Road Test: Mercedes-Benz C Class C280 SE 4dr Auto - Top Gear

AdvertisementClose advertisement

• Home
• Car Reviews
• Road Test: Mercedes-Benz C Class C280 SE 4dr Auto

First DriveRoad Test: Mercedes-Benz C Class C280 SE 4dr AutoPrices from

£27,757 when new

Matt MasterPublished: 20 Jul 2007

Read why you can trust our independent reviews

Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue readingAdvertisement

SPEC HIGHLIGHTS

• BHP

  231bhp

• 0-62

  7.2s

• CO2

  219g/km

• Max Speed

  152Mph

• Insurance group

  35E

See more specs and info

Having waxed lyrical about the diesel C-Class last month, a quick word on the current petrol range. Not to redress the balance, but to reaffirm the assertion that this car needs to be taken very seriously, and needs the full attention of all those 3-Series devotees.

The four-cylinder 200 Kompressor and 280 and 350 sixes are all excellent. The 200 because it isn't weedy and a bit rubbish like you might expect, the 280 because it's spot on, and the 350 because it's more than enough, and there's nothing wrong with that either.

Advertisement - Page continues below

Prices for that lot range from £24,117, to a slightly unnerving £33,877 for the 350 Elegance. And that's without any of the toys you definitely want if you've bought a Merc. A 180 will be available which comes in at just under £23,000, but maybe that'll be the weedy, rubbish one. Buyer beware.

Mercedes is also debuting some impressive voice-control technology on the C-Class, with typically crap Merc name: Linguatronic. You can programme satnav, tune the radio, make it play your CDs while you're prank-calling your mum. All without taking your eyes off the road.

So it's actually pretty good. And the whole immensely comprehensive unit costs just over £1,700. Not bad when you consider the price of a basic satnav. But not good when you consider the price of a basic C-Class.

 

Advertisement - Page continues below

 

Top GearNewsletter

Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.

SuccessYour Email*View commentsAdvertisement

96 per cent of Ford Fiesta owners ‘oblivious’ to existence of third gear

F1 to replace Italian Grand Prix at Monza with street race in Venice

Exclusive: VW to build ID. Buzz that breaks down constantly

UK ambassador summoned after Brit firm adds Rover V8 into Italian supercar

Advertisement

96 per cent of Ford Fiesta owners ‘oblivious’ to existence of third gear

F1 to replace Italian Grand Prix at Monza with street race in Venice

Exclusive: VW to build ID. Buzz that breaks down constantly

UK ambassador summoned after Brit firm adds Rover V8 into Italian supercar

96 per cent of Ford Fiesta owners ‘oblivious’ to existence of third gear

F1 to replace Italian Grand Prix at Monza with street race in Venice

Exclusive: VW to build ID. Buzz that breaks down constantly

UK ambassador summoned after Brit firm adds Rover V8 into Italian supercar

1. Retro

   Ring master: meet the man behind this stunning 1971 Aston Martin DBS restomod

2. First Look

   “Tremendous responsibility”: BMW Alpina is now OFFICIAL, and here’s the new logo

3. First Look

   This is the final design for Red Bull’s wild RB17 hypercar

4. Car Review

   Rolls-Royce Ghost

5. Gaming

   Forget GTA 6, these are the ten games we’re most looking forward to in 2026

6. Opinion

   Opinion: is Lancia overdue a triumphant rally return?

Subscribe to the Top Gear Newsletter

Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.

SuccessYour Email*Country*Please select your countryUnited KingdomAfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCaribbean NetherlandsCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongo (Brazzaville)Congo (Kinshasa)Cook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong Kong S.A.R., ChinaHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacao S.A.R., ChinaMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorth KoreaNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinian TerritoryPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint BarthélemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluU.S. Virgin IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVaticanVenezuelaVietnamWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

By clicking subscribe, you agree to receive news, promotions and offers by email from Top Gear and BBC Studios. Your information will be used in accordance with our privacy policy.

Sorry, something went wrong

Please try againSubscribemagazine

Subscribe to BBC Top Gear Magazine

find out more