Mercedes-Benz C200 Kompressor 2005 Review

He'd been talking about buying a new car for so long that we were beginning to think it was just that – talk.

Then one Monday morning he turned up and revealed that he'd finally done it, splurging on a C Class sedan for himself and the little lady.

Bet you he's kicking himself now that he didn't wait a bit longer for the the special sport edition.

It's one sharp looking piece of machinery.

The C200 Kompressor is powered by a superhcarged 1.8-litre four cylinder engine that develops 120kW of power and 240Nm of torque.

It's not the most powerful four around, but does provide an excellent combination of power and economy.

The engine is hooked up to a sequential five- speed automatic tranismission that allows the driver to change gears manually if desired.

The Sport edition is available only in black or silver.

Available as a sedan, coupe and station wagon, our test car was the sedan finished in gleaming metallic silver.

The highlight of the car is by far and away the AMG body kit and chunky 17 inch alloys wheels – 225/45s on the front and deeper dish 245/40s down on the back.

It also gets sports suspension, larger perforated front discs and brake callipers with silver Benz lettering

Accentuating the the sporty look is a silver radiator grille, chromed tailpipes, body coloured door handles and high powered bi- xenon headlights with headlamp cleaning system.

The sport edition looks the goods and while you might argue it could do with a little more power, there's plenty of other models from which to chose in that case.

We found it a little doughy to start with but quickly discovered the car responds rapdily to mood changes, happy to lounge around in `D' or whip through the gears fairly briskly in manual mode.

Inside, the trim is a classy combo of metal and dark shades.

There's a three-spoke leather steering wheel with thumbrests, steering wheel mounted gearshift buttons, sports seats for driver and front passenger, ergonomically shaped silver gearshift knob and pedals with black rubber studs.

High-quality, special-design aluminium trim on the centre console and distinctively syled silver instrument dials also catch the eye.

Black floor mats with silver edging and Sport Edition logo are also included.

Sedan and wagons also get a glass sunroof.

The Mercedes-Benz C200 Kompressor sport edition is is priced from $73,500.