German Car Zone

Last Sunday, I was able to sample to new W204 C-Class for five minutes. There was a big car show in my town and I was helping out the local Mercedes-Benz dealership bring some cars down. One of the salesman, a buddy of mine, said he had a surprise for me. And a surprise it was indeed: a 2008 W204 C220 CDI Avantgarde!

Among the cars I drove down were the following:

Mercedes B150
Mercedes SLK200 Kompressor
Mercedes GL320 CDI 4Matic
Dodge Caliber CRD
MERCEDES-BENZ C220 CDI (W204) Avantgarde!

I later participated in the city rally with the Dodge Caliber, so I have a nice review of that car coming up soon! Anyway, we want to know about the W204 C-Class, right?

Wow, I mean, wow! This car impressed me from the moment I opened and closed the doors: solidity is what you feel. The car I was able to drive was the C220 CDI with 170-horsepower mated to the 7Gtronic automatic transmission. First off, the engine was very quiet - or the sound isolation inside the cabin must be very good. You could not hear the engine - this despite the motor being cold. Second, the moment you engage the automatic into D and drive off the lot, the car just feels smooth. Again, no major engine noises can be heard (the W203 C220 CDI was a little rougher in that regard) and the steering wheel, despite the design, felt great. It was small and had finder accomodating shapes behind it which gave it a nice sport feel.

The Mercedes dealership is located in uptown Mühldorf and there are some nice twisty roads that lead to downtown Mühldorf. I took those but didn't abuse the car because it was brand new - I felt some respect for it. If this had been a demo car, I would have loved to try the full W204 Avantgarde experience. Nevertheless, it quickly became apparent that this car handles very nicely - better than the W203. More responsive, more direct, sportier and at the same time even more comfortable. The Avantgarde version, despite the sporty pretensions still felt a little soft. I suppose the upcoming sport package and suspension will take care of that as this car didn't have those options. The car also felt very compact (but not cramped) and easy to control. Unlike the Lexus IS350, there is actually room for your feet because the transmission tunnel isn't so wide.

I must mention the ride quality and cabin sound isolation again. The comfort was impressive, the seats were soft but offered decent side support. The sound isolation was very nice. Not quite overdone like Lexus, but quiet and pleasing - and you could still hear the engine when you gave a little gas - a reassuring feeling. Impressive, the quietness of the cabin. The cabin also felt very roomy. I wasn't able to sample the rear seats though and see for myself if 6'4" giants like me could fit.

Many people criticized the interior, especially the steering wheel. To be honest, I didn't really notice it. My eyes are on the road, not the steering wheel. What the steering wheel may lack in design, it makes up in character. Yes, you read that right. I actually felt the steering wheel felt pretty nice: sporty. The steering response was also excellent. Vague and light at low speeds so you could drive it limousine style and sharper and direct at 70 km/h+. Thank the Parameterlenkung for that, a very nice feature.

The interior itself is a nice place to be. It's a bit conservative overall but it does feel premium. The materials are very nice. I wouldn't describe them as class leading, but they're very nice nonetheless and easily on par with the overrated Lexus IS interior, if not better. Best of all, the Mercedes W204 C-Class cockpit feels very premium and expensive in its own way. You just know you're sitting in a luxury car. The Avantgarde interior conveyed a sporty feel with the brushed aluminum trim all around. Nice, very nice.

Once in the city, almost everyone who knew something about cars stopped and stared. The car show was held in the Mühldorfer Stadtplatz (main square) and they had the friggin new Porsche 997 Turbo there: but people took their eyes of that to see check out the new C-Class - with some young kid driving it, me! That was a great feeling and drove extra slowly through the town square letting the people get a glimpse of the shining black C220 CDI Avantgarde. As I entered the Mercedes section and prepared to reverse the car into its designated spot, a steady flux of people was coming to check out the C-Class. When I finally parked it, there were already people at my side asking me if this was the new C-Class and if they could get a glimpse at the interior or the engine or trunk. It was funny. The Mercedes salesmen and employees actually had to crowd around the car like cops and tell them that the car is currently off-limits!

The car was then covered as you can see in the pictures with only a small portion infront and at the rear revealing that this is the new W204 C-Class. Overall, I was very impressed with the car. I felt that Mercedes worked hard on this car to make it special and I think it worked. This car felt special, it felt good.

Here's the picture of the car. The Mercedes guys wanted the car to be covered, since the premiering of the C-Class in Mühldorf is this Saturday (And guess who will attend? WIMMER!).








VIDEO OF ME DRIVING THE C-CLASS AND SOUNDING LIKE AN IDIOT!



And here are two W204 C220 CDI Avantgarde C-Classes which were parked at te local Mercedes dealership on Monday afternoon. This car is so damn hot!

BLACK C220 CDI Avantgarde











GREY-BLUEISH C220 CDI Avantgarde

Couldn't you take more pics? j/k...

Thanks, man! I understand your excitement and i'm glad your beloved brand didn't disappoint you...

I was dying to take more pictures, especially of the interior but it was a hectic day and as soon as I parked the car, I couldn't take any pictures because of all the people who were crowding around etc. But don't worry, this Saturday, the new C-Class is shown up at the Benz dealership and I will be there to photograph the living hell out of it.

MB is doing a big deal with the Avantgarde version, I havent seen the Elegance version yet.
In Sweden a dealer showed the avantgarde version as well.

Avantgarde here and there, let me see the elegance version goddamit

Damn, Christian you must be the happiest man alive at the moment. Great first review, the new C-Class is just amazing...especially with this Avantgarde trim...
Thanks for sharing this short video, too...
I will go on Monday to our Dealer (Summer tyres for our E-Class )! Can't wait to see this new Mercedes...

I think you will see a lot of Elegance versions soon...

Same here. I've only seen two Avantgarde versions and a Classic. No Elegance yet - and I am dying to see that baby! Well, on Saturday I will!

Anytime.

I'll be even more happy when I get to drive this car properly.

Don't we just luv u on this forum wimmer

Finally you got your hands on it,Hooray,
Iam still having sleepless nights.