We tested the Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor in one of our favorite driving locations, the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. The roads still wander up, down and around the hills as if laid out by drunken deer and it's a great place to wring out a car with Sport in its name. If we were limited to two words to describe the C230 Kompressor on these roads, they would be "balance" and "competence." Balance because no one part of the car dominates. The added power of the supercharged engine provides the gumption that was lacking in the old C230, allowing the Kompressor to climb hills with authority and a growl. The engine was not so overpowering, however, that the traction control system, which Mercedes-Benz calls Anti-Slip Regulation, was put into play by anything but a loose surface.The Sport suspension lived up to its name. Roads through the Poconos can be narrow and often have odd camber changes; they curve left and right, up and down, all within a matter of feet. Even when driven at speed, the Kompressor Sport could not be caught out. Its suspension could not be fooled by the trickiest road. Just steer where you want to go and the Kompressor Sport goes there. Of course, the car has its limits, but the Kompressor Sport approaches them with aplomb. Shock damping is superb, and even over crests, the Mercedes sedan seems stuck to the pavement. So balance, competence -- and nimbleness. The C230 Kompressor Sport feels more like a sports car than a sedan. On Interstate 80 heading west, halfway across Pennsylvania, the C230 Kompressor Sport proved itself an able cruiser. Its speed control passed the superslab grade test. Even over the uphill and downhill sections of I-80, it never varied from the selected speed unless prompted by the driver. There was little wind noise though enough of the tire rumble came up through to remind us that we weren't in a tomb. The C230 Kompressor Sport needed a steady hand on the helm, however, because its responsiveness and readiness to turn in on winding roads translated into a need to pay attention. It is, after all, a driver's car. In around-town driving the automatic transmission was utterly flawless, with smooth shifts detectable only on the tachometer. At full throttle, the transmission and engine computers talk to each other to briefly cut back on power while the automatic slips into the next higher gear without so much as a jiggle. If desired, the driver can choose gears manually; the zigzag shift gate facilitates one-gear-at-a-time shifts, but the shifts are slow.
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