Smooth operator

The new mercedes C280 is a technological marvel, one that stands for quality, safety and phenomenal comfort - in short, the kind that evokes respect from other motorists, says Paolo Rossetti

I haven't even seen the car yet, but I'm already impressed! That's what Mercedes will do to you - its reputation and history are rock-solid, and its performance and ride solidly rock.

Besides, the pdf file titled Standard Equipment and Options for C-Class Saloons is 11 pages long, and in small print!

The new C-Class line-up goes from the 'baby' C200 up to the C350, stopping at C230 and C280 along the way - these are Mercedes Benz' entry-level saloons.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. There is nothing 'entry level' about them, other than the doors open to allow entry, and pretty much the suspension keeps them level. They are truly in a class of their own.

The C280 is a car that you buy, and keep forever. The quality of the build is phenomenal, and you know as soon as you see it for the first time that if you had a team of professionals as the people who built it at your workplace, you, too, would be a world leader.

It's suave, it's smooth, it's just brilliant. And I'm still walking around it, key in hand!

The front grille is unmistakably Mercedes, and the bi-Xenon lights are a marvel of computer-design, almost laser-sharp in both look and as I found out later, in actual illumination. The proud Mercedes hood ornament is commanding, and adds a serious air to the otherwise slinky overall design.

Pleasant highway cruiser
At the same time, especially from the side, the C280 is compact and to me even appeared a little bit on the short side. But since it actually reads 4.5 metres at the tape measure, it's just an optical illusion, possibly brought about by the perky, lifted rear end. And opening the trunk area proves there is plenty of room in that cavern!

A super highway machine - a Supermaschine - the C280 is one of the most pleasant highway cruisers I've driven. Nice and firm, the steering tightens up at speed and becomes light and airy when doing parking manoeuvres.

At speed (and I mean speed with a capital S) the feeling is one of detachment from the outside environment, one of calm composure and complete control over the inner environment - it is as if you were on a different planet, in a world of your own.

200 feels like 120 and it's hard to keep in mind that an abrupt head-to-head or a palm tree hug at that speed will kill you and all others no matter what you're driving.

But it is clear the Mercedes is built for sane speed - for absolute comfort and exceptional safety at speed. Later on, after my testdrive was over, I came across the marketing slogan for the new C-Class: Serenity Meets Agility - and that's spot-on!

I wanted a bit of a challenge to try out the safety features - hah!

Kamikaze! - what I mean is I wanted road conditions that would allow me to test out the driving systems such as ESP and Acceleration Skid Control, and ABS and Braking Assist, and the other scores of intelligent systems working tirelessly behind the scenes; definitely not the kind of challenges that give Mercedes an enviable record of excellent crash-and-rollover five-star ratings!

So I drove from Al Ain to Al Wagan, where endless construction and lane enhancement has been going on for years, and where the only surprise would be if you made it to the other end without any heart-attack surprise.

In fact, I came across banks of sand that had blown onto the highway - superbly handled by both braking and swerving hard, and then absorbed perfectly by the AGILITY CONTROL adaptive suspension.

And I came across badly-marked construction detours where, from a fast 2-lane highway one is squeezed into a single lane with two immediate 90-degree S-bends crowned by a drop onto a dirt patch - also superbly handled even when I approached at a lively speed.

Couple of camels day-dreaming, several farm pick-ups who thought those white lines painted on the road should be perfectly straddled, even a broken-down truck with a few pebbles placed strategically on the tarmac to signal its unmoving state ... the usual back-country road surprises!

But overall, I believe that if you drive at highway speeds, you will not find a better handling car for both performance and safety - I was very impressed and felt this was the Mercedes C280's best feature.

Available power is good, with the smooth V6 providing 224 hp at an early 2500 rpm, but I'm only mentioning that because it is expected I provide some performance figures; in fact, acceleration is satisfactory for a V6, taking over 7 seconds to reach 100 kph.

But that's not what the C280 is designed for - if you want abrupt jerky tyre-burning starts, get yourself another car. But if you want a sophisticated ride, with exceptional control and comfort at speed, then look no further.

In city traffic the Mercedes C280 also performed as a diva - flowing along the red carpet as if it owned the roads. Other motorists seemed to accept their subservient position, and they appeared to move out of the lane with unusual respect.

And the air horn is fantastic! No tinny tune sounding like a sick goat burping, the C280's horn literally blows cars off the road! All my passengers travelled in supreme comfort; and the rear moon roof, even if permanently closed, adds a nice airy dimension to the rear passenger zone, and they were VIPs as well.

The steering controls are logical in both function and practicality, and they include such advanced features as tyre pressure monitoring. The DVD screen is normally hidden from view under the smooth dash, and it appears when needed at the touch of a button - nifty!

All controls are very simple to use, and I appreciated the rotary computer-mouse control as well as finding the GPS mapping display one of the best and most elegant I've seen to date.

However, not even the 2007 upgraded version could show me the road to Al Wagan (it's around 100 km due south of Al Ain, along the UAE-Omani border, on the way to nowhere - nice dunes down that way, nice camel farms, too... not much else... only worth driving there if you're in the new C-Class Mercedes ...)

So, the new C280 is definitely a mature refinement of the previous model; it is far more elegant in the exterior design, and driving pleasure is superbly enhanced. One surely can't go wrong with the new C280.