Saar: The refreshed premium sedan also debuts the BS-VI compliant 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine.

Mercedes-Benz India has launched the mid-life update of the C-Class sedan. The refreshed model is available in three variants – 220d Prime, 220d Progressive and AMG Line 300d. They are priced at Rs 40 lakh, Rs 44.25 lakh and Rs 48.50 lakh respectively (all prices, ex-showroom India). As you would have guessed by now, there is no petrol engine on offer with the C-Class facelift. However, don’t rule out petrol-powered variants altogether. If need be, Mercedes-Benz won’t waste much time to inject one.

All three diesel-fed variants are powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged mill that is BS-VI compliant. In the Prime and Progressive variants, the engine is tuned to produce 194PS of power and 400Nm of torque. For the record, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain, which is scheduled to launch on September 28, 2018, will use the same engine in this state of tune. Coming back to the C-Class facelift. The AMG Line 300d gets more oomph at its disposal – an additional 51PS/100Nm to be precise.

Transmission duties, in all three variants of the C-Class facelift, are handled by a 9-speed automatic unit. The Prime and Progressive variants can hit 100kmph from a standstill in 7.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 232kmph. Those figures for the AMG Line variant are 5.9 seconds and 250kmph respectively.

In terms of design, there isn’t much to differentiate between the facelift and the pre-facelift models. The refreshed C-Class gets a new front grille, updated headlamp enclosures with LED units, tweaked front and rear bumpers and refreshed LED taillamps. Unlike the pre-facelift model, which had a choice of 16- and 17-inch alloy wheels, the C-Class facelift comes with 17- and 18-inch options (variant dependent).

Inside the cabin, the revamped sedan boasts a new 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with telematics NTG 5.5 and a new steering wheel with two touch-sensitive controls (one for the display within the instrument cluster and the other for the infotainment system). Choose the AMG Line variant and the sporty character of the C-Class facelift is beefed-up with a flat-bottom steering wheel and exclusive 18-inch alloy wheels.

The C-Class has always been a well-packaged car. On the features front, the sedan comes with a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting with 64 colours to choose from and the optional smartphone integration system which brings in support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The car is safe too, with features like seven airbags, attention assist, active parking assist with a camera and adaptive braking.

In its refreshed avatar, the C-Class renews its rivalry with the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and the Jaguar XE. Soon, Volvo will bring in its all-new S60 sedan to India which will poke its way into the premium executive sedan game.