07 Feb 05
Step-off is excellent, with little if any discernable lag, making busy roundabouts and junctions a cinch. Throttle response is particularly sharp - squeeze the accelerator and the Mercedes leaps forward with serious thrust, revving cleanly through to its 4200rpm redline. For the most part the engine is all but silent - it's only on start-up and at parking speeds that the engine's thrummy exhaust note pervades the cabin. It's the kind of car that can waft you quickly and effortlessly from Edinburgh to London non-stop, and leave you fresh and relaxed on arrival. A mini GT, if you like.
After the superlative diesel, the new C350 petrol feels competent, but no more. It's the V6 found in the new SLK, with some 268bhp on tap, though this peak power is accessed at 5750rpm. It drives the rear wheels through either a six-speed manual or the optional seven-speed auto. It's terrifically quick - sprinting to 62mph in 6.4 seconds - and with 258lb ft of peak torque available from a low (for a petrol) 2500rpm, in-gear acceleration is strong. Economy, meanwhile, is 29.6mpg on the combined cycle, not too shabby for a largish-capacity V6.
And it sounds great too. Pedestrians get the full warp-warp-warp as the car slips through the gears, but drivers will feel short-changed because in the cabin, the engine and exhaust note is hushed and muted. Here comes the Big But - despite its prodigious power and zingy exhaust note the C350 just doesn't have the same kind of tail-up enthusiasm and deep-seated driver appeal of its key rival, the BMW 330i. It feels too grown-up and mature for any real sweaty-palmed adventures, too mature for any childish tail-out antics and tyre-screeching fun. You can throw it around, but the Mercedes seems to tolerate it rather than enjoy it. It feels every bit like a scaled-down S-Class: refined, smooth and a wonderfully relaxing companion on a long drive, no matter what the road or weather conditions. Which is no bad thing of course, if you want an effortless motorway cruiser rather than an A-road grin-generator.
