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We first saw the third-generation 2008 C-Class in Stuttgart, and instead of a First Look, it was more like a First Whiff. We caught the scent of the three European flavours on the C-Class menu, but we never had a chance to sample anything from the U.S.-specification platter.

This week, we managed to pry a 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 away from its press introduction in Portland, Oregon, and drove it all the way back to our offices in Santa Monica, California. What we learned on this 1,000-mile drive and after instrumented track testing shows us that Mercedes-Benz is serious about the C-Class' competition.

Not only has Mercedes-Benz gained an inch or two on a certain yardstick sedan from Munich in terms of subjective vehicle dynamics, but also the Stuttgart-based company has jumped into the infotainment technology race to compete more effectively with high-tech Japanese sport sedans.

The First Boat Arrives in August

The 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class will arrive in the U.S. this August, and it will initially include two models: the C300 with its 228-horsepower V6 and the C350 Sport powered by a 268-hp V6. Though these engines are familiar from the current C-Class lineup, Mercedes-Benz is quick to inform us that the C300's 3.0-liter V6 is flex-fuel-compliant straight from the factory.

The C300 will make up the vast majority of C-Class sales, and it'll be trimmed out as either Luxury or Sport. An all-wheel-drive 4Matic configuration of the C300 will arrive in September. The C350 is offered only as a rear-wheel-drive sedan in Sport trim, and it will have a seven-speed automatic transmission. (A six-speed manual transmission is available only for the C300 Sport.)

Cont...

The Onset of Styling Droop

For all its newness and increased gravitas, we wish we could say the new C-Class looks better than the outgoing C-Class, but we can't.

The blunt nose of the car is reportedly in homage to the S-Class, but we all know its existence is to meet forthcoming pedestrian-impact regulations in Europe. Why else would Mercedes forfeit the previous car's aerodynamic shape, going from a 0.26 coefficient of drag to a new 0.30 Cd?

The 2008 C-Class tries to reward its passengers on the inside rather than the onlookers on the outside. It's as if Mercedes engineered its all-new body-in-white and forgot to design an attractive wrapper for it.

It's All About Power, Isn't It?
The C350's performance is merely adequate. We hate to be horsepower mongers, but feel the minimum ante into the entry-level luxury-performance sedan category ought to be 300 hp.

Look, we know the C300 is crucial to Mercedes-Benz; it's the const-conscious car that brings people to the Benz brand and keeps the lights on in Stuttgart. At $31,000, the C300 is a fine automobile and as it turns out, it's the right version of this car.

The C350 is enjoyable to drive, but it just doesn't make as much sense as a sport sedan as it should. It's a little down on power, a little short on interior space and way too long on price.

Full Test: 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport

I knew this about the C350's hp was going to come to the front. As far as styling goes Edmunds can kick rocks, obviously the blind editors were assigned there.

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