While looking up info for my earlier post on the Ocean Drive, I checked out the future cars section of the Mercedes website, and discovered the 2008 C-Class.

Following in a string of recent vehicle introductions and redesigns, MB is making a rather striking intro-level automobile: Split between a "Sport" and "Luxury" trim levels, the car will have an astonishing list of features, including the following:

• A choice of two V-6 engines (3.0 or 3.5 liter sport sedan and 3.0 liter luxury sedan)
• Standard 7-speed automatic transmission (optional on C300 Sport Sedan)
• Standard 8-way power driver and passenger seats
• Adaptive brakes
• Standard dual-zone automatic climate control
• Burl Walnut trim (luxury sedan) or Aluminum trim (sport sedan)
• DIRECT CONTROL adaptive suspension system with selective damping for comfort and handling
• Standard Bluetooth® connectivity
• Aggressive AMG bodystyling on sport sedan models
• Standard power sunroof
• Six standard air bags
• 17-inch twin-spoke aluminum wheels (Optional 18-inch twin-spoke aluminum wheels on C300 and C350 Sport Sedans)

Remember, this is the intro-level car. Quite impressive.

The style is not as aggressive as the CLS 4 door "Coupe", or the new S-Class, never mind their coupes and roadsters, but it is a step forward from the earlier generation C. I don't see any side or rear views of the car, but as you can see from the front shot above, and the list of features above (both pilfered from the MB website), it'll be quite sporty. Once AMG gets their hands on it, this car will be a true performer, competing with the likes of the future BMW M3, and the Audi S4 (or RS4, depending on how much power AMG gives it).

One thing: I wonder why MB did away with the supercharged 4-cylinder, which was quite a fun, responsive engine (disclaimer: I used to sell MB's, so I know a thing or two about their previous editions). It would also be a bit better on fuel mileage - although, with MB's technical prowess, not by much.