Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2014 News

New generation Mercedes-Benz C63-S to pack 375kW of power.

New Mercedes C-Class to bring improved interior space, efficiency and technology.

Nissan Qashqai and Mercedes-Benz C-Class get top safety rating, but four star Ssangyong Stavic people mover disappoints.

Design of the all-new Mercedes C-Class wagon has plenty of style, yet doesn't appear to have sacrificed practicality.

The basic C-Class is already being rolled out and the C63 will follow later this year with a smaller 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 in the engine bay.There’s not much to see in this winter testing picture beyond wider bumpers and wheels, but we’re expecting much larger air intakes in the nose by the time its ready for showrooms.

The US car industry has come full circle and returns to old-fashioned horsepower at this year's Detroit motor show, with large pick-ups and "America's Ferrari" set to steal the limelight from imported exotica.Centre of attention at the show, which opened overnight Australian time, is Ford's new F Series truck, which has for decades held the title as the planet's favourite vehicle and makes a watershed move to aluminium construction.The bold decision, aimed at cutting fuel consumption, takes aluminium mainstream and makes Forda pioneer in volume production using the metal.Demand for pick-ups has rebounded since the global financial crisis and Ford sold more than 760,000 of the outgoing F Series last year, up 18 per cent.It has kept details of the redesign secret and will hope it can upstage its rival from General Motors, the Chevrolet Silverado, tipped to win Truck of the Year.US buyers strongly favour full-size pick-ups but last year GM broke ranks and offered a version of the smaller Colorado, described as "mid-size" in the US. At a preview event for the show, GM unveiled the GMC Canyon, a more upmarket version of the Colorado with a bull nose and acres of chrome.It marked the first appearance for Mary Barra since she was named chief executive - the only woman to lead one of the car giants. "I'm honoured to stand here tonight and humbly lead this team," Ms Barra said. "It's a team of men and women doing unbelievably great work."It comes just weeks after GM shed its "government motors" tag, with Washington selling the last of the shares acquired during the GFC. As well as a truck award, GM is also in the running for Car of the Year with two out of the three finalists -- a Cadillac and its reborn Chevrolet Corvette. The new Corvette has earned a reputation for delivering Italian sportscar performance at a fraction of the price. A track-focused version, called the Z06, will be GM's show star.The Z06 will compete for crowd attention with the Ford Mustang, which makes its first public appearance after private unveilings last month.GM's recovery milestone has a parallel at Chrysler, after Fiat recently acquired complete control.The smallest of the US "Big Three" is now wholly foreign-owned but rebounding thanks to a focus on Americana, with its controversially redesigned Jeep Cherokee SUV winning over sceptics. It too is in the running for Truck of the Year.Unlike the F Series and Corvette, it will be shipped to Australia starting mid-year. Hometown drawcards will force foreign brands backstage despite an impressive line-up.German and Japanese carmakers are also stressing traditional petrol-driven horsepower with an exceptional crop of performance cars. BMW debuts two halo junior executives in the M3 sedan and M4 coupe, which drop V8s in favour of six cylinders but have more power and better efficiency thanks to turbocharging.Lexus has the M4 in its sights with the RC F, a V8 coupe based on its mid-size luxury sedan. Meanwhile, Mercedes rolls out its next generation C-Class and a tuned version of its small off-roader, the GLA 45 AMG; Porsche shows a retro-flavoured 911 Targa sportscar; and Mini a concept that previews the upcoming John Cooper Works go-fast edition.Audi will attract attention for a crossover concept. It is expected to preview its smallest SUV yet, likely to be called Q1. The Detroit show has yet to return to its glory days of over-the-top presentations and for-the-fun-of-it concept cars, but the industry has been bolstered by 15.6 million sales last year and newfound confidence after the economic storm of four years ago.   

Mercedes has given the coming C-Class a boost to a more upmarket level, drawing on styling and features from its flagship S-Class. The new C gets technology and cabin treatment that raise the bar against key rivals like the Audi A4 and the BMW 3 Series and 4 Series.Watch the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class video on our desktop site. 

There are exciting new releases planned across the board; from budget hatches to practical SUVs, to exotic supercars. We’ve broken them down into segments and likely price categories to help you. We've based our price estimations on the current market, but some estimations could change in the future, and some model ranges span across price categories, so be sure to check our other stories...New cars for 2014 | less than $20,000New cars for 2014 | $20,000-$40,000New cars for 2014 | $40,000-$59,000New cars for 2014 | over $100,000 LIGHT CARSBMW i3: BMW will bring the high tech i3 city car down under from September, with the pure-electric i3 BEV expected to start at about $60,000, and a range-extended i3 REX version with a 647cc petrol generator further up the price scale. (Approximately $60,000)SMALL CARSAudi A3 sedan: Audi will add a sedan version of its A3 small car to the existing Sportback hatch lineup from January, with the hot S3 version to follow in April, and the drop-top A3 Cabriolet (from about $57k) to complete the lineup in about September. (Approximately $65,000)BMW 2 Series: The discontinued 1 Series coupe will be replaced by the new 2 Series coupe in around May, and will likely mirror the petrol and diesel drivetrains of the existing 1 Series hatch. A soft-top convertible is also in the works, but its launch date is still up in the air. (Approximately $45,000-$85,000)FAMILY CARSInfiniti Q50: Infiniti models are set to become a more common sight on Australian roads before June, with the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series-rivalling Q50’s arrival, boasting fresh styling, rear-wheel drive, and a choice of diesel or hybrid drivetrains. (Approximately $51,900-$73,900)Mercedes-Benz C-Class: Mercedes' new C-Class sedan and wagon are due around mid-year, with a range of new engines and an 80mm wheelbase stretch to help combat the also enlarged BMW 3 Series and Lexus IS rivals. Drivetrain availability from launch will include the 115kW/250Nm 1.6-litre C180 and 135kW/300Nm 2.0-litre C200 petrols, and the 125kW/400Nm 2.1-litre turbodiesel C220. A smaller diesel, diesel-electric hybrid and more powerful petrol engines will come later. (Approximately from $60,000)Tesla Model S: The long-awaited Tesla Model S pure-electric passenger car is due to arrive locally in the second quarter, with the five door hatch balancing style, performance, and all-electric tech in equal measures. (Approximately $80,000)Volvo S60 and V60: Volvo will introduce the first of its new Drive-E engines to the S60 sedan and V60 wagon range in March, with power and efficiency gains promised, along with a new eight-speed auto. (Approximately $49,000-$78,000)LUXURY CARSLexus RC: Lexus’ new RC coupe should arrive before the end of 2014 to take on the BMW 4 Series and Audi A5, with a choice of petrol V6 and hybrid drivetrains likely to expand to include a high-performance 5.0-litre V8 RC-F soon after. (Approximately $70,000-$130,000)SUV/4WDAudi RS Q3: The company’s first RS-badged SUV will arrive in February, with the RS Q3 borrowing its 228kW/420Nm five-cylinder heart from the TTRS, and promising 0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds. (Approximately $81,900)BMW X1: The baby bimmer SUV is also in line for a refreshing in March, with styling and interior tweaks expected. (Approximately 46,000-63,000)BMW X5 sDrive 25d: BMW will add the first two-wheel drive X5 to the new 2014 lineup early in the year, with a price-leading $82,900 2.0-litre turbodiesel sDrive 25d undercutting the existing all-wheel drive xDrive 25d by $5000. (Approximately $82,900)Ford Territory: The Territory SUV will score SYNC-inclusive revisions by the end of the year, ahead of its 2016 fate. (Approximately $40,000-$63,000)Land Rover Range Rover Evoque: The stylish Range Rover Evoque is due for an update before June, with a new nine-speed auto delivering fuel economy gains of about 10 per cent, plus styling tweaks to bring it in line with the new full-size Range Rover and Sport models. (Approximately $50,000-$91,000)Porsche Macan: Porsche will add the new sub-Cayenne Macan SUV to its Australian lineup from June, with the cheapest diesel model forming a new entry point to Porsche ownership at $84,900. Twin-turbo 3.0 and 3.6-litre V6s will sit further up the price scale, with the 294kW top-spec capable of 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds. (Approximately $84,900-$122,900)Volvo XC60: Volvo’s new Drive-E engines will also appear in the XC60 SUV in March, with power and efficiency gains promised, along with a new eight-speed auto. (Approximately $57,000-79,000)SPORTS/PERFORMANCEAlfa Romeo 4C: Alfa will bring a limited number of its limited-build 4C sports car to Australia in around June, with the mid-engined, carbon-chassised performance hero expected to lob for as little as $75,000.Peugeot RCZ-R: Building on the brand’s reignited performance cred thanks to the excellent 208 GTi, the French brand will also add the hot RCZ-R to the lineup in the second quarter, with a highly tuned 199kW version of the existing petrol version’s 1.6-litre turbo. (Approximately $70,000)CONVERTIBLESBMW 4 Series convertible: The folding hardtop version of BMW’s 4-Series coupe is expected by March, and echo its hardtop sibling with 420d, 428i, and 435i drivetrains. (Approximately $85,000-$120,000)  

Mercedes-Benz has been busy behind the scenes giving its impending C-Class a serious boost upmarket with uprated technology and styling drawing on its flagship S-Class.  And the upgrading continues with the AMG Sport Line pack for the C, with details showing a more aggressive approach.With the AMG Line, the C-Class gets a suspension set-up that slings the car 15mm lower than the standard model, and the dropped wheel-arches are filled with larger AMG 18-inch five-spoke alloys behind which are perforated brake disks with new calipers bearing the Mercedes branding.There's a more aggressive body kit, with the nose getting a sportier front bumper and gaping air intakes to underscore the mesh grille and chrome accents, low-sculpted AMG side skirts and metal window bevels enhance the profile, and the tail finishes off with a new diffuser and bumper nestling larger exhausts.The engine line-up for the launch of the new model starts with the base C180's turbo 115kW/250Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol, claiming 0-100km/h in 8.2 seconds and fuel economy of 5.0L/100km. The C200 has a 135kW/300Nm turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol (0-100km/h of 7.5 seconds and 5.3L/100km).The C220 Bluetec carries a 125kW/400Nm 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel (0-100km of 8.1 seconds and 4.0L/100km). The C63 AMG's new handbuilt twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine is tipped to be bringing somewhere between 340-370kW.European-market transmission choices are a six-speed manual (not likely for Australia) and seven-speed auto, and all cars will get engine stop-start and brake energy recuperation systems to help fuel economy.  Both the standard C-Class and the AMG Line are expected to debut at Detroit motor show in January and arrive here in the second half of 2014, with the fire-breathing C63 AMG storming in later in the year.

Mercedes has given the coming C-Class a boost to a more upmarket level, drawing on styling and features from its flagship S-Class. The new C gets technology and cabin treatment that raise the bar against key rivals like the Audi A4 and the BMW 3 Series and 4 Series.Arriving in the second half of next year, the C-Class is aimed at trying to draw younger buyers than its traditional fan base, so has been given fresher styling and more up-to-date infotainment, including hand-stitched leather upholstery, 7-in touchscreen that can be optioned up to 8.3-in with scrawlable touchpad control, high-end Burmester audio, heads-up display option, and internet connectivity and apps.The initial engine line-up kicks off with the entry level C180's turbo 115kW/250Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol, promising 0-100km/h in 8.2 seconds fuel economy of 5.0L/100km. The C200 carries a 135kW/300Nm turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol with official 0-100km/h of 7.5 seconds and 5.3L/100km economy.The C220 Bluetec is powered by a 125kW/400Nm 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel with an urea injection system to reduce emissions to the tighter coming EU6 standards, and claims a 0-100km time of 8.1 seconds  and 4.0L/100km economy.Transmission choices for the launch models are a six-speed manual and seven-speed auto, with all models getting stop-start and brake energy recovery systems to improve economy. The first roll-out will be rear-wheel drive, but an optional all-wheel drive is on the plan for later in 2014, along with more engines -- including a petrol-electric hybrid and a new handbuilt twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 for the AMG version.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott