Finding a place to stash said booklet is not a problem, with the C-Class interior now more practical than before. For instance, each of the front-door pockets has 3.2 litres more stowage volume than those in the previous model (which also lacks the newcomer’s rear-door bins), and the pair of rear cupholders can be deployed individually (they open/close together previously).
The deployment in question is also much slicker, with none of the clatter that afflicts the older set of cupholders. Also gone are the tacky underseat compartments that tend to brush against the thighs of front occupants.
Too bad the glovebox, apparently unchanged in capacity (but with an even gentler lid-opening action), cannot store more stuff than before. It’s smaller inside if you specify the Air-Balance option, whose glass flask with the refillable fragrance and integrated dispenser takes up about a quarter of the space. The “active fragrancing” can be switched off, and its intensity altered. Four different “Mood” aromas are offered: Freeside, Nightlife, Downtown and Sports.
Doing a far more convincing job of putting anyone in the mood for sports is the engine under the bonnet of the C250. Turbocharged to 211bhp and 350Nm, the 4-cylinder is essentially the same rear-drive, 7-speed automatic motor that powers the E250, but the C250 performs much better because it’s some 200kg lighter.
The only disappointment is the boring engine sound. This Merc is as torquey as the VW Golf GTI and accelerates almost as vigorously, but sounds like a hardworking vacuum cleaner, albeit an upmarket one made in Germany.
The drivetrain is certainly effective, reacting promptly in Marseille’s busy town traffic and responding strongly on quiet French countryside roads, accompanied by suitably slurred gearchanges. The 7G-Tronic transmission prefers to do its job smoothly rather than speedily, even when you override the computer with the paddle-shifters, but there’s enough turbo torque across the rev range to make major “gear-leaps” unnecessary.
The autobox might not try to save travelling time, but it helps to save fuel, with the C250 claimed to average 18.9km per litre. I only managed 13.6km per litre, which is still respectable considering the energetic performance and how often I used it.
On standby to stretch the mileage is the C-Class’ Eco mode, which is more ecological than the previous model’s function of the same name that is basically just auto start/stop. The newest Eco mode has that and more – a deliberately torpid throttle pedal, reduced power usage for the air-con and rear demister, an in-dash green graphic display to track and encourage economical driving, and the ability to “sail” (freewheel on the road using the car’s kinetic energy and with the powertrain in “neutral”).
When the need for velocity overcomes the need for economy, you’ll find the ride-and-handling equation to be excellent. The C250 (tested with the AMG kit that comprises 15mm-lower, stiffer suspension plus 225/45 R18 front and 245/50 R18 rear tyres) is less sharp than the naturally racy BMW 328i when changing direction or tackling a switchback, but it’s cushier when cruising (on France’s autoroutes, in this case), with minimal road-and-wind noise. Mercedes’ radar-based adaptive cruise control system, Distronic Plus, makes it even easier for this car to travel at speed on the expressway for 20km to 30km at a time.
