Mercedes-Benz C280 Reviews

Mercedes-Benz built an enviable reputation based on safe, solid, comfortable and reliable prestige cars, but in recent times it has had to add another element to its appeal: excitement.

Choosing the right car can open the door to the executive floor, or confirm your corner office and that overdue promotion to the big league. Just as the right suit, tie, shoes or watch send a message to management, so does the right car.Working on the basis that you should always dress for the job you want, not the one you have, there are some impressive buys around in the prestige class. And, better than anything, a smart second-hand purchase is a great way to reward yourself.You still need to think about the obvious stuff -- maintenance and repair costs, insurance, fuel economy and resale value -- but driving a tasty import doesn't have to mean a second mortgage. Buying near-new, with just a couple of years on the clock, can open the doors to some impressive cars.Here are three that tick the boxes for the Carsguide undercover crew:(Search for hundreds more choices)HOT TIPSIf out of warranty use a brand specialist mechanic. If you can find a manual you're sure to save even more. Prestige cars cost to maintain so budget for this.2009 BMW 323iEngine: 2.5-litre 6-cyl petrolTransmission: 6-speed autoThirst: 8.8L/100CARSGUIDE SAYSA BMW badge is enough for many people and it needn't break the bank. The upmarket E90-model 3 Series sedan has balanced and subtly arresting style. The 323i (or the E92 325i if you spend $50K) gets a six-cylinder engine and earns more street cred than the four-cylinder 318i and 320i. It's not cheap to own or run, but the 323i still has lots going for it. It has room for four adults, is an exhilarating drive with solid handling, and even the fuel use isn't too bad. A thorough service history is mandatory and new owners are expected to continue this trend.2009 Lexus IS250 PrestigeEngine: 2.5-litre 6-cyl petrolTransmission: 6-speed automaticThirst: 9.7L/100CARSGUIDE SAYSAn underestimated car that's perfect for first-time executive buyers. This particular example is the desirable 2009 upgrade model and gets extra kit such as the heated and cooled front seats and satnav. The IS is similar in size to a 3 Series but more focused on comfort and equipment than performance or rip-roaring cornering. Lexus builds beautiful cars and owners report very good customer service.2009 Mercedes-Benz C280 AvantgardeEngine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl petrolTransmission: 7-speed automaticThirst: 9.4L/100CARSGUIDE SAYSThis C-Class variant is a cut above the 1.8-litre petrol and 2.1-litre diesel models that sold best in 2008-10. Its 3.0 V6 gives punchy performance, at the cost of a greater thirst, as well as a distinctive exhaust note. There is commendable safety and reasonable equipment, although it's not a match for the Lexus.

Engine and TransmissionThe estate uses the same engine that powers its saloon sibling -- a super-charged four-cylinder engine that puts out 135kW and 250Nm, with power getting to the wheels via a five-speed automatic with paddle shifts on the steering wheel..Fitted with improved pistons and with modified engine management, the C200 estate boasts impressive performance and fuel consumption  at 8.3litres/100kms.ExteriorThe giant German marque has made sure to hold on to the distinctive Mercedes-Benz characteristics with C200 estate, whilst adding modern elements.The distinctive chrome three-louvered radiator grille and big centred badge plus chrome highlights on the bumpers, wings and doors help to retain the classic Merc presence. The body coloured bumpers, polished aluminium roof rails, an electric glass sun-roof and 17 inch, five twin-spoke, light-alloy wheels give it an edgy modern feel.The side profile highlights a creased waistline following the long rise from the bonnet, over the windscreen then gently down to the top of the tail gate where it drops abruptly and folds into a short rear overhang. The front wheels being pushed right to the front also give the car an athletic, purposeful stance.InteriorInside, the C200 has a sporty flavour with black floor mats and dash, contrasting with the door panels and arm rests in reef grey. The classic Merc heritage is never too far away though, highlighted by black bird’s eye maple and full leather upholstery.As always, quality and attention to detail is easily evident. Electronically adjustable driver and passenger seats with memory settings, three-zone automatic climate control, a Harmon/Kardon Logic 7 sound system and voice recognition functionality are all standard.SafetyFront airbags, window bags and side bags for the driver and front passenger plus window bags and side bags for the side passenger, together with Adaptive Brake Regulation with hillstart assist, ESP, ABS, crash-responsive active head restraints(for front seats) and a tyre pressure loss warning system, completes the substantial safety package.PricingThe C200 estate starts at $58,978.DRIVINGWigley saysAfter recently driving the C63 AMG I was a little apprehensive stepping into the standard wagon because I almost know I’d be let down. But I really wasn’t.Both cars are great in their own ways – the C63 is a performance powerhouse and the estate is a comfortable, refined family wagon – and a damn good one at that.The workmanship and quality of the interior as always is first class. Initially the seats felt a little small but I soon sunk into them and felt completely supported.The flat bottom boot fits a lot but the car itself looks compact from the outside.The revised suspension, especially with the three settings made driving a joy in all conditions.Power, although not mind numbingly raucous, was sufficient enough to be able to merge and overtake without a trickle of fear that you might get rammed.The one gripe I had was the legroom in the back seats. Even with the front seats forward, the back is only really big enough for two mid-sized teenages.Verdict: 8/10Halligan saysI am a big fan of the current C-Class.  The C200 wagon reaffirms this opinion once again. It's a great package and it just feels right when you drive it.It has ample power for its target market. Style, presence, quality and performance are all excellent and I only have one criticism of the C-Class in general. It needs just an extra couple of centimetres between the front and rear seats.While I am not a fan of models growing through their life cycle, I think the C can afford to do so. At the moment it is still virtually the same size as the first generation 190 I parked it beside in the family garage.Start-up families shopping in this price bracket should consider this car. Don't do the normal thing and buy a mid-size 4x4 without first looking at one of these. Do your sums and consider cost of ownership and depreciation. Service costs, tyres and depreciation on most mid 4x4 is ludicrous especially in this price range.Quality, presence and style. More people should consider one.Verdict:  8.2/10  

That is not to say that Mercedes doesn't get it wrong occasionally - its dalliance with R-Class, is one example - but such is not the case with the new C-Class.This may be the Mercedes version of the “people's car” but this time around it has not shirked at all.The styling is sharp, the 3.0-litre 170kW V6 is both strong and smooth and the seven-speed auto appears eminently happy to be associated with it. The C-Class, in its Avantgarde guise, is stylishly fitted out with superb seats and a seriously rich feel to the general trim.Ride comfort is excellent, the suspension is compliant and offers a good balance between highway cruising and backroad bruising.Steering feel - for a Mercedes - is quite good with a nice progressive weighting. SnapshotMERCEDES-BENZ C280Price: $84,974Engine: 3.0L/V6, 170kW/300NmTransmission: 7-speed automaticEconomy: 9.6L/100km For all the latest on the carsguide Car Of The Year each week go to www.carsguide.com.au/caroftheyear

So, just what does 'sporty' mean any more? Tack a spoiler, decals and some bling rims onto the humblest Korean econo-device and the thing boasts a 'sport pack.'Honda's CR-V automatic, a vehicle from which every scintilla of driver involvement has been meticulously removed, comes in an iteration known quite without irony as 'The Sport.'It's taken as read these days that 'sport' pertains to appearance as opposed to performance in the same way most tracksuits are sold not to athletes, but the obese.With its new C-Class, however, Mercedes-Benz have taken semantics to the next level. Instead of handing down the same, conservative device for wannabe junior executives, they've done two entirely different versions. That's to say two versions whose difference is entirely visual.There's the Classic and Elegance models (ie, more traditional Merc shape and trim) and then the so-called Avantgarde models, with three-point star slapped on the grille in a manner intended to evoke Merc's, ahem, 'sportier' models.This gambit in the most popular Merc model line-up is considered necessary in order to reel back the average age of the marque's buyers. Indeed, the Avantgarde is felt to be more attractive to those under 50.This demographic had to be conquered without alienating the hugely profitable core of constituents who go for cars with the three-pointed star not because they want to get around corners quickly, but because they want everyone to see that they own a Mercedes-Benz.Certainly, this line has worked to the extent that you'd find few published reports that have not obligingly called the Avantgarde 'sportier.' One game chap managed it several times, further distorting the auto world's most misused adjective by applying it even to the instrument panel.What next, pray? A racier glovebox? A performance-enhanced 12-volt socket?We got to grips with the top of the currently available line-up, the $84,974 C280 Avantgarde. The only six-cylinder at the moment, it's chief rivals are BMW's 325i, the Lexus IS250 Sport Luxury and at a stretch, Audi's A4 3.2 FSI quattro.True, the Avantgarde does represent a marked visual departure from the Classic and Elegance models, though still obviously within the perceived idea of what a Merc should look like ... and drive like.Within, it's more spacious than the previous generation. Rear passengers are better served. Though this is the allegedly sportier version, those up front will do a good deal of sliding about on wide, unsupportive seats when cornering gets physical.Still, it'd be a rare physical specimen who couldn't find a perfect driving position with two-way adjustable wheel and a throne that adjusts seemingly endlessly. No lumbar support, though. The stop and go pedals are offset slightly to the right to accommodate the foot-activated parking brake Mercedes persists on using.Most of all, the cabin looks and feels better than before, even the plastics having been imbued with an almost tactile quality.The multimedia system is all too similar to BMW's rightly loathed i-Drive, but surpasses it for ease of use, even without the latter's recently acquired idiot buttons.At activation, a warning message flashes on the screen, which has emerged to sit atop the dash, not to allow it to distract you. It's a bit like giving a kid a loaded paintball gun for his birthday and asking him not to shoot his guests.The C-Class has all the surety of Mercs' Pro-Safe crash avoidance and safety set-ups as standard. Active measures include ESP, Adaptive Brake (ABS, EBD, EBA et al) and Pre-Safe, which readies airbags and seatbelts should on-board sensors detect an imminent bingle. A five-star NCAP rating is surely inevitable.In terms of wattage, if not Newtons (the diesel C220 CDI has a whopping 400Nm), the C280 is the most potent new C-Class to be had with its 170kW/300Nm V6.At least, it's rumoured to have an engine, for the most part, the thing is almost hybrid-quiet.Even when attempting to emulate Merc's claimed 7.2 0-100km/h sprint time, the engine's note is more refined than ferocious. Driven through the marque's seven-speed automatic transmission, a combined cycle economy figure of 9.6 litres of premium unleaded per 100km is claimed, but not likely if your right foot is heavy.Off the mark, it's handily responsive, quite able to bemuse one thrusty Commodore SV6 owner. The ride/handling compromise is markedly in favour of the former, there being no greater contrast than the absorbency and composure of the Merc's suspension on the very same roads that so rattle the BMW with its run-flat tyres.While no sports suspension option is available, the C280's inherent balance makes for predictable and accessibly enjoyable handling that can be enhanced on a winding B-road by making use of the transmission's manual mode.Driving an E350 to pick up our C280 was instructive. The impression that the latter is something of a junior E-Class comes right on home with steering that, while dead accurate, is pretty much devoid of feel.There's a good deal more body roll than with any of the more rigid rivals we list.But then Merc's remit is different. The marque's marketeers know on which side its bread is buttered — or rather on which side the sourdough is slathered in extra-virgin olive oil.There's nothing about the C280 to frighten the horses or, as we've said of the E-Class, the horsy.The difference is merely size and displacement. Of course, if it absolutely has to be a Mercedes-Benz, then nothing else will do. And the C280 will do just what you'll want. Snapshot C280 AvantgardePrice: $84,974Engine: 3.0/V6, 170kW/300NmEconomy: 9.6L/100km0-100km/h: 7.2 secondsThe rivalsAudi A4 3.2 FSI Quattro Price: $86,700Engine: 3.2L/V6, 188kW/330NmEconomy: 10.8L/100km0-100km/h: 6.9 seconds BMW 325iPrice: $76,400Engine: 2.5L inline six,160kW/250NmEconomy: 9.0L/100km0-100km/h: 7.7 seconds Lexus IS250 LuxuryPrice: $78,974Engine: 2.5L/V6, 153kW/252NmEconomy: 9.1L/100km0-100km/h: 8.8 seconds