German Car Zone

Mercedes' redesigned C300 4Matic is solid but not much fun to drive.

As-tested price: $45,535
Drivetrain: 3.0-liter V6; awd, seven-speed automatic
Output: 228 hp @ 6000 rpm, 228 lb-ft @ 2700-5000 rpm
Curb weight: 3527 lb
Fuel economy (EPA/AW): 20/21.3 mpg
Options: Multimedia package, including seven-inch power-retractable color display, COMAND navigation, six-disc CD/DVD changer, premium sound, voice control, music register, PCMCIA slot ($2,950); Premium II package, including satellite radio, heated front seats, bixenon headlights with washers and cornering lamps, split-folding rear seats, garage-door opener, auto-dimming and power-folding mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, power rear sunshade ($2,750); Savannah/cashmere leather ($1,550); panorama sunroof ($1,000); sand beige paint ($710); TeleAid ($650); luxury package, including luxury styling, Mercedes-Benz star on hood, 17-inch alloy wheels with all-season tires, luxury interior, burl-walnut wood trim ($260)

OUR TAKE: The C300 4Matic is a very nice midsize luxury cruiser, but the performance and feel are bland, bland, bland. This car probably has ample power for stodgy young professionals more concerned with showing off their three-pointed stars, but few enthusiasts will pull the trigger on it. Sure, it will haul itself into the triple-digit speed range and run there all day without complaint, but it takes some time to build velocity. And the transmission is really slow to kick down anytime it is asked to get up and go.

Everything else about this car is up to par. The build quality appears top-notch, the new design cues inside are pleasant, and the reconfigured COMAND system is a cinch to use. The C-Class now feels as solid as Mercedes' more prestigious offerings, and the 4Matic system no doubt helps drivers feel extremely safe in all conditions. But this particular model won't make your heart race.

2008 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic - AutoWeek Magazine

I don't think it's that bad, but still... That's not nice to hear... Oh well, it' only one bad out of many positive reviews anyway...

I just had a C300 4Matic Sport, and it wasn't as fun to drive as the older W203 C230 Sport I had just a little while ago, but, but, but....the W204 felt much more like a real Mercedes-Benz. Much more solidly constructed and it rode like a upmarket Mercedes, the W203 didn't, but the W203 Sport was more fun, more agile. I got to drive them both about 2 weeks apart so the impressions were still fresh for the W203 Sport. The W204 is though the first C-Class that I could see myself owning, especially a C350 Sport with all the trimmings and that engine from the 09 SLK350. Oh and also the C300 Sport I had only had the 17 inch all-season peformance tires, not the 18 inch summer-only footwear. No doubt the 18 inch summer tires would have improved the handling and feel of the road. The C-Class unlike other Benzes always seems to be a work in progress.


M

"Fun to drive" is always a subjective category.

I've driven cars that everyone else thought were boring but I considered fun as hell. Best example is a 1996 Mitsubishi Pajero Diesel that took 34 seconds from 0-100 km/h. The slowest car I ever drove but man that thing was fun to drive!

OMG,LOL

99-horsepower baby!

Funny thing is that car was a 1996 Mitsubishi but the engine was from 1986.

I'm not impressed. I once drove an old Oldsmobile, the first American car with....a diesel motor. It was more than 5m long, heavy as hell, really noisy. And I thought it would never reach 60 miles an hour...

I drive slowly, enjoying the enormous bonnet moving on the super-soft suspension. Then I reach a stop, thus stop the car.

Look right, look left, look right, go: throttle pressed on the half. The noise increased very noticeably, the bonnet rose up, but the car did not move significantly.
I pressed much harder, the noise increased even more, the bonnet rose up higher and the car decided to move slightly...slightly...
I got bored and, as the oncoming cars were moving towards me and I was in the middle of the road, pedal to the metal. The noise was just like if I drove an old truck, and it began to slowly take speed. Honestly, it needed at least 10 minutes to reach 60 miles an hour, and with the motor screaming like if I was asking him to move the Earth... I was checking every 3 seconds that the handbrake was really released...

The auto bow was very soft. Of course, because it needed 30secs to change a gear. Fortunately there were only three of them...

NB: the speedo was graduated to...80 miles an hour! Yes! Around 120km/h!!! Now that was a reaal fast car...

Very fun car to drive. But like in a Solex, you didn't need a throttle pedal. Unless it's pressed to the maximum it's useless.