Well, I went to drop off my 2005 C230 spots sedan off at the dealer this morning to get a couple of small issues taken care plus get my service A done with. I got 2 price quotes for the service A at the dealer, the receptionist told me $168.00...then my service advisor told me it would run about $220.00.
1) First question: Is the pricing on the service A standard or can it fluctuate based on how much work needs to be done? And what have others on this forum paid for the service A?

So they ended up putting me into a loaner...a red 2006 C230 Sports sedan...and man is the red nice! I love my brilliant silver but the red exterior with the black interior is hot....when I first got in the car and drove away I did not notice it was a 2006..the car had 3,000 miles and it looked new. I live about 30-45 minutes away from my dealer plus I had to make a couple of stops on the way home so I knew I would be driving the car around for 2 hours or so. After driving for around 35 minutes and getting on the highway I arrived at my first stop...while there I went to put the loaner paperwork in glove compartment and saw the car's window sticker which stated 2006. With that being said that explained why I felt a bit unfamiliar with the driving experience.

A couple things to state:
- The 2006 loaner had the upgraded HK sound system just as I have on my 2005 car...but the loaner's sound system sounded better. The bass was cleaner and it sounded louder...is there any difference between the 2005 and 2006 upgraded HK sound system?

- The 2006 felt smoother when starting and cruising, but man did it feel odd when driving. The 2006 seemed like it was having a hard time finding which gear to hit and every time I pushed down on the gas there was a second of hesitation that felt longer than my 2005. I did beat it up for a good period of time hoping the engine would notice that I am stepping on it every time but the hesitation did not go away. The 2006 was on the "S" mode the entire time as well...

- Off the line the 2006 seemed slower then my 2005. Once again that long second of hesitation came into play...Overall the 2005 seemed faster...After getting out and taking a good look at the car I missed my "Kompressor" badge...

- The 2006 is quieter, smoother, and it felt like it had more pull when driving at higher speeds. It also did not feel as jerky as my 2005, the only time the 2006 felt jerky was right after that second hesitation after stepping on the gas hard.

I am not trying to knock either the 2005 or 2006...these are just some opinions I have gathered after driving both model years. In my book both model years have their advantages...

 

Have you notice any differents between the exhaust tone and the gas mileage you are getting compared to the 05?

 

7 speed transmission in the 2006 vs 5 speed in yours

New engine, it'sa 2.5l V6. I think it has a little less grunt at the bottom of the rpm range

 

Just about everyone who has driven the 06 complains that its slower and the tranny drives you nuts.

 

Drive the manual, its like night and day. Still a little slow but matches the engine well and is much more fun to drive.

 

i have a o6 230 loner right now.
i have driven at least 5 different 230k loaners
the o6 pulls harder at the top end 5500rpm+
it doesnt have the mid range torque of the k engine though
both are really slow (i drive a clk55) the 06 is slower up to about 80 and then it feels faster (7speed = ratios better optimized)
handling is the same, but the 06 is funner to drive b/c it doesnt run out of puff near redline and has a little more power, along w/ the 7 speed box. it's also easier to break the rear tires loose on the 06.

i had a 280 loaner last week (my car breaks almost weekly)
that thing really hauls ***
and it very comfy with its 26 in wheels
i drove it to vegas
pulls all the way up to 125 (as fast as i got it up to, it was still pulling like a 230 pulls at 70)
its also much more fun to drive than either 230
very easy 2 slide also :p
the sticker in the car said around 34000, y would any1 buy a 230?

if i had a 230 i would run 235 tires all around, it will b much more balanced and better to drive

 

Seems like the 06 has a quieter exhaust tone than the 05...and I have not played around with the 06 enough yet to really compare gas mileage..I will probably have the loaner for the rest of the week so I will keep you updated with the gas mileage.

As in most sport cars I am sure the manual transmission in 06 will fit the new engine better just like the manual transmission in the 05 did. But I was comparing both model years from an automatic point of view since my 05 is an automatic.

The 06 does seem to pull harder at higher speeds but there is no way that the 06 is funner to drive...that is my opinion, somebody driving a clk55 I am sure feels both model year C230's are slow cars anyway. I agree that the c280 engine is much faster and probably a lot easier/funner to drive but I refuse to spend $34,000 on a car that looks like the c280 does. (keep in mind that this is just my opinion)
It has the "normal/luxury" package look that to me is very bland...I love the look on the C class sport sedans, but the luxury models don't come close for me. If MB had a C280 sports sedan for around $35,000 then I agree that it would probably be the "best buy" of the group. Good engine/performance with that sports sedan look...that would be a nice combination.

 

How about a C280 with a 6 speed manual? Available in Mexico:
http://128.121.114.84/clasec/c280classic.html

 

Mexico huh?....nice find...if it has the amg/sport exterior package sign me up!

 

Paid $211.00 for the service A...is that about normal or what? I also did see that the service B ran around $300 at my dealership...

 

The Service A is absolutely crap, it is no different than a regular Mobil 1 oil change with all the little check up. You are better off buying a MBZ oil filter and have it replaced somewhere with Mobil 1, just get 0W-30.


Okay, can someone tell me what is MBZ doing to confuse people. First they came out with the REAL C230 with a 2.3L engine, then the C230 had a 1.9L engine. Now the C230 comes with a 2.5L motor?!? wtf. I do have to admit, the 02 REAL 2.3L engine on our C is pretty good, but boy it does sound like a truck and it is pretty rough. It also has no top end what so ever, my Volvo wagon can definitely outrun the C230

 

we had an '06 C230 loaner last week, and I got a vid of the exhaust sound, and a couple low speed acceleration vids, so whoever wants to see them, I'm posting the links. Sorry about the quality, and not for going faster lol I'll post a vid of a C240 loaner we had as well, just to compare. I've never driven a C230k though,so I dont know how it feels against the '06...sorry.
C230 25-45MPH floored

C230 Exhaust

C230 0-40MPH

'05 C240 0-40

 

That's not fair, my loaner for the weekend was a 06 Camry with 600 miles I couldnt even burnout with that sucker

 

The 05 C230K Sport Sedan, I hate to say it, sounds like a sick lawn mower when it travels into traffic. I did not hear this in your video sounds though. I have heard it on other cars entering the freeway or out into traffic. I asked the MB service people this question and they have had customers asking about this but they said they can do nothing about the sound. Must be something to do with the supercharger or?

The 06 sounded strong with pull still going on your video. I also think the 06 has a better feel, more weight or something? It is also quieter and sounds more high quality (personal opinion ofcourse). My 06 should be here in a week now (been waiting longer than I was told) and I am getting a bit upset about it.
I got $2100 off MSRP and the dealer chromed the wheels for their cost of $700.00 ( the other dealer wanted to charge me $1900 to have them chrome the wheels with both triple plating them). My out the door price with H/K stereo, Sunroof package, memory seats,, 7 speed automatic Tele-aid and chrome wheels for $34,145 not including tax & license. Is that a good deal?

Further more I prefer the C230 SS to a 325I any day of the week. BMW's are every where and I do not see New Mercedes Benz's every where. I guess I like things that alot of other people do not have.

 

I quoted to show the exact same experience and opinions I had. Mine jerked longer than just stepping on it though. I liked that it was quieter...but I've come to like my loud '05. I'll take that sound over a tranny that was taking all day to find a gear.

 

For my experience, the 06 C230 takes similar effort to drive as the 05 c230k, but it's so much more comfortable with the smooth engine and the 7g tranny. On the freeway the 06 is a lot easier to get going than the 05 and the exhaust note sounds a lot better on the 06 too. BUT the 05 is a lot more responsive handling wise because the engine is lighter and the 7G in the 06 is just complete "rubbish" as they say in Britain not because it's not a good gearbox, but because of the engine is under powered it is constantly searching for the right gear. Still, I personally prefer the 06 c230 tho simply because the engine doesn't sound like a lawn mower, and it is easier to drive on the freeway which makes people like me who likes to drive fast happy with the passing power.