you see in other contemporary German sedans.

The C200 AMG-Line could be the best buy in terms of the C-class here in Malaysia. It can be had with a 2.0liter 4 cylinder turbocharged engine which makes 184hp and about 300Nm of torque. 0-100kmh was in about 7.5 seconds and it could easily hold a high speed cruise north of 160kmh all day. This makes cruising down to Johor Bahru or to Arau easy. With its RM250,000+ price tag, it sits nicely within the range. There is the small volume C180 beneath it and the similar engined C250 with more power in terms of tuning sitting right above it. The range topper was the C350 e Plug in Hybrid.



Whatever it was, in its AMG-Line trim it looked so much like the C250 AMG-Line. I personally think that you could just save a ton of money (well, around RM30K or so) if you just bought the C200 AMG-Line as it basically looked the same as the C250 AMG-Line right down to the AMG alloy wheels. Of course, just change the 'C200' badge to a 'C250' and almost everyone will not be able to tell the difference. 

The C200 drives well. It is quiet at normal speeds and it is refined. It may not be the best riding in its class but it may be one of the quietest. It may not be the fastest but it still cruises high speeds as well as a RM250K sedan would do. This hits so many sweet spots in terms of what it offers. Of course, with the imminent launch of the new, facelifted W205 here in Malaysia very, very, very, very, very soon (it may be launched by the time you read this), it now represents great value for money if you buy it relatively new at any of the Mercedes-Benz certified pre-owned centres that they have just opened over the past few months (there is one in Kinrara, Balakong, Klang by the way). 


Another reason to appreciate this C200 is that it seems that Mercedes-Benz is coming out with a mild hybrid for the facelifted range of W205 variants. The upcoming C200 will come with a smaller 1.5liter 4 cylinder engine with EQ boost via the alternator which will add some horsepower to the car. 177hp and 17hp from the electric motor from the 1.5liter turbocharged unit. Quite a unique powerplant...but you no longer get a 2.0liter with a C200. Times are still a'changin folks! - Motoring Malaysia

















No comments: