It’s been days since I’ve entered any sort of post, so how about I blame it on the hideous blizzard we endured last weekend? Niagara saw almost 50cm of the white stuff, leaving both here and Toronto with street tracks that look similar to those of a luge descent. (*You might want to read my earlier post that describes my discontent with all things winter.) So, after eight days of ownership, here is my report on the all-new 2008 re-designed C-230…
I have found in the eight days I’ve owned it that it’s not so great in this snow, especially the deep stuff, and is certainly not on par with the X5 I traded in. The X5 had BMW’s X-Drive - a four-wheel drive system that truly was impressive. The C-Class - half sports car - is rear wheel drive and just doesn’t have the traction of either the X5, or, surprisingly, our Beetle with snow tires, which ploughs through anything, beast that it is. I think next winter we’ll have to put snowies on the C.
I have to say that the ride is ultra-smooth, perhaps one of the - if not the - smoothest riding vehicles I’ve driven. It’s nimble on the highway and on city streets, and reacts quickly to the most minor steering changes. The seats are comfortable, especially with the lumbar support, and the headrests seem to “tuck” into your neck and head providing added support.
The instruments are well positioned and within easy reach. The driver’s instrument cluster is clear and easy to read and each instrument’s perimeter is set in a sort of shiny white/silver banding that illuminates perfectly in the dark. At night, the instruments and dash are well-lit, but not glaringly so.
The standard Bluetooth is great for pairing a Bluetooth cell phone for hands-free calls. When the car rings, (all sound is re-routed through the car’s speakers, not through the phone) the volume levels lower on the radio and CD, and the call is announced. Since I transferred (also by Bluetooth) my entire phone directory into the car’s Tel system, the caller’s name is also announced when the call comes in. I must say I really like the convenience and safety of Bluetooth phone compatibility.
This morning I tried my iPod Touch plugged into the (standard) Aux jack, located in the glove box. It works, however, the car speakers’ volume has to be turned up high to get adequate sound. This is outlined in the M-B manual, as well, with a note saying that different Aux devices react unpredictably with sound levels. For instance, if you have the iPod playing at a fairly loud level for music, and you switch to either Radio or CD, then the latter two BLAST. I’ve learned to adjust the iPod volume to Max, and unlock its sound limit levels. It now seems to work - or sound - within the same range as the Radio or CD. What you can’t control easily, is the announcement that blasts when a call is incoming. With the Radio or CD playing, the system will mute the Radio or CD, then make its announcement. Not so with the Aux option. As to the sound itself, there’s nothing spectacular there. Music on the car’s speakers sounds average.
What I am impressed with, though, is the climate control and seat heaters, which are both superior in this car than they were in the X5. Maintaining an even Mono or Dual climate temperature is very efficient and almost instantaneous. There is no loud blasting of fans, either, which adds to the quietness of this vehicle - and it’s very quiet while driving. The seat heaters are similar to the X5’s, but they gradually lower the heat automatically, instead of staying on high ’til the passenger switches them off. What I miss of the X5 is the heated steering wheel I had, mind you, the C’s steering wheel doesn’t seem to get as bitingly cold as the X5’s did.
Visibility is also good, and I like the new flexible wipers that do a damn good job! Rain-sensing, like the X5, is a must in every vehicle, in my opinion. I wish the car had a rear wiper, but then most cars in this sedan styling aren’t equipped with a rear wiper. I also miss the park distance controls of the X5, and if I had to sit in the rear seats in cold weather, I might miss the heaters, but then the X5 had a cold weather package installed.
What I don’t miss is the built-in BMW navigation in the dash. I by-passed this option in the C deliberately, and bought a Garmin Nuvi 750 widescreen, which sits perfectly on the dash between the main driver console and the driver’s side window column. It appears to be the ideal location for this unit. Overall, the Garmin is superior in almost every way to the BMW NAV that I used for the last >four years.
More review comments to follow in the near future.
