Mercedes-Benz W205 C-Class launched in Malaysia
The all-new Mercedes-Benz C-Class has arrived in Malaysia, officially launched today with two fully-imported 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol variants. Pricing starts at RM285,888 on-the-road without insurance for the C 200, rising to RM314,888 for the C 250.
Both variants of the C-Class are powered by the same newly-developed 1,991cc M274 four-cylinder turbo engine differentiated only by tuning – the C 200 makes 184hp and 300Nm whilst the C 250 gets 211hp and 350Nm. On the road, these numbers translate to 7.5 seconds for the century sprint in the C 200 and 6.6 seconds for the C 250.
Interestingly, both variants, which are fitted with Daimler’s 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic transmission, have identical rated fuel consumption at 5.3 l/100km and CO2 emissions at 123 g/km. These numbers qualify the C-Class as an energy efficient vehicle, and it would be interesting to see if Mercedes-Benz Malaysia manages to obtain any customized incentives from the Government.
Besides performance, the two variants of the W205 C-Class are further separated by their respective trim fittings. Interestingly, the sportier Avantgarde trim, typically selected by Mercedes-Benz Malaysia to adorn higher-powered variants, is fitted to the C 200, whilst the C 250, which MBM seeks to position as a ‘mini S-Class’ gets the more matured Exclusive trim.
In appearance, the two trims can be differentiated by their rim and grille designs – large grille-mounted three-pointed star for the Avantgarde versus the classic radiator grille with the bonnet-mounted Mercedes star in the Exclusive trim. MBM has further taken the liberty of specifying both variants of the C-Class with all-LED illumination as standard to give the W205 a distinctive night time appearance.
Under its sheet metal, the W205 C-Class is underpinned by an all-new platform that is claimed to be a quantum leap up from the W204. Notably, aluminium content has been increased from under 10% in the W204 to nearly 50% in the W205. Compared to its predecessor, the W205 is, depending on variant, up to 100kg lighter in overall weight. The result of this is positively improved vehicle dynamics, and also a reduction of fuel consumption by up to 20%.
Both variants of the new C-Class also come with highly-advanced amenities. Its on-board infotainment system is touchpad-operated and features handwriting recognition of alphabets, numbers, and certain special characters. Satellite navigation is standard, and it is interestingly integrated with a tunnel detection system that automatically closes the air recirculation flap upon entry into a tunnel and subsequently re-opening it at the other end. European vehicles, by practice generally default their air-conditioning systems to external air ventilation, making this a useful feature for the C-Class, if less so for us Malaysians who drive in most conditions with the flap set at closed position anyway. Still, a fascinating feature all the same.
Sourcing will switch to local assembly for the long term, but in order to hit the market early, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has opted to bring the first batch of vehicles in CBU from Daimler’s East London plant in South Africa, one of four global production hubs of the C-Class. At the moment, the East London plant is Mercedes’ only outlet for the C-Class in right hand drive format, and even when local assembly commences, CKD packs for our market will continue to originate from there.
If you’re insistent on getting your brand new C-Class as a fully imported model, you’ll need to head over to your nearest Mercedes-Benz dealership immediately as majority of MBM’s allocations have been spoken for as we publish. Order taking is also open for the CKD models, although prices and variants have yet to be confirmed at this stage.
