Mercedes-Benz engineers have increased the cylinder diameter of the V6 engine in the C 240 from 83.2 to 89.9 mm (3.28 to 3.54 in), providing a 7% increase in torque to 240 N•m (177 lb•ft) at 4500 rpm.
The C 240.
The cockpit of the C-Class Elegance
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Car companies are fond of talking about "cascading" technology through their ranges from the fancy flagship to more mundane machinery. It happens to a greater or lesser extent depending on a company's philosophy, its capability, and its long-term intent. What it claims may be a reality or it may be a mere marketing ploy that lacks substance.
DaimlerChrysler, with its new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, has come up with the proof. The only problem is convincing end users that it is a new model in its own right and not just a "pocket S-Class." It is a fine line between the two.
"Twenty innovations from the Mercedes flagship model fitted as standard" is the company's key description of the C-Class, DaimlerChrysler's third-generation (known as the 190-Class when introduced in 1983) entry luxury model. The company boasts about the C-Class's improvements over previous generations in terms of technology, aesthetics, driving dynamics—and even aerodynamics, with a very low Cd of 0.26 achieved without the help of wings or weird styling.
Developed in less than four years and at less than $600 million (an additional $700 million was spent to prepare production facilities), the vehicle incorporates $1800 worth of improvements as standard. Window airbags, adaptive front airbags, headlamp assist, a central display, a multifunction steering wheel, and fiber optics are among the new technologies borrowed from the S-Class. Also standard are brake assist, electronic stability program, automatic child safety seat recognition, seat belt tensioners and belt force limiters for front seats and outer rear seats, head restraints for all seats, side-impact airbags in the front door, and Speedtronic electronic speed limiter.
Optional are S-Class-derived systems such as Thermotronic automatic climate control, DynAPS dynamic routing, and extension of Linguatronic voice-operated control from car phone only to radio and CD player as well.
The C-Class gets seven new or enhanced engines—four gasoline, three diesel. These include a supercharged 2.0-L unit similar to that fitted to the latest version of the SLK Roadster. This is the four-cylinder C200 Kompressor, producing 120 kW (163 hp). The car can also be specified with a 3.2-L engine producing 160 kW (218 hp). The gasoline engines meet EU-4 emissions limits, which become mandatory in 2005.
All C-Class models are fitted with a six-speed manual transmission as standard except for the C 320, which has a five-speed automatic. Gear-changing has been reduced with a sophisticated multiple-cone synchromesh.
A three-link front axle with MacPherson struts and rack-and-pinion steering is used for the first time in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle. For better suspension, engineers have replaced the lower wishbones with two links that function as torque struts and transverse links. In addition to more precise wheel location, this design is better able to compensate for vibrations resulting from tire imbalance or brake force fluctuations.
The multi-link rear suspension (which Mercedes-Benz introduced in the 190) has been redesigned to maximize performance. New kinematics and elastokinematics, based mainly on the use of optimized bearings, ensure even better vibration properties and reinforce the sedan's understeering self-steer effect, which also guarantees a high level of handling safety. All versions of the vehicle, except the C 180, have a torsion bar stabilizer on the rear axle, directly attached to the vehicle body.
The wheelbase has been increased by 25 mm (1.0 in), the front track by 6 mm (0.24 in), and the rear track by 12 mm (0.47 in). However, the turning radius remains almost unchanged.
Stuart Birch and Patrick Ponticel
AEI August 2000
