2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Kompressor SS review from North America

Nothing wrong with the car mechanically.

Few cosmetic things, for example:

- Release truck button on driver's side rattled with the music. Dealer replaced for free.

- Radio stopped working for a little while. Dealer updated the software for free.

But the BIGGEST annoyance is, since I have the Harmon Kardon premium sound system, and it has a 8" sub woofer. It rattles the rear hatch like crazy. Even with the bass turned down. It's just a poor design. The dealer said they did all they could do under warranty to fix it (i.e: adding some foam); it helped a little, but it still rattles. The thing is that they KNOW it's a problem, but according to them, they have not come up with a solution.

Other than problems stated above, it's a great little car. Get AWESOME gas mileage. I average about 20-25mpg in city, and 30-38mpg on the highway. It is FASTER than the 2006 and 2007's because of the higher torque in the 4 banger, and because the 5 speed auto on this car is less sluggish than the 7 speed that Benz is using on their new cars. So this car is faster and gets better gas mileage than the 2006 and 2007.

It's a great looking car, and since I have the Orion Blue, it's is very rare in a sea full of silver, black and white C-classes. I have my ipod hooked up to it, it works great. (except for the bass thing).

Although this car is only listed as 189HP and 191lb.f of torque, it delivers just fine on the freeway and city driving. This car FEELS wonderful at high speeds (above 80+) handles nice, comfortable. Although I've been told by passengers that the rear seats are not exactly comfortable on long rides.