Final thoughts: Mercedes-Benz C230
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, “What do you do with the test cars
when you’re done with them?” Answer: We first offer them for sale to employees of Consumers Union. If there are no takers, we trade the cars in to help purchase future test vehicles. But before our C230 says au revoir, a few final thoughts are in order:
Although the Audi A4, BMW 325i, Cadillac CTS, Lexus IS 250, and Lincoln Zephyr out-pointed the Mercedes-Benz C230 overall rating in the sports sedans group test (“Driving Ambitions,” May 2006 magazine), it was my favorite to drive.
I spent a few weekends with the C230, as well as a long drive from our test track in East Haddam, CT, to New York City and back--a four-hour round-trip I usually make at least once a month. The comfortable-and-quiet C230 made slogging through the Big Apple’s chaotic traffic almost a pleasure. This category of $30-40,000 sports sedans is bursting with great cars; sometimes the mid-range models are more fun to drive than their more expensive brethren (i.e. BMW 3 Series vs. the 5 Series; Acura TL vs. RL). Truth is, I’d rather drive the C-Class than anything in Mercedes’ stable.
Nimble and eager, hard-edged in the best Germanic sports sedan idiom, I find the C230 to be a joy to drive. And other staff members agree, as the over 10,000 miles it accumulated bears witness proves. The Benz figure is even more impressive given that we didn’t drive it in wintry inclement weather due to the three-season performance tires.
Many of us preferred driving it over the 325i--surprising given that among German sedans, BMW has the reputation (and long-running ad tagline) of being the “ultimate driving machine.” Both of these sedans, as well as the tested CTS, are considerably more sporting to drive than the IS 250, which scored highest in that group. But, for me, the C230 was ultimately a more enjoyable driving machine.
Admittedly, the C230 isn’t perfect: even without navigation’s added complexity, the controls aren’t particularly well-designed. Reliability has remained below average for most model years since the car’s 2001 redesign, and the rear seat is pretty small. Still, this is a very well-rounded car and one that’s going to live in someone else’s garage now. I hope to have visitation rights.
--Mike Quincy
