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Mercedes C-Class 4Matic is the ideal four-season ride
Friday June 27 2008
By Neil Moore, Metroland Media Group
Sporting AMG styling, the C350 4Matic boasts an aggressive look with deep front and rear aprons, rocker panels under the doors, projector beam headlights, and recessed fog lights flanking a wide air intake.
 
To those of you unfamiliar with Mercedes-Benz nomenclature, the number of M-B ‘classes,’ not to mention the models within them, is enough to fill an entire web page. The C-Class, as tested here, is near the entry point – just above the B-Class where vehicles start a tick under $30K, and miles below the SLR where you can spend $495,000 US and beyond.
I had the opportunity last spring to take the all-new C300 and C350 rear-drive models for some dry-weather testing in and around Ottawa, and on the nearby Calabogie race track. Needless to say, these vehicles, which start at $41,000 for the rear-drive C300, were a step up from their predecessors both in terms of power and handling, and their AMG styling – part of the no-charge sports package – left me with no doubt they could play with the best in their segment.
At the launch event, there were no all-wheel-drive (4Matic) versions in the press fleet, so I wrote my last piece in hopes of finding the ideal time to put one to the test. This winter was just the ticket. Sure, we’re enjoying nice weather now, but not many weeks ago, a late winter blast left my neighbourhood choked in snow, and not the nice fluffy stuff either. Many drivers were staying put until the plows came through, with mainly the 4WD pickup and SUV crowd willing to venture out.
Not one to back down from a challenge, I jumped into my tester – a C350 4Matic – pushed the Keyless Go auto start and plunged this sleek, relatively ground-hugging sports sedan into the snow.
Anybody watching would have thought me an idiot. One who’d soon be asking for a push back into the driveway. But I had no chance to gauge reactions as I shifted into ‘drive’ and the combination of permanent all-wheel-drive, traction control technologies and four snow tires began to chew through the white stuff like a pit bull through a pork chop.
I’m encouraged by the number of sedans and coupes now offering sophisticated AWD systems. If you’re like me, and don’t spend much time hauling refrigerators, cords of wood or entire soccer teams, a comfortable, four- to five-passenger sedan with a generous trunk will suffice – thank you very much. As will the superior roadholding, agile performance and reasonable fuel economy you don’t get when piloting a behemoth SUV.
The C350 4Matic, like its rear-drive sibling, is powered by 3.5-litre, DOHC 24-valve V6 engine that delivers 268 horsepower and 258 lb/ft of torque between 2,400 and 5,000 rpm. This is mated to Mercedes’ 7G-TRONIC automatic transmission. This seven-speed autobox is smooth shifting, and when pressed hard it will skip several gears for stronger downshifts. Sometimes when you punch it, however, there’s a slight hesitation as the transmission seeks the right gear.
This condition is temporary, I’m told, and should improve over time as the 7G-TRONIC’s driver-adaptive software adjusts to your driving style.
Still, acceleration is brisk and zero to 100 clicks has been timed at 6.3 seconds. And if you choose to keep said acceleration to a minimum, you may get somewhere near the rated fuel economy of 12.5 L/100 km (city) and 8.2 L/100 km (highway). I couldn’t confirm this as snowstorms and traffic jams were not conducive to measuring fuel consumption.
But bad weather is where this car really shines. For that we can thank, in part, the 4Matic AWD. This incorporates a four-wheel electronic traction system that can individually brake slipping wheels to maintain the balance of power. 4Matic works seamlessly with the electronic stability program and acceleration skid control to help you maintain your line in slippery conditions.
I was amazed at how these systems worked efficiently and almost imperceptibly in the background to correct driver errors, such as when giving it a little too much gas on a snowy corner. I hope that someday soon all cars will be equipped with this kind of technology as standard. Still, if you drive in a manner that relies on it, you’re asking for trouble. Traction control and stability programs are there to assist, not take over.
Enough preaching. Bottom line– the C350 4Matic is a great ride for all seasons. And not just from a performance and handling standpoint, but in terms of amenities as well. Inside, this car is everything you’d expect from the iconic German automaker.
Standard equipment on the C350 4Matic includes heated, 10-way power adjustable front seats with three-position memory, black bird’s eye maple wood trim, leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel and shift knob, auto-dimming mirrors, Bluetooth integration, three-zone automatic climate control and a harman/kardon LOGIC7 surround sound system.
The new C Class enjoys many more enhancements over its predecessor, which I thought was already a pretty decent car.
Whether or not this is enough to make it a segment leader– especially when going up against the likes of Audi A4 and BMW 3-Series– it is a signal that Mercedes-Benz is relying more on engineering and forward-thinking design, than on the cachet of owning what is probably the world’s most recognizable prestige brand.