This sporty new compact from Mercedes Benz has such remarkable performance that you will be flabbergasted to discover it is powered by a mere four-cylinder engine. Certainly the C230’s super-charger and inter-cooler have a lot to do with the perky package, but factor in the fuel economy and mid-twenties price tag and you’ll be scratching your head in disbelief.

A weeklong jaunt up into the Sequoia National Forest gave us plenty of time to really see what this new sports coupe is made of. What we found is a lot of bang for the buck wrapped up in an efficient, yet comfortable package.

We had plenty of legroom and headroom, but felt just a wee bit cramped on elbowroom, no doubt because our daily driver is a sport ute

Twisty, undulating mountain roads and switchbacks were a perfect driving laboratory. Although the 230 comes standard with a 6-speed manual transmission, our test car was equipped with the optional five-speed "TouchShift" driver-adaptive automatic with well-mannered manual gear selection shift points.

No knock to the clutchless transmission, it allows the driver to manually select all five forward speeds by lightly tapping the gear lever slightly left to downshift or right to upshift, but expect a learning curve period. The trick is to build confidence remembering which way to go in a hurry and not look at the dash to see if you shifted into the right gear.

A gear indicator is always illuminated on the dash panel located directly in front of the driver (2,3,4, etc). The computer control prevents downshifts that would cause the engine to overrev and if you tire of shifting, merely holding the shifter to the right puts you right back into fully automatic mode indicated by a glowing "D."

I was particularly impressed with the adaptive transmission logic that sensed road grade changes and altered its shift pattern accordingly. It also "refit" itself to my driving style - normally aggressive, but it was just as happy when I forced myself to drive in a more leisurely manner.

Another highlight is "W" and "S" rocker switch located next to the shifter. In winter mode the car starts out in second gear and the transmission will upshift at lower engine speeds when better traction is required. The torque converter also uses a lock-up clutch to maximize fuel efficiency. It can engage in third, fourth and fifth gears, and slight computer-controlled slippage is allowed to prevent drivetrain vibration. Designed to last the life of the car, the lock-up clutch is submerged in transmission oil and uses special long-life friction materials.

It is obvious that this is the "automatic" transmission norm of the coming years, where repairing software will become just as important as the actual hardware fixes. Smart shop owners and techs will be fully prepared when one of these shows up at the lift.

Torque junkies will savor the 200 lbs.-ft. of torque delivered from the 2.3-liter, 192-hp engine, and use the snappy response to throttle input every chance they get. If ever the word "zippy" had a home, the expansive power band (2500 rpm to 4800 rpm) it’s with this car. This thing acts more like a six-cylinder than a four banger. The platinum-tipped spark plugs are good for 100,000 miles and a special sensor in the oil pan permits the car to let you know when it is really time to change the oil based on the contaminant level

While I have always admired, and had great confidence in, everything Mercedes put on the street, its price tag was always far more than I wanted to invest in a car. Starting at remarkably low $25,615 (including destination fee), the C230 seems suddenly attainable. You get some of the best trickle down hardware and technology systems in the business. There is no shortage of quality, or comfort, and the safety standards are outstanding.

From side curtain airbags that cover the entire occupant area as well as dual-threshold and dual-stage front air bags; front and rear side airbags; and the BabySmart child seat recognition system, you’ve got a lot running interference for you in the danger zone. Drivers will also appreciate the anti-lock brakes, ESP stability control and brake assist that actually shortens emergency stopping distances.

Let’s talk about the options. First off- there aren’t many. Second, the 230’s options are true luxury items, there is no "base model" feeling with this car. If you have few extra pennies, spend it on the panoramic sliding sunroof that is so large that even the back seat passengers have a sky view! The front part of the sunroof slides over the outside of the car, so it doesn’t reduce headroom and the electrically operated roller blinds provide shade when the roof is closed.

Also optional are the power seats, heated seats, Bose premium sound system, six-disc CD changer, digital portable cellular telephone, rain-sensing windshield wipers and leather upholstery.

Inside, the cockpit is ergonomically pleasing accented with a patterned aluminum trim and a three-spoke steering wheel with illuminated control buttons for the car radio, telephone and other functions. This approach dramatically reduces dash board clutter as three analog gauges monitor engine speed, road speed and fuel level, while the centrally-located multifunction display reveals a variety of other detailed information, including miles-to-empty.

Fiber-optic cabling replaces copper wiring and now light pulses, rather than electric signals, transfer much of the car’s information including the audio, communication and navigation systems at more than 5.6 million bits per second — 60 times faster than copper wires. Sound quality is further enhanced by the Bose engineers who took over 1,000 acoustic measurements to establish optimum speaker placement and equalization