This is What They Mean by a Gentleman's C.

The first thing you notice in the new Mercedes C-class sedan is the stick shift. Yes, that's a six-speed manual transmission - in a Mercedes.

It's there because this revised C has a big mission. It's out to defeat not only Lexus and Infiniti, but BMW, too.

Its approach is to retain Mercedes' traditional bank-vault feel, but with sporting performance and a sticker that begins under $30,000. But although this Mercedes was built with cost in mind, it doesn't feel that way. The seats are as firm, the engine as strong, the body as tight as any other car bearing the three pointed star.

The fresh, sleek styling will help you forget the previous boxy C immediately. And if the C errs more on the side of luxury than all-out sport, well, that's why you bought a Mercedes, isn't it?

The Empire Strikes Back

When Japanese car companies decided to get into the luxury market, they built technically solid cars, gave them highfaluting names, and priced them less than the European competition. As brands like Lexus and Infiniti grew in stature and in sales, sticker prices grew with them.

That gave the more established firms like Mercedes-Benz the opening they'd been looking for. After all, the entry-level C-class is 35 percent of Mercedes' business. That's a turf worth defending. So Mercedes ruthlessly cut costs, revised its engineering philosophy, and came out with a C-class for the price of the Japanese competition or less.

Now price-competitive, they can use the Mercedes heritage against these Johnny-come-lately brands. That's why you see Mercedes ads featuring their cars through history - to remind you their cars actually have a history. And, judging by the value for money of the new C-class, quite a future too.