lt1camaro

Hey guys,

I traded in my 435i M Performance Edition last month for a C43 AMG, and while the car has been great for the purpose I got it for, practical daily driving, I don't feel the "AMGness" of it. At this point, It just feels like a bumpier and loud sounding luxury car. When I push the car through high speeds in corners, the steering has zero feedback, feels numb, and extremely light which makes it really twitchy and non confidence inspiring through corners such as highway ramps. I've also noticed under hard braking (160kmh to 80kmh) a lot of left and right sway.

I do have the Mercedes recommended bridgestone winter tires running the same tire size as the OEM C43, so maybe that may be contributing to the decreased driving feel compared to the Pzeros the car comes with, but they shouldn't change the driving feel too much.

While the C43 has proven to be a more suitable winter car than my RWD 435i, I really miss how planted and reassuring the 435i felt with zero body roll and heavy yet precise steering, but I have an E92 M3 for the time being to satisfy that craving.

sean1.8t

Ugh..

So you test drove a car and through whatever reasoning you used, you decided to buy it.

And now you all of the sudden don't like it and are coming on here to complain about it and tell us how much better your bimmer was?

why...

ShazV6

lol

PeterUbers

Hard to compare performance of the bimmer on summer tires to an awd Benz on winter tires

i think you will be happier with another BMW, sell the c43 and get a BMW 340i xdrive

lt1camaro

Maybe I didn't word my entire post correctly, but I wanted to see if the steering is light on this model in general or if my particular car has a steering issue where it is extremely light to the point I can turn the wheel with one finger in high speeds.

As I also mentioned, the car has been great for the purpose I bought it for, which is practical daily driving. I never said I didn't like it.

Shewillbemine

So is the steering so light that it's BAD or is it so good that you only have to use one finger at high speed turns?

Pretty sure Jeremy Clarkson was bragging how he could power through an apex with just one finger in an Evo.

lt1camaro

I find its so light that its bad, as the car doesn't feel as planted in your hands when you are going through a corner and that even a small bump could make your hands move on the steering wheel a lot. I have also noticed that the steering feel doesn't change between comfort or sport steering. It feels the same in both modes.

roy777

It is quite light in steering feel. I was just in a loaner car yesterday ( a 2017 C300 ) and that car felt much heavier than my C43.

Gungaslow

Wondering how harsh of a ride was the 435i vs the c450? Is the suspension as stiff in comfort mode?

lt1camaro

The 435i was much stiffer and sat lower, however due to it not being loud, even with the m performance exhaust, and being really undriveable during the winter due to its front carbon fiber diffuser scraping on everything and rear wheel drive, the C43 was a much better all around car for my driving purposes.

gabe.m

Just went from a 2014 328 to a C43, and yes, there is a difference between these two cars. I still have the bimmer, though, and drive them alternatively. I was actually thinking about making a comparison video.

Trust me, I would not do with the c43 what I do with the 328, mostly because I am not used to the car yet. The bimmer is very agile, while the c43 seems like a mini tank on steroids. In my case, there is a power difference between the two: 248 vs 362, and I just need to learn to control that in the MB chasis.

You'll get there, I assume, and you'll drive the c43 quite well once you get used to it. There is a stretch of road I started driving with around 25 mph with the bimmer, through curves, now I can come up to 50, as fast as the tires can go. There is a drive feeling difference between bmw and mb, not good or bad, just a difference.

sean1.8t

Ya but a c43 doesn't compare to a 328i AT ALL.

328i = C300

340i xDrive = C43 sedan

440i xDrive = C43 coupe

gabe.m

Sorry, do you compare a 2014 inline 4 248hp 8 speed egarbox, with a 2013 V6 c300, 248hp? Or with the w205 c300 that's slow to respond as hell? Are you saying you can actually compare them in terms or how they drive, a c300 sedan to a bimmer? c43 doesn't compare at all with a prius maybe

Regardless, my observations stand. OP needs to get used to the car, as a bimmer has a different driving style compared to the C43. It's a bloody different chasis, different response and all that.

5ilver-5urfer

OP, I daily drive between my 435 and C43 so I can definitely understand what you're feeling when you say the steering feels light.

I find the steering on the 435 to be heavy...like a lot heavier than I've felt in 95% of cars I've driven. The heavy steering makes the car feel a lot more connected to the road and a lot less prone to the minor steering wheel movements that make the C43 feel like it's more sensitive.

Honestly, there is nothing that will change how different these two cars feel.
You passed up a really good vehicle for another really good vehicle. The way I see it - just enjoy what you have now...in a few years this one will be old news too and you'll be moving on to another car.

sean1.8t

I have no idea what you are trying to say in that first paragraph

I agree with you 100% on the second paragraph though. They are different cars altogether. It's not a pissing contest between the cars. Each car (all of them not just the few on topic in this thread) has it's own characteristics and personality. It's not that one is "better" than the other per-say, they are just different, and that's the great thing about being free to choose, you get to pick the one YOU like.


Unfortunately, choosing certain cars for practicality needs means that we most certainly have to compromise in other areas of the car.

OP: Back in the day (maybe currently, I don't keep up like I used to), A4 guys used to hate the electric steering for the same reason. Just too light when driving spiritedly. So what they did was figure out what component under the dash gave the [at the time] new electric steering its power. So people ran a bypass switch on it. Allowed them to have full power in daily driving duties. Then 100% non assisted for the times when you wanted it. Electrical is not my forte, so I'm not sure if the C class is the same, but something to look into..

And you do know they make AWD BMW's right?

layzie12g

A C43 is not a real AMG. Period.

As far as the steering being numb goes.... It was numb when you test drove it, numb the second day you bought it, and will be numb until the day you sell the car.

gabe.m

BOOOOO!!!!! As right as you may be, please don't say that to our faces

Bueller178

Trying to compare the handling of a summer high performance tire and stating a winter tire will feel similar couldn't be further from the truth.


Everything from tread, profile, and compound to name a few would be radically different between those 2 tires, as such it will have a considerable difference when driving.


In terms of numb feel, when I test drove the 340 xdrive, I found it to be no better, and it was less confidence inspiring in hard turns than the C43.


YMMV.

sean1.8t

Does saying that help you sleep at night?

No one cares one way or another. Least of all c450/c43 owners. It's a badass car and that is all that matters

sayeah

not sure how different 435 is from 335. But my 2014 335's steering actually feels much lighter than C43 and turning has "rubbery" feel. C43 steering is at the right balance.

Eclipse155

Go away/no one cares/that ship has sailed...

Bueller178

There must have been a whole bunch of drunk Germans that built my car because they clearly vandalized it with AMG stickers, emblems, and what not all over my car.

L8apexer

The AMG brand is being diluted much like the ///M brand of BMW. I think we would all agree that the M235i is not a "real" ///M, much like the C43 is not a "real" AMG.


This is just reality now. I don't think there's a point of arguing what's a real or not real AMG car. We all know how these cars are made, what's under the hood, and we can come to our own conclusions about the worthiness of a car.

sean1.8t

Well said.

I just find it funny that "real" AMG guys get so upset about it. They think that their car's are built on some distant planet with super advanced alien technology that us mere mortals couldn't possibly understand.

No, your car is just like any other MB except for a few badges, better suspension, wider fenders in some cases, and it's tuned for more power. The new "AMG Sport" models have all of that.

The whole "One man, one engine" doesn't really mean much. Sounds cool and all but it's more of a gimmick than people want to admit.

Biggreenogg

Too true