zerocover

I left my car at the dealer yesterday and they gave me a new C300 4matic sport to drive. I have to say the interior is total garbage. This should be a Mercedes not a Toyota with a Mercedes badge on it.

Aside from being completely mortified over the styling and lack of features on this model there were some nice things. For one the car was a new car so the brakes were grabby, and the interior was way better sealed up them my car.

The nicest thing about this car is the suspension, I would do anything to make my car handle just like this thing. Can I use any 204 suspension parts? I put all cars through this one jug handle near where I live to see what they can do. Every car I put on it has screeched the tires around 40, my W203 can get totally sideways on it. The w204 took it at full throttle, held my line, and had no perceivable body roll. I need what this car has.

All in all the W204 is way too vanilla, it’s good but nothing special. I cant explain it but nothing got me particularly excited about it.

johnand

One question: What tires are on your car and what was on the loaner. I agree, the W204 is better handling than the W203, but not night and day difference. Tires are the absolutely most important part on the car for handling=, braking, etc, and are so often overlooked.

bdgdl08

The brakes on the new ones are different, somehow... They feel to me more like the brakes in a Honda - alot more sensitive, but no more powerful.

zerocover

My tires are close to kicked, I have a new set on order. Its not just the rubber, the w204 has almost no body roll its like a BMW. I'm hopping the major difference is coming from the loaner being a Sport model while mine is luxury. It has stiffer (harsher) springs and struts. I'm sure of that.

Prob only a different pad material.

tommy

Why not just get aftermarket upgrades for your suspension, and have a suspension that's even better than the 204? You're talking like you have no options.

I do agree with you on the interior of the 204 - yawn.

DrgnflyZ28

I too had a loaner over the weekend. Too much hard plastic in the interior and whoa, what a lack of features! Build one for yourself on the MB site and see it tally up. I'm very pleased with the ammenities in my W203. The suspension is nice but I found it a bit bouncy in comparison. Flat cornering is a plus but the feedback on the 203 seems more alive.

So true... my loaner had the same staggered setup and yet the 5000 mile new Continental tires howled and protested around the same corner my 11,000 mile Pirelli Rossos takes so easily.

More initial sensitivity yet requires the same pressure to slow/stop. I agree.

LILBENZ230

Ohhh but trust me, no it isn't!

johnand

Ohh, that is absolutely the difference you are seeing. The handling difference between a luxury and sport is pretty significant. The difference between a W203 Sport and W204 is not near as significant, in fact very subtle.

johnand

johnand

Absolutely. With a few choice suspension upgrades, you can transform your sedate luxury model to better handling machine than the W204, but it will NEVER handle like a BMW

LILBENZ230

The luxury versions of the W203 have never appealed to me. I'd get a Lexus first. The one thing about the Sport W203 and Sport W204 is that the 204 has better chassis rigidity and is going to feel better, even if it can't produce significantly better numbers.

tommy

That's true - I don't get people who drive the 3 series vs. the C series, and can't figure out which they like better. The differences are pretty obvious.

Now, if the 1 series were around in 2001 (especially the 5-door ), I wouldn't be here. With all of the $$ I've put into mods, my coupey is ok, but throw them into a 135, and it would be a beast.

zerocover

I have a 4matic, I have no options.
You'll notice whenever you look up cool suspension parts they will say exc. 4matic.

Nah I recently test drove a 328xi (a comparable BMW to a C300 4matic), while it was scary good it wasn't too far from the w204. Otherwise the 3 series easily puts everything else in its class to shame suspension wise, too bad the interiors are just as blah as the w204.

This is important: Does anyone have spring rate numbers on the C300 sport? How about the luxury C280 4matic?

AdidasC230

I don't quite agree with you on sport to sport W204 to W203 being subtle. Maybe its the age of my suspension at 50k but the W204 feels much stiffer, and the rear doesn't seem to squat or dip like the W203 does, I consider that a big difference, I don't think ours roll bad, but it def seems to ride smoother (softer) then the C300 sports Ive been in.

Id agree the new C rides more BMWish but Im comparing that to a E46 330CI which is the only BMW I have had decent seat time in to judge it by, the BMW was still much stiffer though

tommy

Sorry - missed that. You're screwed, then.

LILBENZ230

With BMWs it is not just about being stiff. It's about the way they handle, the perfect balance.

FrankW

you are comparing your luxury sedan suspension to 204's "sport" suspension?

you can't be serious. where's my faceplam smilie...

zerocover

The W203 did not have a 4matic sport. There is no comparison, I want it.

AdidasC230

I am sure it is, and I dont know whats actually considered good feedback, but I find E46 BMW coupes to have very heavy (not responsive) heavy steering feel. My C seems to communicate as much as the E46's ive driven without getting such resistance just driving it, I feel like BMW would suffer more from bump steer then a C, but Im would venture the feel is much better in the 1 and new 3 since they are newer designs. Of course its all personal choice, some people like my rents love super power assisted steering like F150s have

FrankW

you can get Vogtland springs, and sway bars.

zerocover

Springs wont help, the cars over sprung already. A good set of struts could transform this car (too bad no struts are made). Also to install a front sway bar I would need to pull the engine, at least thats whats in WIS.

Coilovers do exist but they're Ksport (not putting that garbage on my car) If only koni made an insert that fit.

johnand

Could be your suspension aging. The control arm bushings in our cars do not last long at all, and since I had mine replaced TWICE under warranty, my car is damn near at tight at 71K, as it was the 1st day I drove it home from the dealership. I agree the ride in the W204 is quite a bit stiffer in feel than the W203, but in my experience it never equated to that much better handling.

johnand

Sorry, but I don't agree there. The balance of the BMW 3-series is absolutely perfectly balanced front to rear, the feedback is better, is more nimble, and is not plagued by the same horrible oversteer. The W204 is no slouch, but always trails behind the 3-series in handling and power. But, I do agree with you, I don't like the interiors of the W204 or the new 3-series either.

Glyn M Ruck

One comment - most 204 suspension parts are interchangeable with 203.

Only the 204 with Advanced Agility Control in "Sport" mode can approach BMW handling.

One thing with BMW's up to & including the 5 Series. They are beautifully neutral handlers that encourage fast driving (they turn me from a sedate driver into a hooligan every time). But push the back end beyond it's limits & it will come back and bite you. It takes a hell of a driver to recover them when they let go & snap into chronic oversteer. Almost every BMW crashed in SA is due to high speed rear end snap out. Talk to anyone that races a BMW & this is always where the most work goes into the car. Trying to tame the rear suspension. This is obviously only really a problem with the more powerful models. Not a 320i for example, unless you are stupid.

zerocover

This is the kind of information I was looking for!
Any more information on that? I know the sway bars are swappable. But what about the springs and struts?