Back to Page 1: Introducing the fifth-gen, new for 2022 C-Class in C 180 Avantgarde trim

Interior, features, and practicality: The right kind of drama

If it doesn’t sound good for the C-Class, this is where our whining finally stops, because where most C 180 owners will go, very often, is a happy place and that is the car’s cabin. The C-Class-to-S-Class metaphor runs most strongly here: Both have grand, dramatic sweeps, futuristic-looking lighting you won’t find in rivals, and huge screens galore.

The 11.9-inch central infotainment unit is standard-fit on the S-Class in overseas markets (our S-Classes get a 12.8-inch unit), as is the 12.3-inch driver’s display. We’ve gone into detail about Merc’s approach to digitalisation in previous reviews but the same things hold true here.

The central display is low-mounted, which makes for some ergonomic hassle while prodding it, and the touch-button approach is imprecise. But otherwise it’s a full-featured system that can run with the best of them, and the overall effect when you look at the cabin of the C 180 – especially at night – is a sort of luxurious, dramatic one that Audi and BMW have no direct answer for in the executive sedan segment.

In space and practicality, the C-Class is now the largest car in its class and also with the longest wheelbase, so legroom is generous, and headroom decent for a nicely-styled sedan. The car hasn’t grown much wider, so three adults is not quite comfortable in the rear. 450-litres of boot space is decent though not class-leading, but there’s an auto-tailgate and remote button release for folding the seats down for 1,510-litres of space.

Pricing and Competition: Where to spend your C-bills

As mentioned earlier, we’d take the C 180 over the C 200, and the Avantgarde over the AMG Line. The AMG Line model gives you the AMG styling kit exterior, sport seats, metal weave interior trim, and sport steering wheel.

We’d spend that money on active safety. The C 180 comes with blind spot monitoring and FCA, but nothing else – just S$6,720 buys you adaptive cruise control with steering assist, lane keeping assist, braking assist, evasive steering assist and more.

This C-Class being the largest ever, we’d also want a 360-degree camera – the standard is reverse camera only – though that’s tied into the S$9,100 Premium package which adds on navigation and AR driving cues/visual assistance in the infotainment screen.

But to talk about size, that also shows just how the Baby Benz’s position has changed: The A-Class Saloon is now My First Mercedes sedan, and the C-Class has graduated to My First RWD/Properly Large Merc.

The eternal rival, the BMW 3 Series, offers a more robust technology experience – iDrive/BMW OS 7 is just easier to use, the BMW Connect suite and app, and BMW’s voice assistant is better. The 318i is a match on price, drives better, and is about equal in refinement terms. Ironically that make the underdog Audi A4 the most comfy car in the class, and it’s also the most efficient that we’ve tested, and still well worth a look.

Conclusion

For the inevitable Singaporean question and those who want more car even less power, an even less expensive COE Category A C 160 (unlike the previous gen model) has not been mentioned yet – that car would cost a very palatable S$230k to S$240k at current COE levels.

So for now the C 180 is the base C-Class, but it’s more mature than any base C-Class before it. It is luxurious, high-tech, and dramatic, and while it’s driving qualities aren’t clearly class-leading, keep in mind that the limitations of previous C-Class base models have never stopped them from being very strong sellers. That should be even more true for the C 180.

Mercedes-Benz C 180 Avantgarde 

Drivetrain type	Petrol-electric mild hybrid
Engine	1,496cc, inline 4, turbocharged
Power	170hp at 5500-6100rpm
Torque	250Nm at 1800-4000rpm
Gearbox	9-speed automatic
Electric Motor	20hp/200Nm
Battery	Lithium Ion, unknown capacity
System Power	Not stated
System Torque	Not stated
0-100km/h	8.9 seconds
Top Speed	180km/h
Fuel Efficiency	6.8 L/100km
VES Band	B / Neutral
Agent	Cycle & Carriage
Price	S$261,800 with COE and VES
Availability	Now
Verdict	No longer a baby, even the base C-Class delivers a modern digi-luxe experience that has more than just shades of the S-Class

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