Mercedes C200 2007 Review

With the new C-Class Mercedes on the road, the baby Benz is finally good enough to go head-to-head with the benchmark BMW 3 Series and win without any silver-star badge advantage.

It tops everything from the Alfa 159 through to the Audi A4, the Saab 9-3 and Volvo S40.

The C-Class's improvements start at the bottom, which means the C200K is as good in the basics as the rest of the family and it opens the door for an affordable $56,990.

The latest C is all-new, which means a new look, new cabin, upgraded and refocused suspension and all the rest. The styling is edgy and pert, much like a scaled-down S-Class, but also with the sort of youth-focused fender shapes and dash design that should work for younger buyers. Even the seats have more shape and support than the old-fogey armchairs in bigger Benzes.

The cabin is different, from the shape of the steering wheel to the small roller wheel controlling the sound system (in BMW iDrive-style) and other minor functions.

Even the dash and dials are different, but there is still the solid style you expect from a Mercedes.

Australia has seen only the four-door C this year, but the wagon is coming next year with the promise of more practicality and another alternative to the 3 Series.

The range runs from the C200K, with a 1.8-litre supercharged engine, to the C220 diesel and the 3.0-litre 280 from $84,974. It's a good spread and it covers the engine choices, but obviously there will be more in future, and not only the wagon and C63.

The baby Benz should make the cut for the Car Of The Year competition, because it is one of the most important newcomers for Mercedes since the original compact 190E in the 1990s. And it finally has the youthful feel that has been missing from silver star baby cars. The C-Class is a surprisingly sporty drive, which is definitely a big change from earlier Mercedes-Benz compacts, even with the 1.8-litre starter engine. It feels light and nimble, nicely responsive in the engine room, yet still sits on the road the way you expect a Benz to do. So it is solid, but not dowdy.

The C200K test car got along well, with solid torque from the bottom of the rev range, and economy was excellent. The trip computer showed fuel use of less than 7L/100km on highway cruising and an average of 9.4L/100km, good for the car and its class.

The engine is not the sweetest we have driven, and definitely not a match for a BMW six, but it does the job. The automatic transmission is as smooth and effective as anything in the class, though it would be nicer with steering-wheel paddles.

The suspension is jiggly on some broken surfaces, but generally does the job without fuss. The car feels light to handle, even encourages you to have fun on twisty roads.

It responds well to the wheel, though not as sharply as a 3 Series, and is nicely balanced in corners.

The brake assistance, however, is overdone and it is easy to make a jerky stop or get too much braking if you are trying for smooth slowing. Benz needs to wind it back a bit.

The sound controls are too complicated for easy use on the go, despite the Command system controller. The interior finish also looks on the cheap side, with too much hard black plastic. It is not what is expected from a Benz, with the dash top dragging down the improvements in the dials and wheel and console design.

It would also be good to have some cup-holders that pop out from the dash, instead of just an open hole in the console. But really, those are just little niggles in a car that is very good.

The test car was equipped with extra gear, which raised its price to $62,690, but the basics are all the same and impressive nevertheless.