I originally posted this review under "2003 Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor Sedan" page but there is a problem with accessing that listing. Therefore, I posted it under this updated listing for 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class AND I HAVE DELETED MY REVIEW FROM THE OLD LISTING. ALSO, I HAVE UPDATED THE REVIEW TO REFLECT SOME RECENT SNOW-DRIVING EXPERIENCE AND INSTALLATION OF RENNTECH PERFORMANCE PACKAGE 3.

*****

I bought a 2003 black Mercedes-Benz C230 sport sedan with automatic transmission, 6-disc CD changer, LoJack auto tracking system, C1 (10-way power front seats with 3 memory settings for front seats, exterior mirrors and steering wheel.), C2 (autodimming left-side and interior mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, power glass sunroof and power rear window sunshade), C3 (60/40 split folding rear seats and ski sack in rear center armrest pass-through) and C4 (heated headlamp washers and Bi-Xenon headlamps) packages. I had also ordered the TeleAid system but the dealer screwed up and unfortunately, this system must be installed in the factory. In order to make up for this mistake, the dealer offered me a labor and tax free installation of their car phone with voice control, which will cost around $2,500 with labor and tax. According to Edmunds, the TMV for this car is about $33,145 plus the cost of LoJack and taxes. I paid about $32,000 plus the cost of LoJack, taxes and the car phone with voicecontrol.

I had previously tried a C240 sedan but I could not get over the fact that Mercedes wanted to charge more than $35,000 (with similar options as those that I ended up getting) for a sedan that generates fewer than 170 hps. Yes, C230 has a four cylinder engine but the supercharger definitely helps it overcome the smaller displacement and generates 189 hps and 192 ft-lbs. C230 sedan offers better performance than C240 (almost one full second faster 0-60) for less money. However, one nice thing about C240 is that you can get the Mercedes 4Matic all-wheel drive system as an option.

I used to own a 2002 black Audi A4 1.8T with CVT, black leatherette, premium package, rear side airbags, OnStar system, 16" cast alloy wheels and xenon lights (see my review in http://www.epinions.com/content_63843503748) and I will make some comparisons between the two cars where appropriate.

Safety: Safety was of paramount importance to me. C230 offers all of the safety features that I required: front airbags, chest airbags for front and rear passengers, head protection side curtain airbags for front and rear passengers, ABS brakes, traction controls, vehicle skid control, daytime running lights (driver programmable), telematics assistance packages (which is a great emergency feature but as I said, my dealer screwed up and I ended up not getting this option) and top crash-test rating results. IIHS gave its highest ("best pick") rating on its tough 40mph frontal offset crash test and highest rating on its head restraint rating. Euro NCAP gave the 2002 C-class sedan the maximum of five stars, a feat that only few cars have achieved (even A4 only got four stars). You can get this European car crash testing results at http://www.euroncap.com/. I should note that we recently had about 2 inches of snow where I live and C230 was not sure-footed at all even with this moderate amount of snow. My A4, by contrast, has no problems even with 3 or 4 inches of snow. Part of it is caused by C230's rear wheel drive layout but I think that the performance Z-rated tires of C230 have something to do with this problem as well. I installed snow tires and the car had no problems with snow.

Engine and power: At idle, the four-cylinder engine is smooth and quiet, although it is not as quiet and smooth as a good six-cylinder engine and you do hear the supercharger whine when you accelerate. The engine generally provides more than enough power for everyday driving and passing maneuvers. At crusing speeds, the engine is so smooth you would swear that you had a small V6 instead of a supercharged four-cylinder. I have cruised at 100 mph without realizing I was going that fast because the engine is so quiet and vibration-free even at high speeds and the car is generally very composed even when you are pushing its performance limits. By comparison, my Audi A4 is a bit faster than C230 and its turbolag is less noticeable than the supercharger lag of the C230. I wish, however, that both Mercedes and Audi would give more engine power for the money. Acura TL offers 270 horses and Infiniti G35 offer 260 horses. Subaru WRX offers 227 and Subaru WRX STi offers 300. Honda Accord offers 240! MB customers would pony up an extra $1,000 for 50 to 100 more horses in the four-cylinder version. Of course, that would means tuning their V6 engines to produce more power as well.

Transmission: My car has the Mercedes tiptronic transmission, an automatic that you can shift manually. However, I found the sideway manumatic shifting motions to be less intuitive and less enjoyable than the up-and-down motions of manumatics offered by Audi and BMW. I generally leave the fine automatic to do the shifting for me. The shifting is pretty smooth but it can't get rid of the lag mentioned above.

Ride and Handling: The ride is very smooth, especially at cruising speeds. The suspension absorbs road imperfections very competently and without sacrificing the car’s very good handling. Even on rough roads, C230 avoids the bouncing motions that you get with the Audi A4. C230 is not the sportiest-handling sedan out there and it does exhibit more body roll than the 3-series but the handling is sharp and precise enough for most drivers, even on most twisties.

Noise: The engine is a bit louder than the six-cylinder engines of Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti or Lexus. However, the noise level is not unexpected since it is a four-cylinder engine. In fact, it is one of the most quiet four-cylinder engines that I have experienced, including Audi's 1.8T. However, the supercharger whine is very pervasive and if you don't like the supercharger whine, you will quickly become irritated by the constant whining whenever you accelerate. The tires are 17" performance tires but they don't allow as much road noise as you may expect from performance tires. The C-class sedans also enjoy some of the most impressive noise and vibration controlling materials out there. At cruising speeds with the windows down, the C230 is very quiet, even quieter than the A4. I have only one significant complaint about the noise level: the exhaust system needs to be tuned better. In their attempt to generate sports sedan exhaust sounds, the Mercedes engineers dropped the ball and created a car that has an exhaust sound very similar to that of a loud lawnmower or someone passing gas after eating at an all-you-can-eat refried beans restaurant. This sound is very pervasive when you are parked with the windows open. Again, the soundproofing materials work their magic once the windows are closed or once you reach cruising speeds but there is no reason why they can’t get rid of the annoying lawnmower exhaust sounds. My Audi has less power on paper but its exhaust noise is much sportier and more pleasant. I asked a mechanic at a M-B service department about this exhaust noise but was told that this exhaust noise was typical for C230. I couldn't deal with the exhaust noise and decided to get the Renntech Performance Package 3 upgrade, which includes engine chip upgrade, sports muffler and exhaust. This package cost me just under $2,800 but the car is a different car. It has more midrange power and the exhaust note is deeper and sportier. It doesn't get rid of the turbocharger whine, however. All in all, I wish that I had just bought a C320 instead of getting the cheaper C230.

Vibration: Although the C230 engine’s vibration level at idle is slightly more noticeable than that of a good Japanese V6 such as the one in Lexus ES300, Infiniti I30 or Toyota Camry, it is not sufficiently strong to be bothersome and intrusive and it is better than that of the A4. Once the car gets going, even the minor vibrations start to disappear and become virtually imperceptible at cruising speed.

Exterior: My C230 is black with black leather, blue tinted glasses and xenon lights and I find this combination to be stunningly beautiful, especially at dawn or dusk with the xenon lights on. The shape of C230 is classic and elegant. It isn’t as sporty as the shape of an A4 but I think it will age better.

Interior: The leather inserts are gorgeous and the standard aluminum trim works much better than any optional wood trim on more expensive C-class sedans. The interior lighting and other details are not as attractive as those of my Audi A4. However, the basic plastic and vinyl materials are of good quality overall. Some of the knobs and dials may not feel as luxurious as those found in more expensive Mercedes models but, in my view, they don’t look cheap at all. More importantly, the interior functions all function very well. I was worried about stories of electronic problems that I have heard but so far I have not run into any problems at all. The standard stereo system sounds great (although I can’t believe that Mercedes still refuses to install in-dash CD changers as a standard feature, like Audi does) and the seat/sideview mirror/steering memory buttons really work. Also, the automatic climate control system works efficiently and the air conditioning system is very powerful and cools the car very quickly. The space in the glove compartment is significantly reduced by the optional CD-changer but it still offers a decent amount of room. The glove compartment door, however, feels a bit flimsy but so far, I had no problems. The front seats are very comfortable and provide good lateral support. The rear seats are also very comfortable. One fit and finish quality complaint that I have is that the plastic panels of the center console next to the legs of the driver and the front passenger sound funny when you press your legs against them, as if the panels were glued improperly (the sounds are similar to that of two glued surfaces being forcefully separated).

Roominess: There is a fair amount of room for front seat occupants and the shoulder room is better than that of my A4. Rear leg room and shoulder room in the C230 are comparable to those in the BMW 3-Series sedans and the Audi A4 sedans, superior to those in the Lexus IS300 and inferior to those in Acura TL, Infiniti G35 and Infiniti I30. I think there is a bit less leg room in the C230 than in the A4 but it offers more shoulder room than the A4. As with the A4, with two child car seats installed, the middle seat in the rear becomes useless for an adult passenger. The trunk space is average. It is wider than the A4's trunk but it has an overall smaller capacity than an Audi A4.

Reliability: I will be taking my car to service for the first time. The headlight on the passenger's side fails to light up from time to time and the light above the vanity mirror on the passenger's side is dead. I have not had any major problems with the car but I am disappointed that I need to take the car to service within six months of my purchase.

Sunroof and power rear window shade: The sunroof and the power rear window shade work well. As the weather gets more hot, rear passengers will definitely appreciate the rear window shade.

Fuel Consumption: For a four cylinder engine, C230 consumes more fuel than expected, probably because of the supercharger. I observed a range of 26 to 30 miles per gallon during leisurely highway driving, 22 to 25 miles per gallon during aggressive highway driving, 15 miles per gallon on average during city driving and 17 miles per gallon overall (I do a lot of stop and go city driving). Please note that these numbers are based on real-life usage (air conditioning and stereo were on) with a lot of stop and go in cities. I asked a mechanic at a M-B service department about this lower than expected mileage numbers and was told that these numbers were typical for driving pattern that includes lots of stop and go situations.

Xenon Lights: The xenon lights seem to be stronger than those in my A4. As with the A4, I noticed a significant improvement in the quality of lighting and overall visibility and, just as important, other cars and pedestrians will be able to detect your car a bit better at night.

Favorite Features: Blue tinted glasses and xenon lights really make the car look cool. The seats are supportive and comfortable. The memory feature for the seats, mirror and steering wheel is very cool and convenient. The A/C unit works quickly and efficiently. The automatic rear sunshade is very helpful to rear passengers on hot, sunny days. I also love the telephone and voice controls because the phone system is so nicely integrated to the car.

Least favorite features: exhaust sound and poor handling over light snow.

Overall ownership experience: I traded in my BMW Z3 for C230 because I needed a car with a rear seat with the right safety features. Overall, I am very happy with the purchase. However, if I were to make a purchasing decision today for a family sedan, I would seriously check out the new Acura TL, the all-wheel drive Infiniti G35 and the new Volvo S60R. I would also seriously consider an upgrade to a C320.

Amount Paid (US$): 32000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: C230, Manumatic