Today I got a loaner car from the dealership which is a 2008 300C 4matic Luxury, and I noticed some interesting features of the Luxury which are not found on the Sport model.

To put things into perspective, I have a 2008 300C 4matic Sport with the P2 package and loaded except for MMI and leather. The loaner is a 2008 300C 4matic luxury with just the P1 package.
The noticable features on the luxury model are: the power seat controls with memory for the driver's side is on the door (the passenger side is on the side of the seat), power adjustable steering wheel, fog light indicator on the guages, and a digital compass in the rear view mirror.

These features are relatively minor, but makes you think why they didn't offer these features across the model line (either as standard or part of a package). It would certainly be cheaper to do it that way.

As for driving the luxury model, it's still a fine driving machine. The ride is a little softer, but not really a big difference unless you are driving hard or driving over uneven pavement. The leather shift knob is nicer than the silver knob of the sport model, but I didn't care for the reddish-brown burled wood trim on the interior.

It's been a while since I've drove a car with a hood ornament and I must admit is it kind of neat for some reason, and helpful when parking your car as you can tell where the hood ends.

From what I have read, the seat controls and mirror compass are on all 2009 models.

Thats an 09 loaner

i drove a lux model the other day, it just felt cheap like a hyundai status.

I thought the 09's had the new style mirrors and the hooded guages, which this one didn't have.

Its most likely an 08, unless the luxury models don't have the hooded gauges..

I'm not familiar with that model. Status?

US Spec C's didn't get the new mirrors. I'm pretty sure you drove an 09. Most dealers have sold off their 08 loaners.

They do - It might have been an 8.5

you got a 2009. those are differences between an 08 and an 09. you probably didnt catch the hooded guages becaue they arent even "hooded" all the way. and US spec C classes do not get the new mirror styling

the build quality of the Lux edition didn't seem as good as the sport edition. maybe they spend more time in the builds with the sport model. when i drove the Lux model it didn't have any options. everything in the car just felt cheap, down to how the car handles. it felt like driving a hyndai.

Nope the new mirrors are not in the US yet and the hooded gauges are hit and miss. I had a 09 lux loaner after Christmas and it didn't have the hoods but the one I have now does. They must have used the old style till they ran out before going to the hooded ones. The main thing is memory seats were never available in the US on any C300 or C350 not sure about the C63. Also check the outside mirrors they don't fold remotly on the 09's.

What's going on over there? Sounds like you have 8.25, 8.5 & 8.75 - no true 2009 - This side of the pond was a hard change - 2008's slightly discounted. Out of the dealers & full 2009 spec in all regards on the showroom floor. Our spec level is generally higher e.g. you won't find a car without full leather here. (Our pricing is of course not as competitive as yours even though we make them here)

Are these "hybrid" cars South African built or from Germany?

I thought only the '09 Sport models had hooded gauges. Weird.

No - Classic, Avantgarde & Elegance here.

My 2009 has hooded gauges, but still has the old-style mirrors..and it was built in Germany.

US models will most likely not get the new mirrors till the 2010 model year. Why I don't know that has been the speculation since they started using them on the Euro ones. Hooded gauges are nice.

So the "old" mirrors are the ones that automatically fold in?

I've heard the new mirrors do not have that feature..

I've only seen the beige interior in a Lux and I think the steering wheel and the speaker grilles need to be black. Those items in beige give the car a cheaper feel. Kind of like the chrome trim and aluplastinium shift knob in the sport.

The new mirrors are available in both auto folding & non folding. Depends what you order here.

The new light grey & black interior on the Elegance (Luxury) with Eucalyptus wood looks stunning.

They are the old mirror style but they no longer fold. That is one way to end the complaints of noisy mirrors.

So the current production not only has the old mirror style, but that they also do not auto fold? Boo

I have an order placed right now with a production date of 3/25, and was curious of which mirrors I would be receiving.

Are you kidding me? They're the exact same car built the exact same way with the exact same parts except for some specifically different parts between lux and sport. The materials used are identical, no different other than differences like wood vs aluminum. The wood takes more work and costs more! The suspension on the lux is the same, it's just configured differently. The lux has a more.... luxury feel. And you think that feels like a hyundai? Maybe what you're trying to say is that you don't like luxury suspension and prefer the stiffer sport suspension.

Well, if someone is looking to buy a SPORTS sedan, you'd think they'd get the sport package for improved driving dynamics. The luxury is very similar, yes, but dumbed down. It doesn't offer significantly more driving entertainment than a Hyundai Sonata V6 (which certainly isnt a bad car).

I already think the "sport" should have been a bit sportier, so the lux to me is pretty mundane.