Images from an official brochure for the 2008 Mercedes C-Class have leaked online, ahead of the sedan’s official unveiling later this week. The 2008 C-Class has been completely redesigned for the new model year.
In addition to recent revealing spy shots of the rear of the car, the sedan’s new look is no longer a secret. The new C-Class features styling similar to that of the new S-Class sedan and R-Class crossover, with the Mercedes badge appearing on the car’s grille — rather than its hood — for the first time ever.
The base engine is believed to be a direct injection 4-cylinder 1.8-liter with horsepower from 150 to 190. Horsepower for the 2.5- and 3.5-liter V6 engines will be 210 to 270 respectively. A C63 AMG is expected to replace the C55 is the model lineup. Gallery after the jump…



01/15, 4:16 PM
posted by:
brickyards
The C-Class always looks good after the new generation of S-Class comes out.
01/15, 4:25 PM
posted by:
hockeygod1331
Not too sure about this round of Mercedes styling
01/15, 4:29 PM
posted by:
bb_454
The window controls look like they were lifted out of a Dodge Nitro.
01/15, 4:34 PM
posted by:
patckc88
umm that front end looks ALOT like like new holden statesman……
01/15, 4:35 PM
posted by:
brownfv
looks really sexy. the grille without the mercedes symbol looks really good on the car. interior looks nice as well, although i hate the look of the steering wheel, and not a fan of the pop up navi.
01/15, 4:54 PM
posted by:
f3rg
prettier than a bimmer.
01/15, 4:57 PM
posted by:
mbgg099
I think it’s beautiful, much better and upscale looking than most other cars in the same price range. I also think it’s great that they have both variants for the grill, one for those looking for a luxury sport look (the one with the emblem) and the other one for those looking for an elegant car (the classic grill). The only problem I see is that it looks to muc like the cl, which is really good for the c-class, but not very much for the cl-class. But overall it’s a stunner, I never thought I would like it that much, now i’m just waiting to see the high-res.
01/15, 5:50 PM
posted by:
mbftw
The star-in-grill is supposed to be the sport models, ala the SLR.
01/15, 6:03 PM
posted by:
edgarp
oh my goodness. I really really like it. I doubt I’ll be able to pick one up, but it’s caught my eye. especially with the 3.5
01/15, 6:17 PM
posted by:
max
Well done Mercedes. That is one good looking vehicle. Although, I don’t think the Cadillac CTS has anything to worry about. I say that tentatively though. I need to see both vehicles in person before I resoutely make up my mind.
01/15, 7:43 PM
posted by:
Egbert Souse
Make it look like every other car you make! Good job!!
01/15, 8:11 PM
posted by:
LamborghiniZ
I think it looks really classy, I prefer the 3-Series, which looks I think to be sporty, whereas this looks ritzy/classy. The interior looks good, however the audio controls seem to be kind of plasticky, though the HVAC control area looks great
01/15, 8:52 PM
posted by:
adam713
LamborghiniZ, you pretty much typed what I was going to. And I’m with you all the way with the 3 Series.
01/15, 8:57 PM
posted by:
roadrage
there definately is a cool design trend going on among german cars. some surfacing treatment and details look very familiar to…the arch rival 3 series, especailly where A pillar meets the hood and side surfacing. overall, while i will have to wait to see it in person, it looks to be a solid and impressive product from the three pointed star. i think they could have done better with the interior though…it has some VW Golf feel to it and just not special enough for the Benz! ahh..the importance of the interior design these days….. i am sure it will sell well though, baring the ever-famous Three Pointed Star.
01/15, 11:07 PM
posted by:
autonutt
mbftw is right.. the Luxury sedans will be marketed with the traditional grille, and the Sport sedans will unfortunately have the star-in grille. I liked that the SL/CL models and their forbears had this exclusive grille before, but now that CLK and CLS have adopted it, the exclusivity is long gone.
01/15, 11:21 PM
posted by:
A4
it looks way better than the current one but id still take a A4/3er/G35 instead.. This just beats out the IS now.
01/15, 11:27 PM
posted by:
tristanw
I really like that three-bar grill with logo on it…looks more masculine than the classic one.
01/16, 1:47 AM
posted by:
gsh
the C350 will cost more than the 335i and IS350. what do you get for losing the extra power? the center console looks pretty cheap from the blurry picture, the dash looks nice. we will have to see though, the C class tends to be the worst build benz. i think we get ours from mexico so….
01/16, 1:49 AM
posted by:
gsh
oh yah, as for the exterior, that front end looks like an Opel Astra. its so boring…
01/16, 1:51 AM
posted by:
Brendino
I think I like the split headlights/high beams better on Mercedes than this…though I don’t think they were on the last C-class. I don’t know Mercedes terribly well.
I’m all about hood ornaments. Bring em back. It’s like they made the grille bigger so that they could fit the enormous badge in.
There’s something about seeing a similar profile on the Ford Focus refresh and Chrysler Sebring that brings it down a notch. Though if I would have seen this first, I would have viewed those as posers.
I like how people are starting to do HVAC and radio controls differently, but it seems like everyone is moving towards putting the volume in the middle to be different.
I dunno. It looks great by itself, but It doesn’t bring a whole lot of new to the table when you look at other vehicles.
01/16, 5:17 AM
posted by:
Chris-
Dash looks like a peugeot (the button array). The dials are very nice (thats the active cruise control in the centre) but the wheel is just really wrong. It’s a shame because the exterior of the car is like a mini CL, which is only a good thing.
01/16, 8:39 AM
posted by:
GMnumberone4ever
A CTS wannabe without the good looks of the Caddy. Get ready for another problem ridden German POS with the quality of a Russian Lada. I bet MB engineers wish they had half the mojo going on at the General.
01/16, 8:59 AM
posted by:
55amg
looks great!! abit like the CL. i hope the performance can match the looks, and, more importantly, the rivals. they should give the 55 a supercharger tho, not change to the 63. i like that better
01/16, 10:26 AM
posted by:
edgarp
unlike the outgoing generation of the C, I think that this generation will be one of the more memorable designs for MB.I like this design almost as much as I like Audi designs. In my opinion, it’s a much better design than the new BMWs.
I wonder if they can pull off the coupe, these lines might look odd in coupe form.
01/16, 11:42 AM
posted by:
XeroBlue
MB did a great job designing this thing. It is Mercedes so its suppose to look like one, its called brand recognition. The interior appears to be very upscale, something the existing c class lacked i think. It really is a mini E class. If you posted comments that were founded in reality i wouldnt mind your GM bias. But everything you say is such utter bull****. Can you ever put in a comment that is something other than GM is the best and everything else is crap. Its always black and white w/ you. Perhaps the reason why no one but me reads and responds to your quack job comments.
01/16, 11:53 AM
posted by:
MyGodBeatsYourGod
Why copy the Bangle Brows??
Put the damn turn indicators and secondary lighting BELOW the main lamps.
Soooo tired of the ‘tired’ Bangled eyes.
Feeeelin’ sleeeeeepppppppeeeeee.
01/16, 12:47 PM
posted by:
theshadow
The upwardly mobile wannabes will be really bummed out by the lack of a hood ornament on this thing…wafting along in sublime comfort on a bright sunny day with the motor purring and that silver star pointed at the world ahead is truly one of the timeless breakthrough ‘moments’ when you first drive or buy a Benz.
Not that I’d ever be on the list for one, mind you!
01/16, 4:41 PM
posted by:
gsh
funny, the C class i got as a compact rental from Avis has one of those hood ornaments and i found it rather cheap looking. i wanted to pry that plastic looking thing off cuz it looks so tacky. not as bad as the jaguar cat, but you get the idea…
01/16, 4:57 PM
posted by:
roadmaster96
I can’t believe i’m saying this but i believe that the new Cadillac CTS has this beat in every area.
01/16, 6:56 PM
posted by:
The Stig
The 3 pointed star acted like a gun sight allowing you to aim while driving. They don’t call it “driving behind the star” for nothing.
01/17, 1:22 AM
posted by:
mb4evaslr
i think this is the most beautiful c class to date and the nicest looking car in its class. and for anybody dissing the controls and saying it looks cheap, you said it urselves, the pictures are blurry and you havent even been in the car. they actually look really nice and mercedes seems to have found the perfect balance of wood, chrome, plastic, leather, etc. it looks nicer than the bmw three and the audi a4. in fact the bmw 3 series current version was a step back, its styling was so boring that even bmw thinks so, thats why after the car only being out for one freaking year they are already changing it to look like the coupe. the infiniti is really nice and i love infiniti/nissan, but they could have worked harder. the lexus is a joke, anybody who pays 45000 for a scion with more motor and 5 pieces of wood is crazy, plus it only drives in a straight line. the styling to this honestly looks mini cls with cl headlamps. seriously better than the others in its class. the only things that mercedes needs to do to ensure that its a hit is to make sure and price it right and make sure that it meets the 3series on the handling front
01/17, 2:07 AM
posted by:
gsh
a mini cls with cl headlights would look hot…
i cant wait until avis gets these new C classes to abuse. and btw, have you been inside the previous generation c class? this new generation will have the same materials so yes it will feel cheap. sorry but the 3 and lexus IS will be way more fun to drive. anyone who pays 45k+ for a 3 pointed star is just dying from an image problem…
01/17, 12:08 PM
posted by:
XeroBlue
Dont knock it until you test drive it. Obviously i have not TD this new C but i did TD the outgoing kompressor. It may not have been blazingly fast, but it was quick, and honestly i loved its handling. It was tight, not alot of lean, and best of all it was not harsh. They found a perfect balance of handling and comfort on that model. I can only hope they did the same for this model. Remember its not a race car guys. For around town that car was awesome. FYI im talkin about the 33k model too. I considered buying one but they stopped makin em and i didnt want to buy a loaner. Who knows what was done to it!. But this new models interior is light years ahead of the outgoing model. No one can deny that. And i think thats progress dont you?
01/17, 4:58 PM
posted by:
Bmwrulz
aww, a baby S-class, how original.
01/17, 9:06 PM
posted by:
Veda
Has cues from the S class and a Maybach so it’s a lot more luxurious. This really separates MB and BMW in terms of styling and purpose. I think it’s a nice move overall. Anyway regardless of how good or bad it is, a C Class will always sell.
01/18, 2:38 AM
posted by:
gsh
actually MB is following BMW’s old mistakes of making all their cars look the same. eventually it will come down to which size MB do you want because they all look the same anyway. audi is hurting from this as we speak. as ugly as BMWs are they seem to be doing fine…
01/18, 10:16 AM
posted by:
Veda
Yeap, Audi even ruined the unique TT with that same look on all their cars. MB seems to be following the same path though there are still strong variations on the front end of their models. I’m not sure if making the cheapo C Class look the same as the S would be a good move though.