The new C Class is Mercedes offering that it hopes will take on the BMW 3-series and Audi A4. Given the apparent aggressive and sporty image of the other two manufacturers it was probably felt that in this case that Mercedes would have to break with tradition and lose their image for slight stuffiness and conservatism and really compete with the competition.

Has Mercedes accomplished this? In a manner of speaking yes.

The main problem that Mercedes had with this project was how to try and come up with something that was very sporty and aggressive whilst not alienating the traditional Mercedes customer who is after comfort, style and a safe secure environment.

Mercedes answer to this conundrum was what it has called it's ?Agility Control Chassis? and in particular the variable-action shock absorbers.

Another innovation (as far as Mercedes are concerned) was the idea to have part aluminium suspension which reduces the overall un-sprung weight which in turn makes the car much more friendly in a bump environment i.e. in an urban setting where there are lost of sped humps or in a rural setting where the road conditions are less than ideal.

The bottom line as far as most potential customers are concerned is how much, what does it do (top speed wise) and how much of a gas guzzler is this beast going to turn out like.

Well, first things first, at the bottom end the C Class weighs in at just under ?23,000 and depending upon your requirements you could quite easily spend up to and over ?31,590 if you so wished.

Performance wise what does it do? Well the 1.8 will take on average 9.5 seconds to get from a standing start to 62 miles per hour, reaches a maximum speed of 144 miles per hour which in all but the most extreme and rare circumstances is enough to get you banned form quite some time if the local police catch you playing around at those speeds.

Lastly Mercedes reckon that on average the fuel economy of the car would see you getting 36.2 miles per gallon at average conditions and speeds.

This is the Mercedes that is going to go a long way in helping to change people's perception about what Mercedes stand for and what it really could turn out to be.

So is Beauty or Beast? Well o be honest I have never seen a Mercedes that could be classed as a beast and so with its performance I reckon that it could be safe to describe it as a bit of both.