New-look Mercedes-Benz to be here within months
By John Aglionby
LUXURY German carmaker Mercedes-Benz is planning to launch a revised C-class range late this year.
Introduced last month in Germany, the new-look Classic, Elegance, Esprit and Sport are expected to arrive in Indonesia some time later this year.
Lela Pello, corporate communications manager for PT Star Motors Indonesia, Mercedes agent here, said: "It all depends on our production process."
"We will introduce the facelift as soon as we can guarantee the cars will be of the same quality as they are in Germany. It should be by the end of this year but might not be until early next year."
She stressed that there would be no price increase despite the additional new features.
"Any increase will only be because of inflation, not because of the facelift."
The facelift covers three areas -- body design, safety and security -- and a choice of seven engines, including two V6s.
For style-conscious Indonesians the most important area will probably be the one most visible to other road users, namely body design.
The new models will have new front and rear bumpers with integrated spoilers, body-colored side skirt panels with a sport design, changed colors for the rear lights of the saloon and a modified radiator grille.
People more concerned about interior comforts will be able to rest their arms on fabric-covered armrests, and each model will have its own individual seat covers and patterns.
Car safety will be enhanced with side air bags in the front doors, high-performance seat belt tensioners with belt-force limiters on the front seats and an electronic Brake Assist System.
Mercedes claims its antitheft protection will be "perfected" with its new drive authorization system, which is operated using an electronic door and ignition key.
As far as the engines go, two new V6 engines with 2.4-liter and 2.8-liter displacement will be standard. The 125 kW C240 supersedes the current C230 four-cylinder model and is an inexpensive way for C-class aficionados to graduate to six cylinders.
The C280 top model will be capable of an even superior performance thanks to a 145 kW V6 engine. In addition to these, five other engines will be on offer -- three petrol and two diesel -- with a performance spectrum ranging from 70 kW to 142 kW.
Whichever engine you choose, it should also require less maintenance, thanks to the installation of the Active Service System which Mercedes says will increase maintenance intervals from every 15,000 kilometers to 20,000 kilometers.