NickCats

Just got back from my first road trip in the C350 and all I can say is what a great car ! My wife and I left Chicago Friday morning to attend my brother's wedding in Washington DC and I figured I would share my thoughts :

- I am very impressed and suprised with the MPG. 28.8 mpg on the way home with an average speed of around 70 mph ( I was actually averaging 30 mpg on the way there but driving around downtown once we arrived killed that )

- Around a 500 mile range on a tank of gas !

- Cruise control is different than any car I have ever driven. Let's say it is set for 70 mph. I need to speed up to pass someone, so I hit the gas and speed up to 85 mph ( leaving the cruise on ). Once I make the pass, I usually just take my foot off of the gas pedal and let the car slowly decelerate back to the set speed. The Mercedes either applies the brakes or downshifts the engine to bring the car back down from 85 to 70 as quick as possible - that was the first time I ever experienced that !

All in all, a great trip and a great car for long distance travel. Attached are some pics of the instrument cluster once we arrived home.

Have a great week everone...

Nick

PS - any suggestions to get bugs off of the front of the car when I give it a bath tomorrow ?

AMGTTV8

nice!

yup, you are right - it engages the brakes (try it again and make sure that your left foot is just hovering on the brake pedal, you will feel them engage through pulsing in the system.)

as to the bugs, just make sure to soak the area really well to make sure that all of the crustys loosen their hold on the paint...it will still take some scrubbing but be sure to apply a fairly abnormally large amount of soap on said area to minimize scratching the paint.

auto stores also have special bug wash which really loosens ups those bugs.

cheers!

racetested

I will disagree this being a great car for long trips but that's just my opinion.

I swear by the Tarminator product and the "safe scrub sponge" as well( can be found at properautocare.com). Makes cleaning easy considering the job.
http://tarminator.com/

NickCats

Thanks Indy !

Gave the car a good detailing yesterday. I ended up using this stuff called s100 that I use to wash my motorcycle and it did a really good job removing the bugs ( I have also been using it on the the wheels ) :

http://www.s100.com/

It is made by the same company that makes p21s :

http://www.p21s.com/

I actually wonder if it is the same thing ?

Nick

PS - racetested, why do you disagree ? I would love to hear your opinion...

racetested

Nick,
I don't find this car to be comfortable especially on long trips. This car also seems to have a lot of road noise which I have mentioned in previous posts. Acceleration is decent on the highway but some of us realize this car is underpowered compared to the competition. I miss the days of V8 torque and power curve and am wanting that back.

I always liked having new cars but for the $45k I paid for this one (my budget at the time) I am seriously thinking of a CPO car next as there are so many better cars that have depreciated from $70-$100k to $45-$50k price range now and only 3 years old. I can now see why this car is looked down upon by the higher end model owners. It truly is an entry car for the luxury market and does nothing great IMO. I don't hate my car but after over 2 years of ownership now I don't see a $45k car either. I guess the used prices on these cars hovering around the $30k range is about right.

I am Jeff

This is a great car for long distance driving. It's comfortable and gets really good gas mileage. My only compliants would be the seats aren't exactly the most comfortable. As to "racetested" compliant about this car being looked down upon, your analogy is flawed. Is a 3 series owner looked down upon by a 7 series owner? I had the option to buy a 550i with the Msport package at the time or my c350 purchase, but I chose the MB because it looked great and it satisfied my needs. By all means, this car is not perfect, but it isnt' as bad as you have it portrayed.

racetested

So the car "is" or "isn't" comfortable?

You have your opinion and I have mine. Enjoy your car if it's what you like. I on the other hand will be getting a different car.

I am Jeff

Agreed. The car is comfortable, but the seats could be better. :p

NickCats

racetested,

I am surprised. I found the car very quiet with no road noise. I have Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 tires which may have something to do with it. I will agree it is underpowered compared to the competition. I did buy my car CPO for around $30k and I agree with your comments regarding price and value. I think the c350 is excellent for a $30k car - for $45k there are many I would prefer ( used ) like this :

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/search...=1283272206541

BTW - I find the seats comfortable, my wife complained they are too hard.

Thanks for responding with your opinion, I always appreciate a different POV.

Nick

Sportstick

+1 to individual preferences, but your comment on noise is accurate and noise is fatiguing over time. In another thread, I described and showed how Damplifier Pro applied to the spare tire well reduces noise significantly. It should have had that level of sound insulation as originally designed. With that improvement, and that the seats happen to fit my back extremely well, I come out on the very positive for my C300 as a road trip car.

There may be some differences in how BMW and MB owners see their entry level models. BMW built the brand first on the 2002, and then, the 3 series, adding aspirational models of 5,6,7, and 8. MB, however, started as midsize or larger cars, and then created a bit of a brou-ha-ha when they launched the original 190 "Baby Benz", predecessor to our W204, moving the lower end of the brand down. Those historical perspectives may live on today. As evidence, note what happened to BMW recently when they added the 1 series at the bottom...it has had the same condescending reception among some as you suggest the C Class gets.