Inside the cabin, Mercedes-Benz used top quality materials and plenty of options. The new 5G-Tronic installed in the C-Class is an electronically shifted 5-speed overdrive automatic transmission with five forward gears and two reverse gears. Six-speed manual transmissions became standard on nearly all versions while letter and number labeling no longer reflected the engine's displacement, i.e the C 180 had a 2.0-liter plant while the C 240 had a 2.6-liter unit. Diesel units were also upgraded, having been fitted with common-rail direct injection systems and variable geometry turbochargers. The engines were mostly carried over from the previous generation except for a couple of models such as the C 320, which delivered an output of 218 hp.
The new design language carried over the cues introduced by its bigger brother, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class W210, with twin double-rounded headlights. It was introduced in March 2000 and comes with various engines, both gasoline, and turbodiesel. The second-generation C-Class saw the arrival of a completely redesigned vehicle, with a longer, curvier nose and a sportier, shorter rear.
