Mercedes Raises the Standard for Affordable Luxury
Audio: 8.5/10
Ergonomics: 8/10
Intended to snare more youthful drivers away from other luxury makes, the new C350 Sport departs from the staid C-Class image while retaining all the high-end features one would expect from Mercedes. With the new AMG-inspired styling, a wider track, prominent shoulder lines and staggered-width, plus 17" six-spoke wheels, the C350 has a broader, taut look. On top of that, the sport shocks and springs lower the stance by more than a 0.5". A meaner profile is just the beginning of what this suspension offers. The special package also results in a crisper ride due to stiffer springs and stabilizer bars. Sport Mode provides faster throttle response and quicker steering. Also in Sport Mode, the seven-speed automatic transmission will shift at higher engine speeds for faster shifts, as well as skip up to three gear ratios while downshifting for quicker acceleration. For hands-on types, the touch shift feature lets drivers manually select a gear.
Underhood, the 3.5L V-6 features variable valve timing and puts out 268 hp with 258 lb-ft of torque. But don't worry about all that power throwing noise into the cabin. The dual exhaust system features five mufflers. With two in the front and two in the back, the added center muffler smoothes exhaust pulsations and reduces noise.
What one should hear in the cabin is the optional 450-watt Harman/Kardon Logic7 Dolby Digital/DTS 5.1 discrete multichannel surround sound system (standard equipment is a 100-watt Audio 20 system, which includes eight speakers, a CD slot, telephone keypad with Bluetooth interface and an MP3 plug in the climate-controlled glove box). Our test car had the Logic7 system with its two surround sound speakers and a subwoofer plus nine other speakers for a total of 12.
We enjoyed the C350 Sport's unmistakably German interior aesthetics, which continued the hard-edged styling cues of the exterior, including a titanium-colored instrument cluster, black bird's-eye maple trim and minimalist layout. Top rate materials are used throughout the cabin, as you would expect in a Mercedes, and each panel flows together with perfect continuity.
Cresting the dash top, a cover panel automatically lifts forward as the 7-inch color display beneath slides up from the center console after the ignition button is pressed. The monitor is part of the optional COMAND navigation system (vehicles without this option have a non-motorized 5-inch display), a hard drivebased system with map data covering North America. Control for the A/V and navigation system is accomplished through a rotary dial mounted just ahead of the center console armrest. This dial also toggles in four directions allowing its user to guide the onscreen highlighter to a desired location and depress it for selection. There are redundant controls on both the steering wheel and center console below the monitor, along with a primary volume dial located just below the load slot for the six-disc in-dash CD/DVD changer.