ÃÂ With this C-class platform, Mercedes has at long last switched to rack-and-pinion steering. Just remember, before you set out to commit cornering, to punch off the electronic stability program. On the skidpad, grip measures a healthy 0. Factor in ample room for four, and what's not to like? With no door pillars to visually chop up the roofline, the hardtop convertible, as it was called originally, had the look. FuelTypeFilter selectedFuelTypeList, null ; fuelTypeFilter. The instrument cluster consists of three black-face dials, one of them devoted to the analog clock, and two vertical bar graphs. It's a snazzy look, but it feels a bit out of place for a Benz.
Address 8606 Pendleton Pike Indianapolis. Bezels surrounding the instruments and dash vents are thin enough to pass for chrome pinstripes. Odometer is 9247 miles below market average! The narrow-stroke markings are clean and precise. The 302-hp V-8 responds to the toe with a disciplined ripping sound and a serious push in the back. It's like coming across an old love who's been to all the right plastic surgeons. Our friendly and knowledgeable sales staff is here to help you find the car you deserve, priced to fit your budget.
SeatingFilter selectedSeatingList, null ; seatingFilter. NewUsedFilter selectedNewUsedList, null ; newUsedFilter. The somber, all-black interior of the test car is enlivened with gestures in burled wood and pleasingly delicate touches of chrome. Lots of Dealer Service Records. All are built on the latest C-class small sedan platform first seen in the U.
It exudes just the right degree of aural menace when the driver opens all the holes, and it looks exceptionally good whether it's in motion or at rest. I just had to take it down the. It's a graceful -- if sometimes obstinate -- cruiser. BodyTypeFilter selectedBodyTypeGroupIdList, bodyTypeGroupIdToNameMap, null ; bodyTypeFilter. WheelSystemFilter selectedWheelSystemList, null ; wheelSystemFilter.
It only begins to be a little reluctant at the outer limits, where reason erodes and red mist rises. Extreme, too, is the 5. Summer was a time for windows down. The low, 45-series front tires even lower-profile 40-series in back give right-now heading adjustments. This car looks, feels, sounds and drives like it should be 50 or a hundred grand.
At least respond by saying the price is not negotiable. The price is no help, either; at 53 grand, it lets in too many competitors with pedigrees, such as the Audi A6 4. DealRatingFilter selectedRatingList, null ; ratingFilter. We believe fair prices, superior service, and treating customers right leads to satisfied repeat buyers. The five-speed automatic presents you with the most perfectly simple manumatic shifter yet invented. The suspension quickly forgets the bumps so there is none of that floaty, where's-this-going-to-settle-out feeling after impact. The fun peters out with a short scrub of the tires.
And maybe this last complaint is a comment on the way some of us fidget around while stopped at reds, but we found that an adult male's left knee often contacts the door-mounted seat buttons, nudging the driver's bucket into a new position. Mercedes is known for its stern approach to luxury, the polar opposite of Lexus plushness. It has adult-size space in back, and only modest gymnastic talents are required to crawl back there. And you can go very quickly with no audible protest from the tires. Once you've got this Benz in D, a tug leftward on the lever gets you a downshift, a nudge to the right changes up.
It's pitiful, because the rest of the car is elegant. Those who drive through dark country nights will find the dials don't dim nearly enough. That was in part to improve the crash crushability of the front structure. On the downside, the styling feels overwrought. Back on those long-ago summer nights, this Benz would have shown its taillights to all the bad boys on the blacktop and had the girls paying for rides.