Concerning suspension and control it has it all the way. The control arm dront layout and five-link rear setup keep the car glued to the ground on an almost constant basis. You could even get away with calling it "nimble". The overall compliance of the underpinnings and things make the ride quality quite comfortable. Fuel Economy ranges around 21 MPG. Wind rush is mutted. Visibility is very good. No real obstructions.

Sluggish steering, over-rated styling, boring automatic transmission. The exhaust, which sounds more like a light truch than a sports sedan, tends to buzz higher on the RPM meter and of course sucking up all the premium fuel is not as appealing. But when buying the sport package, the stiffer suspension calibrations can be a bit troubling when negotiating a road with potholes. Again road noise slowly creeps in. It is kind of annoying when you forego the sport package and miss out on the steering wheel adjustment. Cargo room as well as living spaces need to be re-designed completely. Those of us who are taller than the average person have to do some stretching before we attempt to tackle sitting. Seats or a little firm but still comfy.

The price for this vehicle ran about 31K. If you're in the market for something different, something fun, and a fairly smart four-door you might want to consider slipping a Kompressor in your garage. Basically you have to go and check out the car and just try them out. The line and end choice is baised on personal preference.

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It's competition consists of the BMW 328 and the Audi A4. The Audi offers Tiptronic which livens up that automatic. When concerning Engine power The nod gere goes to Bimmer. If you want a higher set of standards for interior design and comfort, the award goes to Audi. Handling however goes immediately to the Mercedes.

Test drove one with 27K miles: FAST, Great Handling, Tight turning radius, AWESOME low profile 17" tires and AMG rims and exhaust, beautiful paint, feels as solid as Fort Knox.

Can't get a manual shifter, don't make them anymore

A BLAST TO DRIVE! Great power and handling. And beautiful to look at. I shouldn't have test drove it b/c I can't afford it and it's hard to walk away from. Very hard.

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1993 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4- Mitsu just as fast I think but Benz much more agile and fun to drive.

The car has a solid feel, especially at hwy speeds. The front has a classic mercedes look. For 2 yrs and 26K miles, the car has been reliable and required only 2 oil changes. Trunk space is not bad for a car this size.

The 4 cylinder engine has been disappointing. It shifts very rough. It is sluggish until the supercharger kicks in, and then it takes off. The interior materials are cheap and not very mercedes like. A $33K car should come stand with full leather seats and a CD player. The stereo is sub-standard. I am only 5'7" and I find the front seat legroom to be uncomfortably small. The backseat is worse.

I must admit that the prestige of driving a M-B blinded me to some of the shortcomings of the C class. Although it's not the worst car I've ever driven, it's far from the best. I drive my wife's Acura every chance I get! The car is very small and the 4 cylinder is rough and crude. I look forward to my lease being up in another year and will probably buy a Japanese car like a Lexus or an Acura. You can't beat them for the money. The M-B was not as good as the Volvo 960 I had just before it which cost about the same. I have not had the mechanical problems with my car that I read in other reviews on this page, but it makes me nervious. I hope my car makes it in good shape for another year.

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This is my first and probably last M-B. The car is definitely not worth the money. Even for the same money, you get so much more with an Acura or a Lexus - there is no comparison.

Stylish looks similar to bigger, pricier brothers
Great performance for the price in a near-luxury sedan
Outstanding standard features
Great resale value at present due to demand.
Exclusivity due to demand.

One big disappointment for me is the manual gearbox. It's noisy and causes the car to shudder on changes. I'm not sure if this is a built-in feature for the South African derivitaves. Merc dismisses it as normal. Sometimes they say it only occurs on my car. They should move happy hour to after work hours. So, if you've got a new C Class manual and have the same problems (or don't) please let us know. Makes you ask the question why a manual tranny is not offered on the more expensive models? Yeah, sure, blame it on what the customers want. Customers want choices.

Although I think the interior is great certain areas of the Merc's dashboard feel cheap and tacky. I think this is due to them using lighter, cost-effective (can't say cheap again) materials. As for the instrumentation, what were they thinking? That big speedometer and little tachometer take some getting used to. This is one department Merc needs to have a look at. Don't use all that magic fairy dust on the shell.

Don't think you can fit five people comfortably in this car as I could in my smaller Toyota Corolla. The passenger having to sit in the middle against the fold down arm-rest after a long trip will have a good case for a claim against you or Merc for spinal damages.

The CD player only supports next and previous. Forget that you ever knew that CD players could scan or show the number of tracks on a CD or display the length and remaining time of a track.

You pay a huge premium when purchasing a car like this and they still want you to pay extra for a leather steering wheel and gear knob. Also, how much is it going to affect the bottom line if colour-coding the door handles is standard? How can you offer non-colour-coded door handles on such a beautiful car?

If you are only interested in performance and handling and are considering a Merc or a BMW I suggest that you buy a BMW. You will never be pleased with that manual transmission.

What an absolute beautiful car. I was on my way to a BMW dealership to order a 318i when I noticed a Mercedes dealership along the way and decided to compare their models not knowing that the new C Class was about to be launched. Let's just say that I ordered the car by simply looking at the catalog. I've owned it now for two months and simply love it.

Admittedly it does not have that sporty BMW feel but it comes pretty close whilst still maintaining that luxury feel. It's a car that I can enjoy in my youth and old age. I think Merc got it just right. Many people will argue that the car competes with the BWM 3 and comes close yet fails. I say that the C is in a Class of its own. The C Class feels just right and offers the same level of enjoyment no matter what your age is. You simply cannot outgrow it.

For the record: This car is not available in the US and some other countries. It's powered by a 2 litre with a Supercharger that develops performance comparable to the C240. Also, Avantgarde is what Merc calls the Sport versions here.

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If you're a performance freak and don't care too much about being pampered (which is the class I belong to at present) you'll be shocked to hear that I compared my C200Kompressor to a BMW320i and found that the Merc actually performed better. The 0-100km/h sprint would be a tough battle between the two but acceleration past that point is definitly the C200's domain. The BMW just felt too flat and unresponsive with regards to acceleration.
I also couldn't believe it. I was sure that a straight six 2.3l would outgun a 4 cylinder 2l with a Supercharger. The new C Class has a much better interior style than the BMW and much more standard features. In my opinion Merc won the battle. In the BMW's defense though they have a much better tranny.

Too many to list!

could be a better audio system, could use a 5 speed instead of a 4 speed trans.

I think this car is a great, reliable, and very safe car. The '94 C220 was a replacement for the E190 and is a much better car and design replacement. It could use a 5 speed instead of a 4 speed, but I'm happy with the 4 speed. No major problems. Pick up is good. I like the sound of the engine when pushing the accelerator down. Impresses my friends for a 17 year old with a MB. I would recommend any MB products for anyone looking for a safe, reliable, and up to date technology car. It's name says it all.

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Audi A4 1.8

Quiet ride, good acceleration, handling, braking

Lots of brake dust, expensive CD changer, poor gas mileage

My first MB. I love the car. It has run very well for me. Good acceleration/braking/ride/handling. I got mine with the C2 and C3 packages along with the CD changer. I was terrified at first to drive such an expensive car, but now I really enjoy my time behind the wheel. It won't bowl anyone over with 0-60 times, but it has plenty of power for every day driving situations. I am disappointed that the car gets such poor mileage on the required premium gas.

Excellent chassis (very rigid) and much more refined than other cars in its class. The level of design is far superior than any of the japanese luxury car manufacturers and engineering is superb.

More interior space would be nice.

This engineering of this car is excellent.

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None

Solid structure, substantial feel to controls

Spotty reliability, crashing ride over rough surfaces, poor directional stability

This car delivered what was expected regarding its vault-like build quality and is entertaining to drive though vague when it comes to directional stability. It's reasonably quick. The diesel-like sound of the engine noted by others gets quiet upon warmup. The devil lies in the details, however. The power driver's seat developed squeaks within the first year. The dealer fixed the problem by replacing the seat back frame and the power mechanism. The car was at the dealer for two weeks awaiting parts. Noise eminating from the high center-mount brake light was repaired. Several months later, excessive front tire wear began to be noted. Then the front manually adjustable passenger's seat started squeaking over minor pavement undulations. Two attempts were made at "trimming" seat parts until the noise subsided. The air-conditioning failed. It was tested, the drier was replaced and the system was deemed to have been fixed. That lasted about a week and a half until it again blew only warm air. The second repair attempt revealed a leak which was repaired and seems to have fixed the problem. During a recent 1300 mile journey a rhythmic droning noise and vibration became apparent. It has gotten progressively worse to the point where it can be felt through the wheel, the accelerator and through the seat of one's pants. At low speed one can feel this "gear-mesh" pulsing vibration slowing the vehicle when coasting. Sounds expensive. I wisely purchased an extended warranty, so it just means more time spent in a cheap, free loaner vehicle for me. I was given an appointment for service 8 days from when I called and was asked whether I intended to continue operating the vehicle in its current condition. I said that I would garage it until I brought it in and drive my old pickup until then. If my experience is common then that explains why there are so many late model, low-miles Mercedes-Benzes on the used car market...they spend so much time in the shop the owner is afforded little opportunity to rack up much mileage!

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Audi A4 and BMW 3-series (I probably would have done better with either.)

Nice solid litte car except for below. Lots of torque for a four.

Crappy sound system if you expect any volume.
Weird vibration at 2500 RPM from exhaust. Droning sound. Irritating.
VERY suseptible to any wind. Will drift around until your exhausted trying to steer. Has anyone else found this problem with the steel wheels and 195-15 tires?

I'm very concerned with the wind problem. It's great on a calm day. I'm persuing the problem at the moment. I don't think the car has ever been damaged, so I'm confused about the possible cause of the instability. It's difficult owning an entry level model and expecting to get good service. I get treated a bit like a 2nd class customer. I guess I shoulda bought an "S" class........maybe my problem would be solved by now.

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BMW 3 series. I like the Merc better. More comfort. Bimmer handles better.

TO MANY TO LIST, WHAT CAN I SAY ITS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE

CANT SPOT ANY

THE CAR IS VERY NICE TO BE HONEST BETTER THAN I EXPECTED

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BMW 3 SERIES AUDI A4 LEXUS LS 200