New C-Class rounding the Nurburgring

By BenzInsider.com - October 8, 2010

It’s been a while since we last wrote about the facelifted C-Class. Well, here’s the saloon variant making rounds on infamous Nurburgring. In case you’re wondering, this is the track that gave the new CLS is first ever recorded crash, as well as the SLS AMG GT3’s first fiasco on a track on its racing debut. You can see that this test car has been lightly disguised to reveal subtle visual enhancements up front, most notably taking cues from the brand-new E-Class range–the headlamps, the well-contoured bonnet and the redesigned bumper.

Now, if you peek at the rear end, you’ll find even less enhancements, limited to the bumper and the taillights. What matters more is what’s going to be sitting under the hood. The engine options will probably be modified versions of the current four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, plus an optional seven-speed automatic tranny from the conventional five-speed gearbox. Meanwhile, the 3.5-liter V6 that’s currently powering the C350 CGI will most probably make way for a reworked version from Mercedes-Benz’s new family of MoVe engines.

Now, if you’re eager to see the enhanced C-Class Saloon and Estate variants, then you have to make plans for being present at the Detroit Motor Show come January next year. Because, there will be another highlight apart from the two–the new C-Class Coupe–to succeed both the CLC and CLK. This Coupe will probably be the basis of the new C63 AMG model, which is aimed to rival the BMW M3, and maybe even a Black Series for hard knocks. Just don’t expect a Cabrio, folks.