The Mercedes-Benz factory in East London, South Africa, produces both left and right hand drive C-Class W204 models for local consumption and export to the US. Since the month of its launch in 2007 the W204 has commanded over 40% of the market it competes in and has been the most successful C-Class in the company’s history.
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class W205 that will replace it in 2014 has been spotted and snapped doing testing around the Nurburgring, where else. Like any new model, Mercedes-Benz make sure their new cars undergo extensive endurance testing all over the world and envisage a product lifespan for the W205 of at least 300 000 km under everyday driving conditions. To achieve that distance, they need to test and test and test.
What we can ascertain from the relentless testing regime at the Nurburgring in Germany, is that Mercedes-Benz want the new C-Class to be a decent handling car to rival the BMW 3 Series. The test mule in these photos even has a roll cage fitted. The other thing evident from these spy photos is that Mercedes-Benz is doing their best to keep the styling of the W205 a secret. It’s not often that we see such elaborate cladding on either end of a camouflaged test vehicle.
This latest evidence suggests that the W205 could be quite a radical departure from the current W204 norm. The design is said to follow the trend set by the CLS, with its swept back A- and C-pillars, larger square grille and sleek roofline. Whatever the case may be, we just hope it isn’t using all that camo to hide the fact it’s a bit of a minger. Although judging by the 2012 F800 concept pictured above below, we doubt it will be.
Rumours in the engine department suggest we can expect a variety of 4-cylinder petrol and diesel units, one of them almost certainly being the new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine recently introduced in the B-Class. However, there have also been rumours of a 3-cylinder variant too, as well as a hybrid that could use an electric motor with approximately a 20 kW gain.
We hope Mercedes-Benz doesn’t forget about at least one 6-cylinder engine, just for old times sake, as well as a high-powered 4-cylinder, to go head-to-head with the quick and light BMW 328i.
