Mercedes-Benz C200 / C300 W205 / S205 / C205 / A205: character for every day, the exhaust guide

Your vehicle.

All our exhausts for this generation, version by version, are brought together on one page: Mercedes C-Class W205 Valved Exhaust.

The W205-generation C-Class is one of Mercedes' best-selling saloons. Its four-cylinder C 200 and C 300 versions form the heart of the petrol range. Here is what you need to know about them before choosing an exhaust.

Models

Mercedes C 200 and C 300, W205 generation

Body styles

W205 saloon, S205 estate, C205 coupé, A205 convertible

Years

2018 to 2021 on our product page, i.e. the period following the facelift

Engine

Turbo four-cylinder with direct injection, 48-volt mild hybrid

C 200

Entry version, 184 hp

C 300

Top version, 258 hp and 370 Nm

Gearbox

Nine-speed automatic

Neighbouring version

C 43 and C 63 AMG, with their own exhausts

A C-Class for every use

The C-Class is the car Mercedes offers to drivers who want standing without moving up to the E-Class. It comes in four body styles: the saloon, the S205 estate for families, the elegantly styled C205 coupé and the A205 cabriolet with a fabric roof.

The four body styles rest on the same mechanics, which is why the Rog product page treats a single exhaust for them. Only the VIN decides, before manufacture, the precise routing that suits your car.

The 2018 facelift

In 2018, the C-Class received a mid-life revision: new headlights, a digital dashboard and above all new, more efficient engines. The petrol range's four-cylinders were reworked, with the addition of 48-volt mild hybrid.

Our product page covers this period, from 2018 to 2021. If your car is older, send the VIN with your order: compatibility is checked before manufacture begins.

C 200 and C 300: two power levels

The C 200 is the entry version, with 184 hp. The C 300 is livelier: the product page lists 258 hp and 370 Nm, which makes it the fastest mid-range petrol C-Class. In both cases, the engine is a turbo four-cylinder with direct injection.

The power difference is felt in acceleration, but not in the underside of the car: the Rog exhaust's routing is the same, which explains the shared product page for the C 200 and the C 300.

The 48-volt mild hybrid

Facelifted C-Classes receive a 48-volt starter-generator, which replaces the conventional starter motor and alternator. It restarts the engine smoothly, recovers energy on deceleration and adds a slight boost under acceleration.

This technology has no influence on the exhaust: it mainly improves smoothness and fuel consumption. It also contributes to the C-Class's reputation for refinement.

The sound of a C-Class four-cylinder

The C-Class four-cylinder has a slightly deep timbre, which turns raspy under heavy load. It is efficient, supple, and remains pleasant to hear when pushed, provided you can hear it.

On this C-Class, the factory arrangement almost entirely erases it: on board, it is wind and road noise that you notice first. It is a choice for comfort, but it leaves a very quiet car for its level of performance.

What the car already offers

The W205's behaviour is one of its best arguments: precise steering, incisive front end, suspension that filters road defects well. The chassis easily supports a more expressive engine, and many drivers find that only the voice is missing from the whole.

The cabin, with its turbine-shaped vents, careful finish and comfortable seats, reinforces this feeling of a complete car. You spend long hours in it without fatigue, which gives its full meaning to an exhaust whose volume you can lower with a flick.

An engine that responds well to a worked exhaust

Mercedes' turbo four-cylinders are known for responding positively to a better-drawn exhaust: the freed flow gives a fuller tone, a little more bass and frank crackles when you lift off.

The Rog cat-back changes neither the factory mapping nor the emissions control as long as you stay without a downpipe. It acts only on the gas path downstream of the catalytic converter, where most of the sound is decided.

What the Rog exhaust changes

With the valves open, the C-Class gains a present rumble from the moment it starts and a frank note under acceleration. On lift-off, sharp crackles punctuate the deceleration.

With the valves closed, it keeps the bearing of a premium saloon, suited to town, motorway and early mornings. The same vehicle offers two characters, at the driver's choice.

Valves: factory control or Rog remote

With the Rog remote, the exhaust is delivered with its valves fitted and a small control unit in the boot: open, they stay open; closed, they stay closed, whatever the drive mode.

With Factory mode, the exhaust arrives with the mounts provided for the factory components, which your garage refits, and the factory control keeps the lead. The VIN lets us check which of these two modes suits your car.

Coupé, cabriolet, estate or saloon

The C205 coupé and the A205 cabriolet are the most sensitive to the sound atmosphere, because they are chosen for pleasure. The cabriolet, roof down, offers the moment when the engine's voice reveals itself most directly.

The S205 estate and the saloon are often everyday cars: for them, the ability to close the valves again with a flick is the deciding argument.

Stainless steel, titanium, materials and shades

304 stainless steel suits a C-Class used in every season, with a round sound and proven resistance to salt. Titanium, about 40% lighter for the same design, is for those who want a shade and a little less mass at the rear.

Three shades of titanium are offered: brushed, gold and purple. They change the look of the outlets, and so of the car's rear, without changing the exhaust's behaviour.

The optional downpipe

Under the name "Manifold", the product page offers the four-cylinder's downpipe, the part that follows the turbo and carries the catalytic converter. With 200 cells, the emissions control is kept; the 100-cell version depends on the car and the rules of the country; the catalyst-free version is intended for the track.

Without an ECU remap, this part acts on the sound and a little on the weight, not on the power. The product page publishes no Stage value for these versions. Rog makes the exhaust to your VIN, and your garage fits it without welding or cutting.

The neighbours in the range

The W206-generation C 200 with the 1.5-litre engine, the six-cylinder C 400, the C 43 and the C 63 AMG each have their own exhaust and their own guide. They share the C-Class name, but not the mechanics or the exhaust routing.

For a car whose version you are not sure of, the VIN sent with the order settles any question.

Configure your exhaust.

How the exhaust is put together

On the W205 C-Class, the Rog exhaust starts at the downpipe connection, under the floor, and reaches the outlets through the pipes, silencers and valves. The four-cylinder's downpipe, placed right after the turbo with its catalytic converter, forms the front section; the product page offers it as an option under the name "Manifold".

Each choice explained in detail, from sound to material: How to configure your exhaust.

Three recommended configurations.

• Everyday saloon

  • Stainless steel
  • No manifold
  • Rog remote

  For a C 200 or a C 300 used every day: standard front section, the stainless steel's round sound and valves closed in town.

  View this configuration

• Estate or elegant coupé

  • Brushed titanium
  • No manifold
  • Rog remote

  For an S205 or a C205 that loves fine roads: lighter titanium, a clearer note at the top of the rev counter.

  View this configuration

• More expressive C 300

  • Gold titanium
  • 200-cell sport manifold
  • Rog remote

  For a C 300 that wants more presence while keeping its catalytic converters: 200-cell downpipe, gold titanium and valves within reach.

  View this configuration

From order to fitting.

VIN, manufacture, delivery, fitting and warranty, step by step

Questions.

Further reading.

• All our Mercedes C-Class W205 exhausts
• Mercedes C 200 W206 guide, the next generation
• Mercedes-AMG C 43 W205 guide, the six-cylinder version
• Mercedes C 400 W205 guide, the V6 of the same family