rb23lb

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1204...ature_articles

What a biased POS human being, this will make you angry!!!

Baron Samedi

I think I read an earlier review of his as well. It was essentially the same; he REALLY doesn't like the new C. That's fine with me. He can have his G35. To each their own I suppose. I bought a C350 because it's the perfect combination of luxury and sport for ME. I didn't want a BMW, I didn't want something Japanese, I can't stand the front of the Audi. The C just works for me.

JRAMGV8

Blah just critics....

AkaSigFreak

What a waste of oxygen. This moron has contradicted every review of the W204 except the other loser at Car & Driver who hates everything Mercedes.

He probably drives a Civic

e1000

We all know that the Wall Street Journal is the premier source for automotive reviews...

bigben320e

Oh BOO. Morons at WSJ can keep it to themselves. What makes him an verified critic anyway? I suggest he drinks some Lysol.

norcal5

I didn't think my judgement is that bad

To each his own, I am still happy with my decison to get a C.

Derspeed

The a$$-clown kept comparing it to the S Class. If he were to ask me, I'd tell him I considered the competiton from Audi, BMW, Infinity, Lexus, VW and Acura. I don't like Japanese buzz mobiles and I don't like how the other German cars are losing their unique German style. The C, while it has some drawbacks, is the most appealing to me.

I like how he dismissed the C63 "hot-rod version" as the same car with a more powerful engine. That's real research. Makes you wonder how many other things he provided his opinion on without doing all of the research. That's a common thing at the Journal, isn't it?

ShoremNJ

He probably owns stock in GM!

kfm999

" as it sits, it's just a car for people who can't afford the larger E-Class -- never mind the S-Class. Unlike the sporty BMW 3-Series, the C-Class has no intrinsic appeal beyond being the cheapest way to park a Mercedes in your driveway..."

What kind of BS talks are these... to me it's the best looking car out there right now (the front at least), the ride is great and the 4Matic feels very safe driving over snow/ice. I also looked into Infinit G35X but it's just so ugly to look at.

A typical snob this guy is...

tanktube67

Take a look the of Jeff Sabatini’s comparison, the MB beats all the other cars
this is for Jeff

jstaneff

Sadly the guy is perpetuating the myth that cars are sized for your pocketbook: smaller wallets get smaller cars. That simple "truth" doesn't play in this modern world.

We who have bought the C Class see it for what it is, not for it's size, and most certainly not for it's cost. The C meets the European "C" size: small family sedan. That it is a luxury vehicle seems incomprehensible to the "fat, dumb and happy American" of Ugly American fame.

Geesh, can't we change some minds here?

The real issue, of course, is not that this guy is full of it, but that some who read his article will agree with him and ignore the best bargain they could find! More's the pity and their loss, but we certainly could do with some positive response to set the guy, and his readers, right.

hyukki

The G isn't ugly.

At least the 07+ sedans aren't.

hyukki

I wouldn't say the best bargain... I'd say better bargain.

narky

I agree.

But I gotta say, the WSJ "reviewer" was a tad bit biased. It seemed like was certain of his conclusion -- w204 sucks -- and nothing could convince him otherwise. And he kept repeating "it sucks" without any form of support. I kept wondering "Why does it suck, again?" Even as a C owner, I would've appreciated a negative review, had it been properly done, with extensive review of the mechanical/performance features. Oh well.

Not everyone shares our tastes, I guess. One thing, though: everyday as the mileage increases, I proportionately increase my maximum RPM. I'm at around 600 miles and 4200 RPM now. And while I wasn't all too excited about the performance of the C300 initially (I bought it purely for the looks ), I'm happy to report that I can feel the engine come alive as the RPMs gradually rise. Could it be that this engine likes to be revved a bit? I eagerly await the day when I'll be able to redline the car...

On a related note, I can't help but feeling that those of you without manual transmissions are missing out. No offense intended, really, and maybe I'm the odd one out. But already I can tell that this engine will be quite fun to maneuver with a manual. I can only wonder what the C350 engine would've been like with a manual, like I originally wanted. Why MB won't offer manual trans on the higher trims is beyond me.

chilledbenz

As another poster mentioned already..this tool was comparing a C class with an S class....???? Hello...the C is a P.O.S. compared to an S class! Lol as an owner of a C I can say that ha ha...but come on the S has a base price of $88k and the C clearly isn't even remotely in that realm. The C could use a few more standard goodies, but I'd still take it over anything the competition has to offer.

KIRA

i do like the infniti G btw, i thought is the best bang for the buck, Power, Handling, exterior/interior look, comfort like everything

but i didn't notice they are like having new model every 1 or 2 years which are different to C class which they last for 8 years till a new model comes out

like last time i was looking back to the first Gen G35.. it look like a 90s car to me, their leather doesn't last.. resell valve is *****ty

But BMW 335i i really wanna try it out

alpinweiss

You are exactly right. Somehow, we cannot get beyond the "bigger is better" mindset in the US. Those people should stop wasting our time and go buy a Ford Excursion (or maybe a Peterbilt).

In many parts of the world, a C-Class is considered a large car. Here (USA), I consider it to be modestly sized; a good compromise between too large and too small. An S-Class is really big, and makes too strong of a statement for me. Even an E-Class borders on too large.

In terms of the Japanese cars, I just happen to prefer the German cars. They drive better, and they fit me better (I am tall). So I am also guilty of being biased, just as this WSJ reviewer was.

davatk

This guy seems to be making a case against his own review, when he makes comparisons of the C to the S class, and some of the similarities between the two. Unless of course you consider the S class a bad car, in which case you probably shouldn't even be reviewing an MB.

I've owned an Acura TL, and an Infiniti I35. Also drove many G35 loaners. Although I generally liked the TL, it was not as much of a luxury sedan as I liked. The I35 was a very nice car, a lot for the money and had a definite luxury feel to it. The G35 loaners I drove were complete POS's - basically rattletraps, althought they were a new model at the time. I drove an M35 before I purchased my C300, and was not impressed - actually reminded me of the G35 too much.

My C300 is my first MB product, and I must say I am (so far) very impressed with the build quaility. Just seems more solid than the other vehicles I have owned, and the fit and finish are awesome. I'm the type of person who measures the gaps on each side of the trunk and hood to see it they are the same.

Anyhow, that is my limited review as a first time MB owner.

angeloxnet

i have no problem with no one else buying a C class
it will make our cars more unique and rare

kfm999

I am sorry the G sedan is just so ugly but the coupe looks better to me.

Even Acura RL looks better than the G or M.

Benzagain

As I was looking for an AWD sport sedan I went shopping over the last few weeks.

I drove the G35 sport last night and here is my quick take on it.

the G35 is very quick, has sharp steering and good turn in. Car feels fairly well balanced and body roll is minimal. The road noise for this set up is also very low but the ride could be too firm for every day.
Brakes were strong but not a great deal of feel.

The interior is ok but some parts look cheap.
The sport seats were too narrow even fully adjusted out.
The luxury version was better but not great.

The drivers position is ok but not suited to my liking, the space around the knee area is a little tight.
I could not live with that raspy engine noise, it's not a pleasant engine note and was there at most rpm.
The exterior is very bland and I really don't like the wheels.

The C300 sport has a little less power but much quieter and smoother.
The steering has good feel and weight. Turn in is good and body roll minimal, probably could be much improved with better tires.
Ride is a nice balance for everyday, firm but not harsh. Brakes are massive and work very well.
Seats and driver position are excellent.
I really like the look and layout of the interior, controls are exactly where they should be.
From the outside there is no competition Imo this car is nice to look at and this car is priced very well for what you get. That should leave a little left over to upgrade the tires and wheels.

Other cars I looked at in this class.

Lexus IS250 awd
Could not even get in this car without bashing my noggen!
Interior bland and tight, walked away.

BMW 3?? awd
Interior was utter crap for this price point, walked away.

Audi A4
to $$$ for what you get, bland exterior, walked away.

Acura
Nothing in this range, shuffle away.

Jaguar x-type
Don't laugh I wanted to be sure.
Ikea build quality Chipendale price (Thats were wood belongs) but no free breakfast.

Ran away!

chilledbenz

Heres something funny, I was bored so I thought I would attempt to spec out a C350 with all the options of an S550. I ran into a couple of snags, mainly dealing with options that are standard on the S class that I couldn't find prices for such as:

Airmatic
Memory Seats
Infrared Glass
Pre-Safe

I'm sure there are a lot more standard goodies on an S but thats a short list of the main components. So then I set out to add the options I knew the prices of to a C350. My thinking being that if by chance Benz did offer such options they would only offer them on the C350 and not a C300.

C350 - $37,725
Leather - $1,550
P2 - $1,350
MM - $2,950
Tel Aid - $650
6 Disc CD Changer - $450

Total = $44,675

Now to add the S class options to that C350 that the reviewer in that article wanted to see as options on a C.

P3 (includes Night View) - $6190
Distronic - $2,850
Active Body Control - $3,920
4matic - $1,800

Total = (P3 - C350 P2) $58,085

Ok my math is always fuzzy but you get a real good idea of what a C350 would cost if it had the S class options the reviewer wanted. Now who in their right mind would pay $58k for a C class? I already have a hard enough time thinking people actually pay $65k for a C63! So when it comes down to it, Benz may be able to offer those items on a C, but from a marketing stand point they are better off not to.

hyukki

Coupes are ugly IMO. RL though, looks nice. I like it because it is nice and simple.

I think I'd like the w204 a whole lot more if they did have such huge mirror turn signals.

oblu

Aren't all humans by definition biased? A negative review can't make you mad unless you're worried about what other people think. Seems a lot of people's egos need stroking from glowing reviews?

Sadly, some of what he says about the product I agree with ... some I don't. It's clear that the guy has his opinions, but it also seems that he doesn't have a lot of qualification to be reviewing automobiles. All his points were superficial based on the single premise that those buying a C really want to be able to afford an E or S but can't. And that's just silly. I don't know about you guys, but once you're in the >$500 a month payment level it's just a matter of deciding if it's worth spending money out of the budget for the $1000+ a month payment. It isn't, 'can I afford this' as much as, 'do I really want to be spending this instead of doing x'.

Let's face it, on an absolutely objective white label point of view, the C isn't the best performance/feature value in it's class. On some level we're overlooking deficiencies to pony up for the real or percieved value of the brand name or styling.

I'm taking the long way to say, it's all objective so what do reviews really matter?