In less than two weeks from now � on 2nd November 2007 to be exact - DaimlerChrysler Malaysia (soon-to-be renamed Mercedes-Benz Malaysia) will officially launch the all-new W204 C-Class.
Nonetheless, I was glad to be briefly acquainted with this sample of W203 C200K Elegance, dubbed the Celeano Edition, from Cycle & Carriage Bintang (CCB). Almost packed to the brim with last batch goodies like 17� Designo alloys shod with Pirelli P-Zero Rosso 225/45/R17 tyres, lighted M-B lettered sill plate, bi-Xenons headlamps plus Avantgarde bumpers, chrome trims and side skirts.
The C200K drive was decent even though it was 7 years ago that the first W203 rolled off production line in Sindelfingen, Germany. Body roll was a tad more pronounced than my regular W211 E-Class but those Pirellis were grippy, silent and comfortably pliant. Turn-in was noticeably sharper while tracking of corners were tighter due to the C-Class inherent smaller dimensions e.g. wheelbase. Having said that, the trademark Merc smooth and gliding ride is still omnipresent, despite being a rather compact junior executive sedan. There�s room for improvement for braking power though, something hopefully more biting � as with the uprated engine performance � in the new C-Class.
While interior space isn�t class leading anymore, there are still decent legroom and shoulder room at the rear. Boot space is just adequate but anterior occupants� elbow room is definitely slacking. 
For century sprint, a best timing of 9.75secs was squeezed from the supercharged all-aluminum M271 motor capable of 163bhp and 240Nm. In contrast, the new C200K will punch out a combo of 184bhp and 250Nm. Claimed 0-100km/h figure is 8.8secs.
With this, For Wheels bid a sweet farewell to the W203 in its final facelifted form of C200K where all bugbears by design, of cost-cutting and initial production hiccups were ironed out. Here�s looking forward to a new chapter in the evolution of Mercedes-Benz C-Class�bring on the new W204!!!Related posts:
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