mick1

Patrick, being an audiophile like yourself, I used to own an E46 and I hated having the cd changer in the trunk. I had hope that bmw would move the cd changer to the glovebox for the E90 but they didn't. Now that I have an iPod, it doesn't matter anymore but it was one of things that turned me off about the E90.

patrick_y

I forgot to mention, while the IS had an overall very nice interior, beautiful wood trim, etc. Quality construction. There was one thing that really bugged me. The dashboard material felt slightly less desirable and cheap. The Mercedes C Class doesn't have any offensive materials.

The IS dashboard isn't nearly as bad as the new SLK's dashboard material, it wasn't the rubbery SLK type stuff. Personally, I love the new SLK with its "witchcraft nose" (as my family calls it). However, the only thing stopping me from buying one is the dashboard material that is all over the doors and the dashboard. Even the AMG version has that lousy material.

sdsilverm3

You're right that beauty is in the eye of the beholder . However, when I sat in the C-Class (C55 included) I didn't say "Wow, this is nice" like I did when I sat in the IS. It has more bells and whistles than the C.

mick1

really? I wish I could order the C55 (or C32) seats for my C320. They look fantastic

patrick_y

Thank you for the compliment. Personally, I prefer the CD changer to be in the trunk. Since I don't appreciate it being in my glove compartment because now I can't fit my owner's manual in the cubby. Personal tastes. The E90, I think it's a great car, the biggest turn off is a combination of three things; styling (not terribly fond of the new style inside and out), radio controls (much more difficult to use on the Sans Nav version), and Trip Computer/multi function display (not as intuitive as the Mercedes version).

Mercedes is more user friendly and BMW is... well... more complicated. Think Macintosh versus PC. For a car, I want the macintosh.

patrick_y

Yea, having sat in the C55 myself, I was like, wow, my C230 Kompressor Sport Sedan isn't that far off. The leather however, that's a different story. But otherwise, the dashboard material and everything is different.

The biggest difference can be found in the S500 and the S600. Sit inside an S500, then go into an S600. If you're a detail oriented person, then you'll notice it's an entirely different interior. Then again, you pay what, $40k more?

patrick_y

In my big long post less than an hour ago, I forgot to add one thing.

The IS is also the only Lexus car I'd buy and for one simple reason. I have one huge strict requirement for all of my vehicles. The tachometer and the speedometer placement. I have to have the tachometer either towards the center of the car or dead center. If it's dead center, then the speedometer should be on the right.

So, on US cars, the tachometer HAS TO BE ON THE RIGHT (or dead center). Mercedes does this with most of their cars (currently only the G Wagon doesn't have this). BMW does this with all of their cars (from 1 series to 7 series). Lexus does this on only one on of their cars, the IS.

Many people ask me why I insist on this protocol. The reason is because when I drive, I try to look a bit more down the center of my hood. When I look down, the first thing I want to see is my tachometer. Because viewing priority for performance oriented drivers is the tachometer, then speed. Thus, I want to be able to see the tachometer as soon as possible. This is why I don't like the tachometer to be on the left side unless if it were a right hand drive car, then I'd insist upon it.

e1000

Call me crazy but that (Lexus IS) steering wheel is a deal breaker for me.

mick1

i don't know about the IS250, having never driven it but I was really surprised when I first drove the C320. I thought it would be quieter than my BMW E46 because it was a Mercedes with a larger engine. Later I learned from reading a car magazine that c-class sport sedans were equipped with sport tuned exhaust and Mercedes intentionally made the car louder

sdsilverm3

Yeah, I mean they do look better compared to the regular C due to the stitching and feels better due to the side support but they're still pretty rough. Sit in an S55 and that's what they should all feel like. Feels like a leather recliner

MHPHOCKEY

S55 is more than double the price...

patrick_y

Although as an audiophile, I don't like noise, I was expecting Mercedes cars to be noisy. The first thing that I said when I sat in the 2002 E320 was that the car was noisy. I've come to expect a car's noise. However, the IS 250 is much quieter.

Put it this way, I like my cars to be somewhat noisy. They have to come with a soundtrack of their own. That's the one thing I like about Infiniti cars, they have a nice exhaust rumble. The one thing that I don't like about the C230 Kompressor is that supercharger whine and the rear tires make a lot of noise. Still, on a windy mountain road, I switch over from the Mozart or a Puccini opera and I go to my single CD which has a rock track on it, sometimes roll down the window or open the moonroof a crack to also better hear the car when it's in the upper RPMs.

Even the S Class, still a much noisier car than even a Lexus LS430. I attribute this to the belief that Mercedes are driver cars. They're not numb like a Lexus. This is why I like the IS 350 so much. Although exhaust noise wise, it could be louder.

Best exhaust sound in the world in my opinion? Aston Martin. Ferrari is my favorite car overall, but Ferraris are high pitched. Aston Martin have that masculine growl. The Maserati Coupe even has a nicer exhaust than the Ferrari 360. One would not be crazy to buy the Maserati Coupe or the Aston for the exhaust note alone.

patrick_y

Personally, I think the S55 is a little too soft. It's more big sedan comfort. I like the C55's seats. I'm also very small and slim (125 pounds). Thus, the C55 is a better fit, slightly.

Personally, I wouldn't buy the S55. Keep in mind, the S55 has less discount. Thus, i'd go for an S600, besides, as a sedan, you want the luxury afforded by the 600 series. Now, if I were looking at a two door Mercedes, such as the SL or the CL, then I'd get the AMG over the 600.

Under no circumstances would I get the 65 AMG. I think that's just... unethical.

patrick_y

I liked the IS's steering wheel. The Steering wheel was of decent thickness and diameter. Now that you mention that though. I do remember one thing about that steering wheel.

I wear driving gloves, just to let you know, and I noticed that the IS's steering wheel had very sharp edges and it's more TRIANGULAR SHAPED. You can't really tell in the picture, but once you hold onto it, it's a bit weird. If you hold onto it at the thicker areas, it's a bit more natural feeling but still very triangular. The Mercedes steering wheels are almost perfectly round.

I'm not saying the steering wheel is in the shape of a triangle, I'm saying the grip itself is triangular. Hope I'm not confusing anybody.

Outland

Such as?

MHPHOCKEY

Why in this picture does the car 1 have climatronic, and 2 have only 2 switches on the left door (windows) ?

sdsilverm3

Let's see, for beginners....

1)Dual climate controls that actually work the way they;re intended to.

2)Heated/air conditioned, ventilated seats

3)6 Dash in dash changer

4)Plays Mp3/WMA discs

5)LED map lights that look cool AND work well

6)shift light ring around the tach

Do you want me to go on regarding what our cars are lacking?

mick1

because it's car for Europe. I didn't see an interior pic for an US car at Germancarfans, so I used what they got.

mick1

US car, mine

MHPHOCKEY

DAMMIT!!!! I want COMAND so bad but i can't afford it!!!!

sdsilverm3

Here's a Birdseye Maple version of the interior. Oh yeah, another gripe I have is that the MB NAV sucks when it comes to graphics and it never displays all of the street names.

MHPHOCKEY

That interior is amazing...I would love to get my hands on a set of that...

dozier08

Mercedes has a fully integrated iPod. That is a very nice feature. Others will follow with the full iPod.

Other than that Lexus has had the advantage in the bells and whistles for quite a while. The bigger disadvantage for MB seems to come in the higher classes when the lesser standard options become magnified.

TA-9FF

lol Ling, tell me you're not gonna trade your C55 for an IS350....

patrick_y

Yes, I agree, the Benz navigation isn't that great. The Lexus navigation is one of the best. The best navigation is the Acura one.

The Jaguar cars use the same supplier for navigations as Lexus, although theirs seems much more difficult to use.

Lexus, you should seriously consider the navigation. Mercedes, you can go either way. Notice the stitching on sdsilverm3's seats, white stitching, a perfect contrast. And the wood trim around the radio, the chrome strips. Beautiful. Makes a detail oriented person like me quite proud.

Sigh... I really need to get a Rolls Royce.