For the past week Ive been driving an 05 C240 4matic...my dealer was "waiting on parts" for a few days. Its been an interesting experience, and this is my first extended time with an 05 car- previous drives have been the usual 15 minute test drive. Up till now, the C240 has easily been the car I dread getting at the dealer- but I actually enjoyed this one. Sure, its still the same dead pig under the hood, but the 05 is such a massively improved car, that I came away with a completely different opinion of it. Some things I noted:

The Good:
- the mouse fur is gone on the interior...same fabric as the Coupe used from day one. Looks great. Can't believe the ****heads at autoweek said this material looks cheap, and worse than the plastic pillars in an Acura.
- the new interior is near perfect. The gauges are so nice and clear, and look a lot classier than the old setup. The speedo and tach appear to be lensed. Only have two gripes(ok three) about the new interior...the sedan clamshell over the IP is very dull looking, the new vent wheels are ugly and are going to collect dirt like mad on light colors, and the new "mocha" color dash is so poorly color matched it matches nothing in the interior.
-stock radio finally has some bass.
- interior had no squeaks or rattles. first C-Class Ive been in that's so silent. Mine is pretty quiet, but I had problems with a squeeky seat a few months back, and the pano roof creaks in the cold weather.
-3 stage heated seats were so nice on snowy mornings.
-The direct control modifications to the suspension are the real mccoy. The car handled and rode great. I think its just as good as the original sport suspension.
- 4 matic works flawlessly
- engine growl is improved over the original C240.
- wood doesn't look so fake like it did in the original cars.

The Bad
- the car is so slow, I learned to think it through before every merger, takeoff , or intersection crossing. This engine is a real weezbag. The only time it feels decently powerfull is in kickdowns where the shift places the engine @5000 rpm in a low gear. 0-10mph is REALLY SLOW. I remember the 300D I grew up with having more ***** across the intersection.
- the seat doesn't go back very far, compared to the coupe.
- the manually shifting automatic still sucks.
-the B pillar on the sedan makes getting in and out a pain. I'm 6 feet, anyone taller is gonna hate that.

Motor is really the heel..others I could live with.

 

you'd be hard to get out of any car if you drive like a baller/ricer or whatever you want to call it w/ the seat lean all the way back...

 

I don't like to lean back, I like to be slid back. I have long legs, and like to be away from the steering wheel. The sedan, I had never realized this, doesn't have the same range of motion for the front seats as the Coupe. The Coupe definately has more room up front because of this.

I hate the guys who drive with one arm hanging out the car- and there heads barely able to see over the dashboard. How can you control the vehicle like that.

 

im looking forward to getting an 05 loaner. though i wouldnt trade my car for an 05 or 06, i would love to compare. thanks for the write up. i love thre comparisons from owners rather than the biased opinions found in some auto mags.

 

What is true for the legs is not true for the head. While I have plenty of head space in the Coupe in my "highway driving" position (i.e., sitting far enough from the dashboard and a bit reclined), I have barely enough headroom in the Coupe in my "city driving" position (closer to the dashboard and less reclined for faster reaction times ). I am 6'1" -- YMMV.

 

im nearly 6'3" and i have plenty of legroom and headroom in my coupe!

 

Are you sure you don't have the seats raised? You can lower them. I have lots of head room. Maybe youre all torso?

 

i was thinking the same thing. i have noticed though that manual seats seem to go higher than the power seats.

 

If I could get a C350 Coupe, with stick, in black or the new red, I probably would. I love my silver, but I think Silver is becoming too common. The car is worlds ahead of ours. The current CL/W203 is the car MB should have been building from day one.

I still love my coupe, but the 05 changes really are significant. The car drives better than a BMW now IMHO. It has the quickness and sharper turn in, but without the kidney busting ride of a Bimmer. But MB chooses to turn me away....because I like two doors, a stickshift, and a hatch.

 

I thought so! I wonder if its the same with fore an aft? That would explain the short travel of the sedan. BTW, New sig looks cool!

 

no, the power seats still go back just as far. i have power in my coupe.
with the seat back all the way i can barely push the clutch in all the way and i have long legs.
i would get an 06 C350 coupe ONLY if i could get:

power driver AND passenger seat and of course CITRON GREEN (800)

they dont make citron anymore and citron is not common what so ever. i love this color.

 

Thats seriously not possible...I read a quote somewhere (we had a 240D and a 300D in the 80's) that described those cars perfectly..."it's like a thermostat, you set the speed and eventually it gets to it."

Erik

 

i have to agree with you there. i had a 1983 300CD, and thats exactly right!

 

1st gear was extremely low, 0-20mph, tops. And yes, it went lpretty good across the intersection. The next 3 gears were all decidedly slow and boring. Time has a way of making you forget these things, but I would bet that off the line, through the 300D's first gear, it is faster than the 240 I had. Don't forget, diesels make power at low RPM. Seriously, there was NO SNAP, NO PULL when you mashed the accellerator. Ive had several 240's as loaners, and this was the slowest by far.

 

you also had the AWD version which adds alot more weight. I love the 05 C class, i just wish that it was a 320 instead of a 240. O well its only a three year lease so by then the new C-Class will be out and maybe then i can get an AMG to call my own. or the new M3 with its 400 HP V8

 

I know what your talking about...a few weeks ago I test-drove a 240 4matic...it's slow...but nothing like the old D's.

Don't forget the adaptive thing...if people drove your 240 really slow it will take a while for it to adapt to you flooring it.

Erik

 

Yeah, your probably right. Great car, dead pig of an engine.

Anybody else spent extended time in the 05 who owns an older car? I'm curious what everyone else noticed as well.