Impressions of an 06 C230 vs My 03
10-10-2006, 11:47 PM
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2005 C230SS
Impressions of an 06 C230 vs My 03
Well, my 03 C230 SS is at the dealership getting a new trunk seal installed and I am now driving an 06 C230 SS for the time being. Here are some impressions and comparisons for those who are interested. These are my own personal opinions and should not be taken personally by those with either an 03 or an 06 model C230 SS.
Drive:
The 06 has a 7 speed which makes the power delivery feel more linear. Since the 06 is normally aspirated, there is less of a punch feeling than my 03 supercharged 5 speed. Even though there is 12 ponies between the two, the 06 feels less powerful. Wonder if installing a Sprintbooster would help? The 06 however shifts way smoother than my 03. One down side I found with the 7 speed is that when you want to get out of the way of something, and need to mash on the gas pedal, it delivers less of a punch than my 5 speed as the gears are spread too close together. The steering is much easier/free-er in the 06 than the 03. This is great for my wife, but I prefer the tighter feeling in my 03. I guess Mercedes upgraded the power steering system.
Interior:
The interior is updated more visually than anything. I am not a big fan of chrome, so I was disappointed when Mercedes added more chrome accents to the interior. The instrument gauge cluster in the 06 has 2 big chrome rings which are an easy distraction (for me anyway) to reading the tach and speedo quickly. Also the cluster is broken up into new more complex sections, so getting fast readings takes longer than my 03. My 03 has one main dial for the speedo which is all I mainly care about when driving. The cup holder in the 06 is exposed rather hidden like my 03 which is not very clean looking (love the pop-out cup holder in my 03!). The 06 radio looks cheaper and a little more complex than my 03, probably due to more advanced technology. I am not really a gadget ho, so all these special features are lost on me. I missed the empty compartment above the radio for storing my wallet or sun glasses. The climate control buttons are not like my 03's bigger buttons, so it is easier for me to hit 2 buttons with my big fingers. I really like the 06 steering wheel better than mine. The 3 spoke wheel is a nice sporty touch and the raised radio/telephone buttons are wonderful! I also love the thumb notches on the 06 wheel. The auto shifter in the 06 works the same as my 2003's does, but looks and feels much nicer. The seats feel much more comfortable in my 03 than the 06 I am driving. My seats seem to hug me better and do not feel as hard/firm as the 06 (chalk it up to old age). I love the aluminum accents better in the 06 than the 03's. The foot pedals in the 06 are much nicer than the plain pedals in my 03.
Exterior:
All I have to say is WOW! The look of the 06 is beautiful! The color of my 03 is silver and the 06 I am driving is black. I should have picked black
The 06 17" 5 spoke wheels are really nice. Looks like there is an offset in the rear too. The 06 wheels are much wider than my wheels. I may pick up a set in the future if someone in Texas wants to get rid of theirs. The drop looks to be about an inch lower on the 06. I will definitely pick up a set of factory springs from between the years of 04.5 and 05 since those were the years with the new springs for the M271 motor. Since the 06 is a 6 cylinder motor, the springs up front may be different from the supercharged 4 cylinder. The 06 body kit looks great except for the side skirts. The 06 side skirts do not flow well with the profile of the car in my opinion. They may grow on me over time, but they currently look a little too ricey for a European car. I have no problems with the 06 front and rear bumpers which I like over my 03's bumpers. Still on the fence about the 06 single exhaust tip. I would rather have chosen a dual tip like the 07s have. Still looks better than my 03 down-turned exhaust tips. The 06 headlights are much more superior to my 03 headlights. Love the clear look and are much brighter. The 06 grill is much better since it has less horizontal slats than my 03's grill. Much sportier looking grill.
All in all the 06 is a very fine piece of machinery. If anyone with a 2004.5 or 2005 C230 SS wants to get rid of their OEM springs (assuming that the struts and shocks are the same as my 2003), I would be willing to take them off of your hands sometime in the near future. Same goes with the new style grill. Thanks for reading!
Drive:
The 06 has a 7 speed which makes the power delivery feel more linear. Since the 06 is normally aspirated, there is less of a punch feeling than my 03 supercharged 5 speed. Even though there is 12 ponies between the two, the 06 feels less powerful. Wonder if installing a Sprintbooster would help? The 06 however shifts way smoother than my 03. One down side I found with the 7 speed is that when you want to get out of the way of something, and need to mash on the gas pedal, it delivers less of a punch than my 5 speed as the gears are spread too close together. The steering is much easier/free-er in the 06 than the 03. This is great for my wife, but I prefer the tighter feeling in my 03. I guess Mercedes upgraded the power steering system.
Interior:
The interior is updated more visually than anything. I am not a big fan of chrome, so I was disappointed when Mercedes added more chrome accents to the interior. The instrument gauge cluster in the 06 has 2 big chrome rings which are an easy distraction (for me anyway) to reading the tach and speedo quickly. Also the cluster is broken up into new more complex sections, so getting fast readings takes longer than my 03. My 03 has one main dial for the speedo which is all I mainly care about when driving. The cup holder in the 06 is exposed rather hidden like my 03 which is not very clean looking (love the pop-out cup holder in my 03!). The 06 radio looks cheaper and a little more complex than my 03, probably due to more advanced technology. I am not really a gadget ho, so all these special features are lost on me. I missed the empty compartment above the radio for storing my wallet or sun glasses. The climate control buttons are not like my 03's bigger buttons, so it is easier for me to hit 2 buttons with my big fingers. I really like the 06 steering wheel better than mine. The 3 spoke wheel is a nice sporty touch and the raised radio/telephone buttons are wonderful! I also love the thumb notches on the 06 wheel. The auto shifter in the 06 works the same as my 2003's does, but looks and feels much nicer. The seats feel much more comfortable in my 03 than the 06 I am driving. My seats seem to hug me better and do not feel as hard/firm as the 06 (chalk it up to old age). I love the aluminum accents better in the 06 than the 03's. The foot pedals in the 06 are much nicer than the plain pedals in my 03.
Exterior:
All I have to say is WOW! The look of the 06 is beautiful! The color of my 03 is silver and the 06 I am driving is black. I should have picked black
The 06 17" 5 spoke wheels are really nice. Looks like there is an offset in the rear too. The 06 wheels are much wider than my wheels. I may pick up a set in the future if someone in Texas wants to get rid of theirs. The drop looks to be about an inch lower on the 06. I will definitely pick up a set of factory springs from between the years of 04.5 and 05 since those were the years with the new springs for the M271 motor. Since the 06 is a 6 cylinder motor, the springs up front may be different from the supercharged 4 cylinder. The 06 body kit looks great except for the side skirts. The 06 side skirts do not flow well with the profile of the car in my opinion. They may grow on me over time, but they currently look a little too ricey for a European car. I have no problems with the 06 front and rear bumpers which I like over my 03's bumpers. Still on the fence about the 06 single exhaust tip. I would rather have chosen a dual tip like the 07s have. Still looks better than my 03 down-turned exhaust tips. The 06 headlights are much more superior to my 03 headlights. Love the clear look and are much brighter. The 06 grill is much better since it has less horizontal slats than my 03's grill. Much sportier looking grill.All in all the 06 is a very fine piece of machinery. If anyone with a 2004.5 or 2005 C230 SS wants to get rid of their OEM springs (assuming that the struts and shocks are the same as my 2003), I would be willing to take them off of your hands sometime in the near future. Same goes with the new style grill. Thanks for reading!
10-11-2006, 11:14 AM
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2005 C230 SS
nice write up - I agree with many of your points - and yes the 17' inch stock sport rims are real nice - hurry and steal the loaner! 
Last edited by MCONDE01; 10-11-2006 at 11:18 AM.
10-11-2006, 10:52 PM
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2005 C230SS
I turned in the 06 today and picked up my car. I did a bunch of height measurements on the 06 last night and found that the 06 is lower in front 1" and in the rear 3/4". I also need to add that the brakes are firmer in the 06 than my 03 and that they do a better job of stopping the car. 06 Brakes are much better.
