Mercedes-Benz today announced updates for its 2019 C-Class Sedan, which will debut at the 2018 Geneva auto show in early March. Significant changes to the refreshed luxury compact sedan include a more powerful engine, new front and rear bumpers, and a new suite of advanced driver assistance features.
Adaptive cruise control, as well as a system that reads speed-limit information and relays it to the driver, is included in the new group of driver assistance features, as is a blind-spot monitoring system that can apply brakes on a single side to prevent you from changing lanes to avoid an impact. A new advanced steering assistance system can help you stay in your lane, even through gradual turns, without touching the wheel, and it can even change lanes when you activate the turn signals. The larger E-Class sedan also has these driver assistance features.
The updated engine in the C300, which serves as the starting point for the C-Class sedan lineup, remains a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, but it now produces 255 horsepower, or 14 hp more than the current model. Torque remains the same at 273 pound-feet. Mercedes says the new engine is more efficient, but fuel economy figures have not yet been released. The EPA rates the current rear-wheel-drive C300 at 27 mpg combined (24 city/33 highway), and that combined mpg is identical to that of the similarly priced Audi A4 and BMW 330i. Like the BMW, the C-Class is available with all-wheel drive. The Audi comes with all-wheel drive standard.
Interior additions consist of touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel and an available 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, both similar to those in the recently updated 2018 S-Class Coupe. Redesigned front and rear bumpers with standard LED lighting and new 17-inch five-spoke wheels round out the changes.
Mercedes-Benz says the 2019 C-Class will go on sale in late 2018. We'll bring you more details on this model and other reveals from the Geneva auto show after the sedan makes its official debut.