Wow. There’s been a lot of bad blood about the new Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG Sport. No one knows that better than you all. Some people feel the fact that it does a disservice to owners of full-on AMG cars; others don’t seem to mind. Things at one point got so bad that a separate thread about the C450 was started by Super Moderator Glyn M Ruck and stated “Let’s keep this thread on topic please. Off topic, argumentative & obtuse comments will be deleted” right at the top.
Your feelings as Mercedes-Benz owners about the new C450 AMG Sport are important, but what about the car in question? After all of the controversy it’s stirred up, is it any good? According to our friends at Motor Authority, yes.
They found it quick to 60 mph, courtesy of its 362-horsepower twin-turbo V6. To them, the “stunning” C450 had an attractive interior with user-friendly infotainment and comfortable sport seats. Plenty of standard technology, such as Forward Collision Warning, Attention Assist, and Adaptive Cruise Control, didn’t hurt Motor Authority’s opinion of the replacement for the C400.
In fact, MA thought the C450 “splits the difference perfectly” between the less-powerful C300 and the more aggressive C63 AMG.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
