I just came back from the Mercedes C Drive Event this morning. This year Mercedes is introducing the new 2008 C Class. I drove the C350, with a 3.5 liter V6, 7 speed automatic, 268 hp, 248 lbs/ft torque, 0-60 in 6.1 seconds time, and a semi-automatic shifter.
They only had pastries and not real breakfast food to pass out. I was hungry so I ate about 5 of those.
I got there at about 7:15 a.m. They had to shuttle us there only a block away, because of the security gate. They started the C class presentation at about 8:30. I only got to drive the car for about 15 minutes. We drove for about 10 minutes around the neighborhood surrounding the Santa Monica Airport. Then we went on a very short track that lasted less than 30 seconds.
Overall, I was pretty impressed with the new 2008 C class. It handled and performed pretty well. I drove the Sport version and the growl from the engine was really nice. Almost like a Ferrari...almost. It handled much better than I thought it would. It felt very agile; almost handles like the BMW 3 series, which is the best handling sedan. And since it was a Benz, the interior felt very posh. The trickle down effect from the higher classed models made its way down to the C class.
I also got a bunch of free samples from their goody bag after I filled out a brief survey.
I wanted to drive again, but the line was way too long by the time I drove back to the parking lot before 8:50 a.m. It's a good thing I got there early. It looked like the other people had to wait 30 minutes to an hour to drive. I was the first one to drive. I always arrive early to places. I've had perfect attendance in school for many years. I would have been able to be in the car longer, if I was about 15th or 20th in line just because those drivers had to wait in line around their short test track. I didn't have enough time to play with all the gadgets inside.
I love cars and going to test drive events is a fun way to drive cars without the sales pressure. Plus, I get to drive dozens of cars without having to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. Too bad Mercedes didn't have any of their other line of cars there. The other manufacturers usually have their full line of cars. But, it seems like each manufacturer is cutting back on these shows, because of the increasing popularity and costs of running these events. I remember shows from a couple years ago being really big and having great food.
6 comments:
You're always early? That's my hubby. He's a freak about arriving early and not just five or 10 minutes. We always have to be places at least 10 to 20 minutes early so we end up standing around twiddling our thumbs.
I'm always late. Always. :P
too bad they're skimping on the food, but it sounds like a really fun time. i didn't realize they did events like that. my husband would flip! and he'd camp out if he thought it would help! (he's an early bird too.) i have driven a friend's BMW 325i and it was by far the best handling car i have EVER driven...it was my dream car for a while afterwards, but now i'm back to the supra:)
MiYon,
It's friends like you who are always keeping me waiting! I like to arrive early to show my courtesy to others. People who show up late for meetings are disrespectful. They're showing that they don't consider other people's time. You're okay, since you haven't kept me waiting.
Portia,
I like the 94-96 Toyota Supras. They're super sporty.
BMW's are known to be the benchmark for handling.
These test drive events are held at big cities all over the country. You've got to check the car websites from time to time to see if they're having any events.
LMAO I'm better than I used to be. I do agree that it's disrespectful; although, I never mean it to come off that way. Over the years, hubby and I have learned to strike the right balance so that we're not late but we're not so darn pickin' early either.
MiYon,
It'd be nice if we could arrive perfectly on time every time, but here in L.A., you never really know how long it could take to get somewhere because of traffic. I always take into account potentially bad traffic jams and accidents. That's why I try to leave early so that I won't be late if there are bad traffic jams or accidents.
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