2009 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic
Engine/Transmission/AWD combination makes the C300 drive and handle like a much more powerful car
Twirl-and-click interface to the Navigation and Stereo too much like the BMW iDrive systemI’m always excited when the press car delivery guy shows up in a Mercedes-Benz. I’m excited because I know I’m going to spend the next week driving around in an exceptional car. Honestly, when it comes to a sporty luxury car, Mercedes still sets the bar for everyone else.
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of photographing a 1959 Mercedes 220SE for a magazine. Because this was a detailed assignment, I spent several hours shooting the interior, engine bay, and the exterior of the car from every possible angle. I really got to know the car. And of course, I got to ride in it to several shooting locations. What I learned is that while Mercedes has progressed as much as any automaker in the intervening decades, the distinctive Mercedes experience has retained its flavor.
That experience boils down to comfort and the confidence that comes from driving a well-built automobile. The ’59 Mercedes looked great from every angle and felt as solid and stable on the road as the 2009 C300, at least as long as you didn’t try to drive it like a sports car. The C300 has more power, great sporty handling, and of course the new ride offers you a lot more in the way of features. And it still looks great from every angle.
The C300 4Matic is the latest edition of Mercedes’ C-class. These are the least expensive cars from Mercedes, but you don’t give up a single feature that really matters. The C300 offers you the same Bluetooth hands-free cell phone support, a great 6-disc and iPod-ready stereo, leather heated seats, navigation, power everything, dashboard data system, zone climate control, HID headlights, and every other feature you can name in a modern luxury car.
You also get a 3-liter DOHC V6 engine, making 228 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. The C300 comes with a 7-speed automatic transmission. 7 smooth-shifting gears make the best use of every last one of the horsepower, so it drives like a more powerful car. And of course, you also get All Wheel Drive – a huge benefit in the middle of the worst Northwest winter in 40 years!
Mercedes says that the C300 gets 17 MPG in city driving and 25 on the highway. For the last 1,000 miles, no one has reset the average fuel economy meter in the onboard data system, so I can tell you that this particular C300 has maintained a solid 21 MPG in real world combination driving. Not bad for a larger displacement V6 with an automatic and AWD.
The interior of the C-class is nice. Where a more expensive line of cars would have a leather-covered dash, the C300 uses a rubberized plastic molding, but it’s well-made and the selection of piano black or optional walnut burl won’t shame anyone. There’s no cheap bling here – everything is elegant and dignified. My only gripe is that Mercedes seems to have adopted the twirl-and-click knob of BMW’s verdammt iDrive system. The Benz interface is easier and thus better than the BMW system, but I still prefer touch screens.
The base price of the C300 4Matic is an amazing $35,400. That’s a smokin’ deal on a great AWD sedan. It compares favorably to the Audi A4 and the BMW 3-series. But that’s before you’ve added a lot of the extras I’ve described above. Looking down the option list, the test car added $2,200 for fancy paint and the leather seats, $1,050 for a sunroof, $375 for iPod integration, $310 for the walnut trim, and $650 for TeleAid, which is an in-car service for M-B owners.
Option packages on the test car included $3,500 for a Premium II package, which includes the Xenon HID lights, seat heat, SIRIUS satellite radio, cornering lights, power everything, and a bunch of other features. Then the Multimedia package added $2,980 for the Navigation 6-disc changer, Harmon-Kardon stereo and related bits.
Amazingly, the Sport Sedan package is standard with the 4Matic, and adds 17-inch alloy wheels, sport suspension and brakes, and sport interior with aluminum trim. This is something other automakers would hold back to tack another couple grand onto the window sticker, so Mercedes takes the prize on this one.
With all the good stuff added, the C300 as tested came out to $47,430. If I was building one of these for myself, I’d choose the iPod integration, the leather, and the premium package and bring it in just over $40,000. Navigation is nice, but as long as I’ve got my iPod connection, I don’t need to carry CDs in the car.
The bottom line on the C300 4Matic is that if you’re shopping the European AWD sport sedan market, you absolutely must add the Mercedes C300 to your test-drive list. For about the same money as any other premium AWD car, you can put yourself in a Benz.
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I just bought a 2009 MB C300 Sport 4matic, and I love this car! I am coming from a Subaru that had everything you could throw at it, but this car has it all and some. The only gripe I have is HP, but its a Benz and not a race car. Now I just need to get some rims for it!
I drove this car and came way underwhelmed. My parents owned S-class Mercedes Benzes in the 80s and 90s, when they were built like tanks. So I know the brand well.
The C-class has improved from a very poor beginning and I suppose it's reliability is up to the other German makes. And that's the problem. Why anyone would buy an unreliable Benz when they could buy an equally luxurious but more reliable Lexus or Infiniti is beyond me.
Will
I bought my C300 Sport 4 matic on May 30,2009. In October when the weather was starting cold early in the morning, the engine RPM started at 1500. When I drove it out of my garage, the RPM went up to 3000 but the transmission was not shifting. I kept on driving, the RPM went up to 5000 and the engine was screaming but the transmission was not shifting. I took it back to the dealer. The dealer couldn't find out the problem. I took the car home. In December, the engine high RPM came back with the check engine lighted up. This time the sport to comfort switch was not working, the engine RPM went up to 4000 to 5000 without any acceleration. I took it back to the dealer. The dealer kept the car from Friday to next Tuesday but still can't find out the problem of the C300. It is still in the dealer now. Just wonder what are they going to do with it......bad luck...MB quality goes down.
I bought a (non-4Matic) C300 Sport 3-months-ago and already have 10,000 trouble-free miles on the car. This is my third C class (had a 2001 C240 and 2005 C230 Kompressor) and is by far the best of the bunch.
Outstanding comfort from the best seats in the business. Last Wednesday I drove 600 miles in 7.5 hours and was comfortable the entire time.
Quality is much improved over previous generation.
My wife's car is a 300C 4matic. I drive an Audi A6 Quattro and a BMW 650i convertible. I have never spent a cent on either the Audi or the BMW and just drove back from the dealership after spending $622 on B1 service. If you buy a Mercedes instead of its German competitors, you will spend MUCH more money since the do not include service and their competition does. The 300 is tinny, feels under powered since the shifty points are wrong in its 7 speed transmission and has had many more repairs required under warrenty than my other cars. I will never buy another Mercedes unless they change the service policy.
I have a 2008 C300 4Matic. Never again. I can't begin to list all the problems - electrical, mechanical, reliability, safety, service horror stories... quite frankly it's unbelievable. Picture yourself driving late at night in the middle of nowhere and all of a sudden every electrical system starts to shut down one system after another,leaving you stranded on the side of the road. Picture yourself at another time driving home late at night from the office on a country road fraught with deer and moose, but your highbeams won't work. Picture yourself on a very cold day (-30 C) in the dead of winter traveling to a client's site 2 hours away and the only heat you have in the car is that which is provided by the heated seats. And there are more stories. Being a single male, I couldn't imagine where my head would be at if it had been a wife and/or children facing the above situations!
NEVER have I experienced such shoddy quality in all the cars I've owned. NEVER have I experienced such sub-standard service. I agree with William... I'm going back to Japanese.
I have a 2009 C300 4matic and I came out of Infiniti just got the 10,000 first service done and stated to hear a noise they tell me they had to order a $12,000 new transmission they are fixing it under warranty. I have now lost all confidence in the car. Wiiliam you are right Mb also told me that they have a known issue wtih the 7speed 4matic. Last MB for me back to infiniti.