Capsule Review: 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300 Sport (Manual)
Our illustrious Editor-in-Chief predicts the death of the manual transmission. The “stick-shift is toast,” Farago says, in his own special way. I disagree. If you want to go fast, get a paddle shift automated manual, a la Nissan GT-R. Time and again, the little levers have proven to be the fastest way to get around a track. Want easy breezy beautiful Orange County commuting? Get a traditional automatic. But if you want to maximize the man machine interface, nothing beats a manual. Three pedals can enliven the most leaden of automobiles. To wit: the Mercedes-Benz C300 Sport.
The current gen C’s sheetmetal is wedgy and attractive in a Brunhilda sorta way, complete with bucktooth tri-star emblem. The C marks a return to classic Mercedes’ design language and uberholprestige proportions– with a bit of bling for the boyz. The C300’s inside is a stark tribute to the best of German interiors: finest quality construction matched to minimalist ergonomics, blah blah blah. I wouldn’t have sampled this car if it weren’t the only brand spanking new manual transmission-equipped C300 in the entirety of Dallas. Or Texas, for all I know.
Guiding the Benz out of the car park onto Lemmon Ave, the engine’s improved responsiveness was immediately apparent. With a stick to summon the six, the powerplant pours on the power, smoothly, o demand. No torque converter guessing. No waiting to see what the automatic will do. No Novocaine injection. The C300 practically leaped away from the intersection, displaying the sort of verve even the more powerful C350 can’t produce. The engine growled seductively, then hummed placidly as I heel-n-toed the downshift (perfect pedal placement). If it weren’t for the long transmission throw, the German box car’s transmission would be perfect.
In fact, the Merc suddenly ceased to be a velour track-suited sorority girl’s dream. It became a lithe driving machine to rival the legendary BMW.
Just kidding. The C-Class can’t match the 3-Series’s rightly legendary driving dynamics. But the manual Merc is a more versatile beast. Here you haff a half-sized sports sedan offering sporting fun: a row-your-own corner carver that rewards and challenges when the going gets twisty. And then, when you want to kick back and chillax in your own little world of entry-level wealth, the C300 is just the pill you need. The stick shift is dead. Long live the stick shift!
More by Mike Solowiow
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I am a huge fan of the new M-B C class so any new review on it makes me happy! I am also a huge fan of manual equipped cars. That said, sometimes it sucks to have a manual. One time I was in a 2 mile long traffic jam at a border crossing. The problem was that the road inclined up and then crossed a bridge. Ugh. This is why I like the idea of the automatic manuals - no clutch. Unfortunately, the execution has yet to match the beauty of the idea.
I've owned a 6-spd manual C300 Sport for a year now and received a heavy discount because nobody was interested in a C-Class with a clutch. During that time I've put 13,000 trouble-free miles on the car and admittedly I am surprised how much I like the Mercedes 6-speed. Previously I've owned a number of manual transmission BMWs including an E36 M3 and 540. BMW still has the best manuals in the business, but the C300's gearbox is noticeably improved compared to previous generation Mercedes manuals I've driven. Had my car been a C63 I would've had no problems with the AMG-spec automatic - but with only 225+ horsepower, the manual transmission helps considerably as TTAC described. Would I buy one again? Probably. My only complaints are the Continental tires and the transmission doesn't feel as stout as the BMW. Other than that I think it looks better than the BMW 335, has great ergonomics and the nav/stereo interface is perfect (minus the need for touch-screen).