Everyone familiar with these Benz models must have an inkling as to where they stand in relation to each other. To those who are new to the game, it’s as easy as following the alphabetical order. The C-Class is the smallest of the lot, designed for the up-and-coming executive to ferry himself and a date around. The E-Class is large enough for the established businessman and his small family.
The S-Class is at the top of the Benz line. It’s made to be chauffered around in, but it’s not uncommon for owners to drive themselves in it as the S-Class brand works as a sort of status symbol.
You can have the C-, E- and S-Classes in a number of suspension setups. But the S-Class usually has the most advanced, expensive and cloud-like suspension of the three.
To give you an example, in Malaysia, the entry level C-Class (C180) comes with multi-link suspension, whereas the highspec C-Class (C350e) and the S400h L both have air suspension systems installed.
The weight of each vehicle class is also a big factor. While the lightest C-Class you can find will be just over 1460kg, the E-Class weighs about 1600kg while the S-Class is nearly 2 tons!
Dimensionally, here’s how the current generation differs:
The C-Class shares the same family look, but has a much shorter front overhang (51mm<E-Class, 98mm<S-Class), wheelbase (99mm<E-Class, 325mm<S-Class), and rear overhang (87mm<E-Class, 137mm<S-Class).
The E-Class works as both a driver’s car and for those who prefer to be chauffer driven. The E- and S-Class have got similar measurements (2819mm vs 2846mm) from the front to the B-Pillar, indicating that the front occupants have about the same amount of legroom.
Interestingly, the proportions are very similar. All three cars follow the same basic rules:
1) the front overhang takes about 17% of the vehicle’s total length
2) the wheelbase takes 60%
3) and the rear overhang takes the remainder, usually around 23% of the car’s total length.
