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What's the difference?
When it comes to choosing a family car, sedans are often overlooked for their long-legged wagon or beefy SUV cousins.
They're a bit of a forgotten hero but they'll always hold a piece of my heart for their practicality and (often) sexier kerb-side appeal.
If you can get used to your body cracking like a glow stick when you get in and out of them, the sedan may make a comeback!
The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, in entry-level C200 form, has definitely tempted my family to consider a sedan in the future – it looks stately and refined but the driving experience also makes it fun.
Let's see what else it did right and if there was anything that could be improved.
Did I mention, I'm fond of sedans... ?
It's a question only a relative few have the opportunity to answer for real. How much Porsche 911 is enough?
Faced with myriad options through Carrera, Turbo and GT models, where does your satisfaction threshold lie?
Well, I've just confirmed mine with the subject of this review, the 911 Carrera T.
Closer to the entry-point to the line-up than the top shelf, it's a lightened, tweaked, yet every-day driveable version of this iconic sports car.
The 'T' stands for Touring, a designation first applied to the 911 in 1968, and experiencing a rebirth with the previous 991 series of the car, as well as the current Macan.
We spent a week exploring its form and function, so, read on to see if this could be your Porsche 911 sweet spot.
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class C200 is such a stylish sedan and I would totally have one. The driving performance, luxurious features and practical size made it a winning combo for my family. The price point is definitely up there but you do get a high-end build for the cash. I've seen bigger boots in other sedans and not being able to fit a third child seat will limit some families, but this still easily earns an 8.5/10 from me.
My son really loved this one. The ambient lighting was the highlight for him and he thought it looked like a "space car" inside. He gave it a 9/10.
In describing this 911, Porsche talks about the 'T-feeling'. It should be light and agile, delivering fun, driving pleasure, yet still suitable for everyday use.
Sure, the safety could be better and the warranty lags the market, but that stuff fades into the background when the T feeling takes over. What a great car!
The C200 is a sleek and elegant steed.
Initially, you may think this is just a standard Merc showcase. There's the nice big badge on the pronounced nose. Beautiful sleek lines in the body... but it's the attention to detail that make this feel special.
There's a repeated badge motif in the grille and a cute cursive Mercedes logo tucked into the corner of the windscreen. The puddle lights on the doors project the badge at night time and you can often spot a badge etched into the LED lights.
However, it's the interior that's the highlight for me and I feel like it's a big step up from previous models I've been in.
Our model has the grey 'Artico' synthetic leather trim (says grey but it's really white) and a lovely mix of piano black and shiny chrome inserts that are set against soft touchpoints throughout.
The quality of the build oozes through every stitch and join. Don't even get me started on the cool customisable ambient lighting system inside, which makes this feel like you're on the set of Tron and really elevates the interior.
It's quite fun to build one of these in Mercedes' online configurator. You can customise your trims to make it feel like your own and their blue paintwork options are great (I do love a blue car).
One of the most recognisable profiles in the automotive world, the 911 has evolved and grown over time but there's no mistaking it for anything other than Zuffenhausen's finest.
For the record, the current '992' 911 is a whopping 367mm longer, 242mm wider and 30mm lower than the 1963 original. And the majority of models share the same (1852mm) wide-body look, the Turbo and GT3 RS broadening that to 1900mm.
Multiple solid and metallic colours are available at no extra cost, three of which are exclusive to the Carrera T, but if you like our test car's 'striking' 'Python Green' finish, it'll set you back an extra $5700.
Car-spotters on the lookout for the Carrera T will need to tick off 'Agate Grey' accents on the tail-light grille, badging and mirror housings as well as a grey top tint windscreen, specific side graphics and Carrera S wheels in 'Titanium Grey'.
The cabin in our test car also has also been optionally upgraded with the 'Carrera T Interior Package' ($4120), which adds extra leather trim as well as coloured seat belts and contrast stitching.
Our car has also picked up the 'Adaptive Sports Seats' ($5510). Subjective call, of course, but I love the dark cloth seat inserts with tiny flecks of green. It's Porsche retro-cool, but somehow contemporary at the same time. Beautiful.
And the five-dial instrument cluster under a gently curved cowl is a 911 design signature, although the central tachometer is now flanked by twin 7.0-inch, configurable displays.
Ergonomically and aesthetically, this layout is hard to fault.
I'm not going to lie – there are sedans out there that have an almost limo-like space inside but the C200 isn't one of them.
It's not small by any means and all occupants enjoy the comforts of decent legroom and headroom but it's not cavernous considering the specs (1437mm high/1820mm wide/4751mm long).
The optional panoramic sunroof does cut into the headroom for back seat passengers, which is something to consider if your family is very tall.
The storage is maybe a tad leaner-than-average for a car of this size. The glove box and middle console aren't massive but will suffice.
The cupholders up front can be removed if you need extra storage space for larger items and back seat passengers enjoy retractable cupholders in the armrest.
The way the front doors curve out creates a larger than normal storage bin and drink bottle holder – which help make up the difference. There is a dedicated phone pocket, to tuck it out of the way.
The boot space is 455 litres (VDA), which isn't as large as some others on the market but it was plenty big enough for my family's needs.
There's a handy under-floor storage pocket for smaller items, like the puncture repair kit, because you don't get a spare tyre in this.
When it comes to ease of use, my six-year-old loved not needing my help to get into his seat and he still enjoyed a decent view out of the wide back window.
The amenities in each row are good but not class-defining. Still, creature comforts have be well-thought through.
Front occupants enjoy heated seats and fantastic lumbar and under thigh support. Dual-zone climate control sorts out the temp, and the cool circular air vents that make loud audible 'clicks' when manoeuvred give the interior a jet cockpit vibe.
While I've never had an issue opening or closing a sedan boot, the powered lid was a nice feature to have this week.
The tech throughout is great and intuitive to use. The massive 11.9-inch touchscreen multimedia system is cool and is easy to use once you become acclimatised to Mercedes system.
The customisable digital instrument panel makes the driving experiences feel individualised.
The interior is a chilled out space with gentle scrolling touchpads taking the place of most 'push' buttons and dials.
Think of each surface as being a bit like a touchscreen tablet in how you operate it. I was a little worried the touchpads would be laggy but they're very responsive.
There's only one USB port in the whole car, which limits charging for other passengers but I did enjoy the easy connectivity of the wireless Apple CarPlay.
The electric heated front seats are a nice touch but I was amused by the 'kinetic' function on both. It's what you might call a 'massage' function on another car but here they don't really work. It's best to think of them as a way to do some (very) gentle stretching on a long trip.
The 360-degree camera view is super clear and crisp but the dynamic guidelines (which tilt the camera angle) are a bit too dynamic for my liking and I relied mostly on the bird's eye view to park.
As I've mentioned, the ambient lighting system creates a stellar atmosphere inside. I've often wondered why other car manufacturers haven't jumped on that bandwagon because it's a relatively cheap way of creating wow factor. And it generates massive wow factor in here.
Even though the current 911 dwarfs the original '901' series of sixty years ago, it's still aimed primarily at accommodating the driver and front passenger, with '+2' rear seating a handy addition for kids, or adults in short trip emergencies.
In other markets, the addition of the rear seats is a no-cost option, whereas here they're the default fitment and removing them is the zero-dollar choice. Which makes sense because they add significantly to the car's usability.
Either way, a sports car of this type is never going to be SUV practical. However, when you look at it in the context of the Carrera T's competitors, this 911 does pretty well.
It feels appropriately snug inside, yet there's more than enough breathing space in the front and a liveable distance between driver and passenger.
For storage there are two slim compartments in each door, with a cavity for bottles, as well as a cupholder in the centre console and another pop-out holder in the dash on the passenger side.
As in most 911s, you can swap the centre console cupholder out with a small oddments tray insert which is a nifty piece of practical thinking.
There's also a modest glove box, a shallow lidded compartment between the seats and clothes hooks on the front seat backrests.
Connectivity and power options run to a pair of USB-C ports in the centre console box and a 12-volt outlet in the passenger footwell. Nothing in the back, which isn't a big surprise.
And the 132-litre boot is the only substantial cargo space, with enough room for several soft bags or a medium suitcase… even a mid-week grocery top-up.
Luggage-type storage inside the car is helped by the rear seat backs folding down to create a level platform.
But bear in mind there's no spare. A can of sealant and air compressor are on board instead.
Herein lies the rub. There are four models for the C-Class sedan and ours is at the bottom of the pack.
But don't let its position fool you in thinking it'll be cheap because this model starts at $78,900... and that's before you start adding the option packs.
Our model is fitted with the 'Vision Package' which adds a host of features – like a panoramic sunroof, head-up display and heated front seats, to name just a few. This adds about $3000 to the price tag.
This also has the optional 'Sport Package' which adds 19-inch AMG alloy wheels and rear privacy glass, among other things, for an extra $1300.
Unfortunately, even without all of those options, this is still one of the most expensive 'entry-level' sedans in the luxury class!
We might be at the lower end of the 911 price spectrum, but cost-of-entry for the Carrera T is still north of $300K ($300,700 before on-road costs).
At that money there are some tasty alternatives circulating in the same price pool, like the BMW M850i xDrive Coupe ($298,100), Jaguar F-Type R ($283,020) and Mercedes-AMG GT Night Edition ($294,077), but the Carrera T stands up well in terms of included features.
On top of the performance and safety tech we'll get to shortly, standard equipment includes dual-zone climate control, 570-watt Bose surround sound audio, 'Porsche Communication Management' (PCM) including 'Online Navigation' (with voice control), 'Porsche Connect' with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and digital radio as well as four-way electric heated front seats and a heated leather-trimmed steering wheel.
There's also auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors (the latter electrically-folding), auto rain-sensing wipers, a 10.9-inch multimedia touchscreen display, twin 7.0-inch configurable instrument screens, metallic paint, Carrera S alloy wheels (20”/21” up from 19”/20”) and LED matrix headlights. The combination of adaptive cruise control and AEB is a no-cost option on the dual-clutch auto version.
Overall, it's a nice balance between creature comforts and this car's focus on a pure driving experience.
The C200 has a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine with an integrated starter-generator.
What's that, you ask? So, glad you did. It's basically an electric battery that also acts as your starter... or alternator.
It smooths out vibrations from the engine and generates some power from braking. Making this a very mild hybrid. Note the 'mild'.
Is it powerful? Surprisingly, yeah. It has a maximum output of 165kW and 300Nm of torque. Combine that with the starter-generator and we have a powerful little engine that can push the C200 from 0-100km in 7.3 seconds, while still feeling like there's power in reserve.
The nine-speed auto transmission is damn smooth and there's no clunky gear changing at any speed. It's got great pick-up, too, for when you need to overtake or zip across traffic.
One of the saddest things about recent 911s is the fact that when you open the cover you can't see the engine unless you decide to break out the spanners and remove everything that's hiding it.
If you did, you'd reveal a 3.0-litre, all-alloy, dry-sumped, twin-turbo flat six-cylinder engine which remains unchanged from the entry Carrera model.
Featuring direct-injection and variable valve control, it sends more than 280kW (380hp) and 450Nm (from 1950-5000rpm) to the rear wheels through a seven-speed manual gearbox, or in this case, the no-cost optional eight-speed dual-clutch auto.
Suffice it to say, in a car weighing less than 1.5 tonnes, that's plenty of propulsion, and even though an engine hanging over the rear axle remains a peculiar 911 throwback, the white-coated boffins in Stuttgart continue to make it work brilliantly well.
The official combined cycle fuel figure is 6.9L/100km. Real world testing saw my figure at 7.2L, which was awesome for the heavy driving I did this week on a combo of urban and open-roads.
The light regen braking probably helps this coast comfortably into being a very efficient sedan for its size.
Minimum fuel requirement is 95 RON premium unleaded and you'll need 66 litres of it to fill the tank.
Driving range using the official consumption figure is around 950km, and 915km using our real-world number.
Porsche's official fuel economy number for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 10.8L/100km for the dual-clutch auto as tested, the 3.0-litre twin-turbo six emitting 246g/km of CO2 in the process.
During a week of city, suburban and some at times enthusiastic highway running, we averaged 15.0L/100km (at the pump), while the car's onboard computer indicated 16.1L/100km, which isn't out of line with the super- and turbo-charged V8s this car competes with.
Minimum fuel requirement is 98 RON 'premium' unleaded and you'll need 64 litres of it to fill the tank.
Using the official number, that translates to a driving range of around 590km, which drops to roughly 430km using our real-world figure.
The steering feels solid and concise. The tyres seem like they're glued to the road, making winding roads downright fun to tackle. Oh, and the sharp 11 metre turning circle is wonderful.
The handling makes this your best friend in a car park. The lower ground clearance did elicit some unladylike grunts when I parked on a hill, but otherwise the wide door apertures makes it easy to get in and out of.
The only thing I would note is the low-profile ground clearance. Just be aware of your speed and angle when you handle car park ramps or road bumps in this. They are not your friends.
At 1470kg the 911 Carrera T is 35kg lighter than the entry-level car it's based on, thanks largely to reduced sound insulation, lightweight glazing and a more compact battery.
Yes, the rear seats are fitted to our test example, which sends the scales back up a bit, but the reduced sound deadening still raises the standard sports exhaust's glorious rumble through the cabin.
Porsche claims 0-100km/h in 4.0 seconds for the auto and 4.5s for the seven-speed manual. Yep, it's quick!
Peak torque (450Nm) is on hand from 1950-5000rpm, which means there's always substantial mid-range punch available, with the dual-clutch auto's eight ratios also helping to keep things on the boil.
I love a manual gearbox as much as the next person, but this dual-clutch is ultra fast yet refined with the wheel-mounted paddles adding to the fun.
The 'Driving Mode' dial on the steering wheel enables selection of 'Normal', 'Sport', 'Sport Plus' and 'Individual' modes, with each selection displayed in the instrument cluster.
And given the 'Sport Chrono Package' is standard the 'Sport Response' button in the centre of that mode dial acts like a push-to-pass function, delivering a 20-second burst of maximum performance response from the engine and transmission.
Suspension is by struts at the front and multi-links at the rear, with ride height dropped by 10mm and the standard 'Porsche Active Suspension Management' (PASM) system able to adjust the dampers through 'Normal' and 'Sport' modes.
Ride comfort is harsh, even in the most comfort-focused setting, but that kind of goes with the Carrera T territory.
The steering is pretty much perfection. Precise and accurate, with amazing road feel, it allows the old 'think your way through corners' syndrome.
Speaking of which, this car chews up and spits out twisting B-roads without a hint of drama. The front end sticks and refuses to let go, the big 305 rear rubber following suit.
It remains resolutely planted, balanced and adjustable on the throttle, the standard torque vectoring set-up and locking diff turning go-fast wannabes into bonafide apex predators.
Standard rubber is Z-rated Goodyear Eagle F1 (245/35x20 fr - 305/30x21 rr) which is 10mm wider than the already generously shod 911 Carrera.
Braking is suitably beefy with 330mm ventilated and cross-drilled rotors all around clamped by four-piston aluminium monobloc fixed calipers front and rear.
We got the bit between our teeth at various stages of this test and can confirm the brakes are able to wash off speed rapidly and consistently with a reassuringly firm yet progressive pedal.
Under the heading of miscellaneous observations, the optional 18-way adjustable Adaptive Sports Seats fitted to the test car are brilliant. Comfortable for cruising, they can be dialled up to King Kong levels of grip when required.
A super useful feature is the ability to adjust the passenger seat with the driver's seat controls. So convenient for setting things back to normal after the co-pilot has cranked forward to accommodate a rear seat passenger.
The GT sport steering wheel is just right in terms of its diameter and grippiness and the overhead 'Surround View' function helps when manoeuvring a low and wide-hipped car like this one.
The safety sheet is well-stocked and has the usual suspects you want in a family car, like: AEB with car, pedestrian, cyclist and junction turning assist (effective speed 7.0-90km/h); forward and back-over collision warning, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning and emergency lane keeping assist, as well as, blind-spot monitoring.
I quite like the 'Active Distance Assist' which helps to automatically slow your vehicle speed to keep a set distance to the car in front in stop-start traffic.
Perfect for those busy city commutes. And if you're not confident on parking, this also has a 'Park Assist' feature.
It's nice to see that this has nine airbags, which include a driver's knee airbag and the newer front centre airbag.
This has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating which is nice and new from testing done in 2022.
There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard rear seats and three top tether anchor points but because of the narrower rear seat, you'll only comfortably fit two side-by-side.
It was super easy to fit my seats and there's a good amount of room for front passengers when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed.
Although it hasn't been assessed by ANCAP, it's safe to say the 911 isn't at the leading edge in terms of active safety.
There's 'Lane-Change Assist', which is effectively Porsche's take on blind-spot monitoring, the combination of adaptive cruise control and AEB is a (no-cost) option on the dual-clutch auto version only, and tyre pressure monitoring is included. But common features like lane departure warning and rear cross-traffic alert are missing in action.
That said, in wet conditions the 911 will prompt the driver to engage the aptly named 'Wet Mode', which lowers the activation threshold of the ABS, stability and traction control systems, softens drivetrain response, and to improve stability, the degree of diff locking is reduced and the rear wing raises to its maximum position.
If a crash is unavoidable, the airbag count is six - dual front, dual side (thorax) and side head airbags for the driver and front passenger.
There are ISOFIX anchor points for baby capsules or child seats in the two rear positions.
The C200 comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is standard for the market.
There are multiple servicing options and on the five-year plan, the services average $1090 annually, which is quite expensive.
Servicing intervals are pretty good at every 12 months or a longer than usual 25,000km, whichever comes first.
Porsche's three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty is off the pace now, although the paint is covered for the same period, and a 12-year (unlimited km) anti-corrosion warranty is also included.
'Porsche Roadside Assist' provides 24/7 coverage for the life of the warranty, and after the warranty runs out is renewed for 12 months every time the vehicle is serviced at an authorised Porsche dealer.
The main service interval is 12 months/15,000km but no capped-price servicing is available, with final costs determined at the dealer level (in line with variable labour rates by state or territory).