2007 Mercedes-Benz C350 Reviews

Mercedes-Benz has just launched an all-new C-Class model, so there's a good chance many owners of older models will be trading up. Meaning there could be a glut of used C-Class in Australia, giving you the chance to select between the many on offer, as well as the opportunity to select from the best of them. 

The small-medium Mercedes-Benz C-Class, while costing significantly more than many cars in its class, is becoming increasingly affordable by the standards of the prestige car market.Though it has been built down to a price when compared with upper crust Mercedes models, the price trimming has been done intelligently and you still get a car that’s well built and uses good quality materials.The C-Class is sold as a three-door coupe, a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon body. Coupes from 2008 to 2011 were called the CLC-Class in an attempt to give them a sportier image. That didn’t seem to work and with the new model of 2011 the C-Class coupe name was revised.This is a rear-wheel-drive car so those travelling in the back seats of sedans and wagons will find themselves a little squeezed unless the front seats are moved forward a notch or two. This situation has improved over the years as the C-Class cars have become slightly larger, but it’s still smart to take the family along during your pre-purchase road test to make sure it suits them.Boot space is good and the big bootlid in the sedans makes it easy to load. The wagon is of the stylish school, with a sloping tailgate that robs the load area of some cubic capacity.Naturally the back seats and boots of the coupes are on the cramped side, but that’s par for the course.Few cars come with such a staggering range of engines as the Mercedes C-Class. Four, six and eight-cylinder engines are offered. The latest petrol engines have direct petrol injection and are significantly better than the older units in terms of performance consumption and emissions. Look for the letters CGI in the car’s title, indicting the new-generation engines. The name Kompressor in the car’s title means it has a supercharged engine to provide extra torque. Later units use a turbocharger rather than a supercharger.The hot AMG models use the V8s and have tremendous performance, but this comes at a cost in high fuel consumption.Mercedes-Benz C-Class with turbo-diesel engines have been sold for many years, long before they became common in other European marques. They have either four or six cylinders. The newer diesels (look for CDI on the badge) are a big advance on the older diesel in smoothness and refinement and once the car is cruising at a steady speed we defy you to pick them from petrol powerplants.The great majority of C-Class Mercedes-Benzes will have an automatic transmission, though you will find some four-cylinders cars have a five-speed manual gearbox, they may cause real hassles at resale time.Luxury levels are Classic, Elegance, Avantgarde and Sport. The latter has firmer suspension for better road feel and will make a nice car for the enthusiastic driver.Spare parts, servicing and repairs are all expensive for a car of this size, but certainly not for a machine with the high prestige rating the Benz affords you. Insurance costs are generally reasonable for a car in this class.It pays to buy a used Mercedes-Benz which has been serviced throughout its life by an authorised dealer. Their mechanics are not only trained to high standards, but are in constant touch with the factory. A car with a full service history will almost invariably command a higher price but be sure the service books are genuine.Mercedes-Benz Australia offers a good used-car scheme on cars up to five years of age. The length of the warranty varies according to the workshop’s assessment of the car.WHAT TO LOOK FORBe sure the steering is positive with no unnecessary free play in the straight-ahead position. There were some problems with the early version of the Brake Assist System (BAS). These should have been rectified by a dealer after a recall. Contact the dealer or Mercedes’ head office to see if this work has been done.Do a visual check of the car inside and out for signs of damage or worse-than-average wear. Pay particular attention to the bumper-bar corners for signs of paint scrapes. Also have a good look at the condition of the seats.Always call an expert for the final say no matter how good the Mercedes appears to be after your own inspection. Either use a mechanic formally trained on Mercedes or a senior inspector from your motoring association. Noisy engines, or units that are slow to start may be about to rack up an expensive repair.CAR BUYING TIPIf you’re considering getting an old prestige car rather than a new, but somewhat mundane, car make sure your budget is up to the task of supporting the higher running costs of the upmarket machine. 

Few if any other European manufacturers have been bold enough to put forward a diesel as their range topper in the small/medium class. But taking a drive in the C320 vindicates Mercedes' decision because the car is simply superb to drive and uses minimal fuel into the bargain.A C350, 3.5-litre V6 petrol variant is available overseas but realistically, it is unnecessary in the face of the smooth and powerful diesel V6 model. We have seen this engine before in other Mercedes vehicles and it works well in all. That's partly due to a prodigious 510Nm torque output, which is on par with a large capacity V8 petrol engine. Even better is the fact that all this grunt is available in the Benz from just off idle speed.Maximum power is a creditable 165kW and along the way to delivering this hefty whack of power and torque, the 3.0-litre turbo diesel sips a frugal 7.4-litres/100km.In pure performance terms, the C320 is no slouch putting away a 0-100kmh sprint in 6.9 seconds.Drive is to the rear wheels via a seven speed automatic transmission that offers sequential change mode side-to-side on the gearstick. A button shift on the steering wheel is optional.Priced from $92,800, the C320 is well specified for the money offering Pre-safe crash protection, eight air bags and Electronic Stability Program (ESP), three zone climate control and variable suspension called Agility Control as standard.A comprehensive list of options is available including an exceptional audio system with a four gigabyte music server on which owners can save a large selection of music.On the road, the C320 shines in all environments but especially when touring country backroads where the bumps and rough stuff are ironed out like they don't exist. Long distance touring is enhanced due to the smooth, silent engine and superb throttle response.Overtaking is achieved in a blink and cruising at high speed registers a mere 2000rpm on the tachometer.In practical terms, the C320 has the same tight turning circle as all C-Class models, a large boot with full size spare underfloor, seats for five in the roomy interior and easy to operate controls housed in a stylish dash.Mercedes offers the C320 in the sporty Avantgarde spec' as well as the Elegance model. Avantgarde has been a runaway hit with new C-Class buyers.Coinciding with the C320's arrival is the new ML500, a brutally quick luxury Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) powered by a 285kW/530Nm, 5.5-litre V8 petrol engine. The previous ML500 had a 'mere' 5.0-litre V8.Weighing in at a well-grounded 2310kg, which doesn't affect the ML's performance out of the blocks where it puts away a 0-100kmh sprint in 5.8 seconds. And this is without gobbling large amounts of fuel. It will deliver an average of 12.9 litres /100km with normal steady driving.Transmission is a seven speed auto with sequential shift. A permanent all wheel drive 4Matic system apportions power to the wheels with most traction. Air suspension controls ride and handling and the ML500 is equipped with a wide range of practical and luxury goodies. And  in case you were wondering, yes, it will comfortably go off road; though why you'd want to take a $120,874 SUV bush bashing is beyond us.

Those buyers will confirm that this is a very impressive compact sedan that now drives on a different road to its rivals at BMW and Audi. In fact, it doesn't even follow the same path as its highly successful though rather uninspiring predecessor.Now the C-Class has muscle for performance, handling that comes up to the hurdle set by BMW, quality to match Audi and yet it also manages to go on its own way by being refreshingly uncomplicated.Compared with its main German rivals, the C-Class — available here in July — has lighter steering feel but morphs quickly into a taut, precise machine through the corners.The ride is plush and compliant for general driving, though body roll is tightly controlled.On a sunny day in Spain last week, only the C350 petrol and C320 diesel were on offer for a drive. Impressive as the V6 350 is, it falls in the shadow of the diesel. Mated to a seven-speed automatic, the diesel pumps out an impressive 510Nm of torque to wonderful effect.Like a locomotive that has lost its rails, the diesel's mid-range delivery is so strong that the gearbox is often reluctant to downchange. All this and a 0-100km/h time of 7.7sec and 9.1-litres/100km when driven hard.And just to add to the experience, it remained rock solid on the Spanish roads and allowed for quiet conversation between occupants at speeds of 200km/h.Mercedes states this new model is "destined to take the lead in its segment" and has placed emphasis on an ergonomic cabin to create an "impressive first impression".In practice, it is very user friendly and immediately feels compatible with its driver.The dashboard style is simple and uncluttered as Mercedes hides its layers of convenience — ventilation, audio, satnav and communication — within a central command button, steering-wheel buttons and, of course, a voice-activated system.Despite the breadth of functions, the system is child's play to use and trounces the complexity of BMW's iDrive.Clearly, there's a lot of the technology from the car's big-sister S-Class at work here.The C-Class is clearly a Mercedes in styling and could be initially forgiven for resembling the old model. But put the old and new together, however, and the difference is dramatic. The new car gets a higher and more vertical grille for improved pedestrian collision safety, while the boot is neatly tapered without a lip spoiler.To achieve this remarkably low 0.27 co-efficient of drag (Cd), Mercedes employs vents in the tail lights to create a neutral air-pressure zone behind the car.Interesting is the choice of two C-Classes. There is one C-Class sedan but by changing the nose, Mercedes has come up with two distinctive models aimed at different buyers.The Avantgarde version has the Mercedes three-pointed star within the grille; the Classic and Elegance models have the trademark star atop the bonnet edge.Mercedes believes younger, more sports-oriented buyers will opt for the Avantgarde while older, more conservative buyers will probably be lured to the Classic or Elegance.Subjectively, the Avantgarde looks better. Meaner, more dynamic and, yes, more sporty.That aside, the difference between the C-Class versions is pretty much negligible.The sedan is marginally longer than the outgoing C-Class but because it rides on a wider track and a stretched wheelbase, it travels with E-Class ease and comfort. In fact there is a lot of E-Class in this smaller car — so much so that some buyers may be lured to consider downsizing in the Mercedes ladder. Pricing and specification levels for theAustralian market have yet to be confirmed. However, the European cars will sell for practically the same as the outgoing model, despite having more up-to-date features.Engines have been retuned to deliver up to 13 per cent more power and 6 per cent less emissions. Most will have the seven-speed automatic though there's the option of a six-speed manual gearbox. The new C-Class model will be built in German factories.All variants get seven airbags, adaptive braking, adaptive brake lights that flash rapidly when braking hard, auto headlights and wipers and dual-zone climatic airconditioning. Cabin options include infotainment system with Bluetooth, 175mm colour display for TV/sat-nav and computer, voice-control that accepts spoken words, and an iPod/MP3 plug-in server with a 4Gig memory.