[TMNT]

Well later last night I went back to give it a test drive once traffic died down.

Impressions:

This car really stands out, especially with the upgraded 18 inch amg 5 double spoke wheels. This car just screams AMG by looking at it. Unfortunately the engine says otherwise. The interior is really nice, nicer than the 3er in the simple fact that it has a lil more elegance and thought to it. From the buttons to the accents, to the feel of the interior.

Suprisingly the car had Mercedes version of leatherette called MB-Tex. Wow! almost had me fooled! It looks and really feels like leather. Where as in the BMW's I could tell in an instant if it was fake.

The pop-up navigation system really didn't bother me to much. I actually kind of like it more. Its less intrusive and easy to get rid of and bring back with a push of a button. However I really didn't like the turn knob like in the BMW. Its way to close to the armrest and had me bending my wrist as if I where doing the "gay hand gesture." Very uncomfortable and I am only 5'8". I would suspect that taller people with longer arms would have a lot of trouble with this.

The car feels somewhat cramped inside than one would expect in a sedan. From the outside it looks good, but inside feels tight. I felt like there was more open space in the e92 than in the C. I have heard compliants on how the previous C classes where small inside and supposedly they have improved it by half an inch or so. Ehhh thats all I have to say about that. They need to keep the interior panels from protruding out so much.

Now to the drive:

The car is really smooth and quite on the roads. No problems there as that is what I would expect from a Mercedes. Car felt strong, solid, and confident. No sqeaks, rattles, or odd noises.

However this is where BMW has the car beat hands down:
Power and handling.

The engine in the C300 is pathetic and weak. Having to hit the "pedal to the metal" to get some real power is required and unpredictable. Unpredictable in a sense that you don't know how much power your going to receive from the car. I noticed this 3 or 4 times when stepping on the gas. I mainly blame this on the transmission that really isn't reponsive when you want it to be. Im sure the C350 will do much better with the added boost in power, however I think the transmission may cause the same effect in throttle response.

Handling wasn't that great either, but not bad by any means. Its got a little more body roll than I would have expected but steering is solid and responsive. Just not has responsive as in a BMW.

I'd rated this car a 7 out of 10 overall, 6 out of 10 performance wise, and 8 out of 10 on the interior. I just felt like something was missing. I just needed more power.

I gave the 328i coupe 8.5 out of 10.

But dont take my word for it, give it a drive.