New Car Review of the 2005 Mercedes-Benz C Class Compact Luxury Coupe and Wagon

Description: Compact Luxury Coupe and Wagon
Base MSRP Range: $25,850 - $53,900
Invoice Price Range: $24,041 - $50,127
Where built: Germany

Compact-size C Class cars by Mercedes skew from an affordable sports coupe and practical station wagon to a powerful high-performance model crafted by AMG. Between these extremes are sport variations plus optional all-wheel-drive (AWD) equipment -- called 4Matic in Mercedes nomenclature with 40/60 percent front/rear torque split.

The Mercedes compacts feature new package styling for 2005 with revised front grille and headlamps, a new tail treatment with fresh lamps on rear corners and cabins upgraded for cushy seat designs and new gauges in the instrument panel. Sport models show up as C230 Kompressor sport coupe or sedan, and C320 sport coupe or sedan. Each wears special body cladding and larger wheels, a sport-tuned suspension, 6-speed close-ratio manual transmission and thickly bolstered front sport seats. The 4Matic equipment applies as an option to C240 and C320 sedans.

Luxury compact models are the C320 sedan and wagon, each with a V6 powertrain. A new C Class performance sedan badged as the C55 AMG gets a hand-built AMG V8 that jumps to 362-hp.