2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C 300 Luxury With Navigation (AWD) $21,990

Reinvented and refined over the last few years, the well-rounded Mercedes-Benz C-Class stands as one of the best picks in the highly competitive compact luxury sport sedan and coupe segments. Every Mercedes-Benz C-Class gets a split-folding rear seat for 2014 as standard equipment. The C350 also gets standard 18-inch wheels in place of 17s. For the C63 AMG, a new Edition 507 performance package debuts. It may not be the prettiest. It may not be the sportiest. It may not be the most spacious. It's definitely not the cheapest. Yet the 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is nevertheless an impressively refined and well-rounded luxury car that feels every bit as meticulously screwed together as Mercedes' pricier sedans. Even in the face of newer competitors and on the eve of an all-new replacement, the current C-Class sedan and coupe are superb choices. As you'll most definitely see below, there is a dizzying array of C-Class variations: sedan and coupe body styles, four engines, rear- and all-wheel drive, Sport and Luxury sub-trim levels and the C63 AMG high-performance model. Yet even if you get the simplest, cheapest C250, rest assured that you're not getting gypped. As the C-Class is no longer the entry-level Mercedes-Benz (that honor now goes to the sleek CLA-Class, standard equipment is plentiful and there's a huge list of available luxury- and safety-oriented options. Granted, there are other small luxury sedans that come with similar equipment at a cheaper price, but the C-Class is so much more than simply a laundry list of features. Whether the well-damped suspension is effortlessly soaking up a railroad crossing or you simply close the door with a vaultlike "thunk," the C-Class has a substantial, finely engineered quality that can't be appreciated by looking at a spec sheet or flipping through photos. Even its prime competitors, the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series, can't quite match it in this regard. Really, it's hard to go wrong in this segment. But it's also hard to turn down a 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan or coupe.