We’ve been almost everywhere with the new C‑Class — on winding mountain roads, on nice, long motorways; we listened deep inside ourselves, and our sensitive automobile-tuned sensors told our cerebellum again and again: the C‑Class confidently rises to every occasion and to any driving challenge.
The secret of this comfortable dynamism is in a finely tuned system which Mercedes‑Benz calls agility control. This includes shock absorbers with variable shock absorption recognition. If you are taking a relaxed drive in the new C‑Class, the road roar and tyre vibration characteristics shows you their best performance, meaning their most comfortable side. As soon as the driver dynamically manoeuvres the vehicle around corners, the shock absorbers instantly engage with maximum strength. The C‑Class behaves as though it were being stretched and tightened by a spring, is noticeably stabilised and moulds itself to the road.
ESP, which tends to engage conservatively, and conveniently supportive self-steering characteristics guarantee safety on the road far beyond the daily needs of ambitious drivers. It should be noted that the best suspension is still only as good as its driver and that physical barriers can be pushed but never eliminated. To allow the C‑Class to handles curves even better, the agility control steering is designed to have around six percent more direct feel than its predecessor. The driver at the wheel feels better understood and, in particular, experiences a faster response than before. Steering movements take effect immediately. This feeling of direct control over precise steering takes the driving experience to a whole new level. When driving goes beyond merely pleasant and becomes real enjoyment, you couldn’t possibly ask for anything more.
And anyone who wants to further expand their horizons in driving dynamics can take advantage of the advanced agility package. The driver can access two selectable programme modes to adjust the damping electronically. This is suited exactly to those who know whether they’d like the shock absorption on their car set to sporty or comfortable. They want to experience for themselves what comfort should feel like. And in sport mode, you can’t help but notice how the throttle engages much more spontaneously and how the switch points of the automatic transmission adjust. The option of raising the driving dynamism individually as desired is definitely an additional perk of the standard adjustable suspension.
