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2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport Road Test

Mercedes-Benz traditionally builds larger cars, or at least that's a common North American image of the brand. Even after more than two and a half decades of selling compact luxury cars,

Sweet looking ride... M-B has really outdone itself and created one of the most attractive cars in its class. (Photo: Kevin Wang, American Auto Press)

starting with the classy little 190 in 1982, more often than not we think of M-B's E- and S-Class sedans, SL sports car and ML-Class crossover SUV when conjuring the three-pointed star in our collective minds' eye. In reality, however, Mercedes has an expansive product lineup covering each core market segment and just about every vehicle niche as well. With regards to dimensions, here in the US it starts out with the C-Class sedan and tops off with the full-size GL sport utility.

And while small by Mercedes' standards, the C-Class made me feel like I was living large. It looks bold, whether wearing its classic M-B grille, as it comes with on the standard C300 model, or when swapped out for one related more to the SL and the marque's big coupes, as with Sport models of the more basic models and our C350 tester, plus its wide stance adds a solidity to its design that BMW's 3, for example, doesn't exude. Actually, the new

It looks good from this end too. (Photo: Kevin Wang, American Auto Press)

Merc has somehow trumped the Bimmer in both class and sportiness, offering a great deal more presence from nose to tail, and a more athletic visual appeal.

Inside it's no contest, with one of the best interiors in the class. Its layout is near perfect, with everything I needed intuitively placed for easy access while driving, and the quality of each surface, every button, toggle and knob, first rate. Compared to almost everything else in the category, the C brings a sense of occasion to an everyday drive, thanks to more bright metal accents than its rivals, except maybe Audi's A4. But compared to previous Cs, this one doesn't need to make excuses when its cabin is held up against the Ingolstadt car, which has long been the standard bearer as far as interiors go. Mercedes says that the interior was designed to feel like it had been "cast from a single mold", and to that end

A feast for the eyes and the other senses. (Photo: Kevin Wang, American Auto Press)

everything inside this car seems to have been orchestrated by one very bright mind, rather than the hodgepodge of surfaces and controls that some of its rivals try to pass off as a premium experience.

In this class, each brand brings something unique to the table, with BMW legendary for handling prowess, and now regarded for straight-line performance along with Lexus and Infiniti, while Audi has long set the perceived quality benchmark for interiors, and quite often styling leadership. The C, other than in AMG trim, has never really been particularly stellar in any one category, but rather managed each attribute well enough to appeal to many more buyers than the Asian upstarts, at least. The new car, however, transcends anything Mercedes has previously done in this segment, delivering more appealing design, craftsmanship, and performance.

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