2010 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cars Reviews North Kingstown RI

TheCarConnection.com's editors have driven the Mercedes-Benz C-Class for this firsthand set of driving impressions. Editors have also compiled opinions from other respected reviewers to bring you a comprehensive look at the new C-Class. Finally, editors also compared the C-Class to other compact luxury sedans to point out how competitors may offer superior styling, performance, features, utility, or safety.

Likes
Responsive V-6 engines
A quiet, comfortable interior
C-Class Sport's BMW-like handling
Two different looks

Dislikes
Not-quite-there steering
Base car's drab plastic dash
Tight backseat room

The 2010 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is the company's smallest sedan and one of a trio of German four-doors that comes in an almost bewildering array of powertrains and body styles-at least, overseas. Here in the United States, the C-Class comes just as a sedan and in two primary performance versions, with the wild Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG in a whole other realm (and reviewed separately by TheCarConnection.com). At a base price of $34,475, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class has many rivals in luxury and in sport, but it's challenged most directly by the Audi A4 , the BMW 3-Series , the Lexus IS, the Infiniti G37, and the Cadillac CTS .

A single body style has two subtly different flavors in the 2010 C-Class. There's a Luxury version, with the familiar Mercedes-Benz grille and a three-pointed star for a hood ornament. The Sport model forgoes the ornamentation for a flat badge on the grille, which is styled differently as well. Both have a somewhat busy exterior shape, with an arc rising from the front end and tapering to the rear. The theme is more dramatic and edgier than the former C-Class, and it's a larger car that looks more expressive and imposing when it's on the road. Inside, the C-Class has a well-organized cabin with large and clear gauges, distinctive-looking door panels, and an audio system that's a little too overwrought with identical black buttons. Somewhat awkwardly, the audio and navigation display is tucked behind a hinged dash panel that sits up while the screen's in use. The Sport wears a three-spoke steering wheel and either matte aluminum, burled walnut, or black maple dash trim in sparing amounts, and it has more drab plastic than the Luxury , which dons burled walnut, chrome, and a four-spoke wheel.

Two V-6 engines provide the C-Class' power. The 2010 C300 offers up a 228-horsepower, 3.0-liter V-6 engine, while the C350 Sport antes up a 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6. The C300 has a standard six-speed manual or optional seven-speed automatic, but the C350 can only be had with the automatic. The two V-6 engines are fairly similar in performance, but the C350's added power is noticeable under full-throttle acceleration and in more sporting driving. Mercedes-Benz quotes a 0-60 mph time of 7.1 seconds for the C300, and 6.1 seconds for the C350; both are rated at a 130-mph top speed.

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