SL32O

Hello all, we are considering leasing an 06 or an 07 C280 Luxury 4MATIC and I have a few questions.
I really like the rims that come on the C280 Sport much better than the Luxury - but am told they do not come on the luxury - which is dissappointing.

How is the acceleration on the 280 compared to the 350? We test drove the 350 and (before the test drive I knew that was a huge motor for such a small car) and it was very powerful but we're thinking about just getting the 280 - but I don't want a slow car. What is the approx. 0-60 times?

How is the overall space in the C Class Mercedes? Especially in the back? can you comfortably ride with 4 adults in the car?
How is the overall reliability? I have heard the C Class is Mercedes' most reliable class.

What is your overall opinion on the car? Obviously you must like it if you're an owner but do you have any dislikes towards the C Class?
Any recomendations when purchasing?

Also what grade fuel does the C Class take?
We are considering this or a Cadillac CTS so please give me your opinions.

Thanks for your input.

e1000

well.......

The C280 accelerates pretty well. I haven't seen any numbers but it should beat out last years C320.

You can always buy the 17" wheels from the C230/C350 Sport for your 4-Matic. People sell them for pretty cheap after they buy aftermarket rimms.

4 Adults fit into the C-Class just fine. It can get a bit cramped in the back but 4 normal sized adults can ride comfortably.

Reliability on the later C-class models have been pretty good. Not perfect, but still pretty good.

Since I've owned the car (C350 Sport) I haven't had a single problem or complaint.

Pretty sure the C280 uses Premium Unleaded Only.

moose1021

0 to 60 - 2007 C280 6.9sec and C350 6.1sec

That is correct, premium unleaded gasoline, 91 pump octane

e1000

are those MB published numbers? Published numbers are usually off.

moose1021

They are the numbers my saleslady got off her ordering guide

yeuchau

so is C280 faster than c320??

e1000

don't know about the 4-Matic (more drivetrain loss and heavier) but the C280 does have more hp than the outgoing C320

advans

well if were looking at the numbers given by MBUSA. C280 0-60 is 6.9 and the C320 is 6.7

I have a C320 and my brother had considered a C280.

I personally think the C320 picks up faster. but reality wise, C280 has more hp, but it doest give me the "pick up" feel.

if you can spit up the money for a C350. do so.

raunen

the C280 has 221 lb-ft of max torque vs the C320 at 229 lb-ft of max torque.

horsepower:
C320 | C280 | C350
215 | 228 | 268

torque (lb-ft):
C320 | C280 | C350
229 l 221 | 258

e1000

torque can be multiplied, horsepower cannot

raunen

i don't know what that means (to be multiplied).

drexappeal

If you're considering a 4-matic, most likely reason that the rims on the Sport are not offered for the 4-matic is because of the staggered setting. Running a staggered setting on a 4-matic (i.e. AWD/4WD) is counter-productive, although there are some EVO's I have heard of that run a reverse staggered setup (wider front tires) for handling purposes.

That being said, if you can afford the 350, go with the 350. I haven't really read up on the new engines much, but if you can pony up the $$, it's always good to do it up front and not be disappointed later (wishing you had done it before).

bensitto

C350
ENGINE 3.5L 24-valve V-6, 3,498-cc
Net Power 268 hp @ 6,000 rpm
Net Torque 258 lb-ft @ 2,400 - 5,000 rpm
Curb weight 3,495 lb (3,685 lb with 4MATIC™)

C320
ENGINE 3.2L, 18-valve 90-degree V6, 3199 cc
Horsepower 218 @ 5,700
Torque (lb-ft) 228 @ 3,000-4,600
Curb Weight 3,439-3,450 lbs.

C280
ENGINE 3.0L, 24-valve V-6, 2,996-cc
Net Power 228 hp @ 6,000 rpm
Net Torque 221 lb-ft @ 2,700 - 5,000 rpm
Curb weight 3,460 lb (3,655 lb with 4MATIC™)

Pretty close in numbers... I think the 3199cc and lighter weight makes the C320 feel stronger. My C320 is up to about 270HP according to all the HP gains in my upgrades.

gens

don't forget about weight. even if you have more torque/power, you're slower if you weigh more in general.

c280 4matic Curb Weight 3655 lbs.
c320 4matic Curb Weight 3450 lbs.

(source:
http://www.mbusa.com/models/features...80W&class=07_C
http://cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp...6&aff=national
)

yeuchau

+1

don't know what that means

e1000

gears multiply torque. that's why cars accelerate faster in 1st than in 4th.

Horsepower is derived by torque. Gears can optimize the usage of horsepower, but it cannot multiply it. Gearing CAN however multiply a given ammount of torque into any other amount of torque

http://www.car-videos.net/articles/h...wer_torque.asp

ctC230K

I have a 2006 C280 4matic loaner from the dealership right now as my 2005 C230 SS gets service B. I have to say even though it is an automatic 4 wheel drive car it feels faster sometimes than my car. 0-60 i think the c230 is faster or just as fast but from a roll or on the highway the c280 definatly has it beat.

going from 15-55 with the car in manual mode and in 2nd gear the car is pretty damn quick. another thing i noticed, between the 2005 C240 and the 2006 C280 the transmission is much different! the c240 would shift whenever it wanted to no matter which mode it was in but the c280 will hold the gear up to and even 500 rpm past redline! and i mean you can really drive it at 5500 or 5900 for a bit and it will not shift down until you hit redline which is 6000 if i recall.

another thing i like about the c280 is going from 65-100 on the highway, takes no more than 3 seconds but in my car it might take 5 or 6 seconds. i didn't know the 3.0 in the c280 was faster than the c320's 3.2!!! changes my whole opinion about c280s, i thought they were just overhauled c240s. and boy do i hate c240s. this a whole different engine/transmission. i have to say it's really pretty good.

on the other hand...

gas mileage is AWFUL. I have had it for 2 days now and I'm getting 17mpg average. lowest was about 15 and highest 19. even on the highway. what gives? is the 4matic killing the mpg? i would rather have a slower c230 that gets 24-34 mpg than c280 getting 17 mpg.
but otherwise a good car. i'd rather have a 6-speed c350 sport sedan.

gens

I'm not perfectly sure what car you compared c280 with, but if you compared it with c230 or c240, it's not a big surprise that c280 totally outperformed it. A big rule of thumb is that the bigger the engine is, the more torque and power it has, meaning greater acceleration and faster top speed. Mercedes uses the number after the class name as a guideline for the engine size. So, c280 (3.0l) has bigger engine than c240 (2.6l). It doesn't mean that c280 is just a re-worked, newer version of c240. They are in different classes.

The gas mileage heavily depends on how you drive it. If you drive c280 around 60 mph to 70 mph, you should get pretty close to what catalogue says - 26 mpg for 4matic and 28 for rwd. If you keep accelerating from 60 mph to 100 mph, or, say, constantly drive at 100 mph, it's not a surprise that you get significantly less than those numbers even on highways.

barrykaye

I've got an '06 C280 and am very happy. Got it in early June and have already put on more than 6,000 miles. I didn't drive the C350 but I don't feel the need for any additional speed. And I came out of a V8 Ford Explorer. 2 avg adults will fit in back but the legroom on the driver's side can be a but snug. Still, I wouldn't trade my car for anything else out there (unless someone handed me the keys to a new E class ).

Tangerine

wats wrong with the c240?

ctC230K

the engine was weak accelerating 0-60 but the automatic tranny was worse. it would shift at the worst times and it was slow shifting.

dalazernet

Just wanted to put my two cents... I got an 06 C280 last September and am still in love with it. My mother has a C320 and she prefers mine to hers! The engine pickup is VERY similar between the two cars... what differs is the progression of the pickup... it feels smoother in the beginning but then really hauls, vs. the C320 which has more oomph at the beginning but then smooths down to being a little slower than the 280... hopefully that made some sense ;-). Both are 4matic by the way...

To sum things up -- get the C280 - you'll love it! Gas mileage in real life use is 22 MPG with MAJOR stop and go traffic... but highway, I've been getting 29 MPG which I'm quite pleased with (compared to my old Grand AM GT)...

Get it, you'll love it. 16k miles later I wouldn't change a thing!

- Eric