There's something missing when looking down the bonnet of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class: the badge. Opt for your new Mercedes C-Class in Sport trim and you lose the badge protruding from the leading edge of the bonnet. Instead, Sport models gain a larger front grille badge in the same style that Mercedes used to reserve exclusively for its sporting two-door machines. That's quite a big move, the C-Class trims very obviously differentiated by not just the loss of that protruding badge, but also a completely different style of grille. Traditionalists shouldn't worry though, as the SE and Elegance models continue to look like 'Benz saloons should. But that Sport trim is very telling. Not only is Mercedes courting younger buyers, but it's seriously targeting the BMW 3 Series. That's hardly surprising; after all the C-Class and 3 Series have been adversaries for many years. It's just that while they've always been a similar size, price and targeted at the same overall audience, the Mercedes has always been the more conservative, sober-suited choice for junior and middle management buyers. Not any more. The Sport's distinctive grille, with a large three-pointed star positioned prominently on it, is joined by AMG styling. Deeper front and rear bumpers, side skirts, a waistline strip in polished aluminium and 17-inch AMG alloy wheels give the C-Class Sport the looks to take on the BMW 3 Series head on. It promises to drive better too, lower sports suspension dropping the ride height by 15mm, speed sensitive steering and, if you opt for the automatic (as most will), fingertip shifting control with steering wheel-mounted paddle-shifters. Sitting in the deep, nicely bolstered and supportive seats surrounded by aluminium trim it all feels rather convincing. Even if under that sporting outfit there's a diesel heart beating. Three diesels are offered: the C200, C220 and C320 CDI models, alongside a range of petrol models badged C180-C350 in four and six-cylinder guises. Few will find fault in the middling C220 diesel, using the same basic unit as in the C200 CDI, a four-cylinder of 2,148cc. When badged C220 CDI it delivers 170bhp. That's a fair few horses less than the C230 petrol in the range, but the diesel's 295lb.ft of torque eclipses the C230's 180lb.ft and makes the C220 CDI a far easier car to drive. That torque peaks early at 2,000rpm, giving the C220 CDI impressive low down urgency. The figures suggest it'll cover the 0-62mph benchmark sprint in 8.5 seconds (in manual or automatic), but that only highlights a small portion of its performance. Where it really excels is through the gears. There's a six-speed manual gearbox, but the five-speed automatic is the preferred option here. It's not only quick and smooth, but when you'd rather do the shifting yourself you can take over with the paddle shifters. Hunting up and down the gearbox is a relatively pointless pursuit, particularly as all that torque means it matters little which ratio is selected. Just push the right pedal and the C220 CDI accelerates effortlessly. It's nicely hushed, too. But enjoying the engine's performance has never really been a problem with the C-Class. Where Merc's sports executive has typically fallen short on driver appeal, and actual ability, is when it's faced with a challenging stretch of road. The steering has never imbued any confidence, being weighty but devoid of information, the C never talking to its driver as intimately as a 3 Series traditionally has. Mercedes-Benz's chassis people have clearly been paying attention to its closest rival, as the new C-Class immediately feels more interesting behind the wheel. The steering is nicely weighted and pleasingly direct without being fidgety. It actually delivers some messages back through the rim. The lowered sports suspension mixes agility and control without ruining the ride, body roll also being well contained. It all makes the C-Class a convincing driver's car that's as much at home pounding out high-speed autobahn miles as it is tackling a more twisting route. Yet the traditional 'Benz traits still shine though. The cabin is the paragon of sensible interior design; the safety features are plentiful and too technologically advanced to bother trying to explain. Suffice to say Merc's boffins spend a lot of time ensuring you're as safe as possible in your car. It's economical too, the C220 CDI returning 47.9mpg in manual guise or 42.8mpg as an auto' on the official combined consumption cycle. Emissions of CO₂, so important for those buying with company money, are 156g/km and 173g/km for the manual and automatic respectively. Options are seemingly limitless, as your wallet will need to be if you dip into them too extensively. A BMW beater then? In Sport guise it's right there alongside the BMW and that's quite an accolade; certainly one worth losing that old badge protruding from the bonnet for.

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