Mercedes Benz C230
Mercedes Benz C230
Mercedes Benz C230
Mercedes Benz C230
It doesn't sound like a Mercedes," opined my passenger. She had a point. The supercharged, sixteen-valve, 1.8-liter DOHC in-line four in the C230 Kompressor has the aural quality of a vacuum cleaner. It's a pity, because the engine actually is a good performer, making 189 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque--21 horsepower and 15 pound-feet more than the C240's 2.6-liter V-6. Mercedes claims the C230 sedan can scoot from 0 to 60 mph in 7.6 seconds. The engine is an all-new piece, not the one found in the 1999-2001 C230 Kompressor. Despite the new four's smaller displacement (the old car had a full 2.3 liters under the hood), Mercedes decided there was currency with the C230 moniker. Whatever the nomenclature, this is the new entry-level C-class sedan, aimed at younger (read: less affluent) buyers.
Mercedes Benz C230
The C230 Kompressor is one of two new C-class Sport Sedans (the C320 Sport Sedan is the other); the models obviate last year's $3000 Sport option package. The cars have a restyled front end, textured aluminum cabin trim, and broadly bolstered seats. The C230 has a six-speed manual gearbox (a five-speed automatic is optional) as well as seven-spoke wheels with 225/45ZR-17 tires and a sport-tuned suspension that is calibrated differently than the old sport package's. The C230's price--a low, low $28,710--is likely to be its most compelling aspect to most buyers, because it includes such niceties as automatic climate control, a multifunction steering wheel, and partial leather seats. A CD player is not part of the deal, however.
Mercedes Benz C230
Despite the engine's unmelodious note and the stick shift's rubbery and imprecise linkage, the C230 is the most entertaining, most agile C-class model. The suspension gives much better body control with seemingly no diminution of ride quality, and the car feels better balanced than the heavier V-6-powered cars. The C230 sedan finally reveals the inherent goodness of the C-class chassis: It feels like a real competitor to the BMW 325i. Too bad it doesn't sound like one.
