anoop

OK, so I keep going back and forth between these in my head. I haven't actually seen or driven a C350 because my dealer didn't have any the 2 times I visited and he said he would call when one came in, but hasn't called.

The key differences, as I see it are:

C250
- Base MSRP $37220
- 1.8L turbo, 201 hp (harsher, less power)
- 4 cyl probably cheaper to service, but what about the turbo?
- MPG 21/31 (cheaper to operate)
- Smaller brakes
- Weight distribution 52:48
- Does not include PP

C350
- Base MSRP $42370
- 3.5L V6, 300 hp (smoother, more power)
- 6 cyl probably more expensive to service
- MPG 19/28 (more expensive to operate)
- Larger brakes
- Weight distribution 53.x/47.y
- Base price includes $2K PP, so real difference is about $3K for which you get a larger engine and bigger brakes

Is there anything else that I may be missing? Did you go back and forth before deciding what to get? Which way did you go? I'm thinking the base C350 with absolutely no additional options would satisfy me. If I can get a good deal, I would probably pay close to MSRP out the door (i.e. including taxes and other stuff)...of course I am yet to drive it. The C250 was OK, but uninspiring. I could live with it, but think I should at least check out the C350 before pulling the trigger. The main reason I have almost settled on this car are the seats...I thought they were incredibly comfortable compare the seats in the 3 series or the A4.

Also, I put down the weight distribution from memory. Anyone knows if those are accurate?

Thanks.

GuOD

Canada is different... but when picking C350 I chose for a few reason

-C350 has optional leather interior (red)
-C350 has dual exhaust (OCD)
-Engine is smoother/faster but most reviews prefer the C250 for being nimble I think

r2racer

I ordered the 350. I am going from an A5 3.2 and going to the 250 would be a down grade. The 350 has dual exhaust and I needed to have that. The 350 brings the rear spoiler and that is a nice add. I also like the fact that there are not going to be that many 350s on the street as the dealers rather order the 250 because they sell them faster.

anoop

The more power is good now, but that is the thing I worry about most -- getting used to "more power". For example, I drive a 325i which has 184 hp. If I got the 330i back then, it would have had 225 hp, and something like the C250 would have been a complete no go for me now. And with the way prices of cars are going, and with the downsizing of engine sizes, I'm not sure if I would be able to afford something even better after I'm done with this car. Maybe I'm just looking too far ahead...

However, I do make a lot of long distance trips, and I thought the v6 would be better since it would naturally have less vibration. The 4 cylinder would have more NVH even though they probably do things so that it is not felt as much.

Breitling65

I test drove both cars and choose C350. It is much stronger engine, much more responsive on gas. C250 jumps with this underpowered turbo engine without any movement just rev's. I came from Infiniti G37 world and even C350 is not as powerful to me now . Engine is making 22mpg mostly city driving, great in compare to former G37.
Besides engine I believe I got bit sportier suspension, that is making difference too. AMG body kit which is including better body style, spoiler etc. Front vented brakes are better as well.
I would suggest you to find another dealer and test drive C350, I called several of them until find one.

lloydyboy

Burl walnut wood trim upgrade is free w/350 also. Not a biggie, but free is free.

capt_paul

I test drove the C250 and the C350 and I must say that I prefer the C350 coupe. I will be ordering one for the European Delivery program in the spring for delivery in May-June.

The difference in fuel efficiency is minimal, and the additional equipment included in the C350 makes it worth it to me.

bawlin

The 350 starts at $10k more than the 250 in Canada. I know the 350 is better but is it $10k better? I plan on test driving a 250 and as long as it doesn't totally suck, I'm not even going to bother test driving the 350. I have a lot of seat time in an 06 c230 Coupe and I absolutely love the Kompressor engine, so as long as they're similar I should be content (yes I know we're talking supercharged vs turbocharged).

anoop

If it were $3K more, would you consider it? That's what it effectively works out to be in the US.

The C250 is great if one sticks with the base car and no options (not even the premium package).

bawlin

The way I ordered the C250 works out to like $43k CAD, whereas the C350 starts at $49 I believe. I see the value in the C250 but I definitely don't see it in the C350. Keep in mind I'm someone who should realistically be buying a FIAT 500 given that I'm just booting around the city and will be putting less than 500km/month on the car.

But like I said, I'm coming from a C-Kompressor, which I absolutely loved, which is why the C250 appeals to me so much.

Breitling65

With this arguments I would just order C250, why asking? You could get Hundai twice cheaper than C250, so is it twice better?

anoop

I don't think that's a similar argument...the Hyundai and the C250 are completely different cars -- chassis, safety, interior/exterior design, durability. But the C250 and C350 can be compared and it's much easier to place a dollar value on that comparison, because, other than the points mentioned in my opening post, the two cars are identical. If it were a 10K difference in the US, I don't think I would consider the C350, but now I'm leaning more towards getting that.

Breitling65

Dollar value comparison is lame and pointless in any case.

jctevere

I am usually frugal and go for lower-end tier models. However, the c350 coupe is a deal that is just awesome. I figure since I was going to get the P1 package anyway, that cost difference is not an opportunity or marginal cost. So really its like a $3k difference. Would I rather have a loaded c250 or a base c350? I would choose base c350, it comes with a ton of features standard. And as nice as the nav looks, I NEVER use it, would just use my iPhone if I had to. Plus, I figure since the demand for a c350 isn't as high, the pricing will be more aggressive, landing an even better deal. Overall I think I am going to wait until the 4matics come out in april to get a c350 coupe.

Also, the main selling point for me is the dual exhaust on the c350. The c250 just looks stupid without it...

bawlin

Just got back from driving the C250. As I said earlier, I was looking for something comprable to the old C230 Kompressor and I would say the C250 Coupe is exactly that. The car has more than enough power to zip around and it's definitely not a slow or unresponsive vehicle by any means. My biggest gripe was how light the steering was.

Great car - 8/10.

anoop

Did you drive it in sport mode? Did the car, by any chance, have the DHP?

bawlin

The car had DHP and I drove it in sports mode the whole time. I only took it out for a few minutes (night time and the weather wasn't that great). That said, I think I got a fairly good feel for the car. I was primarily looking to see what the engine was like and didn't focus too much on the suspension, but the lightness of the steering wheel immediately got my attention. Didn't bother driving the 350, although now I kind of wish I did. I'm just not a huge fan of V6's.

anoop

Why not? Weight? Fuel economy? V6's run much more smoothly in general because they vibrate less.

bawlin

Not sure why. Personal preference I suppose. Always used to drive 4-bangers back in the day... GTI 2.0 16V, GTI 1.8T, etc. I find them more fun to drive, as opposed to a traditional V6 with a fairly flat/linear torque curve.

togaclk55

c350

anoop

Finally test drove the C350 today. While I can't say that I was wowed by it, I liked it better than the C250...no issues with hesitation when starting out and the power is linear.

But I noticed two weird things.

One was a whistling sound which happened at around 70 mph. I pointed it out to the sales guy. He thought it might be the windows but couldn't manage to get rid of it. Back at the dealership, the sales manager said it might be a door fit issue and should be easy to fix. Do you any of you guys notice such a whistling sound?

The second problem was road noise. I was paying close attention and found that there was a lot of road noise. I couldn't hardly hear the engine, but the road noise was constant. I was expecting to just hear the wind. Could it just be the type of tires?

Breitling65

I would suggest you to drive your current bimmer and compare the road noise, especially to the runflat's they are installing. If less stay with bimmer.