SL55Kompressor

lets look at the facts:

C230 Kompressor Sport Sedan C240 Sedan




Engine Inline 4 V-6







Curb Weight 3,185 lb manual, 3,230 lb automatic (C230)

3,310 lb manual, 3,360 lb automatic (C240)



Power 189 hp @ 5,800 rpm(C230) 168 hp @ 5,700 rpm (240)



Torque 192 lb-ft @ 3,500 - 4,000 rpm(C230) 177 lb-ft @ 4,700 rpm (C240)






M.S.R.P. $28,710.00* for C230K

$30,620.00* C240

I don't see what anyone wouldn't want the C230K Sedan. Its got the sports wheels and tires, the sport suspension, sport seats and interior. 20 more horsepower, 15 more lb-ft of torque (and a broader torque band), its over 100 lbs lighter, and its cheaper. If this is what a Inline 4 gives me then god bless it!

bagwell

unless the dealer gives massives discount on the C240, (which they will have to do to get rid of them) I don't have any clue why anyone would buy the C240 Sedan over the C230 Sedan.

its a no brainer to me !!

tommy

There are those who will say that they prefer the smoothness of the 6 cylinder over the 4.

As bagwell said, I'm sure that they'll have to discount the 240.

But I still think that anyone who buys the 240 over the 230 is the kind of person who rode the short bus in high school.

bagwell

hahhaha.....I like that..!!

mctwin2kman

The only people I can think of that would buy the 240 over the new 230 would be people that don't want the 17 inch wheels or the sport suspension. These would be people that may be older and want the comfort of the 240 as far as ride goes and do not care about power. The same people that buy a 240 over the 320. Now there we have a bigger price gap, but there are people with 240's that have enough money to get the 320 and just don't want it because they do not need or want the extra power.

Buellwinkle

Women will buy it. My wife doesn't care at all about HP and Torque but she does know that a V6 is got to be faster than any 4 cylinder. For them this is a fact. She complains that her CRV is slow because it's a four banger but in reality many 6 cyl SUVs are even slower. They may even thing a 2.6L motor is faster than a 1.8L motor. I can assure you that the salesman is looking out for his best interest and if the dealer needs to move C240s then they will find their target audience and sell, sell, sell. Not everyone in a MB showroom is a car enthusiast.

Also some people like the wood trim and that's enough to convince them. I also think the C7 wheels don't look good on the sedan and this may distract some people.

zpeed

I use to have 4 banger turbo (2.0L) and kick mustang 5.0 *** all the time. The best part is fuel economy if I drive normally it go 23-25 Mpg. But my right foot is too heavy. You can't beat the mustang torque.

So C230K should be more fun to drive but C240 should (IMHO) be more smoother.

nboyd

Many people buy MBs for the smooth drive, and the C240 is a lot smoother than the C230. I had the C240 loaner for 2 weeks and just got back my C230 but the harder suspension and bumpy road had me pulling over to make sure my tires were fully inflated.

When people test drive the two cars they will find them to be very different for a similar cost. The C230 has more for your money but that is not what all MB drivers want.

I personally would buy the 230 but my wife wishes our car looked sporty but was smoother to drive more like the c240. I am sure she is not alone in that feeling.

Nathan

r6bruin

Well, no offense here, but to someone (like my mom), MB means luxury car; and luxury car these days got to have wood trim. Since C230K does not come with wood trim, they would think that's not a true MB....

jrct9454

I for one would not want the harder suspension and lower profile tires that make the ride that much firmer.

There ARE some of us who have been buying MBs for 35 years because they are the best TOURING sedans around, not because someone wants to think of themselves as "sporty".

However, to each his own; clearly, the tone of the discussion suggests that MBUSA has succeeded in doing what they set out to do in the past few years, i.e. attract a different set of customers. That's fine, but those of us who got here a long time ago are grateful for the opportunity to continue to buy the cars for their original set of virtues - safety, comfort, solidity, long-term service life. I can go around corners with the standard suspension on our C240 at speeds that would make your eyes bug out. The car needs a "sport suspension" only to appeal to the hard core and magazine journalists who want great track numbers. In the real world, I'll take the standard suspension.

Wouldn't mind the chance to buy the standard sedan with the 4 cyl turbo and unmolested suspension and tires, just like every market in the world can do except North America...

CitronC230K_03

everyone has different tastes and look for different things specifically in their choice of automobile. because of this those who want a more luxurious feel will go for the 240, and those who want the sportiness will most likely go for the 230.

CarlssonPower

if there were 230K sedens, I would definetly got it instead of 240...

Lynn

What harder suspension are you talking about? The springs are the same, the sway bars are the same and the shocks might be slightly re-calibrated. MB's "sports packages" are 99% for appearance. Although MB's literature claims thicker sway bars for the sports package, actual measurements by members of this board show they are not thicker. And if they were, they would have no effect on the ride of the car.

David N.

Very true.

The 240 and 230 are basically the same cars. One has 17's and a 4 banger, and the other has 16's and a 6 cylinder. Whoop-dee-freakin-doo-dah!!!!!

It would be a different story if MB were offering us the euro 230.

There is no real debate here. Same stuff, different badge.

jrct9454

...the MBUSA website [and the brochures] pretty clearly state that the following constitutes the difference between the C240 sedan and the C230k "sport sedan":

-the engine, which is the only thing I'd be interested in
-firmer shocks [same tuning as the Coupe]
-thicker antisway bars [again, same as the Coupe]
-different seats
-different interior trim [wood out, alum in]
-17" wheels with summer tires

These may sound like insubstantial changes to you, but having rejected the Coupe because of the ride differences, I'll stand by my point that the car I'd want would be the standard sedan with the 1.8 SC engine, at the price they're talking about. THAT would have caused me to pass on the C240; the car as configured ["sport sedan"] doesn't tempt me as a substitute for the car we bought.

Lynn

I wish the part about the thicker sway bars was true, but it isn't. The shocks might be a little stiffer, but that is the only difference between the coupe and the sedans.

r6bruin

Wait a sec, if that is really the case will MBUSA get into trouble by giving out false information? If they publish all these information to the web site, brochure, and pass this info to the sale there gotta be some difference. Otherwise they would be in trouble.... IMHO.

Lynn

There is always fine print to cover the situation. The following is taken from the spec page for the C230k coupe at mbusa.com:

"All illustrations and specifications contained in this Web site are based on the latest product information available at the time of posting. Mercedes-Benz reserves the right to make changes at any time, without notice, in colors, materials, equipment, specifications and models. Any variations in colors shown are due to variations in monitor resolution. Illustrations may include test situations. Some vehicles may be shown with non-U.S. equipment. Some vehicles are shown with optional equipment."

Their brochures have similar language.

r6bruin

I see I see, thanks for pointing out. Learn something new everyday