Finally, a Mercedes for the masses

Author's Rating:

Pros: Big bang for the bucks, Safety, Cheap Insurance, 4-year free maintenance, powerful V4

Cons: CD player is a premium, Heavy Steering, 4matic limited to higher end

The Bottom Line: 
C230 is a better alternative to BMW 325i or Lexus IS300.

Author's Review
This review is on a 2004 C230 Sports Sedan. We got it two weeks ago and drove it for about 500 miles and this review is based on our experience.
The 2004 category in epinions does not list this car, and hence I am placing my review here in 2003 category as nothing is changed for the 2004 model year.
We approached dealers in the last week of August in an attempt to find a good deal on 2003 model. Instead we ended up getting a good deal on 2004 model with the labor day sale and happen to drive it home the same day. I do not want to list my price here as some dealers may not like it, but I would sure help fellow buyers with that info via private emails.
Ever since we planned to replace our old Honda, I started my research on Honda and other auto maker's model line up. I was an extremely satisfied Honda customer and hence initially concentrated on Honda line up. I soon discovered that the luxary series cars are now available at comparable prices, I moved my research towards luxary series. Since my better half wanted a smaller car, I sticked myself to entry level small sedans. I then quickly compared features and prices of Mercedes Benz C230, BMW 325, Audi A4, Lexus IS300 and Acura TSX.
BMW 325 was mentioned in many places as best seller in this category, but almost all the goodies are options in this car. Price could become too high with reasonably packed 325. Also Insurance was little high for this car.
Lexus is too pricy for its features and Acura TSX is new to the market. Also I was keen to try a non-japanese car this time and hence kept myself away from the Acura and Lexus. And also I don't want to pay premium for rebadged Toyotas and Hondas :-).
That left me with C230 and Audi A4. For comparably equipped car, both of them cost almost the same. It is the Mercedes Tag that let me pick the C230 over A4.
Cheapest Insurance
Surprisingly the Insurance on C230 is far less than
other cars. It is even cheaper than the Insurance for my old Honda. When I asked the Insurance company about this, they mentioned that it is because C230 is much more safer than others. From all the cars I compared, the worst price on Insurance was for Lexus IS300 quoted at 5 times to what I am currently paying for C230, followed by BMW 325i quoted at 3 times to what I am paying for C230.
Powerful
C230 has only four cylinders in the hood but it generated 6 more horses than the 6 cylindered BMW 325i and lot more powerful than Audi A4. Rated at 189 Horse Power and 192lb-ft torque, it is truely a sports car. Acura is a leader in this area generating 200 horses from a 4 cylinder, but it does not have a Mercedes Emblem on it :-). Being only four cylinders it gives lot better miles per gallon than its competitors. Rated at 23 in City and 30 in Highway, it should save me lot of gas.
Loaded Features
Looks like Mercedes is really aiming at mass sales of this car. It comes with load of features which are available on BMW, Audi, Lexus at extra price. I am listing some here to give an idea.

1. Trip Computer.
2. Auto turn on headlights.
3. Leather Seating.
4. Smart Key which uses infra red instead of the metal key.
5. Keyless entry.
6. 17" Alloy Wheels.
7. Power Seats.
8. Power Sun-screen for rear seats.
9. 8 Airbags including side air bags for rear seat.
10. Fog lights.
11. ESP.
12. ABS.
13. Traction Control.
14. Garage Door opener to open upto three doors.
.
.
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and the list goes on and on. We also get 4year, 50000 mile warranty on this car. Also included is the 4 year, 50000 mile free maintenance program which would cover everything except the brake pads and tyres. Adding up the savings from the free maintenance, gas savings and Insurance savings, the effective price on C230 would be same as that of a Honda Accord. For the load of standard features it is coming with it is a true value for money.

Apart from the standard features, my car is also equipped with the following.
1. Automatic Transmission.
2. Powered Sunroof.
3. 6CD changer.
4. 10 speaker bose sound.
5. Auto-dimming rear view mirrors.
6. Rain sensing wipers.

Even though the above mentioned features are optional, almost all the cars come equipped with these features (except auto transmission) from the factory. Hence you are forced to take them.

One of the few downsides with this car is that CD player is an option. I don't understand how a person buying Mercedes would not want to have a CD. When they can come up with that many standard features, why is CD an option? Even if you take the option, there is no single CD player available. There is only 6CD changer available and it is installed in the glovebox, taking away some space from the glove box. Being optical fibered inside, I would doubt if we could get an after market CD player on it. So be prepared to spend some more bucks for the CD player. It is a must option.

The ride is very smooth and the engine is so responsive. It jumps forward as soon as you hit the gas pedal and feels like a sports car. Interior is very well designed with minor concerns like the hard to reach power window buttons. Otherwise which the car feels great for driving. It is so calm that it is hard to say if the engine is on or off while you stop at a red signal. Starting from the complete stop, you will be the first to jump with all those horses packed inside the hood.

safety
Comes equipped with 8 air bags ( 2 front, 2 front side, 2 rear side, and 2 curtain air bags), it is probably the safest in its class. Also included are features like ABS, ESP (Electronic Skip Protection), Power Assisted Brake, you are covered for all kinds of risks on the road.

It might be because the wheels are too big (17") or because I am used to the front-wheel drive, I feel the steering to be a bit heavy. I was also used to a great driver visibility in my old Honda which is missing in this car. Rear-visibility is bad in C230. It is probably a matter of getting used to.

It has a very tight turning radius making it easy to squeeze into any tight parking space.
Beware of dealers
Although Mercedes seems to aim at the masses with C class, looks like the dealers did not get the message yet. You step into a dealership, no one would bother you, until you walk yourself to a receptionist and ask for a sales guy. The first dealer we went to was very bad. We almost decided not to buy Mercedes when we walked out of that dealership. He did not encourage a test-drive. In spite of me asking for test drive numerous times, he keeps on changing the topic and urges me to fix a deal. He is probably not interested in adding miles to the test car until I show him prospective sale. Also, he would show me the S series cars in the showroom and ask me 'Guess how much that cost?' with a cruel smile on his face, making me feel that I don't belong there. I am glad that I did not buy it from him. Not only I saved almost a grand at the other dealer, the sales guy at the other dealer sold the car to us before we even started debating on the price. He took us on a test drive, walked us around the car, opened the hood, trunk and explained to us all the legendary Mercedes features, making us strongly feel that it is the car we are looking for.
There would not be many Mercedes dealers around compared to a Honda, Ford or Toyota. Hence your choice is very limited. I would recommend to make your own research, decide on list of features, price before even approacing the first dealer for a test drive.

C230 has a standard feature called smart key which uses infra red and radio waves to authenticate instead of a metal key. It has has one touch start where it starts itself. So many functions are packed into this smart key like locking, unlocking, opening windows and sunroof, closing windows and sunroof, opening trunk lock, and opening trunk completely.

As a final word I would recommend Mercedes Benz C230 to anyone who is looking for a safe, feature packed, reasonably priced entry level luxary sedan.