OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Stuttgart, Germany, Mar 07, 2011
Interior: Higher quality and more comfortable
- Dashboard: new design emphasises premium standard
- Instrument cluster: high-resolution colour display as an option
- Seats: now optionally available with ventilation and heating
Brimming with a wealth of high-grade details in the interior, all reminiscent of the new CLS, the C-Class sets new benchmarks in its segment when it comes to quality and comfort. The interior designers have paid painstaking attention to restyling the dashboard, whose new features include its surface grain, the integral screen, prominent trim and, as an option, a high-resolution colour display in the instrument cluster. A nappa leather steering wheel comes as part of the standard specification. Time spent in both the saloon and the estate is now even more pleasant, thanks to the C-Class’s tried-and-tested dimensional concept, along with its new comfort-enhancing equipment and appointments such as climatised seats and the luxury automatic climate control THERMOTRONIC, which now makes it possible for the occupants to select their own individual climate styles.
Generous: the interior dimensions and load capacity
The C-Class is amongst the most spacious vehicles in its segment. The front shoulder room and the elbow width amount to 1390 and 1440 millimetres respectively. In the rear, the saloon and estate offer shoulder room of 1398 millimetres and an elbow width of 1462 millimetres.
And the C-Class offers plenty of space for luggage, too: the saloon’s load capacity is 475 litres (in accordance with the VDA measuring method). For the saloon Mercedes-Benz offers a divided backrest which can be quickly and easily folded forward on a 1:2 ratio. The head restraints move forward together with the backrests and do not need to be removed first.
Variability is the name of the game where the estate is concerned; its rear seat backrests are divided on a 1/3 to 2/3 ratio and can be folded forwards. The luggage compartment capacity can be extended from 485 or 690 litres when the vehicle is loaded to roof height up to 1500 litres (when the rear seat backrests are folded forward and the vehicle is loaded to roof height). And there is yet another peak value to note: the maximum usable interior length – from the tailgate to the front passenger’s footwell – is 2.82 metres.
Thanks to a host of practical details, the Mercedes estate can be loaded easily, conveniently and safely. For instance, two bag hooks and four eyelets for anchoring loads are included in the load compartment as standard. Stowage compartments with net covers and a collapsible shopping crate are also part of the standard specification, as are the combined luggage cover and retaining net. The EASY-PACK tailgate opens and closes at the push of a button. Finally, the optional EASY-PACK load-securing kit presents drivers with even more possibilities for securing the load being carried.
Comfort on long journeys as standard: the front seats
The seats in the C-Class make a valuable contribution to comfort on long journeys. As an optional extra, climatised seats are now available for the driver and front passenger. They ensure a high degree of thermal seating comfort thanks to small electric fans in the upholstery of the cushion and in the backrest which draw in ambient air, then push it through the perforated seat cover up to the surface. As well as this ventilation feature the climatised seats also include seat heating.
The height and backrest angle of the front seats can be electrically adjusted. Even more ease of operation is available as an optional extra in the form of fully electric adjustment of the driver’s and front-passenger seat. In conjunction with the Memory package three settings can be stored.
The multicontour seat (available as an optional extra) has separately controllable air chambers under the upholstery material. They make it possible for the occupants to adapt the shape of the seat precisely to suit their anatomy or their preferences. This is all thanks to inflatable air chambers underneath the upholstery material which enable the contouring of the side bolsters to be individually set. Another attribute is the function for pneumatically adjusting the seat cushion length. At the push of a button the seat cushion length can be extended, allowing occupants to relax their legs and ensuring good blood circulation.
Comfortable and safe: the rear seats
The rear seat unit is of one-piece construction. Three head restraints and three inertia-reel seat belts ensure the safety of the occupants. The outer rear seats are also equipped with belt tensioners and belt force limiters, as well as head restraints adjustable for height and angle. ISOFIX, the standardised attachment system for child seats, is included as part of the standard specification.
Even more comfort: THERMOTRONIC now with climate modes
As part of the standard specification, all C-Class models include the two-zone THERMATIC automatic climate control. Yet more climate comfort is available courtesy of the optional luxury automatic climate control THERMOTRONIC, which allows individual temperature settings for three zones – for the driver, the front passenger and the rear passengers. What are known as the THERMOTRONIC’s climate modes constitute a new feature in the C-Class: the car occupants can select “Diffuse”, “Medium” or “Focus” settings at the push of a button and thus adjust the air quantity and air distribution to their liking without having to leave the convenient automatic mode.
In “Diffuse” mode, for example, the THERMOTRONIC system operates with a low air speed and distributes the air over a wide area so that there are fewer draughts. In “Focus” mode, meanwhile, the air outlets in the centre area of the dashboard are used for the most part, meeting the need for a direct flow of a larger quantity of air.
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