Mercedes-Benz C300 Avantgarde – The C-Class Gets More Muscle
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class has been complemented with a new and more exciting variant – the C300 Avantgarde. Fitted with an AMG Sport Package and a 3.0 litre V6 powerplant, the C-Class takes on a new character, and will command better respect from all those other continental cars that promise driving performance. The C300 Avantgarde will deliver not only driving performance, but a high level of luxury and sophistication as well. To top it off, the C300 takes on a more macho demeanour, and backed by its new powerplant, becomes a muscle car for those who can afford to pay the price. In addition, a body kit that comes with the package gives the C300 enhanced looks.
As for the price, it is around RM320k, and if you can afford to have one, it is actually a pretty good value for money offer, if you consider that many cars in this performance cum luxury car segment would cost substantially more.
I have always believed that manufacturers should seriously look at putting different engine and drive train variants in their existing cars, with particular emphasis on putting larger engines into the smaller cars, because, as the saying goes, “You can’t beat cubic inches”. This stems from my earlier days in another car company, where I always whined about how the company made great cars and great engines, but invariably had cars that were not powerful enough because they put small engines into small cars, and powerful engines into cars that were too heavy to maximise the performance.
Now we have a small car with a big engine in the case of the C300, and that means one can have more fun driving it. For the record, the C300 accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds, and has a top speed of 248 km/h. Fuel consumption is rated at between 9.4 and 9.6 litres per 100 kilometres (combined EU standard) – in real world conditions, expect somewhat higher numbers, and it depends on how heavy your right foot is. Kerb weight is surprisingly low at 1,575 kg.
The 3.0 litre V6 engine is naturally aspirated and delivers 231 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, while maximum torque is rated at 300Nm. Power is transmitted to the road through the rear wheels via the familiar 7G-Tronic (7-speed) automatic transmission. The same engine and transmission configuration is found in the E300 sedan. In terms of parts and service, it also makes sense as it means a lower number of stock items in the stores.
The AMG Sports Package comes with an upgraded suspension that allows the user to select via a simple push button, either Comfort or Sport. In Sport mode, the damper settings are increased to provide greater stability at high speeds. At the same time, Sport mode also adapts the accelerator characteristics for faster response. The package lowers the ride height by 15mm, while steering ratio is reduced from 14.5:1 to 13.5:1.
Brakes have been modified to be larger discs all round, with twin pot callipers and grooved discs in the front, while the rear remains as solid discs.
Should the user want to enjoy better creature comforts, such as when the car is driven slow, then a simple push of a button puts the car into comfort mode – the suspension softens up, and the throttle response becomes more relaxed for a leisurely drive.
The C300 Avantgarde was unveiled at the Sepang International Circuit by Mercedes-Benz Malaysia in a simple ceremony, followed by a short driving test for the Malaysian Media on the 5.5 kilometre circuit – and these are my driving impressions.
I drove both the C200 and the C300, and found naturally that that C300 has a lot more get-up-and-go, on account of the larger capacity and the 47 additional horses under the bonnet. The sports suspension also made handling more crisp, with good tuck-in on turns. As a point in passing, the wheels are 18-inch to cater for the larger brakes, and so the larger and wider tyres also contributed to the good handling. The brakes are excellent, although I feel the servo is too large, giving it a softer feel than what I would have liked. The test drive was quite short, the official one being one out lap, and back into the pits at the turn-in point for the north track, which is in effect approximately 8 kilometres – I ‘cheated’ the system by doing an additional ‘hot lap’ before doing a third and final ‘cooling down’ lap, during which I simulated ‘normal’ driving situations to get a feel of how the car would behave in the real world outside of the race track. At slow and normal speeds, the low end torque of the V6 makes it really pleasant to drive.
For a bit of fun, there is a pair of paddle shifters located behind the steering wheel. I tried it out, but the up-shifts are automatic once you hit the pre-programmed rpm limit, and it will not force a shift down even if you use the downshift paddle if the speed is above the pre-programmed speed at which it is supposed to down-shift – in that sense, it has its limitations.
From my short driving stint, I can say that the C300 Avantgarde has potential for the driver who wants more ‘usable’ power, yet wants a small enough car that is easy to drive, and have plenty of power in reserve. More when I actually get one for a longer test.
