2013 Mercedes-Benz C Class

Mercedes-Benz C-Class Increasing Fuel Economy AND Power

While Mercedes-Benz is taking expected measures to increase fuel economy for the 2013 model year, it's impressive that the company is also able to boost the power of its popular C-Class at the same time. The best example is the C300 4MATIC, which gets a new direct-injection engine that produces 248 horsepower and 251 lb.-ft. of torque; the previous 3.0-liter model was rated at 228 hp, 221 lb.-ft.

ECO Stop-Start System

Along with the C300 4MATIC, the C350 sedan and coupe models now come with an innovative ECO Start/Stop system. Whenever the car stops with the brake pedal depressed, the engine is automatically turned off to save fuel. (concept carz) As soon as the driver touches the accelerator pedal, the engine computer decides which piston is in the best position for first ignition, and the direct fuel injection and multi-spark systems work with a starter motor to re-start the engine almost instantly.

Two Body Styles, Four Models

In addition to the C300 4MATIC sedan, both the C-Class coupe and sedan are available in three other versions: the C250 Sport, powered by a direct-injection, turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine (201 horsepower, 229 lb.-ft. of torque); the C350 Sport, with a direct-injection 3.5-liter V6 (302 hp, 273 lb.-ft.); and the high-performance C63 AMG with a normally aspirated AMG 6.3-liter V8 (451 hp, 443 lb.-ft.) and AMG's MCT multi-clutch transmission. (posted on conceptcarz.com) With an optional AMG Development Package, the C63 AMG jumps to 481 hp.

Two Trim Choices

In addition, the C-Class sedan is available as a C300 Sport, with standard 4MATIC all-wheel drive and the new 3.0-liter V6 engine (248 hp, 251 lb.-ft.). Lastly, the C250 and C300 sedans are also available in Luxury in addition to the Sport trim. Sport models feature staggered-width, five-spoke 17-inch wheels; sport shocks; springs and stabilizer bars that provide a crisper ride and more than a half-inch lower ride height; and standard AMG styling, including deeper front and rear aprons as well as sculpted rocker panels.

New AMG Sport Package Plus

A new option for 2013 is the AMG Sport Package Plus that includes enhanced exhaust tuning, a special sport interior with contrasting seatbelts and 18-inch seven-twin-spoke alloy wheels. As expected, the new AMG Sport Package Plus also comes with deeper front and rear aprons and bolder side sill panels.

Sound-Studio Environment

All C-Class models for 2013 are equipped with a 5.8-inch color display that's located at the top of the console. The head unit includes a Bluetooth interface for wireless audio streaming and hands-free phone operation, an FM phase-diversity twin tuner, HD/AM/weatherband and Sirius-XM radio, an MP3-compatible CD drive and a ÚSB port in the center console.

An optional COMAND system comes with a larger seven-inch color display, GPS navigation, a ten-gigabyte music storage hard drive, an SD card slot, voice control and a six-disc CD/DVD changer. The powerful navigation system offers many advanced features, including a 3D city-map display, a compass overlay and the ability to show alternate routes before choosing as well as to record routes while driving. An optional Sirius-XM feature can provide real-time traffic and weather information on the navigation map.

Turbocharged Four-Cylinder for the C250

The C250 sedan and coupe are powered by a direct-injection, turbocharged in-line 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine (201 horsepower, 229 lb.-ft. of torque). The turbo four also has two internal balance shafts to ensure it's as smooth as a six-cylinder.

V6 Power for the C350

With 302 horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque, the 3.5-liter V6 engine in the C350 is assembled in a cylinder block with 60-degree cylinder angles, so the latest V6 doesn't need a balance shaft for smooth operation. The V6 has aluminum cylinder heads, pistons and cylinder block (with cast-in Silitec cylinders), as well as a crankshaft, connecting roads and valves made of special forged steel.

V8 Power for the C63 AMG

The high-performance C63 AMG is powered by the first engine developed entirely by AMG. Its 6.3-liter V8 produces 451 horsepower and 443 lb.-ft. of torque, for breathtaking acceleration times of 4.3 seconds from zero to 60 mph. Built almost completely from a high-strength silicon-aluminum alloy, the AMG engine block was designed with cylinder bores sprayed with a twin-wire-arc (TWAS) coating, an innovative process that results in impressively low friction and running surfaces that are twice as hard as conventional cast-iron cylinders.

The 6.3-liter AMG V8 features four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing, bucket tappets (rather than rocker arms) and a variable intake manifold. Forming a straight line through the engine, high-flow intake and exhaust ports help the AMG engine rev freely to over 7,000 rpm, yet the highly flexible V8 still produces nearly 90 percent of its peak torque at only 2,000 rpm.

Fuel-Efficient Transmission

All 2013 C-Class models (except the C63 AMG with its MCT transmission) feature a fuel-efficient seven-speed automatic transmission with an advanced torque converter lock-up clutch that helps provide excellent fuel mileage, responsive driving, quiet operation and impressive durability. The latest transmission is also designed to work best with a new type of low-viscosity ATF transmission fluid – colored blue instead of the usual red. Together with special planetary gears, bearings and internal seals, the 'FE-ATF' fluid provides less friction and improved fuel mileage. Lower hydraulic pressure and enhanced electronic software helps provide even smoother shifting.

Award-Winning MCT Sports Transmission – The Best of Both Worlds

The high-performance C63 AMG also features a cutting-edge AMG transmission. (posted on conceptcarz.com) With a start-up clutch that replaces the torque converter, the seven-speed MCT sports transmission provides the direct feedback of a manual transmission with the total convenience of an automatic, offering impressive versatility and even faster shift times. Thanks to its low rotational mass, the start-up clutch helps the transmission respond instantaneously and dynamically, with no slip.

For C63 AMG owners who are serious about competing on the race track, an optional AMG Development Package features lightweight forged pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft with modified engine management that together provide an extra 27 horsepower, for a total of 481 hp. The AMG Development Package also includes an even stiffer sport suspension, limited slip differential, red brake calipers, carbon-fiber rear spoiler and a higher speed limiter of 174 mph.

Direct-Injection Engines

Both the C250 four-cylinder and the C350 V6 engines make use of industry-leading electronics technology first used on Mercedes-Benz diesels – electronic fuel injectors that spray gasoline directly into the combustion chambers rather than indirect port fuel injection most gasoline engines used in the past.

Featuring a piezo-ceramic crystalline element that changes shape instantly when electrical current is applied, blazingly fast piezo injectors make it possible to design very sensitive and precise injection systems, including the ability to program several small injections with each piston stroke.

The first injection is sprayed into the combustion chamber as the piston is descending on the intake stroke. Depending on speed, load and temperature conditions, another injection or two takes place during the compression up-stroke before ignition, forming a stratified mixture. A fourth injection can stabilize combustion if it's needed.

Multi-Spark Works with Multi-Squirt

On the V6, a rapid multi-spark ignition system begins combustion with the first spark, but has the capability to recharge and deliver up to three more sparks within a single millisecond. Working with direct fuel injection, the multi-spark system can create a gas plasma with more expansion than conventional ignition, which translates to more power. The time lapse between sparks is adjustable, so combustion duration can actually be controlled, resulting in two percent better fuel economy, and a total of four percent improvement in combination with direct fuel injection.

Refined Cam Chain Drive

Mounted on the ends of the V6 intake and exhaust camshafts, the hydraulic camshaft adjusters that vary valve timing are now 35 percent faster, and with a wider range of 40 crankshaft degrees. Despite their improved performance, they're also more than a half inch smaller in height and width. Smaller valve timing adjusters are made possible by the latest cam chain drive system, in which the crankshaft drives an intermediate shaft above the crank. In turn, the intermediate shaft drives two short chains – one for each cylinder bank – that loop around the intake and exhaust camshaft drive sprockets. This chain drive results in less tension and lower chain dynamics, for even lower friction and less noise.

A fourth chain drives a variable vane-type oil pump in the bottom of the engine. At low engine speed and load, the oil pump only generates about 28 psi (or two bar) of oil pressure, and nozzles that spray cooling oil on the pistons are off. As engine speed and load increases, oil pressure goes up, and the oil spray nozzles are turned on. In this way, less energy is used when less cooling and lubrication is needed.

Three-Phase, Low-Load Cooling System

Even the cooling system is significantly refined in the V6 engine, beginning with a two-stage flow circuit through the cylinder head. This improved coolant flow results in better heat dissipation, despite lower coolant pressure, so that the water pump uses less engine power.

A three-phase cooling system helps the engine warm up very quickly. When the engine is first started, no coolant circulates. Then, as the engine warms up, coolant begins to circulate within the engine, but not through the radiator. Only when the coolant temperature reaches 221 degrees Farenheit (or 189 degrees F. under high load), coolant also circulates through the radiator. Coolant circulation through the heating system for the car's interior is controlled separately.

ATTENTION ASSIST Cautions 'Time For A Rest?'

Among the many standard life-saving features on the C-Class is the innovative ATTENTION ASSIST system that can alert the driver to the first signs of drowsiness, a factor that causes more than 100,000 accidents a year in the Ú.S. A steering sensor is coupled to smart software that uses 70 parameters to establish a unique driver profile during the first 20 minutes of driving. Between 50 and 112 mph, the system identifies the erratic steering corrections drivers make as they begin to get drowsy and triggers an audible warning, and a 'Time for a Rest?' message with a coffee cup icon appears in the instrument cluster.

More Safety Systems Assist the Driver

Other examples of trailblazing C-Class innovations include: Lane Keeping Assist, which alerts the driver by simulating rumble strip vibration in the steering wheel if the car drifts from its lane without the turn signals on. Part of the optional DISTRONIC PLÚS system, it operates at speeds above 37 mph via a system that recognizes lane markings, thanks to a small camera in the windshield and a computer that analyzes the video images.

DISTRONIC PLÚS also includes Blind Spot Assist, which monitors both blind spots behind and to the side of the vehicle. Whenever a turn signal is activated with a vehicle in the blind spot, the driver gets visual and audible warnings.

Adaptive Highbeam Assist uses a small video camera to sense both headlights and taillights, then softly and automatically transitions between high and low beam operation to avoid dazzling other drivers. With this system, the range of the headlights can be varied infinitely from their current 220 feet to up to 1,000 feet.

Night View Assist PLÚS can now allow a driver to see pedestrians up to 300 feet earlier than before. When the system recognizes pedestrians, they appear in the display with an outlined frame highlighting each person. In contrast to passive systems that rely on thermal imaging, this active system bathes the road ahead with invisible infra-red light from two beams mounted in the headlights. Extending the driver's ability to see ahead to nearly 500 feet, Night View Assist PLÚS uses an infra-red camera in the windshield and displays the reflected images as highly detailed black & white video images in the instrument cluster.

An Agile C-Class

All C-Class models boast Agility Control, which provides the benefits of both soft and stiff shock absorbers. Each twin-tube shock absorber is fitted with a hydraulic by-pass piston that acts like a very soft shock absorber to effectively dampen road noise and tire vibration.

However, over bumpy or uneven roads, the by-pass piston is out of the picture, which preserves the outstanding steering and handling response of a stiffer shock absorber.

Optional 4MATIC Four-Wheel Drive

The latest version of the Mercedes-Benz 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system is optionally available on the C300 Sport and the C300 Luxury models. The 4MATIC system features a full-time all-wheel-drive system that's cleanly integrated into the seven-speed automatic transmission and fits right into the standard body, utilizing the existing front suspension.

The extra gears and shafts that drive the front wheels weigh only 145 pounds more than the rear-wheel-drive model. Fuel efficiency has been improved, due to a number of innovative measures that minimize the energy needed to turn the extra hardware.

Renowned Mercedes-Benz Safety

The 2013 C-Class comes with all the safety features expected from Mercedes-Benz – from four-wheel disc brakes and ABS anti-lock brakes to traction control and ESP stability control. The C-Class boasts nine supplemental restraints, including two-stage front air bags, a knee air bag for the driver, and pelvic air bags which work together with curtain and side air bags to provide extra protection for front occupants in dangerous side-impact collisions.

Source - Mercedes-Benz