I have tried the new "C class" of Mercedes-Benz. What kind of car was it? Report where the charm lies.
What is the position of C class in Mercedes-Benz?
First, let's start with the positioning of the "C class". Mercedes-Benz has a wide range of vehicles, from compact hatchbacks to medium-sized and large sedans, coupes and SUVs. However, if you examine the contents, you can roughly divide it into two. One is a model based on a medium-sized and large-sized sedan that has been around for a long time. The feature is that it is based on rear-wheel drive, which places the engine vertically on the front. It is a so-called FR car. Specifically, centering on the "C class", "E class" and "S class" sedans, the station wagon and coupe derivative models, and the SUVs "GLC", "GLE" and "GLS" and their SUV derivative models. is.
Another Mercedes-Benz is a compact FF-based model with a transverse engine, which was added from the latter half of the 1990s. "A class", "B class", "CLA coupe" and its derivative models, and SUVs "GLA" and "GLB".
Roughly speaking, it is divided into a small FF and a large FR.
Under such circumstances, the "C class" is the smallest FR model. Of course, the price is also the cheapest in FR, and the number of sales is large, and for many years we have maintained the position of "Mercedes-Benz, which is the best-selling in Japan".
The "C class" has undergone a full model change to the 5th generation, and has been on sale in Japan since June of last year. First, the sedan and station wagon will be on sale in September, the 4-door coupe "CLS", and from January 2022, the station wagon-based crossover "C220d 4MATIC All Terrain" will be on sale.
The features of the new C class are electrification and cutting-edge technology
There are two main features of the latest "C class" that appeared this time. One is electrification, and the other is the adoption of many cutting-edge technologies inherited from the flagship "S class".
As for the content of electrification, ISG (Intelligent Starter Generator) of 48V mild hybrid is adopted for all cars. In addition, a plug-in hybrid model is planned to be introduced in Japan. ISG is a motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission to assist drive, recover deceleration energy, start the engine, and generate electricity. The output of ISG is 15kW (20 horsepower), 208Nm. Although the horsepower is small, the torque is large and it is directly connected to the engine, so efficient and smooth operation is possible.
There are three types of engines that incorporate ISG. Maximum output 125kW (170 horsepower), maximum torque 250Nm and maximum output 150kW (204 horsepower), maximum torque 300Nm, two types of 1.5-liter gasoline turbo with different tuning, maximum output 147kW (200 horsepower), maximum torque 440Nm 2 liter diesel. All transmissions to be combined will be 9-speed AT.
The state-of-the-art technology inherited from the "S class" includes a state-of-the-art driving support system, intuitive operation settings centered on a vertical 11.9-inch center display, AR (augmented reality) navigation, and biometric authentication (fingerprints). Vehicle settings based on voice), ultra-high-performance headlights with 1.3 million pixels on each side, rear axle steering (currently cannot be ordered due to lack of semiconductors), etc. Although it is the entry position of the FR model, it is characterized by the generous introduction of the latest technology.
The test drive this time was the sedan "C200 avant-garde (6.54 million yen)", the station wagon "C220d station wagon avant-garde (7.05 million yen)", and the crossover "C220d 4MATIC all terrain (7.96 million yen)". 3 models. The sedan is a 150kW (204 horsepower) gasoline engine, and the other two models are 147kW (200 horsepower) diesel with a maximum torque of 440Nm.
