1. Ingeniería

22
MOTORING
OMAN TRIBUNE
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015
Elegant ride
Merc class is evident in 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300 small luxury sedan, writes Mark Phelan
T
HE 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300
4Matic sets a new standard for
small luxury sedans as the product
planning gurus at Mercedes headquarters in Stuttgart place it right
at the head of a pack of fine competitors.
Prices for the C-class sedan start at
$40,400 for an all-wheel-drive 4Matic
model with a 241-hp 2.0L turbocharged
four-cylinder engine. The C400 rear-drive
comes with a 329-hp twin-turbo 3.0L V6
and starts at $48,590. All C-classes have a
seven-speed automatic transmission.
Mercedes expects to add a rear-drive
C300 priced at $38,400 in the first quarter
of 2015. Two-door C-class coupes are available, but they still use the old platform, not
the 2015 sedan’s more modern engineering.
I tested a C300 4Matic with a stunning
interior, power sunroof, Burmester audio,
blind spot alert and a sport package that combined functional upgrades like perforated
front brake discs with cosmetics like a black
AMG headliner. It cost $49,870. All prices
exclude destination charges.
The new C-class platform is about 3.7
inches longer and 1.6 inch wider than the
2014 sedan. Despite that growth, the car
is 200 pounds lighter than its predecessor.
About 50 per cent of the body shell is aluminum, compared to less than 10 per cent
of the old car. The stiff, light body contributes to fuel economy and a quiet, comfortable ride.
The 2015 C300 is nearly the same size
as the less expensive CLA250 sedan Mercedes introduced last year, which starts at
$29,900 for a front-wheel-drive model. The
C300 is 2.2 inches longer and has 2.0 cubic
feet more passenger space, according to EPA
measurements. The C300 has noticeably
more rear headroom and a comfortable, accommodating front seat. Both cars have small
rear door openings and limited rear legroom.
The C300 4Matic’s EPA fuel economy rating of 24mpg in the city, 31 on the highway
and 27 combined beats the competition by
as much as 4mpg in the key combined figure.
The 2.0L turbo’s output is lower than the
comparable A4, ATS and the Q50 and TLX’s
larger V6s, but performance is satisfactory.
Mercedes’ reliable seven-speed shifts quickly
and smoothly.
The styling is unobtrusive. The short rear
deck is reminiscent of the Infiniti Q50. LED
lights help offset that and give the C300 a
visual identity.
The ride leans more towards luxury than
sportiness. Even with the optional sport suspension, the test car pillowed rough roads.
The speed-sensitive steering is balanced and
responsive, with good on-center feel.
The interior is stunning, with the best design and materials ever in a small Mercedes.
Aluminum air vents, buttons and switches
look and feel terrific. The test car also had
cranberry red leather upholstery and soft
covers on the upper dash and doors.
The controls are less satisfying. The car
had voice recognition for its Garmin navigation, but not for phone calls.
To select a name from my contacts or dial
a number, I had to use either a touch pad or
a dial in the center console, either of which
required me looking a display screen rather
than watching the road.
That’s an unacceptable distraction, particularly in a car whose competitors offer
excellent voice recognition.
The C300 only gets full voice-rec if you
shell out $2,690 for the optional Comand
multimedia system. I found the touch pad
difficult to use in a moving vehicle for other
functions as well.
The audio volume control suffered from
an intermittent fault. It ceased to work frequently when playing CDs. The problem did
not occur with other inputs like radio, iPod
and streaming audio.
Those are surprising and relatively elementary oversights in what’s otherwise a
very good car. Don’t be surprised if Mercedes remedies them quickly and the 2015
C300 becomes even more appealing.
MCT News Service
More of everything
The 2015 Acura
RDX crossover
has undergone a
complete redesign,
writes G. Chambers
Williams III
N
OW in its third year since
a complete redesign, the
2015 Acura RDX compact crossover continues
as an upscale family hauler that’s not
much more expensive than some nonpremium competitors.
Acura aimed the RDX at young
professional couples with no kids,
and also at empty-nester baby boomers looking to downsize a bit from the
bigger SUVs they needed when all the
kids were at home.
For 2015, RDX prices begin at
$34,895 (plus $895 freight) for
the front-wheel-drive version, and
$36,295 with all-wheel drive. With
the Technology package, the frontdrive model is $38,595, and the allwheel-drive $39,995.
The RDX is in the entry-premium
SUV segment, competing against
vehicles such as the Audi Q5, BMW
X3, Infiniti QX50, Mercedes-Benz
GLK350, Volkswagen Tiguan and
Volvo XC60.
Even with gasoline prices down
dramatically in recent weeks, sales of
these compact crossovers, including
premium models, are still climbing as
consumers look for smaller vehicles
with better fuel economy. Buyers
in this class are looking for more of
everything, including fuel economy,
luxury and performance -- but in
smaller packages.
Introduced originally for 2007, the
five-passenger RDX is based on the
architecture of popular CR-V compact
crossover, which got its own slight
makeover for 2015.
This RDX is based on the current CR-V, but the chassis has been
stretched a bit. It’s about five inches
longer than the CR-V, two inches
wider, and an inch taller. The RDX’s
wheelbase is about two inches longer,
as well, which helps give it a smoother
ride.
Exterior styling is sporty, especially
in the front. The rear wasn’t changed
much, so it still looks quite a bit like
the CR-V. Overall, the vehicle remains
easily recognizable as an RDX, but
side by side with a CR-V, you can see
the similarities.
The RDX’s biggest difference from
the CR-V is under the hood. While
the Honda comes with a four-cylinder
engine, the RDX is offered only with
a pleasingly peppy V-6. Gone is the
previous model’s turbocharged fourcylinder, but fuel economy was increased from the previous generation.
For 2015, the front-drive model
has EPA ratings of 20 mpg city/28
highway/23 combined; with all-wheel
drive, the numbers are 19/27/22.
The 3.5-liter engine is rated at 273
horsepower and 251 foot-pounds of
torque, and is paired with a six-speed
automatic transmission with manualshift feature, activated by paddles behind each side of the steering wheel.
Our tester, the EX-L trim, had the
optional all-wheel-drive system, which
is borrowed from the CR-V. It’s not
the nicer Super-Handling All-Wheel
Drive from the previous RDX, which
is still found on more-expensive Acura
models.
Four-wheel-drive mode operates
automatically, with no input necessary from the driver. Power normally
is directed to the front wheels until
wheel-slippage is detected.
Then, as needed, up to half of the
torque can be transferred to the rear
wheels. There is no low-range gearing
for serious off-road driving, though,
nor is there a locking differential to
allow the driver to force the power to
the rear.
This RDX has a much more luxurious interior than that of the CR-V,
with standard leather upholstery and
other amenities that clearly put the
vehicle in the premium class.
The cabin also is much quieter than
before, thanks to better insulation and
Active Noise Control technology
-- similar to those noise-cancelling
headphones people wear on airplanes.
The vehicle also has larger door
openings, more passenger and cargo
space, and new features such as an optional power-operated tailgate, which
makes it much easier to open and close
when your hands are full.
MCT News Service