Jose´s road test to Antequera - Mercedes-Benz C250 AMG line

Living on the Costa Del Sol is a dream come true. Malaga is such a unique and diverse city and there are so many historical places to see which are only a short drive from home. One of my favourite things on a weekend, is to discover new places in Andalucia and find a nice bar to enjoy local dishes. So weekend road trips are ideal, allowing my passion for cars, food and travel to come together.

Over the weekend we decided to take one of our showroom cars - the Mercedes-Benz C250 ///AMG line - on our road trip to Antequera. Only a 45km drive from Malaga, Antequera is also known as the heart of Andalucia because of its central location among Malaga, Granada, Cordoba and Sevilla.

From Malaga to Antequera I took the A45 freeway which gave me a good opportunity to test the cars driving capabilities including power, suspension, comfort and handling. As I entered the A45, I put my foot to the floor to overtake a semi-trailer on a long steep stretch. From 1500 RPM you can feel the larger turbo come on boost and give masses of torque down low to make overtaking quick, safe and simple. 

There are so many things to see in Antequera. From the UNESCO World Heritage site ´The Antequera Dolmens´to ´Alcazaba de Antequera´ and if you are feeling extra adventurous, you can visit the Lobo Wolf Park  which is a short drive from the town centre.

Being my first time in Antequera, I wanted to take a look through the town and try some delicious local food. I took a stroll through the centre, which has a typical Andalusian feel with narrow cobblestone streets, small dark bars, local produce shops, churches and lots of families filling the streets and local bars.

I decided to stop at Taberna El Rincon de Lola for some traditional tapas and cañas and was lucky enough to get a seat by the bar. Soon I noticed that this must be one of the local hang outs as the bar was filling up very quickly - so I knew that the food must be good. This bar had the kind of ambiance that I love most, noisy but not too noisy - where you can´t hear yourself talking - dark, moody and filled with photos and paintings of famous bullfighters. The food surely didn´t disappoint. I decided to go with the camarero´s suggestion of  setas a la planca (grilled mushrooms) and house coquettes which were absolutely delicious. Taberna El Ricon de Lola is definitively worth going to when you are in Antequera. You always know that you have stumbled across a good place when the locals are there, enjoying the house tapas, vinos and cañas.

Next on my list was to take the Mercedes-Benz for a spin across the country side of Antequera, the famous El Torcal region. El Torcal de Antequera has the most geologically stunning Natural Reserves of all of Andalucia´s National parks. Renowned for it´s unique limestone formation it has a surreal almost eerie feel to it.

Driving across the El Torcal country side, it gave me an opportunity to feel how the Mercedes-Benz handles through the windy roads. I put the suspension into ´Sport Mode´and as a result you can noticeably feel the difference in the car´s grip. While having the suspension set to Sports Mode you can feel all the bumps of the country road however handling does improve dramatically. The steering of the Mercedes-Benz AMG line gives you great feedback and points into the corners with great accuracy. The AMG sports seats hug tight to your body and keep you in a good driving position throughout the tight bends. Equipped with all the latest gadgets and comfort features, this car is ideal for true car lovers.

The drive back to Malaga took about two hours as we made our way through the country side. What a joy it was to take out the Mercedes-Benz C250 AMG line for a beautiful country drive.

Jose Manuel Fuentes