Mercedes-Benz, the cars with the three-pointed star that tells the world you’ve made it in the corporate world. The cars many of us aspire to buy once we’re successful in our field of expertise, but these cars are not as expensive as you might think. You don’t have to be an executive nowadays to own one of these fine German machines. So we decided to bring you an affordable version of what Mercedes has to offer; last week we had the chance to feel the Mercedes-Benz experience firsthand, reviewing an older Mercedes-Benz C230 4MATIC.
Up until recently, the C-Class was the entry level Mercedes sedan, not counting the B-Class, which is more like an MPV. However, the C230 we reviewed isn’t available in the USA; it’s only available in Canada and a few European markets. The introduction of the CLA has moved the C-Class up in the food chain, and with the 4th generation C-Class coming to the marketplace in the next month or so, the car has grown in size and offers even more luxury and technology than before, bringing it closer to the S-Class in terms of technology, luxury, and even styling.
The car we reviewed was the third generation 2008 C230 4MATIC (W204), which was/is produced from 2007 to 2014. This generation the C-Class has been very popular, with majors cities full of them; not a day goes by that I don’t see at least 5 of them when I’m driving around town. I personally liked the design change from generation 2 to 3 a lot, and this was one of my favorite cars in the entry level luxury car market, which includes the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series, Lexus IS, Infiniti G37 (now known as Q50), the Cadillac CTS (now the ATS, the CTS has grown larger for the current generation and has moved up market), and the soon to be revealed Jaguar XE.
Although the Mercedes-Benz C230 we reviewed is an old car now, the design still looks very fresh and it does still catch people’s attention, especially in the white and the fact that I spent quite a bit of time cleaning it.
The C-Class has a very clean and understated design that commands respect. The car looks much bigger than it is; the design definitely looks like it has been influenced by the bigger S-Class (the previous generation S-Class, of course). While the other manufacturers are trying to make their entry level luxury sedans look sporty, the C-Class goes for the sophisticated and elegant look.
The 2008 Mercedes-Benz C230 4MATIC sedan is powered by a 2.5 liter V6, producing 201 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. It reaches the 100 km/h mark in 8.4 seconds. Power is sent to all four wheels via a 7-speed 7G-Tronic automatic transmission.
Although the C230 is powered by a V6, the 201 horsepower leaves much to be desired, especially getting the car off the line. But once you get going, the car seems to have plenty of power at highway speeds and you’re hitting 100 km/h before you even notice it. The 7-speed automatic is a pretty good transmission, but when you floor the throttle at highway speeds, it does take the transmission a second or two to drop down a gear.
I was very impressed with how the car drives/handles. The drive is smooth with a pretty firm ride, which can get a little choppy on rough roads. The steering is what impressed me the most, there isn’t much road feel through it, but the way the car turns in a very confidence inspiring way. The car changes direction in a very predictable way and it was extremely fun driving the car fast on some very tight and twisty roads. I can see why people like German cars; they really are fun and want you to go for long drives on back roads.
The interior on the C230 is very quiet at highway speeds, that’s why I said you hardly notice how fast you’re going without actually looking at the speedometer. The interior layout is pretty simple looking, but then again, this is a 7 year old design and the next generation C-Class has a very luxurious and upscale interior; hopefully we can review that car soon.
The dashboard materials are soft-ish plastics, I would’ve preferred something a little softer. The center stack has a very clean and easy to understand layout; at the top of the center stack is a small pop-up area that hides the small screen for the entertainment system (which is replaced by a navigation system screen in higher trims), and below the air vents are all the buttons for the radio and CD player. Under all of this are the buttons/knobs for the climate control, which is pretty easy to navigate through. This area and the gear-lever-surround are covered with brushed aluminum.
The three-spoke steering wheel has a nice heavy feel to it, and gives a good view of the clean gauge cluster. The gauges are easy to read, with a large speedometer in the center, a tachometer to the right, and a gauge with fuel level and temperature to the left side. One thing on the steering column that needed a little getting used to, was the lever for the cruise control, I kept flicking that every time I wanted to turn on the turn signal. This lever needs to be moved or replaced with steering wheel mounted buttons.
I felt the leather seats on the C230 were a bit hard, they felt fine on short trips but I did feel a little tired on longer trips. Maybe I’m not used to the German way of seating? This is, after all, my first German car review.
Overall, I think the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C230 4MATIC is a pretty good entry-level luxury car, you should be able to pick a used one up for $15-20k. The car still looks good, despite its age; the interior is quiet and comfortable, and you’re still driving a luxury car at a fraction of the price.
But if you are looking for the latest and greatest, then wait a month or two for the new 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class, that car should be a lot more comfortable, loaded with technology, and offer the looks of the S-Class at a reasonable price.
Mercedes-Benz C230 4MATIC Review Photo Gallery
