1999 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Luxury Car Reviews & Ratings

The C230 Kompressor seats five passengers, but is more comfortable for four. The two front buckets are firm and supportive. The rear seat is a bit too narrow for three adult males to ride shoulder to shoulder for long distances. Rear legroom is less than an E-Class sedan because the C-Class is a smaller car. Leather seating inserts are standard; full leather, which covers the seats entirely and is used on the door panels is an option.

The Sport model has special sport seats, upholstered in leather, that have more side bolstering for better lateral retention. You don't slide off the seat when cornering hard. These seats are in the firm German tradition and provide excellent support for long drives.

BabySmart is the automatic child seat recognition system that deactivates the passenger-side airbag whenever a BabySmart compatible child seat, available from Mercedes-Benz dealers, is used in the front seat. It's standard on all Mercedes automobiles for 1999. Child seats designed specifically for different cars seems like a great idea to us as it reduces the chance of an improper installation.

Mercedes-Benz has a way of making an ordinary gauge panel look like a precision instrument. There's no doubt you're going exactly the rate shown on the speedometer. Mercedes dresses up the Sport models with faux carbon fiber trim on the dash, doors and center console. It's a bit over the top, perhaps, but looks as good as the common gratuitous wood inserts and makes more sense.

Unlike the automatic climate control systems on the upscale C-Class cars, the C230 Kompressor has manual heating and air conditioning. The system works well and is easy to operate and comes with dual-zone left and right controls. Hay fever sufferers will like the dust and pollen filters. Owners living in the snow belt will appreciate how the system can recirculate residual warm air for up to 30 minutes while the car is parked -- great for quick dashes into the store.

A new-generation radio unit features fiber-optic technology and integrates controls for the sound system and optional CD changer and cellular telephone in a single unit. It may require some study of the owners manual to fully appreciate. A power driver's seat is standard. Power windows with auto-up and auto-down are standard with a highly sensitive anti-pinch feature to protect small heads and fingers. Every C-Class gets an integrated three-channel garage door opener, outside temperature gauge, auto-dimming mirror, cruise control and heated power side-view mirrors. A single wiper with an articulated mechanism clears the entire windshield.

The C-Class comes with the Mercedes-Benz SmartKey system -- the latest word on high-tech keys. Although the key fob uses a radio unit for remote locking, the ignition key is a miniature infrared unit that exchanges a code with the key slot. The code to open and start the car changes every time the car is used. For added theft resistance, the engine is disabled and an alarm sounds if thieves use a tow truck or roll-back to take the car.

The trunk is adequate for a car this size, and makes the most of its capacity with a practical shape and no intrusion by the struts, which are hidden behind the trunk liner.

We tested the Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor in one of our favorite driving locations, the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. The roads still wander up, down and around the hills as if laid out by drunken deer and it's a great place to wring out a car with Sport in its name. If we were limited to two words to describe the C230 Kompressor on these roads, they would be "balance" and "competence." Balance because no one part of the car dominates. The added power of the supercharged engine provides the gumption that was lacking in the old C230, allowing the Kompressor to climb hills with authority and a growl. The engine was not so overpowering, however, that the traction control system, which Mercedes-Benz calls Anti-Slip Regulation, was put into play by anything but a loose surface.

The Sport suspension lived up to its name. Roads through the Poconos can be narrow and often have odd camber changes; they curve left and right, up and down, all within a matter of feet. Even when driven at speed, the Kompressor Sport could not be caught out. Its suspension could not be fooled by the trickiest road. Just steer where you want to go and the Kompressor Sport goes there. Of course, the car has its limits, but the Kompressor Sport approaches them with aplomb. Shock damping is superb, and even over crests, the Mercedes sedan seems stuck to the pavement. So balance, competence -- and nimbleness. The C230 Kompressor Sport feels more like a sports car than a sedan.

On Interstate 80 heading west, halfway across Pennsylvania, the C230 Kompressor Sport proved itself an able cruiser. Its speed control passed the superslab grade test. Even over the uphill and downhill sections of I-80, it never varied from the selected speed unless prompted by the driver. There was little wind noise though enough of the tire rumble came up through to remind us that we weren't in a tomb. The C230 Kompressor Sport needed a steady hand on the helm, however, because its responsiveness and readiness to turn in on winding roads translated into a need to pay attention. It is, after all, a driver's car.

In around-town driving the automatic transmission was utterly flawless, with smooth shifts detectable only on the tachometer. At full throttle, the transmission and engine computers talk to each other to briefly cut back on power while the automatic slips into the next higher gear without so much as a jiggle. If desired, the driver can choose gears manually; the zigzag shift gate facilitates one-gear-at-a-time shifts, but the shifts are slow.