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Mercedes-Benz' C class is the most affordable of the German carmaker's sedan line, but that doesn't mean it feels like an entry level vehicle. It is, after all, a Mercedes. And that means even its lower end cars are upper echelon in the grand scheme of things. So it is with the new C. Mercedes-Benz says the fourth generation C300 has a greater emphasis on agility, safety and comfort than before, and with "a sportier flair." more... How can a sedan with a well-earned reputation for excellence leave a reviewer feeling ambivalent after a week behind the wheel? It couldn't have been the fact that the 2007 Mercedes-Benz E280 4Matic is the "entry level" version of the popular E-Class; heck, a "lower end" Benz (which is about as close to an oxymoron as I can think of!) is still an important vehicle in the automotive world, a car that lets mere mortals know you've arrived. And when I drove the even more "entry level" B200 Turbo a while back, I loved the little critter. What gives? more... Mercedes B200 Turbo – A Little Car that Can Maybe Nissan shouldn't have cancelled its Axxess so many years ago. That old car, long dead now, may have been ahead of its time because it almost seems like a "down market prototype" for the new Mercedes-Benz B 200 "Compact Sports Tourer." While one could make the argument the B is really more like a miniature minivan than a "Sports Tourer," it's actually a fairly apt description of the beast. It's definitely compact and surprisingly sporty – and during my week of touring around the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in it I really started to like the little critter: it's fun to drive, roomy, efficient, classy – and features a wonderfully expansive sunroof through which you could very nearly parachute. When it's open, of course. more... Mercedes Benz R – Class, in Minivan Clothes Mercedes Benz may not want its new R Class to be known as a minivan, but it sure seems like a minivan to me – and a darn fine one at that. The only real difference I can see between the R 350 I drove for a week and a garden variety minivan (other than M-B’s high end trappings and technology, of course) is the fact that its center passenger doors are hinged to open outward like the front doors instead of sliding backwards the way most minivan doors do. On the other hand, it looks a lot like those so-called crossover vehicles that are becoming more common – vehicles that supposedly blur the line between minivan and SUV or SUV and wagon such as the Chrysler Pacifica or maybe GM’s models such as the Saturn Relay. DaimlerChrysler seems to want the R to be known as a “sports tourer,” and while I agree with the “tourer” part, I’m not sure a big vehicle like this has a lot of “sports” in it. more...
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