Drove a new C Class yesterday

So yesterday I went to a drive event for the new C Class at Union Station here in Chicago. I wanted to share my impressions and my pictures.

I actually really like the C Class and might just buy one next year. I was able to see the good and the bad with the car. To me the good far out weighs the bad. I particularly liked the C 350 sport.

The car rides very nicely, but it does have a slight air of econcar to it. Which is a major problem for a $40,000 vehicle. I really like the styling of the car too. It looks fast, upscale and sporty. I think Mercedes nailed it. The C Class is no longer a chick car. The size is good, the engine and the power are just fine. In comparison to the 335i the Benz's engine is defintely short a few ponies. But on the other hand I am not one to race away from every stoplight so the Benz's six is just fine. It still has ample power. The 350 owner will NEVER feel cheated. The interior in the black car that I drove was nice, but I didn't like the gray stained wood. I'd have to find a way to get the regular burl. The plastics are fine, they have a real soft touch and all but I think they may need to rethink the graining. I like the pop up screen but it seems to leave a hole in the dash. The radio unit is so big and it looks like a mass of buttons because it lacks a screen down low. It functions very well though. The COMMAND controller is just Mercedes version of iDrive. Its easier to use though and the screen looks much better to me.
One problem with the event though, is that it was held in downtown Chicago on a saturday. It was a lead follow arrangement and was really only 3 square blocks. You couldn't really get a good feel for the car. You couldn't stretch its legs any. The event should have been held on dealer lots or even the racetrack where Audi held theirs a few weeks ago. That way you could get a good feel for the car and drive it at more than 20 mph.

Enjoy the pictures and I'd like to know your impressions if you've driven the car.
T

Peyton18 - 9/2/2007 8:05:35 PM

+2 Boost

I LOVE it. Beautiful, purposeful, perfect. Which is why I have one on order, Black/Black leather pano roof, nav, P2, 18inch wheels, illuminated door sills and chrome doorhandles. CAN'T WAIT! Thanks for the pictures!

gryphon - 9/2/2007 10:39:24 PM

-7 Boost

...a slight air of econocar? I disagree. The new C-Class is pure Kia. The interior looks like what Hyundai and Kia were turning out in the mid-90s, and it is CRAMPED. I'm sorry, but this one is a BIG miss for MB. Mercedes needs more cool cars like the slick and hot as balls SLK, not this lame C-Class or other losers like the R-Class.

MBKing - 9/2/2007 11:13:26 PM

+10 Boost

What are you talking about, that's absurd. What Kia looks like that in anyway besides having 4 wheels and 4 doors. You are totally out of your element. Any time I see a comment by you on auto spies from now on I'm going to just move on, because you're rubbish.

gryphon - 9/3/2007 10:20:48 AM

-2 Boost

mbking, cawimmer,

Dudes, everyone has a right to an opinion. I just happen to be right, and you're wrong. I'm also pissed as hell that MB fell flat on its face with this car. I was looking forward to it. I owned a MY 2002 C-Class, and it is was a great-looking car inside and out. Also, it looked nothing like an Asian import. The car's performance and looks made us return to the MB dealership to get a 2006 SLK. It's also a great car, and it has the best looks of anything with four wheels that I can think of.

So, don't classify me as a MB hater. I'm actually an MB owner, and I love my SLK. However, this new C-Class has the look and feel of a Kia or Hyundai based on my actual test drive.

S4cabriofoxone - 9/3/2007 12:42:08 PM

+1 Boost

"Dudes, everyone has a right to an opinion. I just happen to be right, and you're wrong."

That just might be the most contradictory statement I've ever read on this website. THEY HAVE THEIR RIGHT TO AN OPINION, TOO!

If you say the C-Class interior is super-cheap (you've probably never even seen the new one), where does that leave your Saab?

BTW, you think your SLK is the best-looking car on the road? Well, then, I don't think you want MY opinion...

gryphon - 9/3/2007 1:04:12 PM

-1 Boost

s4,

Everyone has the right to an opinion. However, some will be right, and others will be wrong. I'm in the first category when it comes to the new C-Class, um, Kia-clone car.

As for the interior of my SAAB 9-3, it suits me fine. You have to appreciate Scandanavian simplicity in design to like it. If that's not your style, stick with VW's S4.

It's a beautiful day, so I think I'll take my SLK for a spin.

S4cabriofoxone - 9/3/2007 11:37:33 PM

0 Boost

Don't even START with the "rebadged VW" thing. I have just lost all prospective respect for you.

gryphon - 9/4/2007 1:36:59 PM

+2 Boost

S4,

I though everyone was aware that your Audi was really a VW. The only thing good I can say about it is that at least it's not a rebadged Toyota/Lexus.

LuxuryFan - 9/3/2007 3:31:18 AM

+3 Boost

Well it's not as bad as I initially thought, and the cabin design is actually executed better than the one seen in the Saab from last week's post. It just needs a bit more wood trim around the steering wheel.

EnnNorak - 9/3/2007 9:29:54 AM

0 Boost

I'm waiting for the local dealer to call me soon for a test drive. The 2008 C has not yet arrived in Edmonton. My wife wants a small SUV but the car manufacturers have conspired to omit power seat height adjustment for the front passenger on just about every small SUV. Subaru Tribeca seats are already at the right height and I can get into that vehicle without banging my head on the roof. If we can't make a good deal on the Tribeca, we may end going with the C-Class sedan.

Anyway EL34allroad, I have to physically look at the new Saab 3 that you mentioned as that is another possibility but I absolutely do not want any wood on the steering wheel. Shiny wood on the steering wheel is a major annoyance when the sun is at a certain angle and causes glare in the eyes of the driver with reflections off the steering wheel. A leather-covered steering wheel should be standard on all vehicles with wood as an option for fashion- conscious drivers who are unaware of the glare problems of wood-trimmed steering wheels.

david989 - 9/3/2007 6:34:02 AM

-1 Boost

268 horsepower are underpowered. How about matching the class leader the Lexus IS350 for power? What a rip off this car is!

EnnNorak - 9/3/2007 9:40:25 AM

+2 Boost

david989, you are starting to sound like an immature son of a lackluster Lexus salesman or a career-limited employee of Lexus or associated firm in the hope that your retarded comments will earn you brownie points with your boss. Did I get that right or are you incapable of improving your tunnel vision?

The Lexus IS350 is flawed in two major ways:
(1) it is a small car with a puny trunk not well suited for long-distance travel with luggage.
(2) The IS350 cannot be ordered with AWD, probably because the AWD system offered on the IS250 cannot handle the extra power of the IS350.

BTW, All Lexus sales and marketing folk must surely be shaking in their boots for fear of what the new 2008 Cadillac CTS will do to their sales.

markusck - 9/3/2007 10:09:19 AM

+2 Boost

Would you guys stop replying to this guy!, his only reason for posting his dribble is to piss you off. Can't you see this? You are just as stupid as he is if, by now, you can't see this. If we all just stop responding, ignore him, he might just go away...Please

gryphon - 9/3/2007 10:14:32 AM

-2 Boost

david989,

I'm glad you can see this car for what it is: a knock-off Asian import.

Hyundai - 9/3/2007 12:56:28 PM

+2 Boost

Mark, you are right about everything you said, except one thing; david989 is most likely smarter than the people he get replies from. How do people NOT realize that he is just trolling for the sole purpose of mocking other people's intelligence?

paul3230 - 9/3/2007 11:54:31 AM

+1 Boost

I LOVE the front and side profile of this car. The interior however, is a MAJOR letdown for me. I think the Cadillac CTS is all over the C-Class in the area. Plus I'm a bit more partial to the overall look of the CTS than the C Class. It's going to be great battle.

autopro - 9/3/2007 11:59:18 AM

-1 Boost

Sorry this car looks like a cross between the 335i bmw and a chrysler.Remember this car was designed when they still owned chrysler.It looks cheap on the inside.Face it they can't compete anymore it cost them too much to build a car anymore,they have to use less expensive materials.The germans are facing the same thing as american car builders,unions and high wages for german workers.

gryphon - 9/3/2007 1:05:29 PM

-1 Boost

autopro,

I'm glad that some people know a dirt cheap interior when they see it!

EL34 - 9/3/2007 12:52:45 PM

+1 Boost

Very soon all those C-Klasse' will be on the roads and all those people that wasted money on a Lexus will be crying thier eyes out because they bought a car that looks like a wheelbarrow.

*cries*

loveu63 - 9/3/2007 2:08:58 PM

+1 Boost

oh what are you talking about u lexus fans did u go nuts or something? this car is really nice and it is not underpowered as you say and when the c400 comes out u will cry on what you have said. look the is350 and all lexus cars looks almost the same and they are fucking ugly. i mean look at the ls460 its almost looks like a toyota camry but with bigger lights and its so weak that an s450 can win it in a race that is a shame on lexus which is the crapiest company in the world.you are really stupid sorry for that ((its a mercedes)) mercedes which the history have so much things to tell about it. im sorry for you if u think that lexus is better than mercedes it jus feel that you are out of your mind.........

minimalist - 9/3/2007 6:27:01 PM

+2 Boost

nice exterior. the red one looks a bit like the s4 with the 7 spoke wheels from a quick glance. the plastic on the center dash do appear a bit cheap looking from the pictures. its almost like benz forget to style the center like on its other iterations. weird.

indoctrin8ed - 9/3/2007 9:35:12 PM

+2 Boost

Drove one myself.

Doesnt do much for me. I like it, but it doesn't really inspire emotion. Ho hum compared to other options in this price range (like audi, bmw). Drives nicer than the Lexus IS, but doesn't look as nice as the Lexus.