I went to the C-drive in NJ yesterday to see if the C interior was better in feel than in aesthetics. I will give that the interior is not visually appealing, but every button, switch, and surface is sturdy and feels high quality. All doors and bins have a certain heaviness to them and don't open or close flimsily. Also, the turn-signal stalk locks like a normal car, unlike bmw's electronic one that bounces back. It may seem petty, but that is a switch we all use 10s maybe 100's of times a day, and i dont want to have to look down at the gauges every time to see if it engaged(or disengaged).

The new Comand system is really easy to use and someone can figure it out within minutes of getting into the car. The voice recognition is excellent and i really like how there is no need for a sea of buttons like other cars. Ive driven an i-drive equipped BMW in the past, quite possibly the worst interface i have ever seen. It became so frustrating to just change the radio that i left the car on the oldies station it was set at.

The cars are perfectly fine performance-wise. The engines are smooth, and powerful. This hp war is really just for bragging rights, we really dont use or need this much power. bmw fans may not agree with me but at least Autocar uk editors do

 

I agree, the interior on the post-facelift C-Classes that we both have are beautiful. I agree with kunz post that everything feels substantial, it just looks less beautiful than the previous model imo. I hate to think that we will have to wait until the midlife facelift of the W204 to get something as nice as what we currently have.

 

I was excited about the C350 until I saw the interior.

 

Adding onto the original post, etc... Yes we may have to wait until the facelifted model to get the interior nice-ities up a notch (so to speak)...

Just got back from the C-drive event and I spent a good 25-30 minutes playing music from my ipod, trying out bluetooth cell phone calls, etc...

Overall, the harmon kardon system sounds better than my C280's... and the Mercedes i-Drive (or rather i-dont-drive, since you're too busy figuring it out to drive the car...) is quite good once you get the hang of it... Things feel sturdy, etc.

That being said, honestly - the ashtray bin is a bit smaller (I only know this because I cram A LOT of junk in that little area in my car) I call it my little hidden crap bin. The center console makes up for it however... lots of space in there... which brings me to my next comment. What on earth are they doing with that center console trim!? Its a solid piece of plastic all the way til the wood starts... At least in the W203, we have nice soft touch surfaces with gorgeous flowing wood trim all the way up to the dashboard top... *sigh*...

Also, I've pushed and poked at the soft touch door surfaces which don't seem to be as soft as the W203 - but the armrests certainly are cushier in this new model. I also like the fact you can leave the pop up screen closed when listening to the music...

I test drove the luxury model and the sport model on the closed course... Interestingly enough, the sport handled like my luxo C280, and the luxo model felt like a boat going through those turns. Interesting I thought.

Overall - I'll stick with my car for now, and perhaps hop on a facelifted C300 luxo 4matic down the road. In the mean time, I wonder how that bluetooth kit is coming for my car... Gotta love having M.O.S.T....

- Eric

 

+1

 

Me too. When I was closing on our GL450 deal, I saw some c350's ready for delivery. I loved how it looked with the sport wheels and CL like front. I told my salesperson that we could end up with two mercedes so we went for a test drive. After the first few seconds of liking the overall feel and setup, it was that huge swath of black plastic starting from my immediate left that was the let down. I thought that it was just because it was the sport model and that the the luxury model would look richer. I agree with other comments comparing it to BMW's use of modern design to mask cost cutting. I wish they at least used a different texture on the upper or lower part of the dash. These pics from the interior of the amg model illustrates the sea of blandness on the passenger side.

http://www.motivemagazine.com/galler...20AMG/Interior

 

I feel like an extra piece of wood/aluminum trim in one of the places where I drew the red lines would help increase the appeal of the interior.

 

[QUOTE=pmb600;2413293]I feel like an extra piece of wood/aluminum trim in one of the places where I drew the red lines would help increase the appeal of the interior.

I agree with you...i would also like another piece of trim to the left of the vent. I much prefer the tan interior of the luxury to the black of the sport models. At least you get a contrast of Khaki, tan, and black. I also think the wood steering wheel would go well with this interior.

 

That looks hot - I ordered my C300 with Black Bird's Eye maple instead of aluminum! Even hotter

 

The tan interior is gross.

The black interior is from the C63 with sport seats, steering wheel, and door mounted seat controls that we don't see in the US, yet.

Why is the interior so CHEAP? It once was an excuse that engineering dollars went elsewhere, but that just isn't the case these days, take a look at the marketplace.

I hope the upcoming E Class doesn't disappoint the same way the C Class has.

 

<< it was that huge swath of black plastic starting from my immediate left that was the let down. >>

http://www.motivemagazine.com/galler...20AMG/Interior[/QUOTE]

And yet your link is to the C63 which is more elaborate (not to mention the additional cost) than the C350 with different seats and steering wheel, among other things

 

You must live in Canada because Black Bird's Eye Maple is not an option on US C300s. That picture is the C63 AMG btw.

 

[QUOTE=kunz;2413365]I love the way the interior looks in that pic, but I feel like in person, the upper tan part is too muddy looking or something. Also the grain on all of the plastics just makes everything look cheap.

 

Let me elaborate on my initial impression. When I first sat down, everthing felt great and I noticed that it even had real cup holders unlike the 335i. Steering wheel and instrument panel looked good. But once I'm settled in, I look across to the left half of the cabin. It's all black pastic with a little aluminum trim. I than go to touch the plastic hoping it would atleast be fairly soft. My old e46 330i, I would say had nice well textured and soft plastic. Some GM rental cars I would say have some hard poorly textured plastic which really show at the edges. The new c-class has medium hardness and ok texture. I than look at the door than feel it, same feel and texture. It also has hard edges which only enhances the lower quality of the plastic.

Also, I stated that the pics are from the amg model, which only highlights how cheap the new class interior is. The $60k+ c63 could atleast have the mbtex with stitching on the dash like the GL450.

Here's a couple pics from my old 330i. It may be all plastic but it was softer to the touch. The plastic was broken up and the joints were rounded off. There were few straight edges the make faux leather texture look cheap.

http://bigsmiles.smugmug.com/photos/128921417-M.jpg
http://bigsmiles.smugmug.com/photos/128921209-M.jpg

 

from a fellow bmw owner, buy a m3 or c63 get over it!!
if you don't like it DONT BUY it! you sound like my wife GEEZ

 

 

 

 

"even"? are you a child girl?? tit for tat in a forum? grow up... shouldn't you be busy spooning someone like your "cool" name implies and not be wasting people's time here?

 

banned

 

Why can't you stick to the subject of cars?

Tit for tat? it takes two.

 

Why? Seems like you are incapable of answering a simple question. Answer the questions please

 

+1000

Look rb23lb! I'm not alone.

 

Common decency? Can you explain to me where I'm being indecent? Rain on your parade? It’s only a car dude, pointing out what is bad about it doesn’t make that person indecent. Are you for real? I’m not sure why some folks here take this crap so personally. Seems like some folks here are the ones that need to grow up. People here respond to negative comments about the “C” class as if their wives were being insulted. Stop being so darn sensitive and insecure, this isn’t high school.

 

It's amazing how a car can reinforce a weak ego and create self worth when one's own mind and flesh isn't able to.