SteveMondragon

So I've been driving my 06 Audi A4 2.0T for the past 2 years now and my lease ends in one month. I've been looking at different sedans for my replacement, which includes the 335i, IS350, Acura TL, G35 sedan, and of course the much anticipated 2008 C-class. I really liked how the 335i & IS350 drove, but the BMW 3-series just looks plain ugly to me, and the deal killer on the IS350 (and the other sedans) was that there is no rear split folding seat available on them, and I need that option like what I have now in my car. Since all of the dealerships got in the C300 Sport with the same packages (no P2), I test drove it anyways to see how it felt.

First thing, the car looks great. The front is very aggressive and classy looking. The back looks like a mini S-class but it could have been lengthened a little bit more. Trunk space is about the same as my car. Interior space is different from the A4. In the C300, you have a lot more head room and as tall as I am (6'3") and with my seat positioned where I like it, there's more leg room for rear passengers. My friend rode in the back behind the salesman and he said it feels a lot more comfortable back there than in an A4 sedan. The only thing is that the A4 feels wider inside and you have more shoulder and hip room in the A4. Steering wheel position might be slightly better in the C300 since I can telescope the steering wheel a lot more so than any other car I've driven (I like the steering wheel close to me). I like my elbows resting when I drive so the door arm rest and the center console armrest felt just as good as the A4 (not too low, not too high). The thing that I didn't like was the feel and shape of the steering wheel, at the 7:00 and 5:00 positions where I hold it when driving while my elbows are resting on the door & center console pads. The A4 steering wheel felt more contoured for a better grip and feel for light steering on the freeway. On regular turns, I'd hold the steering wheel normal up top.

Performance is another main thing I notice and honestly, was a little dissapointed in the 3.0L V6 power. I went onto the freeway in 'S' mode (not 'C' comfort mode for the transmission) and gave it 1/4 to half throttle like I would do in my A4 to get up to speeds.... no problem there. When I went to pass people in lanes and to get around them quickly, that's where I found the problem. I had the pedal to the floor and the transmission was kicking down to lower gears and I can hear the engine work but the pulling power was not as good as my A4 2.0T (even with my car loaded with people) or even say my gf's 03 Accord V6 sedan (also loaded with people). I tried this 3 times to make sure and each time I noticed that I was slowing passing other cars on the freeway, who were doing about 70mph. After leaving the dealership, I took the same freeway onramp in my car, and after getting up to speeds, dropped it into 'S' sport mode and floored it. The transmission immediately kicked down to a lower gear (rpms shot up higher than in the C300) and a second or two later after the turbo spooled up my A4 was immediately flying down the same stretch of highway easily reaching up to 100 pretty quick. My car is stock except for the Eibach springs and Koni shocks. Like I told the salesman, my first choice for the C-class was the C350 and when those come in I'll be going back to see how I like that since I'm still highly considering the C-class as my next car.

Another thing I wasn't too fond of was the very stiff throttle pedal. It had a very stiff feeling, much like the Acura TL. The A4, 335i, IS350 all have light feeling pedals, which is what I'm used to, so giving it gas and making the car move took a little effort. Not that it's a bad thing, and anybody would get used to it within a week or driving, but it's just awkward feeling when you're used to something else for so long. We went through a couple of back roads to feel how it handled. Felt very sturdy and stable and the steering was tight, almost tighter feeling than my A4. I was over correcting a lot more in the C300 than I was in the A4 going around the same turns (taking them at 50mph on advised 30mph turns.... the salesman told me to gun it through there to feel the car), and to my surprise the C300 felt very firm and solid through the corner. I can see in a C63 you can pull a nice drift and easily control it by throttling through the oversteer.

The entertainment system (Nav package & voice activation) was nice and worked just like what you see in the youtube vid floating around the web. I couldn't tell from before in other videos since it never really showed it, but I like that the LCD screen automatically hides away when you shut off the car, and opens up immediately when you turn on the car. Everytime I saw it done on web videos, people pressed the button manually so I didn't know if the car would automatically do it (I assumed it would, but it would have sucked if it didn't and would grow tiresome over time having to press the button every time you get into the car to start it up).

Overall, extremely great looking car. I had no intention of getting another Audi for a few reasons, so I was really eager to see the C-class since the new design really caught my eye. I'm waiting to see how the C350 performance is before I bite the bullet for sure on the car, but from all of the other smaller compact size sedans I've tried out, this one seems to be at the top of the list. If I get one, I'll have to order it since the salesman checked the entire west coast inventory list of what's coming in, and there was not one that matched what I wanted.... well, there was one but somebody already put a deposit down on it. white w/pano roof C350 Sport with P2 package, the multimedia package, and leather upholstery (sticker on that would be about what I paid for the A4 so my lease payments wouldn't really differ that much).

Here are some shots I took of the demo car, which looks no different than any other dealer demo car or what others have posted, but I liked the way it looked in the sun, so here you go:

ScottyGams

let me be the first to say great review. You put a good perspective on the car. I just demoed it and I must say that the car is underpowered but it really is a smooth transmission. If you like cruising cars, buy this thing!

choi

Very nice write up. I was considering between C300 sport and IS350. I definately need to drive those demos.

overtaker

@SteveMondragon: What color of the car is it on the pictures of yours?

overtaker

Oh, and what colors are available in the states?

mahls10

extremely interesting read.. I too have a 2006 A4 2.0 T Quattro, and my lease is up end of next month as well.
I'll be sure to provide a review when I test drive the demo next week as well.

I don't care as much about pure speed as I do about the interior... I hope that the interior matches the quality of the Audi. (I've yet to see a car in this class match it... )

Cal

Very nice review and writeup. Good to hear you liked the new C, except for the power. I'm actually very surprised to hear that the pickup power of the C300 is not as good as the A4 2.0T. I thought it would be better. I've driven the A4 2.0T and found it a little slow, so I can't imagine how the C300 will feel. (Haven't test driven it yet.) Looks like the C350 is the car to own. I'm willing to bet that the C350 will be more than fast enough for your tastes.

Thanks again for the review.

GDawgC220

I wonder if MB underrates the C300's engine. A bunch of stock 2.0T owners did dynos prior to chipping their cars and found that Audi underrated the 2.0T numbers. Dynos have shown the engine is actually at 220hp at the crank vs the 200hp Audi says.

scottw

I took a quick test drive of a new C-class. I purchased a 2007 C-Class in April, so I was just curious. My car is a manual.

I think the car looks nice (except for the hood cut line, which is too noticable). It is only okay to drive. The interior is bigger and a bit nicer. The I-Drive thingy is easy to use and very intuitive.

Basically, I think it is more or less the same as the 2007, only with cosmetic changes. I can do without the I-Drive.

If someone is expecting the heavens to open up and the angels to sing, it will dissappoint. It is not a markedly better vehicle.

robbyt18

Thanks for posting those pics taken in natural sunlight. I'm liking the car's exterior more and more.