Australian Car Guide

2001 July: Mercedes Benz reports that the new C 200 Kompressor (supercharged) estate will be appearing in the showrooms of Mercedes-Benz dealerships across Australia from August 2001."  It replaces the previous C-class station wagon which came to .au in October 1996. The estate (and the sedan) are available in Classic (base), Elegance and Avantgarde levels of trim.

Manufacturer's specification C 200 Kompressor estate:
Loa 2715mm, width 1728mm, height 1465mm, wheelbase 2715mm, turning radius 5.4m, weight 1540kg unladen,
engine 1998cc, bore 89.9mm, stroke 78.7mm, supercharged, 4-cyl, 4-valves/cyl, c.r. 9.5:1,
power 120kW at 5300rpm, torque 230Nm at 2500rpm,
5-speed automatic, suspension MacPherson strut/ multi-link, brakes disc/ disc, ABS, ESP, tyres 195/65R15, fuel consumption 9.5L/100km/ 6.4L/100km AS2877.
Prices: Classic $66,800, Elegance classic+$6,000, Avantgarde classic+$5,500 ($au 7/'01).

2001 July: The Mercedes-Benz C-Class sports coupe (see below) also goes on sale in .au from August 2001. This chopped off C-class "hatch" is aimed at the BMW 3-class, the Lexus IS200 and the like.
Prices: C 200 Kompressor 6-speed manual $57,400, C 200 Kompressor 5-speed auto' $60,500 ($au 7/'01).

2001 March: Good report card on safety for the C320 sedan.

2000 December, above: The new C-class station wagon gets its "world premiere at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit at the beginning of 2001." It replaces the current wagon which has been in production since early 1996.

The new C-class wagon will go on sale in the US, a new market for it, in September 2001. There will be three levels of trim and equipment: Classic, Elegance and Avantgarde. The last has aluminium and leather interior trim, 205/55R16 tyres and 5-spoke alloy wheels.

There are also reports of 4matic - four wheel drive - sedans and wagons planned for c2002.

2000 November: The new Mercedes Benz C-class went on sale in Australia, the company hoping to sell 850 of the new sedans in 2000 and 3,750 in 2001. High tech teatures that are standard include "window-bags, adaptive airbags for driver and front passenger, darkness-activated headlights, the multifunction steering wheel and fibre optics." safety features include "electronic stability program (ESP), brake assist, seat belt tensioners and belt force limiters for the front seats and rear outer seats, head restraints for all seats and side impact airbags in the front and rear doors."

Prices: C180 Classic $54,900, C200 Kompressor Classic $62,900, C240 Classic $72,900, C320 Elegance $99,900, `Elegance' package +$6K, `Avantgarde' package +$5.5K Classic models +$0.0 C320, manual gearbox option subtract $3.1K C180 & C200 Kompressor ($au 11/2000).

2000 August: Mercedes Benz to show the C-class Sports Coupe (left) at the Paris Motor Show on 28 September.

The two door Sports Coupe has a "panoramic (big) sun-roof and, optionally, a Sequentronic gearbox". The suspension is "10mm lower than the saloon's." The car is 4343mm long, [...] 183mm shorter, and 1406mm tall, 20mm lower than the saloon.

Engine otions will be 120kW 2-litre 4-cylinder supercharged (Kompressor), C180 (95kW), C230K, and a diesel. The optional sequentronic gearbox is an "automated" 6-speed unit. It does have a clutch but gear changing is done at the touch of a button, or entirely automatically.

Gadget freeks will like the optional "Command control and display system with dynamic route guidance, the voice-activated Linguatronic system for the telephone and car radio, and the automatic climate control system".
Competitors: BMW 3-series, Lexus IS200. Australia will get the coupe in 2001.

2000 July: The C32 AMG - 3.2 litre V6 with a supercharger, 260kW and 450Nm at 4400rpm, and due for .au in mid 2001; AMG is Mercedes Benz own "speed shop". Despite the `go', fuel consumption of 11.3L/100km is claimed (premium unleaded).

The gearbox is a five-speed automatic unit with tip-shift. Tyres are 225/45R17 at the front and 245/40R17 at the rear. the car has a full house of acronyms: ABS (anti lock brakes), ESP (electronic stability program), ASR and BAS (brake assist system).

• C32 AMG, sports sedan, 2000...
• sedan, 5-seats, 4-doors
• loa: 4528mm, width: 1728mm, height: 1400mm
• wheelbase: 2715mm, track: 1493mm/1478mm
• turning radius: 5.4m
• weight: 1635kg (unladen)
• 3199cc, premium unleaded petrol, V6, efi, 3-valves/cyl, supercharger
• bore: 89.9mm, stroke: 84.0mm, c.r.: 9.0:1
• power: 260kW at 6100rpm, torque: 450Nm at 4400rpm
• transmission: 5a (3.59:1, 2.19:1, 1.41:1, 1.0:1, 0.83:1; rev 3.16:1), diff' ratio 3.06:1
• suspension: McPherson strut/ multi-link indep', brakes: disc/ disc
• tyres: 225/45R17/ 245/40R17, fuel-tank: 62L+8L
• Australia: from mid 2001

2000: The new Mercedes Benz C-class (left) is to be available in Australia in late 2000. Safety is a prime consideration, the car now being fitted with front, side and window (side, head) airbags as standard. Seat belts have pretensioners and force limiters. Active safety features include MB's electronic stability program (ESP) which attempts to control skids and wheel spin, brake assist and ABS.

There are four petrol and three diesel engine options including:
C200 Kompressor 2.0-litre 4-cylinder supercharged engine, 120kW, 230Nm,
C320 3.2 litre V6 petrol, 160kW, and
C270 CDI 5-cylinder turbo-charged diesel.
(You'll notice those engines cropping up in other vehicles, e.g. the 3.2 and 2.7D in the M-class.) A six-speed manual gearbox is standard in au.

This car carries the merged twin head-light styling theme which you may or may not like. Changes in lighting technology are brinking new styling opportunities, or is it challenges?

Optional gadgets include climate control air conditioning, and a Bose sound system with driving noise compensation and voice operated controls.

Go to the Mercedes Benz pages