Mercedes-Benz C320 Sportshatch 2003 Review

Hatchbacks. Chances are you've formed an opinion already. There are those that will suggest the utilitarian nature of all that easily-accessed, under-roof carrying capacity makes a whole bunch of sense. Then there is the other team that just reckons they look ordinary.

Hot hatches cloud the water even further. The Golf GTi kicked off the genre a couple of decades ago. Since then marques like Audi have entered and the stakes - and price-tags - have risen. A few years back BMW got into the action - albeit at the expensive end - via its 3 Series-based Compact. The second generation of Compact pushed the bar higher with six-cylinder power and real performance.

Now, it seems we're in the age of the prestige hot hatch, and it's Mercedes-Benz's turn at the plate. Top of the tree is the Mercedes-Benz C320 Sports coupe. Here's a car that wears the three-pointed star and exhibits seriously sporting intent. A car that has not only the ability to cope with the supermarket sortie but delivers a good measure of driver reward and a serious dollop of brand cachet.

Built on the C-class architecture, which means three-link front and independent rear suspension, new rack-and-pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes, the Sports Coupe is a relatively new type of car from Mercedes-Benz.

Some will wonder whether the Swabians need to dabble in this configuration, there's no mistaking the fact the Sports Coupe range is a tilt at a huge market in which Benz would be more than happy to command space. Perhaps the real reason Mercedes-Benz built this car is to introduce future E-class and S-class buyers to the brand. Repeat business is a big part of any car-maker's bottom line.

The Sports coupe may not be everybody's idea of all things Benz, but it is a car that warrants consideration - a quality offering in just about every sense of the word. The $89,900 C320 tested here features Benz's 3.2-litre, 160kW V6 engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission, and the normal wagon-load of 'smart' driver aids.

In a car dripping with quality componentry, the drivetrain is the highlight, with power very useable from low in the rev range.

The gearbox readily kicks down to put you in the meat of the power curve and there's no real need to play boy racer with the gearbox. If, however, the spirit moves you just knock the gated gearlever to the left or right to access manual mode and play Schumacher to your heart's content.

Mercedes says the car is good for 7.7sec to 100km/h - well into the region considered rapid in this day and age. On the open road, performance is rock solid stable and road-holding is exceptional. It holds a line very well and grip is rarely compromised, but the trade off is stiff suspension and the ride is a long way from plush in day-to-day running.

When it comes to interior ergonomics the driving position is tight but not unduly so. Where the car feels its 180mm shortening (compared to the C-class sedan) is in the rear passenger compartment. Still, it's not silly-squishy, like some hatches and coupes, and two adults can travel in reasonable comfort. Upside here is the rear seats can be folded away, yielding a large platform for carrying duties.

The interior exhibits a sporting feel with no sign of woodgrain or over-plush add-ons. There's the usual lashings of leather, and some polished alloy accents here and there but overall the tone is purposeful.

The dash, too, follows this feel of sports-sparseness. So much so, you'd be forgiven for dismissing the high level of spec at first glance. Still, it has most of the bells and whistles you'd expect in this price range -- dual-zone climate control set-up, steering wheel mounted controls for audio and the multi-function trip computer.

It's fair to say that up-speccing your C320 will not be cheap and you could argue that a multi-disc CD player and electric seat adjustment be standard fitment at this price. There is, however, a huge array of standard equipment on the car, including: anti-lock brakes with Brake Assist, Active Service System (ASSYST), electronic stability program, halogen front fog lamps, heated exterior mirrors, automatic climate control, single CD with six speakers, electronic cruise control with variable speed limiter, outside temperature display, power windows, remote central locking, mobile phone pre-installation, adjustable steering column (height and reach), trip computer, brake pad wear indicator and split-fold rear seats.

The standard Electronic Stability Program (ESP) also comprises the acceleration skid control and Brake Assist functions. In short it's an automatic stability control system designed to help a driver stay in charge when the road gets greasy.

It works by sensing steering wheel position, (in collaboration with other things) to decide whether the car is heading in the direction intended by the driver. If it senses a lack of traction the brakes are applied independently and power characteristics changed to put the car back on the path intended.

More ambitious, hands-on drivers can switch all this off if the challenge of making those decisions appeals. But don't expect a totally free reign, Mercedes-Benz - in all its wisdom - simply ups the activation threshold on these driving nannies, it doesn't deactivate them altogether.

In summary, this is a very nice car indeed. It is a long way from cheap, but it exudes the Benz persona. On the surface it may appear excessively expensive for a sports hatch, but with Mercedes-Benz, the devil and the value is in the detail.

Mercedes-Benz offers two sports packages: