First Drive: 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport

Previews

Among automotive cognoscenti, the Mercedes C-class has long labored in the shadow of BMW’s 3-series, a wistful also-ran in the entry luxury sports sedan sweepstakes.

To be fair, corporate wistfulness has been tempered by frequent bank deposits. Over the course of its long history—Mercedes is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its entry-level sedan this year—the company has produced and sold some six million of them.

Which suggests the kids in Stuttgart were doing a pretty good job.

But be that as it may, with the introduction of the fourth generation C-class (W204), the long quest for sport sedan equality may be over. Based on a short first drive in a C350 Sport, the smallest Mercedes sedan looks ready to challenge BMW’s segment leadership on fairly equal footing.

Smallest is a relative term here. The baby Benz is smallest among Mercedes four-door sedans, but it’s bigger in every dimension than its predecessor, and also bigger than 3-series four-ports in terms of length and height, riding an identical 108.7-inch wheelbase.

Bigger translates as roomier, something rear seat passengers are sure to appreciate.

But bigger also translates as increased mass. Mercedes worked hard to keep curb weights in check for the new car, but there looks to be some inevitable gain at the scales. Mercedes forecasts 3615 pounds for the C350 Sport under scrutiny here, which is 100 pounds more than the C350 Sport we tested in the November 2005 issue of Car and Driver, and heavier than either of the gasoline-powered 3-series sedans (328i, 335i) we see in the U.S. market.

That 2005 C350 sprinted to 60 mph in an impressive 5.5 seconds. The new C350 Sport is propelled by the same 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V-6 as its predecessor, with identical output (268 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque), mated to the same seven-speed automatic transmission.

All things being equal except for a slight increase in mass, it’s hard to see the new C350 being quicker than the gen three edition. Mercedes forecasts 6.6 seconds, which we view as conservative.

The governor-limited top speed is listed as 130 mph.

In any case, the C350 doesn’t have the authority of a BMW 335i, with its 300-horsepower twin-turbo six. On the other hand, the Mercedes seven-speed automatic makes the most of the C350’s power (though we could wish for quicker upshifts in paddle-shift manumatic mode), throttle response is instantaneous, and performance in dicey mountain road passing maneuvers leaves little to be desired.

More important in this C-Class push for sports sedan parity, the C350’s agility index, rooted in a chassis rated 16 percent stiffer, finally rivals a 3-series sedan when the asphalt gets kinky and the g-loads escalate. Although the basic suspension layout is essentially the same as the previous C350, the system has firmer bushings, new subframes, and revised geometry, augmented by new dampers that adapt to varying loads.

Driving Impressions, Pricing, and Trim Levels

The shocks are mechanical, rather than electronic—a computer-controlled variable damping system will be offered later—and Mercedes claims about a 10 percent improvement in roll stiffness during hard cornering.

We have no quarrel with this assessment, based on our brief drive, and we were also impressed by the updated variable assist power rack-and-pinion steering system, which is both quick (2.8 turns lock-to-lock) and communicative.

When the pace becomes more sedate, the ride quality relaxes a little, though the driver will never forget he’s at the wheel of a sedan that’s always ready for action.

All of the foregoing applies to the C350 Sport, which is distinguished not only by its power and reduced (by .6 inch) ride height, but in the new generation it has its own front fascia, adapted from the sporty CL- and CLK-class coupes.

The more conservative Luxury version has an evolutionary rendition of the familiar Mercedes sedan grille, essentially a traditional Benz eggcrate with bright horizontal bars.

Available with a sport package, the Luxury editions carry C300 badges, which replace the previous C280 designation, even though the engine is the same 3.0-liter DOHC 24-valve V-6 (228 horsepower, 221 pound-feet of torque).

The 201-horsepower 2.5-liter V-6 won’t return to the U.S. market, and while Mercedes would like to offer a diesel option, that won’t occur until it can be made available in all 50 states, possibly by 2008.

The C300 has a six-speed manual transmission as standard equipment; the seven-speed automatic is optional, and standard on the C350. Mercedes will offer its 4Matic all-wheel drive system once again, and that too will be automatic only.

Although Mercedes hasn’t announced pricing, when the new C-class cars begin rolling into North American showrooms in late June, window stickers are expected to start at about $32,000 for the C300 Sport, $35,000 for the C300 Luxury, and about $40,000 for the C350 Sport.

The C300 4Matic, due later in the year, will probably start at about $37,000.

One addendum: if you’ve been waiting for a Benz that will really blow Bimmers in the weeds, we suggest patience. A new AMG C-class will be coming this fall, with AMG’s ferocious 6.2-liter V-8 under the hood.

Combine approximately 500 horsepower with these improved underpinnings and you’ve got a combo that’ll set off every car alarm in Munich.

caranddriver