Mercedes gunning for the 335i with upcoming C400

Autobild says Mercedes Benz is currently working on a Mercedes Benz C400 to compete with the BMW 335i. Mercedes Benz’s current highest spec non-AMG C-class is the C350, which at 272hp and 350Nm is a step lower than the BMW 335’s colossal 306hp and 400Nm of torque over a nice, wide torque curve.

Taking the horsepower war one step above, it’s expected to make roughly 400 horsepower and might employ the use of forced induction, which is entering RS4 and M3 territory, and the AMG models will make even more power. But for the moment this is all just speculation from a German magazine, so we shall wait and see.

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • 4G63T DSM (Member) on Apr 16, 2007 at 4:36 pm

    Seriously, this is getting a little silly. 400hp?! Why?

    Think about that, by the way things are going, by 2015, all of us will probably drive cars with 300hp.

    Most people cant handle a car with 400hp…which is probably why they need that mandatory Stability control for all cars…

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  • ab (Member) on Apr 16, 2007 at 4:49 pm

    pointless car, if i want a performance c class, i will have an AMG. Lets just hope the the new c class is more reliable than the last one.

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  • hfrshah (Member) on Apr 16, 2007 at 6:48 pm

    pointless? why is it that when BMW rolled out the equally "pointless" 335i, noone said it's silly or what not, instead said it's an awesome engine and all.

    this variant of the c-class might give potential buyers of the big-output compact luxury car an option when it comes out. instead of having only to choose from the audi S4 and BMW 335i, they'll have another car to think about.

    a lot of people doesn't like to "flaunt" their car as much as some of us do. like when they prefer the big-engine variant over the performance variant (eg. E500 over the E63 or S600 over S63) when they can afford either one (in the S-class case, they both cost the same).

    having a serious performer under their glorious top of the line performance variant can't be a bad thing. audi is doing well with its S4, which is a lot tamer than the awesome RS4.

    so i say bring on the big outputs. if you can't handle big power, get the cheaper slower variant, that'll save you some cash and potentially your life. but for those who can handle (and afford) the faster ones, why not?

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  • tokmoh (Member) on Apr 16, 2007 at 8:20 pm

    I second your opinion, hfrshah. These close-minded ppl dun seem to be able to comprehend the meaning of "competition" and "choice". Now, Mercedes can join the super-saloon bandwagon against 335i n S4, n yet oni when Mercedes do so that they wanna complain?

    Good job by Mercedes I would say, now they can give BMW n Audi's super saloon a run for their money. By havin more competition, they will be able to keep pushing to the limit, unlike what's happening here, when u dun hv competition, just look at Proton. Even to their dying breath, they will still depen on our gamen (read tax payers) to feed them.

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  • layman (Member) on Apr 16, 2007 at 8:48 pm

    If you are good in badminton, don't go and compete in golf tournament. Good try Mercedes, but you will never win the battle for the driver's car.

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  • e-nabilll (Member) on Apr 16, 2007 at 10:55 pm

    this is NUTS…never liked those horsepower wars…as mentioned above…even if it has 600hp,stil wont be as nice to drive as the bee-M…merc and bmw are corupting the world with their horsepower craze

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  • aesthari (Member) on Apr 16, 2007 at 11:25 pm

    Somehow, I still find it hard to stomach that cars like this have 200-400hp when I see them running around town at speeds of 50kph and take 5 minutes to cross a junction.

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  • mitlanevo (Member) on Apr 16, 2007 at 11:35 pm

    C400? Crazy for hp and torque? Then why not C500 or C600???

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  • nmh (Member) on Apr 16, 2007 at 11:38 pm

    its pointless here in malaysia just bcoz of our road tax…..but not in other country….think again

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  • L (Member) on Apr 17, 2007 at 4:04 am

    I don't mind the hp n torque figure if this is a truly performance car, but on this car? yeah its a merc n it has beemer in its sight. All brawn. Now remind me why lexus is catching up? Oh mayb they're playing smart! (oh yeah some may say lexus makes boring car. mind you, they make luxury car not performance car! you'll be surprise when they do!)

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  • hfrshah (Member) on Apr 17, 2007 at 11:21 pm

    obviously the c-class is going to be a less driver oriented car compared to the 3 series, but alot of people want luxury to go with their sporty intent cars (not to say that bmw is not luxurious, but admittedly it's less so than the merc). so a performance oriented merc is an all rounder one might say.

    the same goes for the ultra performance department ; the Merc E63 AMG is less extreme than the BMW M5 in the sense that it's lessof an all out sports car, while the M5 is a pure bred fast car. but who will deny that the E63 makes a better everyday car? less intrusive automatic gearbox (M5 has the M SMG which is quite rough as in like not smooth as silk), changeable settings for the air suspensions (you're stuck with the usual sporty ride in the M5, although some would prefer that). so the M5 trumps the E63 when it comes to track days and pure fast driving but overall the latter is much easier and nicer to live with.

    if the C400's engine is anywhere like the E500's twin turbo engine, it'll be awesome; smooth and electric fast.

    and Lexus has started making performance oriented cars in the sense of the IS-F, although it has been said that it's just not extreme enough to play with the M and AMG cars.. maybe another car to suit this C400/S4/335i company? the more the merrier

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