Five C-class facts you probably didn't know

Sunday, 7 October 2018

The Mercedes-Benz C-class has been with us for 25 years now and is the German company's best selling model, both here in New Zealand and globally.

Today we take a look at five things about the Mercedes-Benz C-class that you probably didn't know.

Letters before numbers

The predecessor to the W202 C-class was the 190 E, which you will notice - like all Mercedes models at the time - had the letter after the numbers in its name.

* Mercedes C-class cabrio spells summer with capital 'S'

* Brand-new Mercedes-Benz C-class or used ML-class?**

Then in 1993 the W202 introduced Mercedes' new naming convention that continues to this day - putting the letter before the numbers.

The W124 (E-class) and W140 (S-class) were renamed that year as well, but the C-class was the first new model to feature the letter/number naming.

Of course, back then the numbers related to the engine size, but now…

Here are five fascinating facts about the Mercedes-Benz C-class that you probably didn't know. Or maybe you did.

It was the baby

Back when the W202 launched, the C-class was considered - and regularly called - the 'Baby Benz' because of its place at the bottom of the ladder, as far as Mercedes passenger vehicles were concerned.

The C-class remained the entry-level vehicle in the German manufacturer's range until the introduction of the A-class in 1997.

Of course, since then a number of other cars have slotted into the range below the C-class in terms of size and price and the introduction of the W205 in 2015 saw the C-class repositioned as a 'mini S-class'. Because the E-class had the taxi market sewn up.

The C-class was the first all-new Mercedes to put the letter in front of the numbers in its name.

The only diesel AMG

The W203 C-class (the googly-eyed one from 2001) has the dubious distinction of being the only ever diesel-powered AMG. Well, so far, at least.

The C 30 CDI sold alongside the petrol-powered C 32 and packed a 3.0-litre five-cylinder turbo diesel engine that produced an admittedly pretty impressive (for the time) 170kW of power and 540Nm of torque.

And it didn't sell well at all. Which was probably to be expected, really.

Like the 190 E before it, the C-class was the Baby Benz in the company's line up. Until the A-class, that is.

It was built for three years and was quietly dropped when the V8 C 55 came along in 2004.

The convertible came late

Despite the fact that the C-class has been around for 25 years now, it never has a topless version until the W205 Cabriolet launched in 2016.

The C 30 cdi was the one and only diesel-powered AMG. It didn't sell.

The current C-class is made in more countries than any other Mercedes model.

Better late than never; the first C-class to get a soft top is the current W205.

Although technically there was a topless version of the C-class before - the CLK-class coupe and convertible that replaced the W124 E-class cabriolet in 1997 was based on the C-class platform, even though it was styled like an E-class, positioned as an E-class and was, in turn, replaced by the new E-class coupe and cabrio in 2010.

Plus the SLK roadster form 1996 was also based on a shortened W202 C-class platform.

It's the most international Merc

While we like to think of the C-class as a quintessential German car, it is very much a citizen of the world and is, in fact, built in more countries than any other Mercedes model.

As well as being built in Bremen in Germany, the W205 is also bolted together in Brazil, India, South Africa, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the United States.

Although it is looking increasingly likely that production of the C-class could be moved from the USA to make room for the all-electric EQC SUV should the EV prove to be particularly popular.