2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Here, for the first time, are undisguised photos of the ground-up-redesigned 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Most noticeable is its resemblance to existing neo-Benzes-E, S, CL, and CLK-with their now-hallmark ellipsoid headlamp units and rakish aero bodies. What you can't see is that Mercedes has spent over four years and $1.3 billion in development on its world volume leader and America's entry-level Mercedes-Benz sedan.

The best-selling C is shown here in four-door European trim, but don't expect any major changes for the Yank version. There have been persistent hints at a two-door hatchback version (as seen in spy photos), but nobody's saying whether it will make it to our market. The best news of all is if Mercedes makes good on its promise of building an AMG version of every vehicle offered in the U.S., we can expect a C32 AMG.

It seems the much-loved fire-breathing 4.3-liter/302-horsepower V-8 from the current C43 AMG won't fit under the new sloping hood, so the new AMG version will be amply powered by a supercharged 3.2-liter V-6. To be competitive with its nemesis, BMW's yet-to-be-released naturally aspirated 3.2-liter/343-horsepower inline-six M3-BMW claims a 0-100-kph (62 mph) time of 5.2 seconds-the 3.2 Kompressor will have to produce at least 350 horsepower or more. Sounds like a 2001 who's-got-the-schnitzel comparo.

On the lighter side, the motor most likely to be used in our entry-level C 240 is a 2.6-liter/170-horsepower V-6, while the mid-level C 320 motivator will be a 3.2-liter/218-horsepower V-6 in place of the current supercharged 2.3-liter inline-four borrowed from the SLK230 Kompressor. Mercedes' conservative performance figures claim a 0-62-mph time of 9.5 seconds for the C 230, while the C 320 will take only 7.8 seconds. Both models will be fitted with a one-touch five-speed automatic transmission, much like that in the new S- and ML-Class, which may be shifted manually by moving the shift knob left and right in the D position.

After the new body's slippery curves were finalized with the aid of wind tunnel and computer-aided design, the new, more wedge-shaped C-Class-now with full underbody and engine compartment encapsulation-came away with an outstanding 0.26 drag coefficient, one of the lowest of any production car. Besides efficiencies gained in aerodynamics, the car's high-speed stability is much improved. Also, while the new C is relatively the same size on the outside, it has grown on the inside with more legroom and truck capacity.

The 2001 C-Class' all-new chassis netted dynamic resonant frequencies for torsion and bending up to 12 percent better than for the outgoing model. Besides this obvious gain in solidity, the entire structure itself is said to be far safer in a collision. A newly developed three-link front axle with MacPherson struts replaces the traditional control arm setup in front, while Mercedes' legendary multilink rear axle and speed-sensitive rack-and-pinion power steering have been retuned for the new car. Many of these safety-enhancing construction techniques came from the flagship S-Class and CL Coupe designs.

Other windfalls from these high-priced models included much of the onboard integrated electronics and fiber-optics, which Mercedes-Benz calls COMAND, for Cockpit Management and Data System. This one system incorporates all audio, telematics, and telecommunication functions: radio, CD player, navigation (with "dynamic," traffic-controlled routing, not yet available in the U.S.), car phone, voice controller, and television receiver (also unavailable in the U.S.) In other words, the driver's dashboard display can show routing instructions with arrows, while the passenger is browsing the electronic phone book on the central COMAND screen and the radio is playing your favorite CD or radio station.