Category: Compact Executive 
Price Range: £19,672 to £51,570
Baby Benz looks, much-improved driving experience, sumptuous cabins, smooth ride, refined engines
Still rather conservative, still not as sharp to drive as some rivals
C55 AMG apart, the C-Class isn't the most involving drive for high-performance enthusiasts, but it's a class act
All models now come with the Climatronic air conditioning system, and the enhanced cabins mean that even entry-level C-Class buyers get the full no-expense-spared M-B experience. The seats are superbly bolstered and supportive, ideal for long-distance travel, and even with the optional sports suspension the C-Class rides smoothly and quietly. The pitch and wallow of the outgoing model is gone, replaced by an agile, supple set-up that copes beautifully with rough, broken and rutted surfaces. This is a car that really cocoons you from the outside world. The rear legroom isn't immense, but it's nonetheless generous for this class of car - it's not going to be as roomy as a cavernous E-Class, of course. That said, the estate is a pretty useful sort of size, with a wider-opening aperture, broader load bay and much better-packaged boot space than the current crop of 'lifestyle' estates (156 Sportwagon, IS300 Sportcross and so on). The saloon's boot will hold a fair amount of stuff, too, though the Sport Coupe can't really compete with more conventional hatchbacks like the Golf and A3 in terms of its practicality. We've not tested all the set-ups yet, but there's a lengthy options list and menu of audio/visual choices, right up to the new-generation COMAND control system with widescreen satellite navigation, DVD player, communications services (e-mail, SMS etc.) and even the Linguatronic voice controls. The glovebox-mounted six-CD autochanger we tested sounded good, too, and was easy to use.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mercedes C-Class
wrote on 14 11 2006