2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

Engines and model designations are new and the range of body styles is narrower for 2006 in the least-expensive Mercedes-Benz car line. Gone are wagons and coupes. Sedans survive and offer a choice of rear- and all-wheel drive. Models are defined by their engines and by Sport or Luxury designations. Sports include a sport suspension, unique appearance details, and aluminum vs. wood interior trim. The C230 Sport for '06 gets a 201-hp V6 in place of a 189-hp supercharged 4-cyl. The C280 Luxury has a 228-hp V6. It replaces the 168-hp C240. The C350 Sport and Luxury have a 268-hp V6. They replace the 215-hp C320. Again topping the line is the C55 with a 362-hp V8. The C280 and C350 Luxury are available with Mercedes' 4Matic AWD. C230 and C350 Sports are available with a 6-speed manual transmission. All other C-Class cars use an automatic transmission with five or seven speeds, depending on model. Standard are ABS, traction/antiskid control, and curtain side airbags. Rear side airbags are standard for C55, optional otherwise. Options include a navigation system, bi-xenon headlamps, and 60/40 split folding rear seat.

COMPETITION

Consumer Guide® Automotive places each vehicle into one of 17 classes based on size, price, and market position. Premium Compact Cars are similar in size but more expensive than Compact Cars. Premium Compacts have more standard equipment and an upscale image when compared to Compact Cars.

Our Best Buys in the Premium Compact Car class are Acura TSX, Audi A4, and BMW 3-Series. At this time we have no Recommended picks.

New or significantly redesigned models in this class include Audi A3 and Lexus IS.