tennmb

Just got back from our C-Class training for the upcoming release in the USA.
We drove the C300 and four competitors. BMW328, Lexus IS250, Infiniti G35 and the Acura TL. What you quickly learn is just how competitive this segment is. The Mercedes was a great car, but the interior was the weak point as many have suggested. The sport steering wheel is ugly and the retractable Nav screen looks like an afterthought. Comfort and material quality was very good, but I can't say that it is better than anything else. The exterior of the C is very striking. It is conservative but powerful and exudes Mercedes confidence. The beige interior is the nicest and it is a joke that MB will not offer it in the sport versions. Wheels are the best they've offered on the C so far.

The most impressive car at the event was the G35. The interior was brilliant with plenty of quality materials and tasteful design. It had a very good nav system. The engine is a screemer. With a 300hp V6 it was the leader of the pack. The exterior is nice. I loved it. It is much better than the 1st generation G. Fully loaded for $39k, this will give the MB, Audi and BMW fits.

The BMW delivered what you'd expect. Although the interior on the BMW is a little bland it is solid. However it was also the priciest of the bunch by a wide margin. The G35 was over $4,000 less and had better features.

The Lexus had nice features, but the back seat space is the worst of this class and the exterior styling is lacking. It looks too much like a kid's tuner car and not a sophisticated sport sedan. The ventilated seats were the best I had experienced in any car. Much better than what Mercedes offers in the S. You can really feel the cool air circulating around your legs. In fact I beleive the IS was the only competitor to offer this feature in this category.

The Acura TL is the largest of the bunch with diminsions of an E and 5-series. The front wheel drive stinks of course and the interior is a mess of buttons and knobs. The interior doesn't come across as a real contender. For a family this car has the size and price to do well. The comparison would have been better served with an A4.

Overall, the C should place MB squarely in the competitive field. Drivewise it has a quality that none of the other vehicles had. The BMW will out handle it, the G35 will outrun it, but the Mercedes has a delightful feel. Even in the sport trim it handles the imperfections in the road the best while still feeling tight in the corners. Most of these cars will kill you with tire noise, but the Mercedes is very quiet. The C-class is not ahead of the curve, but is a solid effort and we suspect it will be very price competitive. To my pleasure I found out that the C will offer the sunroof, dual power seats, and bluetooth as standard equipment. This will really simplify the ordering guide.

Mirage77

Thanks for the very honest review. I think Infiniti has proven itself time and again to be a real competitor against the Germans, more so than any Japanese car manufacturer IMO.

Osnabrueck

Thank you for your detailed feedback Tenn MB. Great stuff. Right now I'm involved in work with a couple different C-Class events (one in Monte Carlo) and can't wait to drive one.

By the way - if any of you live in the States and would like more info on the upcoming C-Class drive event please send me a PM.

EDIT - Sorry, my inbox was full. Please try again.

Deutsch

I have to agree that the Nav monitor operation comes off as quite an afterthought, I can see that plastic cover becominig detached in no time.

As for the Infiniti G, nice car but will quickly become an afterthought with time design wise. Kind of a 3 series on the cheap, in so many ways- IMO of course.

The 3er does have a slightly uninspired interior design, but having been a former TD student it makes sense in prespective looking at various inspirations for automotive interior design TD's use, especially BMW. Besides, you don't get in a 3er to sit in it and admire the interior, you get in in a 3er(or any BMW for that matter) because you want to drive, and while driving I'm sure whatever flaws the interior posesses will quickly fade from mind.

I don't think MB intended for the C-class to redifine the exec. small sedan segment, I think they just wanted to show the world that they can still do what everyone regards/ed them for all these years: building sturdy, high quality luxury automobiles like no one else. Looks like they've suceeded.

Osnabrueck

Oh no. Mercedes is very much out to redefine the small sedan segment, as is every other company when they sink millions or even billions into rolling out a new product. The C-class is a critical product for Mercedes and the way they've shifted the packaging of this car shows.

In many ways, they've succeeded in shifting perceptions about this car. I would have never seen myself in a C-class. But now, with the introduction of the sport trim, I can.

As for the 3er's interior - For God's sake man, can we please get some decent cupholders?! You guys are able to refine luxury performance to an almost absurd level but at the same time make me really nervous every time I drink a Super Big Gulp. If you can somehow engineer turbo lag out of a 6cyl engine, surely you can find a real place for me to put my drink.

Deutsch

If they wanted to redefine the class then this car would be something much closer to a 3er than a more "sporty" C-class. A step in the right direction? Absolutely, and a great car at that, but not a revelation. The 3er still holds the std., the car that will come closest will probably be the new A4, but we have a little more time til then. Remember, MB is luxury, first, always, and forver- Zetsche said it himself at Paris last year.

NarutoRamen

that is funny and really true. BMW probably has the worst cup-holders in the world. Seriously, they can do everything right except for some damn cup-holders. I learned fairly quickly never to drink in my M3. Unfortunately, some of my friends (mainly girls) have spilled stuff in their own 3/5er so many damn times, it's not even funny.

Deutsch

So you carpet is soiled and your car smells like....starbucks???

NarutoRamen

no no no...let me correct that. My friends have spilled stuff in their own cars...not mine. I'd kick the girls out of my car quick.