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| 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic Sport |
With the economic crisis hurdling down on us, its hard for most of us to achieve our dream and buy that fancy luxury you've wanted since you were a kid. However, Mercedes-Benz, which is always two steps ahead of everything, came to the rescue with this rather peppy luxury-sports sedan. From the face of it, the C-Class does look rather pretty. It has some facial features similar to that of the S-Class. It might not have as much features as the S-Class, but you can have its face and a lot of other things for a whole lot less.
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| City Cruising |
First off, there's the engine, which is 3.0-liter V6 producing 228 horsepower. It doesn't sound like much, but it means something to this car. You can get the engine connected to a 6-speed manual transmission (Standard) or a 7-speed automatic transmission (Available on rear-wheel drive models, standard on 4Matic models) which will get the car from 0 to 60 MPH in less than 6 seconds. That's pretty quick for quite a small luxury car. It weighs just 1.5 tons so it should feel light when driving it. And thanks to its lightness and non-powerful engine, the car will do an EPA estimated 22 MPG, which makes it very good when saving money on fuel.
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| Red Hot! |
As a city cruiser, the ride is very comfortable and rather cozy for a cheap luxury car. In comfort mode, the suspension is softened up and helps remove all the nasty bumps and jolts that you might come across if you're strolling a place like Manhattan. I tested out its suspension in a very bumpy place in New Jersey known as Plainfield. It was surprisingly soft, although it isn't recommended that you drive one like an idiot, which I saw one person do the other day. I don't have a picture to show you what he did to his C-Class, but let's just say don't think you're car is invincible, because it isn't. Anyway, the ride is very comfortable on very harsh roads, and that includes snowy roads like the ones we've received a few days ago.
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| Speedy Getaway |
As for handling, that was very surprising as well. Since this car is very light and has the power directed to all four wheels, expect to make turns on a dime. Truthfully speaking, this car has the ability of out-gripping a BMW 328i X-Drive, which is also very good. In sport mode, the suspension is stiffer and throttle responses are sharper if you want to do some sporty driving. I tested this mode out on some very windy roads in Franklin (yes, there are some windy roads there). The car feels very light and in the same way, very composed. I was making sharp turns at 60 MPH; no understeer or oversteer at all. It's so fast and so grippy, it literally made me sick. My stomach was doing well. I was rushed to the hospital. My leg still hurts from fainting. That's how sick this car is. It wasn't a pleasant sick, but it was a good sick.
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| Picturesque Moment |
So, price-wise, this is car is 70% affordable. You can get the new C-Class now with 4Matic All-Wheel Drive, Satellite Navigation, Sirius Satellite Radio, COMAND System, iPod Integration, 6GB Hard Drive, Enhanced Voice Control, Heated Front Seats, and over 100 more features for just $42,600. Now, that does sound like a lot, but compared to its rival, the BMW 328i X-Drive M Sport, you can get all of this for $47,650, more than $5,000 more than this one. So, price-wise, the new C-Class is the perfect buy in this economic crisis. You'll be able to feel luxurious and somewhat sick at the same time.
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