2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Luxury Car Reviews & Ratings

Mercedes focused its attention on improving the interior of the 2005 C-Class models. The dashboard, instruments and seats have been redesigned, and materials have been revised throughout.

The C-Class interiors continue to look like a Mercedes-Benz should, and for the most part, they feel that way, too. The firm, supportive seats are excellent: neither so hard that they numb the backside nor so soft that they leave occupants tired or aching. The seats in the standard luxury sedans are more traditional, perhaps richer in appearance, than those in the sport models. Adjustable lumbar support has been added for 2005, providing more comfort for the lower back. By comparison, the seats in the sport sedans look stark, but provide significantly more side bolstering for spirited driving.

Seats in the sedans and C320 coupe come standard with leather facings. The C230 coupe comes with cloth seats with manual fore-aft adjusters. The C55 AMG has its own special sport seats and premium leather upholstery.

In general, all C-Class models are trimmed with good-quality interior materials, but there are some exceptions, particularly in the coupes. Some of the hard plastics and textiles don't match Mercedes' best. Apparently the company had to account for lower prices somewhere. The sport coupes and sport sedans feature aluminum trim throughout the cabin, though the coupes have a lot more ordinary black plastic. The standard sedans and wagon feature wood trim.

The 2005 C-Class models benefit from a new instrument cluster with four gauges, replacing the three-gauge instrument cluster in previous models. A chromed-ringed tach and speedometer of identical size sit front and center. To the left and right of these are smaller fuel and temperature gauges. In the middle sits an LCD display with various system and trip functions. Fashioned in the mold of the E-Class, the new instrument cluster is shared among the coupe, sedan and wagon with minor variations. The cluster is deeply hooded and virtually eliminates glare on the dials. The backlit script is clear and easy to read.

We like the redesigned layout and style of the center stack, which looks more modern than before. Audio controls are now located in what we consider the optimal spot: above the climate control switches, which sit at the bottom of the stack. Both audio and climate knobs are large and easy to locate. The lack of some of the complicated systems found on more expensive Mercedes models simplifies things.

Overall, the C-Class switchgear is easy to use and understand, though there are a few exceptions. The stalk controls have a beefy feel with positive detents, but the stalk-mounted cruise control remains problematic. It takes time to master the system. And it's easy to engage the cruise control by mistake when trying to use the turn signals, a complaint we have with every modern Mercedes that comes to mind. On the positive side, buttons on the steering wheel spokes allow the driver to operate the audio and telephone systems and other functions without removing a hand from the wheel. The dash vents have been enlarged for 2005, improving airflow in the cabin, important on hot days.

Lighting inside the C-Class is effective, with good illumination for entry in the dark and excellent map lights for reading. The glovebox is a good size, unless you order the CD changer, in which case you lose most of it. You'll still have the center console and door pockets, but we'd like more places to stash things. Mercedes (like German automakers in general) still seems to be adjusting to the idea that people (at least Americans) tend to carry stuff in their cars. At least they've added a new pop-up cupholder in the center console.

The rear seats in the sedans and wagon offer generous space and comfort. They're installed theater style, and sit slightly higher than those in front, giving back-seat riders a better view forward without significantly compromising head room. Indeed, the spacious rear seats are one of the C-Class's strengths when compared to some competitors. The optional power sunshade for the rear glass reinforces the feeling you're in a Benz.

The rear seats in the coupes are comfortable even for small to medium adults, but the sloping roof restricts headroom. Tall people will not like this space, but short people will be okay with it. Getting back there is easy enough. The front passenger seat automatically slides forward when the seatback is flipped forward, opening up the rear compartment for entry. The hatchback design of the coupe offers more cargo utility than the sedans. The 60/40 split rear seats can be folded effortlessly, with the bottom sections flipped forward or left in place, depending on how much cargo room is needed. With the rear seats in place, the coupe's cargo area offers up 10.2 cubic feet of space, or as much as the trunk in some comparably sized sedans. Yet folding the rear seats down reveals 38.1 cubic feet of space that can be filled with much larger items.

The sedan's trunk is spacious for a car of its compact exterior dimensions. With 12.2 cubic feet of cargo space, the C-Class has significantly more trunk volume than a BMW 3 Series sedan (10.7 cubic feet), though less than that of an Audi A4 (13.4). An optional split-folding rear seat ($460) expands the sedan's cargo capacity.

The C240 wagon has exactly the same interior and exterior dimensions as the sedans, except for that useful extra space behind the second seat. With the seats in place, the wagon offers 25.2 cubic feet of flat-floor load space. Folding the rear seat down creates more than 63 cubic feet of space, or slightly more than an Audi A4 Avant or BMW 3 Series sport wagon. With the split rear seat lowered, the wagon presents a load floor measuring 66 inches deep by 35 inches wide, and it's flat for easy sliding. Lighting and tie-downs are provided in the rear hold, along with a 12-volt power point. An emergency tire sealer/inflator is standard instead of a spare, and the wagon comes with a fitted crate hidden under the carpeted cargo floor. The crate can be removed, filled with goods, and then re-stowed out of sight.

All of the Mercedes C-Class cars offer nice steering, excellent brakes and a good balance between ride and handling. However, C-Class buyers should consider whether a plush ride or sharper handling is preferred because the trade-off between comfort and response changes with the model. The coupes and sport sedans are more firmly sprung than the standard sedans and wagon. The latter are cast in the Mercedes tradition of a smooth ride and responsive steering with good transitional feel, making them utterly competent through the bends.

Engine response and smoothness also vary by model. The C320 sedan is smooth and quiet for casual driving, but when you step on it the engine growls to life. The 3.2-liter V6 serves up 215 horsepower, but more important is its torque. Torque is the force that propels you away stoplights and down freeway ramps, and the C320 has a healthy supply for a car its size. With 221 pound-feet of torque available from 3000 to 4600 rpm, there's more than enough grunt when you need it, and it's served up with minimal vibration and no ruckus inside the car. The 3.2-liter V6 is our first choice for the C-Class for its power and overall smoothness. Both the C320s and C240s are flex-fuel vehicles, meaning they are capable of running on E85 ethanol, a popular fuel in the Corn Belt.

The C240 sedan is priced more attractively than the C320 and for that reason it's a big seller. But the 2.6-liter V6 is the weakest engine in the C-Class line, producing just 168 horsepower, and it feels short on power. The C320 is a much more satisfying car.

We prefer the 1.8-liter four-cylinder found in the C230 sport sedan and coupe over the 2.6-liter V6 found in the C240 sedan and wagon. Specifications for the 1.8-liter (189 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque) surpass those for the 2.6-liter because the four-cylinder engine is supercharged, and its performance is impressive. Mercedes claims the C230 coupe can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 7.2 seconds with the six-speed manual transmission, and 7.5 seconds with the adaptive five-speed automatic. That's reasonably quick. (The C230 sport sedan should offer similar performance because it weighs the same as the C230 coupe.) Better still, the engine is very responsive to throttle commands. It torques up better than just about any four cylinder on the market, and its powerband is nicely suited to a small sporting car. But beware. The supercharged four-cylinder in the C230s is the roughest engine in the C-Class line, producing more vibration than the small V6 both at idle and at higher revs. The V6 is much smoother. The supercharger itself makes pleasant mechanical sounds, but one driver's mechanical music is another's noise. And we can't recommend the C230 models with the automatic transmission, which zaps the four-cylinder's zest, leaving only the coarser qualities.

The automatic works very well in the C320 models, however. It suits the wide power band and extra torque of the bigger V6. The C320's automatic shifts crisply, adding to the sporty driving experience. It comes with a manual-shift feature, but there's no real need to use it because the five-speed automatic is adaptive: Drive it gently, and it will shift up sooner, rewarding you with smooth acceleration and good gas mileage (20/26 mpg EPA City/Highway). If you're constantly on the throttle, the transmission learns that you like to drive quickly and will hold itself in each gear for more sprightly acceleration. Still, moving the Touch Shift transmission lever into the manual mode allows the driver to manually shift down or up one gear with each click. Hold the lever to the left for more than a second and it shifts all the way down to the lowest appropriate gear for the speed you're traveling. Hold it to the right and it shifts back up to Drive. Stop and it automatically shifts down to first. Accelerate away and it shifts back up to the highest gear selected, a good strategy for using third gear when driving around town. It's a great setup.

The C320 most closely replicates traditional Mercedes ride quality. Its ride is soft, almost cushy, but it's well damped, so there's no bouncing around over dips in the road. The standard C-Class sedans won't wilt if you push them a bit, but they're never stiff. We think they best suit the tastes of most buyers.

That said, we prefer the sport models. The C230 and C320 sport sedans are livelier than the standard models, and turn into corners more responsively. The nicely weighted power steering, sports seats and beefy steering wheel all contribute to a feeling of better control. Indeed, if you enjoy spirited driving, the C230 sport sedan may be the most enjoyable C-Class yet (short of the mighty AMG). It's a bit less nose heavy and bit more spry than the C320 sport sedan, and the revised six-speed manual transmission contributes considerably.

About that manual transmission: Mercedes has lowered the ratio for first gear for quicker acceleration off the line, but kept an overdrive sixth gear for quiet, low-rev highway cruising for fuel economy. More important, the old cable-operated shift mechanism has been replaced by a solid, direct rod. The result is easier, quicker and more precise shifting, and the improved action contributes greatly to a more rewarding, engaging driving experience. Shift effort is low, and the gears are easier to hit. For manual fans, we can heartily recommend the C230 sport sedan. If you prefer an automatic in your sport sedan, we strongly encourage you to step up to the C320.

All C-Class models are reasonably quiet, even when blasting along at 80 mph. Both the sedan and coupe are slippery cars, and very little wind noise penetrates the cabin. Yet there seems to be more engine and rear-end noise in the sport coupes. It might be an issue of insulation or body design, and in a world of high-wattage auto stereos, it might not matter to many buyers.

Good stopping power usually means big brakes, and every C-Class model has big brakes. The sport sedans feature four-piston calipers and cross-drilled rotors in front for better resistance to fade. (Braking effectiveness fades away as brakes get hot from repeated hard use.) All C-Class cars come with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist. EBD can reduce stopping distances and improve stability when braking by distributing brake pressure among the four wheels, giving more to the tires with the best gripping. Brake Assist senses a panic braking situation and helps ensure full braking force even when the driver makes the mistake of relaxing pressure on the brake pedal. The net effect is right-now, no-fuss stopping. In every day use, the C-Class brakes are progressive in pedal feel; in more serious situations, the brakes are enormously powerful. All C-Class models come with anti-lock brakes, which allow the driver to maintain steering control in a panic stop by preventing wheel lock-up.

The available 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system delivers power to all four wheels. It's fully automatic and on all the time, so there are no buttons to push and no special operating instructions to follow. The system uses electronic traction control to vary torque among each of the four wheels, diverting power to the tires with the best grip. Even if three wheels lose traction, 4MATIC can direct power to the one remaining tire with grip. The result is better stability and improved handling in slippery conditions with a greatly reduced chance of getting stuck. The system adds less than 200 pounds to the weight of the vehicle and its compact dimensions do not compromise passenger or luggage space. 4MATIC does dampen engine response and slows acceleration slightly, and it produces a slight decrease in fuel mileage. But for those who drive through harsh winters, all-wheel drive is worth it. All-wheel-drive sedans such as those in the C-Class line are proof that you don't need an SUV to confidently handle rough weather.

The new C55 AMG might be the most impressive C-Class yet. It's a sports sedan in the extreme sense, capable of amazing acceleration, excellent handling and braking performance on par with exotic sports cars. The old C32 was that, too, but the new C55 is more refined. Its big V8 engine is smoother, more tractable and less intrusive when a driver is cruising the freeway or just trundling along, and its deep, V8 exhaust note better suits the sportiest C-Class of all.

The 2005 Mercedes C-Class presents a daunting array of choices, comprising five four-door sedans, two hatchback coupes, and a wagon. The class includes four different engines and either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission, depending on the model. All come standard with rear-wheel drive, but all-wheel-drive is optional on two of the sedans and the wagon.

The least-expensive C-Class models are the sport coupes, or two-door hatchbacks. The C230 Kompressor ($25,850) is powered by a 1.8-liter dual-overhead-cam 16-valve four-cylinder engine pumped up to 189 horsepower by a supercharger (the Kompressor). The C320 coupe ($29,250) comes with a 215-horsepower, 3.2-liter V6 and amenity upgrades, including leather-faced seats and a ten-way power seat for the driver. For 2005, the coupes come with a redesigned six-speed manual transmission with greatly improved shift action. Standard equipment includes one-touch power windows, automatic climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels and high-performance tires. The C-Class coupe's sporty ambience is enhanced by a three-spoke multifunction sport steering wheel with raised thumb-grips, leather-covered sport shift knob, rubber-studded aluminum pedals, body-colored door handles and aluminum door sills.

The most familiar C-Class models are the sedans. Most popular among those is the C240 sedan ($32,650), powered by a 168-horsepower 2.6-liter V6 with three valves per cylinder and a standard five-speed Touch Shift automatic transmission with manual shift mode. C240 is well-equipped, with leather seat inserts, front seats with power height and backrest adjustment, power windows, cruise control, a seven-speaker audio system with weatherband, laurel-wood trim, and 16-inch aluminum wheels with all-season tires. The C320 sedan ($37,950) upgrades to the 215-horsepower 3.2-liter version of the V6 and a higher level of luxury amenities, including dual-zone automatic climate control, a Bose 10-speaker stereo, reading lamps, 10-way power front seats with memory and a power-adjustable steering column.

The C240 wagon ($34,150) is the identical counterpart to the C240 sedan. (The C320 wagon has been dropped for 2005). This is the smallest wagon Mercedes has offered in the United States, and it successfully combines sporty styling with good cargo room or accommodations for a big dog (with the optional dog fence, of course).

All-wheel drive ($1,200), which Mercedes confusingly calls 4MATIC, is available on the C320 sedan and on the C240 sedan and wagon. This fulltime system comes packaged with heated front seats and is priced much lower than it is with other Mercedes models. We consider it a valuable asset in the rainy Northwest or for the harsh winters of the Midwest and Northeast.

The C-Class sport sedans have firmer suspensions, lower ride height and more powerful brakes than the standard models. The C230 Kompressor sedan ($29,250) is powered by the same supercharged inline-4 as the C230 coupe, while the C320 sport sedan ($37,350) uses the 3.2-liter V6. The sport sedans have the thick, three-spoke steering wheel and other sporty interior tweaks used in the C-Class coupes, along with thickly bolstered front sport seats and aluminum interior trim. For 2005, the sport sedans come standard with the improved six-speed manual transmission and aggressive lower body cladding previously reserved for expensive AMG models.

Speaking of which, the C55 AMG sedan is new for 2005. Powered by a hand-built 5.5-liter 376-horsepower V8 (as opposed to the supercharged V6 that came in the 2004 C32), this is the hottest hot rod in the C-Class family, traveling from 0-60 mph in an exotic-grade 4.9 seconds. The C55's SpeedShift five-speed automatic, brakes and suspension are improved to match its prodigious horsepower. Price is pending at this time, but the C55 is intended to be rare, and its retail price is expected to be in mid-$50,000 range.

Every C-Class offers a number of options priced individually or in groups. The Sunroof Package adds a power sunroof, auto-dimming mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, and a universal garage-door opener to the sedans ($1,790), coupes ($1,390), and wagon ($1,660). Individually priced options include an automatic transmission for sport coupes and sport sedans ($1,390), CD changer ($420), Tele Aid emergency communications hardware ($820).

Advanced safety technology is a key component of the Mercedes brand, and every C-Class is equipped with world-class safety features. Among them: an Electronic Stability Program (ESP) designed to control skidding by selectively applying brakes at one or more of the wheels to help keep the car on the driver's intended path. The C-Class has side-impact airbags for front and rear passengers as well as curtain-style head-protection airbags for front and rear passengers.