Mercedes C-Class

Torture track puts top-seller on the rack

Mercedes has taken a 'back to the future' approach to endurance testing for its new C-Class, which is due to reach showrooms in June

Auto Express Car Reviews

08th January 2007

A special torture track, riddled with potholes and cobbles, has been reproduced at the company's Stuttgart proving ground from the original Heide Road in Germany, which Mercedes first used for testing 50 years ago.

And it will make the C-Class the most thoroughly proven car in the firm's history. Test drivers run day and night using special orthopaedic-sprung seats to prevent spinal injuries, and an arduous four-week session equates to 186,000 miles of everyday motoring. Stung by recent criticism of poor quality and reliability, Mercedes has also completed a global 15-million-mile programme, with 280 disguised prototypes driven in Tokyo, Namibia and Dubai.