C 280

STORY

The C-Class is the car that brought Mercedes-Benz to a far wider audience. It grew directly out of the 190 "Baby Benz", and when its successor arrived in 1993 as the W202 it took the new "C" badge, the first car to do so, while inheriting the same "Baby Benz" nickname from the press.

Positioned as the compact entry point to the range, the C-Class has always aimed to deliver S-Class dignity in a smaller, more attainable package, and buyers responded: across five generations it has sold well over 10 million units, becoming one of Mercedes' most important models commercially.

It has also served as the launchpad for some of AMG's most beloved performance cars, from the raucous naturally aspirated C63 to its turbocharged successors. Sensible, handsome and quietly aspirational, the C-Class is the modern gateway to the three-pointed star.