Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTEC Hybrid Review

Prestige sedans are hip. And it’s not just the trendy suburbs where you’ll see hordes of Mercedes-Benz C-Class, 3-Series BMWs, Audi A4s, Lexus IS and the odd Infiniti Q50.

But if you’re parking your C-Class in the garage illuminated by energy-efficient light bulbs powered by solar panels on the roof maybe it’s time for the vehicle to get energy-efficient. That would be the C300 BlueTEC Hybrid to be precise.

Well it should surprise no-one that Benz’ latest hybrid sedan is brilliantly engineered – the company’s F1 racers are dominating Grand Prix racing in this new era of hybrid drivetrains. But for the C-Class that technical nous has delivered a hybrid which is space-efficient and so seamless in its operation there are no compromises. 

 

Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTEC Hybrid Overview

The Mercedes-Benz C300 Hybrid is the range-topper of the all-new C-Class range and is priced at $74,900. In terms of equipment, the turbo-diesel-electric hybrid C-Class is on-par with the C250 model.

 

Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTEC Hybrid Engine

Fans of Grand Prix racing will know the hybrid-powered factory Mercedes-Benz team placed 1-2 in the 2014 championship in a canter and start this year as firm favourites. Hybrid engine development continues apace at ‘Benz.

So we have the 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel hybrid under the bonnet of our C300 Hybrid. That’s 150kW/500Nm driving the rear wheels via the glorious seven-speed automatic transmission.

And that means zero to 100km/h in 6.4 seconds and combined-cycle fuel consumption of just 4.0l/100kms.

Open the bonnet and it’s very busy in there, but beautifully put together as you’d expect. Benz’ fits the electric motor under the bonnet near the transmission.

It’s a clever system not only for its performance but also for its space-efficiency and sets the benchmark for future similar vehicles.

 

Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTEC Hybrid The Interior

Those who knock hybrid vehicles because of the previous intrusion on interior space need to take a back seat with the Mercedes-Benz C300 Hybrid. Literally take the back seat – because ‘Benz has smartly configured the battery pack so it sits under the rear seat and doesn’t intrude on either interior space or cargo capacity.

So you still get the split-fold rear seat (40:20:40) and the C-Class’ handy 408-litres of luggage space.

Up-front the hybrid model carries a central gauge displaying power use (on the freeway this is the only way to tell if you’re running on the electric motor) and also battery re-charge under braking. But otherwise this is a C-Class just like the rest of the range.

That means the modern new looks with round air-vents and the free-standing central seven-inch screen for navigation and audio, the excellent new dashboard and instrument configuration and the new centre console provided by the switch to a steering column stalk for the gear-lever. That centre console contains the control and ‘mouse’ for the nav and audio system.

Seats are also new with more defined sculpturing and looks which – dare we say it? – are more upscale than before.

Mercedes-Benz says the C-Class is more spacious than its predecessor and you certainly get that impression up-front. In the rear, leg-room isn’t massive but neither the Car Showroom juniors nor our full-size golfing buddies had any complaints. 

 

Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTEC Hybrid Exterior & Styling

Imagine the pressure on the Mercedes-Benz styling team when they first put their pencils in the sharpener to start work on the all-new C-Class. Doesn’t get more intense that penning the all-new version of the biggest selling model of the world’s premier automotive company.

But the result is a masterpiece – glorious to look at, lighter thanks to many aluminium panels and very aerodynamic.

Up front the C-Class is adorned with that latest ‘Benz grille which stands proud of the modern headlights and sits atop a curved F1-style front splitter.

We like the muscular side profile with prominent character lines and the curved roof blends spectacularly with the rounded rear three-quarters.

And the rear takes the C-Class down a completely different road than its predecessor with abundant curves and large tail-lights.

There are no visible differences for the Hybrid model part for the bootlid badge.

 

Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTEC Hybrid On The Road

During the week the Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTEC Hybrid graced the www.carshowroom.com.au garage we put it through our normal tests. Well except re-fuelling – 4.0l/100kms fuel consumption meant we didn’t need to visit a pump even after numerous trips to the airport, a golf outing and the working week.

Brilliant!

And that’s the thing these days, fuel consumption does matter. And with technology like hybrid drivetrains, regenerative braking and the rest now available and so good, we simply must consider them.

Of course the C300 Hybrid ranks amongst the best – a fact confirmed over our high-speed mountain roads test loop. As we know, ‘Benz equips the C-Class with a superbly developed double wishbone front/multi-link rear suspension so ride and handling is spot-on.

Yes it is firm in the European way but the payback is pin-sharp response and balance. And a big part of the overall picture in the twisty stuff is steering – the latest C-Class points even better than its predecessor and that’s a big achievement.

Naturally in that environment the turbo-diesel exclusively provides power and, as we know, the Mercedes 2.1-litre packs a punch with 500Nm on-tap. We used the steering wheel paddle-shifters to keep things on song – probably didn’t need to with that brilliant seven-speeder underneath – and the urge when exiting corners was excellent.

Back on the freeway, the electric motor cuts in for zero-emissions-zero-fuel-use when cruising. Seamless integration of the two powerplant means you hardly notice the switch when, for example you hit the throttle to overtake.

Around town in stop-start peak hour stuff, light throttle operation allowed us to often traverse the entire Melbourne CBD using just the electric motor. That helps you hip-pocket and the air quality for pedestrians.

 

Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTEC Hybrid Challenges

We can’t pick any blemishes in the Mercedes-Benz C300 Hybrid…or any other of the current C-Class lineup for that matter.

 

Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTEC Hybrid Verdict

There’s no doubt Mercedes-Benz brings its ‘A-Game’ in every model and the hybrid drivetrains are no exception. Really there is no substitute for ‘seat time’ in the C300 Hybrid to fully appreciate the unruffled operation of the turbo-diesel and electric powerplant.

Yes it’s a hybrid, but the C300 drives just as you’d expect a Mercedes-Benz to drive. A lot of smart technology and brilliant engineering ensures this is so.

In fact the C300 Hybrid has the same power and torque as the non-hybrid C250 BlueTEC turbo-diesel but it’s faster and more fuel-efficient. We can’t see a downside there.

 

Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTEC Hybrid The Competition

As the most direct rival it is perhaps surprising that BMW charges so much more (north of $100K) for the ActiveHybrid3. Sure it’s a 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid with 225kW/400NM (150kW/500Nm for Benz’ 2.1-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel hybrid remember) and the ‘Beemer’ leans towards a sportier level of kit and dynamics, but is that worth more than $25,000? Don’t get us wrong however the ActiveHybrid 3 is also a brilliant car.

Infiniti too offers a six-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid in the Q50 ($67,900 for the ‘S’ or $73,400 for the ‘S Premium’) – in fact with 268kW/546Nm it is the most powerful of the lot. We like the looks of the Q50 and the driving dynamics are brilliant. For quality make no mistake Infiniti products rival Lexus in that department.

Speaking of Lexus, the IS300h in either ‘Luxury’ or preferably ‘F Sport’ represents great buying. The 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid is a bit outpunched with 164kW/221Nm but the Lexus IS drives great and you get all of the usual Lexus quality and customer benefits.