2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

 

By  Steven J. Ewing RSS feed Google+

Posted Aug 6th 2014 11:57AM

 

Vital Stats

Engine:

Twin-Turbo 3.0L V6

Power:

329 HP / 354 LB-FT

Transmission:

7-Speed Auto

Drivetrain:

All-Wheel Drive

Curb Weight:

3,737 LBS

Seating:

2+3

Cargo:

17 CU-FT

MPG:

22 City / 29 HWY

Base Price:

$38,400

As-Tested Price:

$61,000 (est.)

It ain't easy being the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Up until now, the compact luxury sedan has had a tough job description: offer sufficient driving dynamics to allow it to compete with the lauded BMW 3 Series, while also serving as the lowest cost of entry into the coveted Mercedes-Benz portfolio. Daimler has had to make it good enough to steal people away from BMW, Audi, Cadillac, Infiniti and Lexus, yet make it affordable and reasonable enough to win over first-time luxury shoppers. Talk about a tall order.

But now Mercedes has the CLA-Class – a slick little front-drive sedan that creates a new bottom end for the brand here in the United States, effectively taking those entry-level duties off of the C-Class' plate. It's clearly working – as of this writing, Mercedes-Benz executives say the company has but a nine-day supply of CLAs and it recently had to add a third shift at its factory in order to keep up with demand. So with fewer needs to fill, where does the C-Class go from here?

There's only one direction to go: Up. Autoblog contributor and Man About Town Jonathon Ramsey got an early taste of the C-Class in European spec this year, and to say he walked away impressed wouldn't do his First Drive justice. According to his initial drive report, the C-Class has transformed from a formidable German competitor in a fierce segment into a true juggernaut that makes a convincing bid for the company's "The Best or Nothing" tagline. That heady praise in mind, I naturally jumped at the chance to put the new US-market C through its paces on American soil.

You can't really appreciate how handsome this new C-Class is until you see it on the road. If you're like us, you've been drooling over the new C-Class ever since it debuted at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show this past January. You're undoubtedly familiar with its miniature S-Class styling, proudly displaying sleek yet aggressive facial features (especially with those full-LED headlamps), classically beautiful proportions, a short rear deck with elegantly styled taillamps and an attractive family of 17-, 18- and 19-inch wheels. Ramsey accurately described how it's all too easy for an automaker to slap some hallmark design cues on a vehicle to try and sell a family resemblance, but it's much, much harder "to make your near entry-level sedan feel like your marquee brougham." We couldn't agree more, with the caveat that you can't really appreciate how handsome this new C-Class is until you see it on the road.

The long hood/short trunk proportions from the larger S-Class totally work here, and right away, they draw attention to the fact that C's mission is luxury first, sport second. The short front overhang, low stance and careful use of curves and angles really work to make a cohesive package that comes across as far more upscale than not only the CLA, but any previous C-Class.

Nowhere is that more apparent than inside the cabin. This isn't just best-in-class stuff – this is one of the nicest luxury car interiors you're likely to find, full stop. It bests everything currently on offer in the entire Mercedes-Benz portfolio short of the S-Class, and offers a more premium, luxurious experience than a vast majority of more expensive offerings from German rivals.

This is one of the nicest luxury car interiors you're likely to find, full stop.

The design is a good chunk of the story, where flowing lines devoid of harsh edges or angles all work together to lend the interior a truly elegant feel. All of the leathers and woods and plastics come together in a very specific way that radiates attention to detail – this interior was not designed with individual pieces fitted together, it was crafted as one entity, and it shows. The leathers are wonderful, the optional natural wood finishes are some of the best you'll touch, and the aluminum trim looks and feels as premium as it does in the larger S-Class. What's more, despite a relatively high beltline, visibility is good all around. The front seats are particularly comfy and the back seats aren't bad, though sitting back there reminds you that this is indeed a smaller car despite its big luxury sedan aura.

Of course, to most of this segment's buyers, luxurious appointments are far more important than sporty cues in the cockpit, but if they buyer desires, a Sport Pack (optional on C300 models, standard on C400) includes things like a thick-rimmed, flat-bottom wheel, open-pore black ash trim, aluminum pedals and so on. We're likewise big fans of the neatly organized gauge cluster, which offers involving bits for the driver to focus on while leaving passengers to gaze upon the flowing center stack with its three prominent air vents and two rows of climate control and infotainment switchgear. The center stack sweeps down to the small control center that houses the COMAND knob and touchpad, as well as the drive mode toggle ("Agility Select" in Mercedes-speak) and stereo volume control.



From admittedly short experience with the C-Class, we are not yet fully on board with the touchpad technology.

A word about COMAND here: Not everyone will like the tablet-like floating mount of the seven-inch display (we've heard you readers grouse about similar installations in other cars), but we think it's gorgeous, plus it packs excellent graphics and a really modern design. Unfortunately, controlling it isn't quite as fluid as we'd like. The rotary knob to manage everything remains intact, underneath the touchpad, and it's a familiar interface to anyone who has used previous generations of the system before. But the touchpad lacks any sort of haptic feedback, and its scroll and swipe gestures (said to mimic those of smartphones) aren't quite as responsive as we'd like. After several hours of trying to warm to the touchpad, we just couldn't do it, eventually relying solely on the knob below. An extended test of the car may warrant more positive impressions, but from our short experience with the C-Class on this press drive, we are not yet fully on board with the Benz's implementation of the technology.

Mercedes will initially offer two engine choices in the US when the C-Class launches this September. On the low end, there's a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four in the rear- and all-wheel-drive C300 models (the RWD C300 arrives early next year), and the C400, which is only available with all-wheel drive, uses a new, twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 – an engine that will quickly spread to other models in the company's portfolio. Diesel and hybrid variants are forthcoming, so we're told, as is the next-generation AMG model, which is expected to use the new 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 heading into the AMG-GT Coupe. Merc's execs remained a bit mum on details for the upcoming C63 successor, but every time we mentioned it, their eyes got really, really wide. Expect good things when it debuts early next year.



We can honestly say we prefer the less-powerful C300.

The C300's engine is essentially a boosted version of the 2.0T used in the CLA, rated here at 241 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque – gains of 33 hp and 15 lb-ft versus its home in the CLA250, but decreases of 114(!) hp and 59 lb-ft versus the more focused and costlier CLA45 AMG. The only available transmission is the company's fine-and-dandy 7G-Tronic Plus seven-speed automatic. The C400's more powerful twin-turbo V6 produces a healthy 329 hp and 354 lb-ft, mated to the same gearbox.

After packing on the miles in and around Seattle, WA, we can honestly say we prefer the less-powerful C300. This isn't really a shock – when the F30 BMW 3 Series launched a couple of years ago, several reviewers (us included) admitted to preferring the four-cylinder 328i to the six-cylinder 335i. With the Mercedes, the 2.0T is really nicely tuned for the C300 application, with plenty of get up and go without turbo lag and a meaty torque curve to aid with passing situations. Plus, the C300 is lighter – at 3,417 pounds (or 3,737 here in C400 4Matic guise), it weighs about 200 pounds less than the outgoing model. We also found the seven-speed automatic to be better matched with the less-powerful engine, as shifts often felt surprisingly harsh and oddly timed in the more powerful C400, no matter if the car's Agility Selector was in Eco, Comfort, Sport, or Sport+ modes.



The C has some of the crispest, most rewarding steering in the class.

All C-Class models come standard with an all-independent suspension employing four-link geometry up front and a five-link setup out back. The aforementioned Sport Package lowers the suspension by six-tenths of an inch and adds 18-inch wheels on the C300, and while the ride was firm yet comfortable, once again you'll find a greater focus here on luxury than sport. Mercedes also offers an optional Airmatic suspension ($1,190) on both the 300 and 400, with continuously variable damping at the front and rear, as well as automatic self-leveling for when the car is loaded or when cruising on the freeway to reduce drag. The differences between the standard steel and air suspensions weren't especially apparent during our time in Seattle, despite deliberate efforts to expose both setups to a variety of harsh and smooth surfaces. Honestly, the C300 Sport with the standard steel suspension really felt like the total champion of the available setups.

One commendable part of the C-Class experience is its Direct Steer system, a speed-sensitive assist design that incorporates a variable ratio depending on steering input. Unlike some other adaptive systems, the C-Class' setup never feels overly synthetic or lacking in feedback. Sure, you can tell that there's something sort of mechanical and unnatural happening, but it's not intrusive. In fact, we'd go so far to say that the C has some of the crispest, most rewarding steering in the class. Anyone who came away disappointed by the electronic power-assisted helm in the BMW 3 Series would do well to try this setup.



Mercedes has finally allowed the C-Class to be the midsize luxury/sport sedan it has always strived to be.

In the more powerful C400, everything is largely the same, there's just a greater rush of power available, something we put to great use on while passing slow-moving, tourist-filled minivans on the pretty roads around the base of Washington's Mt. Rainier. This is an exceptionally powerful sedan, but the added cost ($8,190 compared to the C300 4Matic) doesn't necessarily feel completely worth it, especially since the C300 can be had with all the same amenities and luxurious appointments (save 19-inch wheels, which look rad, by the way). That added power also means lower fuel economy – Mercedes-Benz hasn't yet released numbers for the C300 models, but we have to believe it's better than the albeit respectable 22 miles per gallon city and 29 mpg highway of the C400 4Matic.

As Ramsey wrote, "The new C-Class is not a sport sedan but it is an exceptionally sporty luxury sedan when it bares its teeth." Even subtly retuned for US audiences, he speaks the truth. We'll add that as a whole, the 3 Series probably does the sport thing a little better on those rare occasions where it's really hustled, but the C-Class is still plenty of fun on a good road, and it's easily preferable in daily driving. The C-Class' demeanor is closer to something like a Cadillac ATS, but more refined, not to mention far more luxurious. It truly is a step above the rest.

Mercedes has finally allowed the C-Class to be the midsize luxury/sport sedan it has always strived to be but never quite accomplished. Pricing is set at $38,400 for the rear-drive C300, $40,400 for the C300 4Matic, and $48,950 for the C400 4Matic, not including $925 for destination. And while that's on the higher end of the pricing spectrum compared to competitors from Audi, BMW and Cadillac, what you're getting with the C-Class is something extra – something that's genuinely more premium. It's one of the best all-around luxury cars you can buy at any price. It's not just the best C-Class ever, it's one of Stuttgart's most fantastically conceived products yet.

Image Credit: Copyright 2014 Steven J. Ewing / AOL, Mercedes-Benz

Category: Sedan, Mercedes-Benz, First Drives, Luxury

Tags: 2015 mercedes c-class, featured, first drive, FirstDrive, mercedes, mercedes c-class, mercedes c300, mercedes c400

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Unfaithful Spouses More Likely to Drive German Cars

Jimmy Soul sang in his 1963 hit, “If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, make an ugly woman your wife.” Also make sure your prospective partner doesn’t drive a German car. That could be a sign of an unfaithful spouse.

At least that’s the premise put forth by British website IllicitEncounters.com It says a survey of its 900,000 members shows Mercedes Benz drivers beat out both Audi and BMW to take the title of most adulterous car owners. Rounding out the Top 5 are Toyota (Let’s Go Places!) and Volkswagen.

 

Of course it’s possible that people signing up for a website called IllicitEncounters.com might just be lying about the cars they own. After all, you’re more likely to hook up with a guy driving a Beemer than you are a Kia.

Which brings us to the next point. What car do faithful types drive? Well you can’t call them entirely faithful because, after all, they are members of a website called IllicitEncounters.com. But it seems as if Nissan owners might be the most faithful of the lot.

 

Surprisingly, somewhat, is Jaguar owners are the third most loyal, according to the survey. They’re even more faithful than Kia owners. Frankly, I’d think pulling up to a date in a Jaguar F-Type would be more attractive than a Kia Forte, but that’s just me.

One last telling fact about the members of the website could be that maybe their infidelity can best be reflected in the fact they only keep their cars for three years. Or, it could just mean they like to lease. Maybe cheating and leasing go hand in hand.

 

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Ebola Not Airborn!! or Cured with Salt water: 5 short things to know about Ebola outbreak in W. Africa

Three West Africa nations are struggling to control an outbreak of Ebola. The virus was first discovered nearly four decades ago in Congo in a village near the Ebola River. Since then there have been sporadic outbreaks.

 

Five things to know about Ebola and how it is spread:

1. WEST AFRICA OUTBREAK NOW LARGEST IN HISTORY. The current outbreak in the neighboring countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone has sickened more than 1,300 people and killed at least 729 since March. The outbreak is unusual for West Africa as the disease is typically found in the center and east of the continent.

2. SOME PEOPLE HAVE SURVIVED EBOLA. While the fatality rate for Ebola can be as high as 90 percent, health officials in the three countries say people have recovered from the virus and the current death rate is about 60 percent. Those who fared best sought immediate medical attention and got supportive care to prevent dehydration even though there is no specific treatment for Ebola itself.

3. EBOLA CAN LOOK LIKE OTHER DISEASES. The early symptoms of an Ebola infection include fever, headache, muscle aches and sore throat. It can be difficult to distinguish between Ebola and malaria, typhoid fever or cholera. Only in later stages do people with Ebola begin bleeding both internally and externally, often through the nose and ears.

4. EBOLA IS ONLY SPREAD THROUGH CLOSE CONTACT. The Ebola virus is not airborne, so people would have to come into direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. These include blood, sweat, vomit, feces, urine, saliva or semen — making transmission through casual contact in a public setting unlikely.

5. FEAR AND MISINFORMATION. In the three countries, health workers and clinics have come under attack from panicked residents who mistakenly blame foreign doctors and nurses for bringing the virus to remote communities. Family members also have removed sick Ebola patients from hospitals. Government officials have stepped up efforts to isolate patients, educate the public, check travelers and tighten borders to prevent the disease's spread.

U.S. gov't had role in Ebola drug given aid workers

Two American aid workers infected with Ebola are getting an experimental drug so novel it has never been tested for safety in humans and was only identified as a potential treatment earlier this year, thanks to a longstanding research program by the U.S. government and the military. The workers, Nancy Writebol and Dr. Kent Brantly, are improving, although it's impossible to know whether the treatment is the reason or they are recovering on their own, as others who have survived Ebola have done. Brantly is being treated at a special isolation unit at Atlanta's Emory University Hospital, and Writebol was expected to be flown there Tuesday in the same specially equipped plane that brought Brantly.

They were infected while working in Liberia, one of four West African nations dealing with the world's largest Ebola outbreak. On Monday, the World Health Organization said the death toll had increased from 729 to 887 deaths in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria, and that more than 1,600 people have been infected.

In a worrisome development, the Nigerian Health Minister said a doctor who had helped treat Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American man who died July 25 days after arriving in Nigeria, has been confirmed to have the deadly disease. Tests are pending for three other people who also treated Sawyer and are showing symptoms.

There is no vaccine or specific treatment for Ebola, but several are under development.

The experimental treatment the U.S. aid workers are getting is called ZMapp and is made by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. of San Diego. It is aimed at boosting the immune system's efforts to fight off Ebola and is made from antibodies produced by lab animals exposed to parts of the virus.

                                                                            

Dr. Kent Brantly and his wife, Amber, are seen in an undated photo provided by Samaritan's Purse. Br …

In a statement, the company said it was working with LeafBio of San Diego, Defyrus Inc. of Toronto, the U.S. government and the Public Health Agency of Canada on development of the drug, which was identified as a possible treatment in January.

The drug is made in tobacco plants at Kentucky BioProcessing, a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc., in Owensboro, Kentucky, said spokesman David Howard. The plant "serves like a photocopier," and the drug is extracted from the plant, he said.

Kentucky BioProcessing complied with a request from Emory and the international relief group Samaritan's Purse to provide a limited amount of ZMapp to Emory, he said. Brantly works for the aid group.

The Kentucky company is working "to increase production of ZMapp but that process is going to take several months," Howard said. The drug has been tested in animals and testing in humans is expected to begin later this year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration must grant permission to use experimental treatments in the United States, but the FDA does not have authority over the use of such a drug in other countries, and the aid workers were first treated in Liberia. An FDA spokeswoman said she could not confirm or deny FDA granting access to any experimental therapy for the aid workers while in the U.S.

                                                                      

Jeremy Writebol holds a photograph of his mother and father before an interview with a reporter in W …

Writebol, 59, has been in isolation at her home in Liberia since she was diagnosed last month. She's now walking with assistance and has regained her appetite, said Bruce Johnson, president of SIM USA, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based group that she works for in Africa.

Writebol has received two doses of the experimental drug so far, but Johnson was hesitant to credit the treatment for her improvement.

"Ebola is a tricky virus and one day you can be up and the next day down. One day is not indicative of the outcome," he said. But "we're grateful this medicine was available."

Brantly, 33, also was said to be improving. Besides the experimental dose he got in Liberia, he also received a unit of blood from a 14-year-old boy, an Ebola survivor, who had been under his care. That seems to be aimed at giving Brantly antibodies the boy may have made to the virus.

Samaritan's Purse initiated the events that led to the two workers getting ZMapp, according to a statement Monday by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The Boone, North Carolina-based group contacted U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials in Liberia to discuss various experimental treatments and were referred to an NIH scientist in Liberia familiar with those treatments.

View gallery

Nigeria health officials wait to screen passengers at the arrival hall of Murtala Muhammed Internati …

The scientist answered some questions and referred them to the companies but was not officially representing the NIH and had no "official role in procuring, transporting, approving, or administering the experimental products," the statement says.

In the meantime, dozens of African heads of state were in Washington for the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, a three-day gathering hosted by President Barack Obama. U.S. health officials on Monday spoke with Guinean President Alpha Conde and senior officials from Liberia and Sierra Leone about the Ebola outbreak.

The Defense Department has long had a hand in researching infectious diseases, including Ebola. During much of the Cold War period this served two purposes: to keep abreast of diseases that could limit the effectiveness of troops deployed abroad and to be prepared if biological agents were used as weapons.

The U.S. military has no biological weapons program but continues to do research related to infectious diseases as a means of staying current on potential threats to the health of troops. It may also contribute medical expertise as part of interagency efforts in places like Africa where new infectious disease threats arise.

The hospital in Atlanta treating the aid workers has one of the nation's most sophisticated infectious disease units. Patients are sealed off from anyone not in protective gear. Ebola is only spread through direct contact with an infected person's blood or other bodily fluids, not through the air.

View gallery

Nigeria health official display a leaflet explaining Ebola Virus Disease at the arrival hall of Murt …

The CDC last week told U.S. doctors to ask about foreign travel by patients who come down with Ebola-like symptoms, including fever, headache, vomiting and diarrhea. A spokesman said three people have been tested so far in the U.S. — and all tested negative. Additionally, a New York City hospital on Monday said a man was being tested for Ebola but he likely didn't have it.

Writebol and her husband, David, had been in Liberia since last August, sent there by SIM USA and sponsored by their home congregation at Calvary Church in Charlotte. At the clinic, Nancy Writebol's duties included disinfecting staff entering or leaving the Ebola treatment area.

"Her husband, David, told me Sunday her appetite has improved and she requested one of her favorite dishes - Liberian potato soup — and coffee," SIM's Johnson said.

___

AP writers Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, Mike Stobbe and Stephanie Nano in New York, and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report.

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For Sale: Audi A6 Posing as a Wannabe Bugatti

It’s not unheard of for folks to slap “M” badges on their BMWs in a lame attempt to fool people into thinking their rides are something they are not. But converting an Audi into a Bugatti? That creates the ultimate automotive transformer ride.

That’s what one Lithuanian did with his 1997 Audi A6, that he converted from a staid four-door sedan, into a Bugatti pretender with two doors (or maybe it’s three – more on that later). According to the posting at autoplius.it (“The most popular motor ad site in Lithuania”), the car looks like two million (presumably euros) while costing “only” 30,000 euros. Check out the photos and form your own opinion.

Underneath the facelift, though, it is all Audi A6. It has a 200-horsepower, 2.8-liter V6 mated to a manual transmission and comes with Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system.

As the pictures on the site demonstrate, this Bugatti/Audi looks every bit of its 17 years on the inside. All traces of the Audi name have been stripped away and a Bugatti badge affixed to the steering wheel. It’s a leather interior with heated seats for those cold Lithuanian mornings.

There are some intriguing details about this faux Bugatti such as 2/3 doors (maybe something got lost in translation), an exterior described as light alloy rims (the wheels perhaps?), and security of central locking. Apparently no one wants to steal this pretend Bugatti.

By the way, a 1997 Audi A6 in good condition (as this Bugatti wanabee seems to be) would run you about $2500. The additional stage makeup that turned it into a Bugatti adds another $37,500 to the bottom line when converted from Euros.

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