Fresh dose for the model range of the C-Class. Not that the C-Class currently needs it. The Stuttgart model range, which is getting younger and younger, is extremely popular with their customers. Only visitors to NAIAS in Detroit 2015 could use a double dose of vitamin C. The temperatures in Detroit fell just in time for the start of the year, and the morning of the most important auto show on the US continent started with snowfall. Almost a little Christmas. Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, donates a dose of vitamin C in a double pack. For the further expansion of the model range, Mercedes-Benz is presenting the C450 as an AMG sports model and there is the Mercedes C2 Plug-In Hybrid to compensate for the CO350 karma.
Sporty top in the C range: C450 AMG 4MATIC
With the sporty top model of the “normal” series, Mercedes-Benz wants to close the gap to the athletes from the AMG stable. So far there has been a gap between that C400 and the upcoming C63 with the new 4.0 V8 bi-turbo engine a considerable horsepower gap. The new C450 will now fill this gap with 367 hp from a V6 turbo. But where it says AMG, there has to be more than just AMG looks inside. The new AMG sports models will therefore take on a kind of ambassador role and also present techniques from the AMG models. The C450 AMG 4MATIC, for example, will receive the front axle of the C63. This was the only way that those responsible seemed to be able to deliver the AMG performance expected by the customer.
The new C450 AMG 4MATIC will be offered as a sedan and as a station wagon. Both get, as the name suggests, the Mercedes 4matic all-wheel drive. Unlike the Mercedes series sedans with 4MATIC, the AMG models will have all-wheel drive, which is more rear-emphasized.
The C450 combines the power of a powerful V6 biturbo engine with a high level of emotion and draws on the technical DNA of the new C 63 ..
Tobias Moers, AMG boss
More boost pressure and detailed work between the bits and bytes of the control unit now get 3.0 hp from the well-known 6 liter V367 turbo engine and press 520 Nm of force into the equally well-known 7-speed automatic transmission. Thanks to the rear-emphasized design of the all-wheel drive, the driving pleasure in the C450 4matic is compared to normal C400 4matic let it increase significantly again. So much for the promise, as far as the hopes of future customers.
Hearty engine sound is one of them, the exhaust system has been redesigned and the engine control not only integrates a double-declutching function when downshifting, but also a cheeky sizzling in overrun mode. Anyone who is tired of the Sport and Sport + functions can switch the C450 4MATIC to Eco-Mode using the driving dynamics circuit and then the transmission can also implement sailing mode when the accelerator is removed.
A balancing act between the “normal” C-Class and the sporty AMG variant, with a clear tendency towards emotional driving pleasure. This is what the new AMG sports models are intended to convey across the entire Mercedes-Benz range. The new plug-in hybrid drive will want to convey something completely different in the C-Class!
Ecological compensation for the series: C350 plug-in hybrid
While the AMG sports model C450 4MATIC with 367 PS and a standard consumption of only 7.6 liters is still justifiable overburdening the CO2 karma account, the new C 350 plug-in hybrid pays in properly on the “credit side”. With just 2.1 liters per 100 kilometers, the new plug-in hybrid became the most economical C-Class in the range in the NEDC standard consumption. And that despite a system output of 279 hp. Mercedes combines the well-known two-liter gasoline turbo engine with 211 hp and a 60 kW electric motor. The gasoline engine brings it to 350 Nm, the electric motor throws up to 340 Nm in the scales. Together, these two send the available power towards the rear axle via the well-known 7-speed automatic transmission. What is new in the case of the drive train is the additional disconnect clutch between the automatic transmission with electric motor and the gasoline engine. The plug-in hybrid battery can start up electrically, keep its speed on motorways for a short time purely electrically (up to 130 km / h) and, if necessary, support (boost) the gasoline engine with a lot of electric power.
The C31 Plug-In Hybrid will drive up to 350 km purely electrically. In this case, it gets its juice from a 6.9 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The water-cooled battery is located in the rear of the vehicle, above the rear axle and costs a little storage space, 335 liters remain. With the T-model, which is also available, this should be bearable, 350 liters are available here.
The battery should be able to be charged at a standard household socket within 105 minutes. After the S500 plug-in hybrid, the C350 is now the second plug-in vehicle in the Mercedes-Benz fleet and the first station wagon from Stuttgart that can be charged via a socket.
So while the C450 AMG is now able to satisfy sporty desires, the C350 Plug-In Hybrid takes on the role of the technological CO2 karma rescuer.