German Car Zone

I spent about 30 minutes driving my dealer's C300 Sport demo today and another 30 minutes trying to activate some of the other features and there are a few minor items that will take some getting used to.

The steering column is no longer power adjustable but instead has a release underneath that allows fore and aft plus vertical adjustments. It's possible that the C350 Sport's wheel is power adjustable but that's just speculation. I like the wheel as far from me as possible and low enough so that the top of the wheel is just over the speedo and tach. The angle of the wheel itself from vertical is different from my 203 and it doesn't feel quite right to me. Perhaps I need to sit a bit higher. Or something.

The 3.0 engine is very well isolated and not much drivetrain noise makes it into the cabin.

The power seat controls are no longer on the door but are on the side of the seat, out of view but right at your fingertips. This works OK and is obviously a cost cutting item. The seats have a lumbar support adjustment but I didn't try it. The mirror adjustments are now on the door, along with the window switches.

The seven speed auto operates very smoothly, starts out in first gear, but is not as quick to respond to a downshift command from the throttle as the five-speed in my C320. I wish the car had the paddle shifters that the AMG version has and wonder whether it could be retrofitted when the parts become available since the cabling must just be a plug-in someplace.

The car (like all the demo cars) is equipped with the $1000 18" AMG wheel option but the combination of the lower profile tires (and Continentals besides) produces a bumpier ride with a lot of tire roar. My C320 with 17" C36 AMG wheels and Bridgestone RE-050A PP tires rides better and more quietly.

Steering response compared to the 203 is much improved and I like it. The brakes are a little too sensitive and will take some getting used to.

The Harmon-Kardon sound system is excellent and far better than the Bose system in my 203. As I pushed the on button for the first time and watched the trapdoor come open and the screen slide out and rotate to vertical, I wondered "how long before that fails?"

The Nav system and the radio programming respond to voice commands far better than I expected. Worked every time, in fact, even with both of us speaking alternately. Of course, neither of of has any sort of accent. I can see that operation of the system is going to take a while to master so that it doesn't become distracting. The description of the system in the Introduction to Service manual refers to the DVD player as just that and it appears that DVD movie discs can also be played, provided the car is not in motion, for obvious reasons. We found the unlabeled Ipod jack in the glove box where there is also a 12V power outlet. There is a rotary knob allowing cooling of the glove box if desired.

The air conditioning works well and is noticeably quieter than the 203.

It looks like CDs, MP3s or DVDs can be downloaded to the 4GB partition of the 30GB Nav hard drive, if desired, and the tracks are displayed on the screen, selected by voice command. I'm assuming that the PCMCIA slot would be used for the same function. It's unknown whether the slot accepts CF cards or what since the car was shipped without an owners manual.

The trunk, even without the folding seats which I have ordered, is larger than the 203 which afforded only a five foot loading length, even with the seats folded down.

The spare tire is an inflated mini-spare, 125/80-17. It is covered by a styrofoam cover (under the "carpet") with a central closing screw.

If Bi-Xenon headlights are ordered, the rear turn lights are LEDs. Otherwise, standard bulbs and the lenses are slightly different.

The standard equipment Tire Pressure Monitoring System uses a sensor inside the wheel, in unit with the valve stem, and contains a ten year battery. The four sensors sends signals (wirelessly, of course) to a central receiver/processor which combines pressure, outside air temp and some other factors before sending one of three warning levels to the instrument panel. It's very complex, to say the least. It appears that if sensors are not present in the wheels, the system is silent. This interested me since I intend to have a second set of wheels with mounted winter tires and I would prefer not to have to buy four sensors. I am thinking that four 17" AMG wheels as fitted to the Sport version would be a more attractive alternate to the OE wheels which would then become my winter wheels. The OE tires are all-season.

Since my C320 is at the dealer having a few minor problems rectified, I am driving one of their new free service loaners, a 2007 C230 Sport which has about 300 miles on it. The 17" staggered wheels have Continental tires so the ride is noisy.

It is, of course what else, silver with a black interior, and is giving me a chance to become familiar with the 7-speed automatic. The 2.4 V-6 is not much of a performer so the transmission does a lot of downshifting but is quite seamless in operation except for the 2-3 shift.

The dealer does not have any brochures as yet and the car's owners manual has not showed up so what I know about the car has come from websites such as this one. So, I keep my salesman informed about his new product. Amusing.

Thanks for the detail reviews mate. 1 word about the gearbox shifting, was it set on comfort instead of Sports?

The full power adjustable seats have the controls on the door, and i think MB include this with thte power adjustable steering wheel as a package, so this C-class probably didn't have that option.

Are you looking to trade in your C320 for a new C-class?

Good review.

Really glad to hear this. I've had various C's for loaners, a C280 and a C350, both of them had the loudest A/C and heating I've ever experienced in a car, much less a luxury car. It seems to me that most folks are saying the same things about this new car, which is good. However IMO, the new C needs new engines, more options and more leather color choices for the sport models. Oh and the Advanced Agility package, hopefully all of this will be done for the 2009 model.

Oh, and I've had a chance to look the new C also, briefly as the dealer was closing. It really does look like a baby S550 Sport and the nose is really blunt, almost truck like. That said the car is indeed gorgeous and interior looks the part too, but I haven't sat in or driven one yet so stay tuned!

M

The new C definitely need newer engines. People can buy the 3.5 V6 CGI engine for the CLS, and only the CLS, i thought MB will put that into the new C but so far it has no happened yet. Maybe we have to wait for another year or 2. The ML and the GL has only just received the new V8 engines, so maybe that is how MB does things. Launch the new car with existing drivetrain 1st, then upgrade the engines after 2 years.

Yes this is what Mercedes usually does, but this time around their current V6 lineup is lacking. The bar has been moved to 300hp so I'm sure they will comply Mercedes-style, meaning a few more horse than the standard 300hp. Hopefully.

Mercedes rarely, only 4 times in the last 17 years that I can think of, launches a totally new car with a totally new engine. Maybe Wimmer can think of other instances, but in the U.S. the only time Mercedes launched a totally new car with a totally new engine were the 1990 500SL, 1992 600SEL, 2005 SLK350 and 2007 S550. Every other car they've ever debuted has had a carry over engine or if the engine was new, it had been debuted years before in a previously existing model.

Things change though, and since the S-Class has been glitch-free maybe they'll re-think this practice from now on.

My prediction is that for the 2009 model year the ML will get a facelift and the new V6s along with the C-Class. The iffy ones are the E and CLK, both due for replacement somewhere in there. Then again they might get the new V6s for their last year here in the U.S. also. Remember the facelifted C-Class didn't get the new V6s until the 2006 model year even though the 2005 model was the facelift. We'll know exactly what Mercedes has in store for their V6 lineup when the facelifted SLK debuts in a month or so. I expect no less than 310hp for the 3.5L V6 and about 260hp for the 3.0L V6. Whether they will be turbo'd and direct-injection is anyone's guess. There has to be a reason why the CLS350 CGI's engine hasn't been used outside of Europe. Fuel quality might be the driving factor.

M

Thanks for the update and review, RLE.

Regarding the engines, the new C-Class is definitely going to get a power boost. I don't know exactly when, but Auto Motor und Sport can't get enough of mentioning that the C220 CDI will be replaced by a 200-horsepower base model new 2.2-l diesel engine and that the 1.8-l C180K and C200K will be replaced by a similarly displacing brand new engine that uses turbocharging rather than supercharging. Then there are the rumors of the C400 Biturbo 4Matic, which if it really is going to be made, should be a monster and a fill-gap model between the current C350 and C63 AMG. I agree though that the C350 above all needs a power boost badly.

I am going today at 4:45, I will give you my impressions tonight.

Nice review. I also found the brakes to be a bit too sensitive but I thought that was because the car was new and hadn't been broken in yet.

<<Thanks for the detail reviews mate. 1 word about the gearbox shifting, was it set on comfort instead of Sports?>>

It was set on S which I think means Summer and which provides first gear start.

<<The full power adjustable seats have the controls on the door, and I think MB include this with the power adjustable steering wheel as a package, so this C-class probably didn't have that option. >>

The control on the seat side duplicated what used to be on the door, providing all the same functions. Have you seen a 204 with controls on the door? Which model? Perhaps the Luxury/Elegance model? Hope so.

<<Are you looking to trade in your C320 for a new C-class?>>

That will be determined closer to delivery time. The difference between trade-in and retail is close to $4000 and since my car is covered by a transferable MB warranty, it eliminates the advantage of buying it from a dealer, seems to me.

My salesman told me that my Obsidian Black car with the Java leather interior has much more curb appeal than the generic silver/black car seen everywhere which will be a big advantage for me.

<<Oh, and I've had a chance to look the new C also, briefly as the dealer was closing. It really does look like a baby S550 Sport and the nose is really blunt, almost truck like. >>

It's known now that the higher hood and blunt nose are due to new EU pedestrian protection regulations.

The larger outside mirrors are the EU's idea, also.