Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

The 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class' ride is comfortable. Very comfortable. And quiet too — don't forget quiet. But if Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays were to stop there out of respect for the virtue of "If you don't have anything nice to say ... ," he wouldn't be saying much at all about the C-Class, which curiously remains a top seller despite superior sport-sedan competitors. In nearly every other category — interior space, styling, acceleration, fuel economy, brakes and handling — this last-place finisher in Cars.com's $46,000 Sport-Sedan Challenge is strictly riding on its rep, Mays says.

2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Review

2014 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Edition 507: First Look

• Competes with: BMW M3, Audi S4, Cadillac CTS-V
• Looks like: The family man's SLS AMG
• Drivetrain: 507-hp, 6.3-liter V-8; seven-speed automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Late 2013

Perhaps you've considered the current Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, the German uber sports coupe and sedan based off of Mercedes' C-Class and stuffed with a monster 6.3-liter V-8, but felt that its 451-horsepower rating was only just adequate. Well you're in luck: Mercedes-Benz just announced the new 2014 C63 AMG Edition 507, which takes the current car and miraculously boosts output by another 56 hp to a solid 507.

It's done by borrowing heavily from components that go into the fire-breathing SLS AMG gull-wing coupe, including the SLS engine's connecting rods, lightweight crankshaft, forged pistons and composite brake system. This drops the C63 AMG's zero-to-60 time from 4.4 seconds to 4.1 seconds and raises the car's top speed to 174 mph - but to get that top speed, one must attend a course at the AMG Driving Academy, which is included in the car's price.

2013 Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, Mercedes-Benz C-Class Join NHTSA's Five-Star Club

Several new vehicles joined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's five-star club today, earning the top score of five stars overall in crash tests performed by NHTSA. New inductees are the 2013 Ford Fusion, 2013 Lincoln MKZ and the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Meanwhile, the all-new 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid and redesigned 2013 Nissan Sentra didn't fare as well, with both having to settle for four stars overall.

The Fusion's and MKZ's front-, all-wheel-drive and hybrid models all received five stars in the frontal crash test and four-star ratings in side and rollover crash tests. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class' rear- and all-wheel-drive models scored five stars in the side crash test and four stars in frontal and rollover crash tests.

Both the C-Max Hybrid and Sentra fell short, receiving five-star scores in only the side crash test and four stars in the other two tests.

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2013 Detroit Auto Show: What To Expect

As what is widely regarded as the most important U.S. auto show of the year opens next week in Detroit, an automotive icon returns to the claim the spotlight.

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette is poised to be the star among the more than 50 production and concept vehicles slated to debut at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The show runs Jan. 19-27 — with press, industry and charity preview events on Monday-Jan. 18 — at downtown Detroit's Cobo Center. Last year's NAIAS attracted nearly 771,000 people, according to organizers.

Sunday night's press debut of the seventh-generation Corvette is hotly anticipated, and for nearly the past three months Chevy has done much to fan the flames, teasing us with tidbits of information and blink-and-you-missed-it video images. The automaker has disclosed that the new 'Vette will have a new 6.2-liter V-8 engine that's good for 450 horsepower and a zero-to-60-mph time of less than four seconds — all while improving on its 2013 predecessor's 26 mpg; Chevy also has said the 2014 model's aerodynamics were designed with Corvette's years of racing in the American Le Mans Series in mind.

Check back for full coverage of the 2013 Detroit auto show. Until then, here are the vehicles we know about now:

Recall Alert: 5,800 Mercedes-Benz Vehicles

Mercedes-Benz is recalling 5,800 model-year 2011-12 S400, S550, S550 4Matic, S63 AMG, C300, C300 4Matic, E350, GLK350, GLK350 4Matic, CL550 4Matic and CL63 AMG vehicles because of a problem in the fuel system that could cause fire, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles were manufactured from April 18, 2011, through July 12, 2011. The problem is due to an irregularity stemming from the molding process; the fuel filter flange could crack when operated under high temperatures. If cracking occurs, fuel may leak and cause a fire if an external ignition source is present, NHTSA stated.

Mercedes-Benz will notify owners starting in January, and dealers will replace the fuel filter at no cost. For more info, owners can contact Mercedes-Benz at 800-367-6372 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236, or go to www.safercar.gov.

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August's Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars

The Hyundai Santa Fe Sport topped last month's fastest-selling cars — a list that mixed the usual influx of redesigns and introductions with a lot of older cars. The 2013 Toyota Corolla, Honda Fit, Mini Cooper, Audi A3 and Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen flew off dealer lots last month. All but the A3 saw sales increases, with the Corolla, Fit and Cooper up more than 25% apiece. But all five cars have been on the market for some time since their last update, and none offer major incentives. One possible factor is gas prices, which have risen 20 cents in the past month. All five cars have variants with combined EPA mileage of 30 mpg or better.

Response to the redesigned Hyundai Santa Fe has been "nothing short of remarkable," Hyundai sales chief Dave Zuchowski said in a statement Tuesday. However, sales for the nameplate — whose redesign sprouts a new Santa Fe Sport derivative that's lumped into the same sales figure — fell nearly 50% for the month. What gives?

Mercedes, Lexus and Audi Fail Latest IIHS Crash Tests

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4 and two Lexus sedans — the IS 250/350 and the outgoing ES 350 — failed the latest round of IIHS frontal tests.

As we reported Monday, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s new offset frontal-barrier test simulates a 40-mph collision with a rigid barrier that overlaps just 25% of the car. The test simulates a front-corner collision with a tree, a pole or another vehicle, a scenario that is responsible for almost 25% of front crashes that seriously injure or kill someone in front, IIHS says. The new test will augment the agency's existing frontal test, which crashes a car at 40 mph against a deformable barrier that overlaps 40% of the front.

"Outside of some automakers’ proving grounds, such a test isn’t currently conducted anywhere else in the United States or Europe," IIHS said in a statement, noting that despite an increasing number of cars that score well in frontal crash tests, some 10,000 highway deaths still come from frontal collisions each year.

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

From its sporty looks to its spirited ride, the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class won over Cars.com Family contributor Carrie Kim in record time. This compact sedan fit Carrie’s small family surprisingly well, but one of her few complaints about the turbocharged C250 was its difficult-to-use Latch system for her daughter’s child-safety seat.

2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Review

Many Automakers' Latch Systems Difficult to Use, Study Finds

Installing a child-safety seat can be a difficult and automakers aren't making it any easier with their Latch systems, according to a new study.

The study evaluated 98 of the best-selling passenger vehicles from the 2010 and 2011 model years and found that only 21 of them had easy-to-use Latch systems. The Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system, which is found in cars from the 2003 model year and on, standardizes the in-car equipment for car-seat installation.

It's supposed to make it easier for parents to get the proper car-seat fit and ensure that the child riding in the car seat is protected in a crash.

Movers and Losers: July 2011

Despite some pessimistic reporting earlier last month, July turned out to be a good recovery month for the auto industry. More than 1 million new vehicles were sold, and sales were up 4.7% from a year ago. Despite the rosy sales figures, the average time it took a model to sell increased slightly in July to 58.8 days from June's 58 days.

This month’s Movers and Losers list shows that many of the fastest-selling vehicles once again come from Hyundai. The 2012 Hyundai Elantra remained one of the fastest-selling volume vehicles in July, taking just six days to sell. You could say everything at Hyundai is a fast-seller: The 2012 Sonata and Tucson also took six days to sell. The new 2012 Hyundai Accent sedan (10 days) and hatchback (seven days) also sold like hotcakes. Overall, the Tucson, Accent, Sonata and Elantra represent roughly 80% of Hyundai’s sales for the month.

This month’s Losers list includes the addition of two hybrids — the 2011 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid (159 days) and 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid (150 days). The Toyota Yaris sedan (165 days) also merged on to the slow lane, though that model is due to be replaced.