No early morining video shoots or Office 2007 training sessions this week can only mean one thing, Well, two actually - sleeping in and breakfast burritos from Pepe's in Pico Rivera. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Pepe's has the best BB's this side of the Rockies. Zipping up the 605 fwy is effortless thanks to the C300 Sport. Power delivery is smooth and seamless. However, if it were my money, I'd skip the AMG wheels hoping for a slightly more compliant ride - emphasis on slight. If money were no object, would you rather have sporty handling or a softer ride?
Finally, the C300 isn't a huge car but the trunk is spacious enough - gift shopping as well as a full cart of Christmas dinner groceries showed the C Class to be both a fun and functional sport sedan.
Brian Moody, Senior Automotive Editor @ 20,000 miles
misterfusion says:
10:28 AM, 12/26/08
These days, even a "comfort"-tuned suspension will still handle well enough in 99% of situations, including emergency maneuvers.
I'm sure it's different for you spoiled folks in Santa Monica, but since the road conditions in L.A. have deteriorated to Baja 1000-like levels, I will never again consider a vehicle that doesn't have a smooth ride.
cah11705 says:
10:50 AM, 12/26/08
for this car, comfort
for a car that actually has some sporty feel and aspects to it, performance
briancam says:
10:52 AM, 12/26/08
Well, I don't know how spoiled I am living in Long Beach but poor roads are another reason I'd skip almost every sport package - that and, as misterfusion rightly stated: "These days, even a 'comfort'-tuned suspension will still handle well enough in 99% of situations, including emergency maneuvers."
MS3lvr92 says:
11:24 AM, 12/26/08
I'd do the sportier version. So what if it grinds my hips to dust, I can take a corner .000023 seconds faster! And I also think those wheels are absolutely gorgeous. They fit the car very nicely.
jm1212 says:
12:11 PM, 12/26/08
if money was no object, i dont think i would be driving a Mercedes. probably a Bentley Continental GT Speed. maybe a CL600 or CL63 AMG, but the rear end always looked to bulbous and "in the air" for me.
santiagofdz says:
12:18 PM, 12/26/08
If money where no object, I'd buy a car that could deliver both.
Tough for real world I'd just be happy that a car with a sport suspension is more comfortable than, say, a solid rear axle pickup without any load on it's bed.
huyracing says:
01:45 PM, 12/26/08
I would not want a soft ride... I prefer sporty, but compliant. Suspension tuning of zee Germans. Nurburgring tuned. This is good because it seems everyone is doing it these days...
Pepe's BB's is good stuff... great hangover food!
benson2175 says:
09:47 PM, 12/26/08
If money were no object I'd get an S-class and an S2000 or an NSX, or a 993. Hell if Money is no object I'd get all of them.
mustang5507 says:
02:02 PM, 12/27/08
Money being no object, and I HAD to get a C-class, I'd try to extract every ounce of style from it that I possibly can. I'd get the AMG wheels and deal with the ride.
majin_ssj_eric says:
11:29 PM, 12/27/08
Screw the ride, those wheels are hot! Only old people care about a smooth ride fellas.....
CycloneRcr says:
02:39 PM, 12/28/08
I don't like softy rides, I don't see my car as a "transportation tool between point A and B". Therefore it must be a car, not some bouncing and rolling stuff. I really like to feel the road and I must say in my city we have horrendous roads.. The L.A. roads are like glazed in comparison. Despite that I'm all for the stiffer ride.
bimmerjay says:
09:15 AM, 12/29/08
Handling wins over ride every time for me. But there are those times that I'd wish for an adjustable system to soften things up for those long freeway slogs.
"These days, even a "comfort"-tuned suspension will still handle well enough in 99% of situations, including emergency maneuvers."
I don't agree 100% - I think a lot of cars even today suck in emergency maneuvers. IMO a car can never be too good dynamically.