Mercedes

Hopes don't come much higher than for the new, fifth-generation W206 Mercedes-Benz C-Class which, after several delays, could have driven off the boat and straight to our Car of the Year testing.

Its timing was such that we didn't have the opportunity to consider which variant would best represent the range, so we included both currently available – the C200 and C300, powered by turbo four-cylinder engines. We’d have to figure it out as we went.

And the bookies would be right placing narrow odds for this car. As the most popular Mercedes-Benz model of the last decade, nearly 60,000 examples of the previous generation W205 C-Class sold in Australia alone. No pressure, then.

From the get-go, having done the judges’ walkarounds, ogling the muscular power domes on the bonnet, the more cab-rearward design and AMG Line pack fitted as standard, there was an early sense this car would be a contender. Inside is radically different to its predecessor, all major and minor controls relegated to touchscreens, the main of which is an 11.9-inch unit (across the diagonal) mounted smack-bang in the middle of the dash.

Tilted six degrees towards the driver, it runs Merc's excellent MBUX infotainment software, while a 12.3-inch cluster screen behind the steering wheel can provide a classic vibe with its analogue graphics. But all in all, from an interior perspective, we like.

"As you would expect, beautifully executed, both inside and outside," said Richard, adding about the clever packaging, "you could be forgiven for thinking you are sitting in a bigger Merc." And you are, really, as the W206 is now 65mm longer than the W205 – 25mm of it in the wheelbase, helping provide another 35mm of rear knee-room – helping fill the gap between C and E.

As we progressed to laps of the Anglesea Proving Ground loop (in the C200), even in the maelstrom of cars that is COTY testing, it took about 500 metres for most judges to mentally shortlist the new C-Class as a finalist. With a seating position fitting like a custom-sewn glove, the W206 immediately impresses with its ride quality, an expertly judged combination of spring rate and damping cleverness – in the C200's passive set-up, at least. More on the C300's adaptive dampers later.

On the dirt – which didn't feel as naughty as in the S-Class, luckily – the C-Class displayed the most advanced-feeling ESC this road-tester has experienced, spookily pre-emptive and effective yet still somehow unintrusive.

Through the lane-change, the C-Class was one of the tidiest and quickest cars of the field. The dry braking was so strong you were almost fumbling around the footwell for your eyeballs. Never before, either, has the base C200 felt more recommendable, its 150kW/300Nm offering strong and characterful performance and even a decent sound (mostly augmented, but very realistically done).

"At last – a good base model engine for the C-Class," said Jez, mirroring the sentiment of all judges. "Respectable herbs that question whether you really need that C300."

While the C200 wasn't quite as special up the Five Percent Gradient twisty road section as we hoped – based on its form through earlier stages of the proving ground – it had done enough to get it through to the next round of gruelling road-based assessment.

Having left the seaside roads around Anglesea and Torquay, things took a turn for the W206 as the judges jumped aboard the C300 expecting it to build upon the C200's impressive PG performance. Instead, they were left scratching their heads at a Comfort-mode ride quality, on adaptive dampers, that felt, frankly, a little unfinished. We were almost wanting to jump back in the C200 with its sweeter passive set-up.

Some judges, too, failed to gel with the new rear-steering (available as a $3400 option on both variants, together with the adaptive dampers). The rear-steering can frustrate the rear-drive dynamics somewhat; it would be good if you could switch it off. But it's hard to look past its advantages such as a tighter turning circle and greater low-speed agility.

"A shame there's no separate adaptive damper and rear-steer options," opined Dan, "because the latter is a game-changer whereas the former adds an unnecessary complexity."

Further cracks began to appear in the W206's initially unflappable facade as judges shared minor build quality concerns – a subtle yet obvious rattle coming from behind the central infotainment displays of both cars. One that would go away if you applied some pressure on the screen. If you just bought the car, the judges agreed, you’d be a bit miffed. "Biggest question mark is around interior quality," said Alex. "Both materials and finish."

For Function as a high-tech luxury vehicle, the W206 performs strongly. For Safety, you can't argue with some of the cleverest active systems we’ve ever tested, much less 10 airbags including, for the first time, a central one in the dash. For Efficiency, Mercedes claims 6.9L/100km for the 200 and 7.3L for the 300.

On a drive to Melbourne and back overnight, we had the urge to finger-tap the fuel display on the digital cluster as it appeared to be not moving. Actually, the C200, on the freeway, could nudge 1000km from its 66-litre tank.

That's thanks in part to the technology in the C-Class, especially from its 48-volt mild-hybrid set-up. An integrated starter-generator (ISG) makes for an incredibly smooth and rapid, if not completely imperceptible, start-stop system. Coasting, some electric-motor boost and obviously energy recovery also feature.

It would need to have done away with the internal combustion engines and gone straight to electric motors and a big battery to have scored better for Technology.

Alas, it would have cost more – as it is, the price has already risen by $12,000 to $15,000, bruising the value proposition. As mentioned in our first drive last month, whether buyers can justify $78,900 and $90,400 respectively for a four-cylinder luxury sedan remains to be seen. Our guess would be yes.

But viewed through the all-important prism of the COTY criteria, it became apparent Finalist would be as high as the W206 would ascend. There’d be no fifth COTY win for Mercedes-Benz in 2022. While the judges agreed the C-Class is an outstanding overall package, too many minor and uncharacteristic missteps ultimately added up to put the COTY winner's trophy just outside the W206's reach.

Dylan Campbell is a former Editor of Wheels and MOTOR, and currently serves as a Wheels Car of the Year judge.