With all-round gains, the new Mercedes-Benz C280 looks like closing a market gap, writes CAMERON McGAVIN



Plus

• Sharper and more entertaining to drive
• Smooth V6
• Brilliant seven-speed auto
• Comfy and classy cabin
• Safety
• Sharper value

Minus

• V6 nice but not amazingly sporty
• Unremarkable back-seat space

Thumb your way through the press kit for Mercedes-Benz's new C-Class and you could be forgiven for assuming "agility" is the new buzz word in Stuttgart.

"Safety, comfort and agility", the sweeping PR statement to sum up the new W204-series model, is just the start. The suspension package is called "Agility Control", and so is the new steering. The manual gearbox? Yup, you guessed it, it benefits from "Agility Control", too.

So it's fair to say that Mercedes has a certain competitor with a certain reputation for sweet driving square in its sights with this fourth-generation version of its smallest sedan. Given the BMW's 3-Series is the compact prestige sedan by which all others are judged, you can hardly blame Benz for its approach.

And going by our test car, the range-topping (for now) C280 Avantgarde, there seems to be some substance to the PR blather. While the Classic, Elegance and Avantgarde trim levels remain, the differences now extend beyond mere specification.

You can choose between two C-Class characters. Where Classic and Elegance models retain the traditional grille with its sit-up-and-beg bonnet badge, the Avantgarde gets a huge star planted square in a gaping grille in the manner of Benz coupes.

Trivial? Perhaps, but it's almost revolutionary for Benz and gives the Avantgarde a genuinely aggressive air.

And this is reflected on the road. Our C280 came with an optional AMG package that added stronger brakes, sportier steering and a host of visual addenda, and its athletic character is a big contrast to the relaxed air of its W203 predecessor.

Point it at a corner and the C-Class is not only able but highly entertaining.

The steering responds much more enthusiastically, there's heaps of grip and the chassis remains beautifully balanced yet inherently predictable as it nears its considerable limits.

Even more impressive is that the C-Class retains its excellent refinement and comfort. By traditional Mercedes standards our Avantgarde's ride quality would be termed sporty, and although the suspension tells you exactly what's going on below, the messages are muffled.

If anything comes close to deflating the sporty air, it's the C280's 3.0-litre V6. It's a sweet, refined and respectably thrifty engine (we averaged 9.9 L/100 km on test) that matches beautifully to the Benz's seven-speed auto (lesser models get a five-speed version) but low-rev torque isn't stunning and it lacks the top-end zing of the very best engines.

And, despite the body growing slightly, there are no massive practical strides inside. The back seat is comfortable but with limited head and legroom.

Up front, though, the seats are superbly comfortable and highly adjustable, while the controls fall easily to hand and are simple to use. Swish design and higher-quality fittings add up to a significantly classier ambience than the W203. And, in true Benz style, safety is a strong point.

Pricing tops off the W204 experience. Base C200K models begin at about the same point as their C180K predecessors, while the diesel-powered C220 CDI is more than $8000 cheaper.

Only a comparison would show whether the C-Class finally has the measure of the 3-Series on the road. But at first glance the gap looks to have been closed. And, best of all, it's been done without impacting on the traditional strengths of the C-Class package.