M-B’s more affordable C-Class thrills

They’re called the Baby Benzes, but Mercedes-Benz’s C-Class cars are big hitters on the sales floor.

In 2004, 69,251 new C-Class cars went home with American buyers, about 10,000 more than the nearest family competitor, the E-Class.

C-Class cars have done yeoman’s work to popularize Mercedes’ image in the United States. A C-Class Sport Coupe can be had for as little as $26,570 and sedans start at $29,970. That’s not chump change, but it is substantially less than the E-Class cost-of-entry, which begins at $48 Grand — and puts the M-B hood ornament within the reach of many families.

In the past, C-Class cars have been criticized for lacking some of the sparkle that attends their more expensive brethren, but M-B has narrowed the gap over the past few years. Recent sheet-metal upgrades have lent the C-Class some of the sophistication and assertiveness of the E- and S-classes and, for 2005, a handful of exterior upgrades and a redesigned interior add a big helping of spit-and-polish luster.

We tested a C240 Luxury Wagon with M-B’s all-wheel-drive system, called 4Matic. Tricked out with a paint upgrade ($680), black leather interior ($1,500), up-level harman/kardon audio system ($970) and Sunroof Package (which included garage-door opener, auto-dimming rearview mirror, rain-sensing windshield wipers and sunroof, and rang the bell at $1,660); it nudged past the $40,000 mark at $40,880.

A frugal buyer is likely to pass on a basketful of those goodies, without feeling deprived. With the new automotive economies of scale such as they are, technologies and creature comforts that a few years ago were available only on the $75,000 S-Class are now available on even a base C-Class vehicle.

If you’re not dying to have black leather, plain old leather is standard. So are dual automatic climate control, 10-way power and heated seats, automatic on-off headlights, and on and on.

On the safety side, there’s electronic stability control, traction control, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and a full complement of airbags, including curtain-style bags.

But beyond the feature-set, there’s that unmistakable aura of Mercedes, most tangibly evident in the quality of the materials, the firm but creamy ride, precise steering and solid structure. There are a handful of cars an experienced driver might identify, blindfolded, from behind the wheel, and almost any Benz qualifies.

In industry jargon, that’s known as a car’s DNA and M-B has it in spades.

C-Class cars are available in Sport Sedan and Coupe, Luxury Sedan and Wagon, and C55 AMG editions. The top-end AMG model is a 362-horsepower, eight-cylinder barnburner that will set you back $57,000.

No matter how much you shell out, the C-Class DNA is markedly improved this year, thanks largely to that new interior, minor sheet-metal revisions and a handful of steering and suspension tweaks.

For starters, M-B replaced the old seats, which already were pretty darn good, with new “multicontour” seats featuring a new lumbar support feature on the driver’s side.

Otherwise, there’s an all-new dash, with a four-gauge instrument cluster that’s far easier to read than the previous semi-circular design. Chrome trim rings and a softer lighting scheme add sparkle and a more luxurious ambience.

The rotary-style climate-control knobs that replace the old touch pads are attractive and easy to use.

The display is brighter this year and less prone to washout in direct sunlight. A new steering-wheel design has either three or four spokes, depending on the model, as well as redundant audio controls.

Exterior upgrades serve in subtle ways to move the C-Class closer in appearance to E-Class models. A revised front fascia and clear-lens headlights present a sleeker, more dynamic first impression and the lower bodywork incorporates hints of AMG-style attitude.

Sport models take the AMG influence a step further, with more emphatic lower-body styling, sportier wheels, a slightly lower profile and cross-drilled brake rotors.

Mercedes also introduces a heavily revised six-speed manual transmission this year that finally approaches the quality of its competitors, but is only available on Sport and C55 models.

Others get M-B’s fine five-speed automatic with sport and manual-shift modes.

In daily life, the C240 Wagon is rock-solid and comfortable as flannel pj’s. The seats are, indeed, splendid and the wagon managed Spokane’s most rugged urban terrain with a dismissive sneer.

Even the worst road hazards failed to produce kickback through the nicely weighted steering system and the gas-pressurized shocks took the worst out of every pothole.

Visibility is excellent in all directions, which is not always true of wagons, and the low dash and sloping hood produce outstanding forward vision.

The steering wheel tilts and telescopes and I can’t imagine that any driver would find it difficult to find a good driving position.

The rear seating area is a little crowded for long-legged adults, which is typical of the class, but the appointments are first-cabin.

My only complaint lies with the powerplant. While it’s a lovely engine, the 168-horsepower 2.6-liter V-6 — it’s the only engine available this year in the wagon — doesn’t move the 3,470-pound wagon off the line with authority. In normal mode, the transmission made beautiful, languorous shifts that only exacerbated the pokey uptake.

It performed better in Sport mode, but I’d prefer either the supercharged 189-hp four that powers the Sport models or the 3.2-liter six that makes 215 hp and is available in the Luxury Sedan.

No doubt, the C-Class Wagon will set you back a few beans — equipped with AWD, it starts at around $35,000 — but for drivers with the means and no need for anything larger (or with more power), this Baby Benz is a home run.