Test Drive – Mercedes-Benz C-Class
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class drives like a cloud; albeit a beautifully fast cloud!
The C250 exudes style. But don’t be fooled, hidden under that sleek profile is a fabulously practical family car that has everything you could want for. It’s wonderfully comfortable to drive – all the mod cons, but importantly smooth as silk on the road; hitting speed limits with ease so smoothly sleeping babes will never know they are even moving.
Mercedes-Benz Toorak provided us with the C250 to put through its paces on our road trip to Ballarat. From small back streets through to the 110km high way, gravel driveways, roundabouts and speed humps – the C-Class was a smooth ride. We piled all our bags into the boot and couldn’t even fill half – pull back the retractable cover and the boot becomes twice the size again = great for families with all the things.
Inside the car is super stylish and comfortable… From the feel of the steering wheel in your hands to the fabulous birds-eye view from the 360-degree camera. With super comfortable and supportive seats along with all the safety additions you could possibly want (see the list below) the C250 might just become your happy place. Retractable blinds expose fabulous roof tinted skylights that also double as a sunroof.
In the backseat there is plenty of leg room – this is a comfortable ride for big and little kids (and grown ups). The middle seat features a drop down armrest with cup holders and storage.
It was a sad day when we had to return our C250 to Mercedes-Benz Toorak – my back seat passengers enjoyed the ride as much as I enjoyed the drive!
Most cars these days are fitted with rear cameras to allow for safe reversing. The C-Class ups the anti, featuring a second video that offers a bird like view of the car from above showing the car and all the surrounding objects in real time… how does it work? We couldn’t quite figure it out – but it was totally awesome for getting us in and out of our tight driveway. To show you what I mean I made a little video…
Some of the features of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class
INTERIOR
- AUDIO 20 with 7-inch TFT (800 x 480) colour display with touchpad control
- Garmin® MAP PILOT navigation
- DAB+ digital radio
- Media interface featuring iPod®/iPhone® integration, USB connectivity (2 ports in centre armrest) and 12v socket
- Reversing camera with dynamic guidelines
- Electrically adjustable front seats with 4-way electropneumatic lumbar support
- THERMATIC dual-zone automatic climate control with dust filter, air recirculation, rear compartment air outlets and outside temperature display
EXTERIOR
- LED high performance headlamps with Headlamp Assist (automatic headlamps), integrated LED daytime running lights and LED tail lights
- Active Parking Assist
- KEYLESS-GO with hands-free access, automatic powered boot closing, keyless entry and keyless start
SAFETY & SECURITY
- AUDIO 20 with 7-inch TFT (800 x 480) colour display with touchpad control
- ADAPTIVE BRAKE with HOLD function, brake drying function and Hill Start Assist (ABR)
- Airbags (9) – front, pelvis side and window bags for driver and front passenger, sidebags for rear occupants and kneebag for driver
- Driver Assistance Package PLUS with DISTRONIC PLUS inc. steering assist and Stop&Go Pilot, PRE-SAFE® Brake with pedestrian recognition, PRE-SAFE® PLUS, BAS PLUS with cross-traffic assist, active blind spot assist and active lane keeping assist
- Blind Spot Assist (passive)
Commercial disclosure: we were provided with the Mercedes-Benz C250 Estate by Mercedes-Benz Toorak to test drive for five days. All views are my own. The 2017 model we test drove is valued at $102,900.
