“If you really want to play, you’ve got to get serious.” Thus I titled my review of the 2001 C240. Mercedes promoted the car as a true BMW 3-series competitor in terms of handling and overall driving enjoyment. My test drive of a C240 with six-speed manual found otherwise. The handling was nothing special. And the combination of a hard-to-see tach, low redline, and smooth engine resulted in frequent encounters with the rev limiter during my fruitless search for thrills with the powertrain.

Well, over the past four years Mercedes has gotten more serious. They added sport models of the C-Class shod with large, attractive five spoke alloys. The 2005 mid-cycle update includes an AMG-designed body kit, a properly sized and located tach, and an improved manual shift mechanism are among the changes for 2005.

Still, I was so disappointed four years ago that I gave little thought to these updates until a friend of mine who was seriously considering one asked my opinion. Sadly, few dealers stock a six-speed sedan (even though the manual is now available with the 3.2-liter six as well as the base engine). If you want to shift for yourself, plan on ordering the car. As a result, I drove a C230 sedan with the five-speed manually shiftable automatic.

Unlike the 2001, the 2005 C-Class is sold in two forms, “Sport” and “Luxury.” While the coupe is only offered in the former form and the wagon is only offered in the latter, the sedan is available both ways. Fittingly, the 2.6-liter six I sampled four years ago is available only in the “Luxury Sedan.” This time around I drove a C230 Sport Sedan.

Styling

Four years ago I found the non-sport C-Class a fairly attractive car. It’s better proportioned than an A4 and less pudgy than a 3-series sedan. But the 2005 “Sport Sedan” borders on stunning. Larger wheels and a body kit—both shared by the C230 and C320 Sport Sedan—make all the difference. The large five-spoke alloys make the car. Without them, the “Luxury” C-Class models look relatively ho-hum. That said, the new-for-2005 body kit—adopted from last year’s AMG C32—further improves the appearance of the car. The AMG front fascia and side skirts lend the car a more aggressive look while remaining well within the bounds of good taste.

The 2005 update includes an upgraded interior. I suppose it’s attractive enough, but in both styling and materials falls a bit short of the average $35,000 sedan. Even in the Mercedes showroom the new SLK has a significantly nicer interior. Does this portend higher quality interiors in all future clean-sheet Mercedes? Likely, but even then the next C-Class might have an interior designed to enable a $30,000 base price.

Accommodations

This is a compact car, so don’t expect stretch out room in the front or rear seats. That said, the front seats are generally comfortable and supportive. The driving position is very good, with a more open view over the instrument panel than in the other German compacts. The standard seat has power recline and height and manual tilt adjustments. All of these adjusters are on the side of the seat, where they are very hard to reach without opening the door. Get the optional 10-way power driver seat and the seat controls move to the door where they are much easier to operate. This $600 option also includes power adjustments in place of manual ones for the steering wheel and memory. In other words, it’s a considerably better value than most Mercedes options.

The rear seat remains quite tight, with little room for adults over my height of 5-9. The bottom of the front seatbacks could be more comfortable against one’s shins. At least the seat cushion is far enough off the floor to provide a hint of thigh support.

The trunk is on about average for a compact, i.e. a bit tighter than in the average car. A folding rear seat is a $290 option. I continue to be puzzled why this tends to be an optional feature in premium sedans but is standard on the lowliest Korean subcompact.

On the Road

It might be supercharged, but the 1.8-liter four in the C230 still produces only 189 horsepower with which to motivate roughly 3300 pounds of sedan. So while acceleration is adequate don’t expect any thrills. The manual transmission might help. The 215-horsepower six in the C320 is of course the real solution, but it costs about $7,000 more even after adjusting for the C320’s additional standard features.

On the other hand, the engine is smooth and quiet for a four-cylinder, much more so than the 2.3-liter it replaced last year. Those more interested in refinement than power need not dig deeper for the six.

The C230’s brake pedal is much firmer than average and the brakes feel very strong. Nevertheless, unlike the techno-overkill electro-hydraulic brakes in the E-Class they are not grabby in casual driving. Maybe if I drove in rainstorms on the Autobahn I’d feel the need for the E-Class’ brakes. But the conventional system in the C230 feels so reassuring I can’t go beyond “maybe.”

The 2005’s handling was the most pleasant surprise of this test drive. The steering is now quick with a tight, precise feel. It requires a moderate amount of effort, right about where I like it. I’d have to drive the two back to back to be sure, but I don’t recall liking the steering in the small BMW this much. Beyond steering, the chassis feels balanced and agile. Lean in turns is minimal, and the wide low-profile tires grip the road well. The rear tires are wider than the front ones, so at the limit the car should understeer, but on public roads this is not a factor.

The “Sport Sedans” have firmer suspensions than the “Luxury Sedans.” Still, while the C230’s ride is certainly firm it is never harsh and generally lacks the jiggly quality that often afflicts stiffly sprung sedans. As in a BMW, the tradeoff between ride quality and responsiveness is excellent. I drove a Cadillac CTS for comparison immediately afterwards, and it neither rode nor handled as well.

Mercedes have long been known for an extremely solid body structure, and the C230 adheres to this tradition. You can feel this solidity when closing a door or simply driving down the road. Only a BMW begs comparison.

Safety

I include a safety section when a car has an impressive list of equipment. For a compact, this one does, including three sets of side airbags and stability control—all standard. All-wheel-drive has been an option since last year, but unless the roads are truly dreadful the stability control should be sufficient. Even here in Detroit most C-Class sedans continue to be rear-wheel-drive.

Mercedes C230 Kompressor Price Comparisons and Pricing

For quick, up-to-date pricing, and especially user-specified price comparisons, check out the website I created: www.truedelta.com. Why yet another vehicle pricing website? Well, I personally lacked the patience to keep using the others. They were too slow and required too much effort, especially when trying to compare prices. So I taught myself some programming and created a site where there is no need to dig through option packages, prerequisites, and the like one by one -- the TrueDelta algorithm figures these out for you in one swift pass.

A quick run through TrueDelta finds that the Mercedes C230 is roughly $2000 less expensive than a BMW 325i. However, compared to the far more powerful, larger Acura TL the C230 is at a $5000 disadvantage. (Add another $7000 for the more comparable C320.) The Acura TSX is a closer match in size and power, but it is nearly $10,000 less expensive after adjusting for features.

So the value of the C-Class depends on what you’re comparing it to. Compared to a BMW, it’s between a couple thousand less in C230 form and about even in C320 form. Compared to anything non-German it’s pricey. The best value in the line is likely the C230 despite the tepid engine because its standard equipment includes 17-inch wheels, performance tires, a very nicely executed AMG body kit, and sport seats. It might be the bottom of the line, but it looks like the top.

Last Words

I approached this test drive with low expectations. Which partly explains why I came away quite impressed. Compared to the car I drove four years ago the 2005 C230 is considerably more attractive and handles much better. I especially like the revised steering—it’s truly top notch. Overall, the 2005 is pretty much what I expected—but did not find—in 2001. Somebody got serious.

A subsequent test drive of the Cadillac CTS highlighted the impressive solidity of the small Benz. The powertrain is smooth but otherwise unimpressive; nothing another $7000 cannot fix. Which brings up the major weakness of this car. Even with partial leather (front seat inserts only), automatic transmission, and sunroof the price is about $34,000. Go for the six and the price climbs well into the 40s. Quite a lot for a compact sedan. The solidity and safety of the C-Class justify much of this price. But the brand name must handle the rest. So, how much is the three-pointed star worth to you?

A Note on Mercedes C230 Kompressor Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy a C230 Kompressor rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Mercedes C230 Kompressor reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the C230--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Mercedes C-Class [more comprehensive 2001 review]
Acura TL
Acura TSX
Audi A4 1.8T
BMW 325
Cadillac CTS
Infiniti G35
Jaguar X-Type
Lexus IS 300
Saab 9-3
Volvo S60


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 34000
Model and Options: C230 sedan with sunroof