An In-Depth Examination of the 2015 C-Class
Aluminum is a long-time sweetheart of the auto industry. It’s been used in the Audi Space Frame for years. Jaguar crafts its vehicles out of the lightweight metal. Even the new Range Rover is made from it. On the domestic front, Ford will make its best-selling F-150 pickup out of aluminum starting with the 2015 model year and Chevrolet will follow suit with their Silverado truck for 2018.
Mercedes-Benz’s upcoming 2015 C-Class will take the car’s existing relationship with the fuel-friendly material to the next level. In order to do that, though, the company will have to implement new engineering and production strategies, depending on the factory in which the vehicle will be manufactured. For instance, the roof of the new C will be attached to its body using screws, 10-millimeter spacers and adhesive in the Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant. Tabs will be used for the same procedure at other sites because the movements involved in their painting processes will place less stress on the car’s joints.
No matter where the 2015 model’s shell ends up being manufactured, it will roll off of assembly lines 2,000 times a day. Forty-eight percent of each body will be aluminum, an increase of 39 percent compared to the current offering. Understandably, weight will drop by 220 pounds. Some of that can be attributed to the simplification and lightening of parts, such as the rear axle transverse beam and the front damper strut assembly.
Fuel economy will jump 20 percent. Power will go up, too. The C300’s direct-injected and turbocharged four-cylinder engine will make 241 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, which is approximately an 18-percent boost over the outgoing C250’s 1.8-liter power plant. A 3.0-liter V6 with direct injection and twin turbos is set to make 329 horsepower and 354 pound-feet for the C400. The 2014 C350 makes 27 fewer ponies and 81 fewer units of twist.
Both engines will be attached to a carry-over seven-speed automatic. A Mercedes-developed nine-cog gearbox is on its way.
Although the exterior of the 2015 C-Class will lose weight, its interior is destined to be heavy with high-end materials and an optional Burmester audio system. “Gone is the hard black plastic, replaced by aluminum, foils, a galvanized material and some S-Class knobs among the simplified switchgear.” U.S. customers will get to choose from three different introductory wood trims: Burl Walnut, Brownwood and Black Ash.
An available COMAND Online package coupled with an 8.4-inch screen will turn the new C into a rolling Wi-Fi hotspot. Short of that, a $600 SD card from the dealership will run Garmin navigation through a seven-inch screen.
A touchpad with haptic feedback will allow fingertip adjustment of functions such as the nav system and the climate control. The COMAND knob will also provide the same abilities.
Mercedes’s 2015 C-Class should not cost significantly more than the 2014 car’s starting price of $35,800 when it rolls onto dealer floors this September.
via [Autoblog]
