Before even going on sales, Mercedes’ new C-class estate has come in for a series of modifications from Germany’s Carlsson including a range of power upgrades and a more luxurious interior. The exterior also gets a makeover with new aerodynamic parts and alloy wheels.

For diesel fans, Carlsson’s C-Tronic tuning offers 20% more power and torque for all Mercedes common-rail diesels thanks to modifications to the engine’s ECU. For the four-cylinder CDI engine in the C-class, power increases by 34hp, up to 204hp, and torque rises to 480Nm from 400Nm in the standard model. The result is a second off the time for the 0-100 km/h dash and a reduction of no less than seven seconds in the 80 - 180 km/h time.

For the V6 320 CDI, the increase in power amounts to 42hp so that the modified engine produces 269hp outpacing easily the standard engine with its 224hp. Torque rises to a massive 612Nm, which is available from 1,600 to 2,300rpm. No less impressive are the performance figures, which improve by around a second for the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h.

The 3.5L V6 petrol engine also gets a healthy dose of performance upgrades. Developed in motor racing, the CK35 kit gives 295hp and presses maximum torque of 385Nm onto the crankshaft. The top speed of the CK35 is 270 km/h. The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h takes just six seconds, four tenths faster than the standard car.