Deciding between C300 and C250
 

I am planning to upgrade my 2002 Audi A4 to 2012 Benz C-class. I like the luxury model of C250 and C300 and likely will decide between those two.

Two factors I am considering:

1) I really like 4MATIC, as I think driving safely in everyday's commute is the most important factor. The area I live in does rain and snow, although not terribly. This seems to point to C300 as 4MATIC is only available in C300 model.

2) On the other hand, C250's new engine and gas efficiency is attractive. Horse power isn't a significant factor for me, as 201HP is sufficient for daily commute. Moreover, with the introduction of direct injection in V4 and V6 engines, it seems that the C300 engine might be quickly out-of-dated. So this seems to say that it might not be a good time to buy a C300 now.

The ideal situation is a C250 luxury model with 4MATIC. But there is no such thing available.

In addition, I understand that C-class might be on schedule for re-modeling. With this in mind, it seems better to wait for one year?

Questions:
a) Do you think 4MATIC will be available in next year's C250 model?
b) Do you think the V6 engine of C300 will be upgraded to direct-injection version and thus have better gas efficiency and more power next year?
c) Or it is not worth the wait. Which model will you suggest?

Thanks in advance for any suggestion.

The C-class was just remodeled for 2012 the next remodel will probably be in 4 years. IMO i would go with the c250, the mpg and new turbo engine are pretty attractive, but if you are set on 4 wheel drive obviously go with the 4matic.

I thought the facelift of 2012 C-class is a transition and not the remodeling, no?

It was remodeled by introducing the coupe the c250 and by redoing the interior, engine, ect. if you mean remodel by releasing the w205 I dont think any info has been released on that. but there was a facelift in 2010 from the 2008/09 model, they swapped the fogs for DRL.

but if Im wrong please someone correct me.

The W205 is 2014 so whether that is around the corner or far off depends on your point of view.

I successfully navigate winters in Michigan with rear wheel drive and dedicated winter tires (Blizzak WS60...now it's WS70). There is no need to haul around all that fuel/performance robbing weight of 4MATIC all year long if you are willing to simply change tires for winter, which will also enhance your safety over a 4MATIC with relatively inadequate all season tires in freezing snow and ice situations.

2010's got the new mirrors, and 2011's got the new LED DRL's. :y

No RWD C300 .....
 

..... that's what MBUSA suggests. What a shame if true.

kev10, it would help if you stated your state/city. Your 1st post suggests that performance is not your thing. If so, the 1.8T offers the same low end torque as the 3.0 (~225 ft-lbs) with better mpg's. And if you don't rev high, you will not see the additional hp of the 3.0 , and as Sportstick implied, the rwd with same torque should feel spunkier vs all wheel drive.

For winter traction with rwd, could swap out the 225-45-17's with Canadian type 205-55-16's using a quality tire with silica-enhanced all-season tread compounds. Much narrower tread width (about 1" narrower) to dig into the snow.

That with a sack of sand in the trunk got me though nasty winters in Massachusetts long before the very effective modern snow tires like Blizzarks were around.

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Questions:
a) Do you think 4MATIC will be available in next year's C250 model?

***not sure where you're from but the C250 luxury does come with 4matic in Canada - http://www.mercedes-benz.ca/content/...OCm2:15hadrom5 ***

b) Do you think the V6 engine of C300 will be upgraded to direct-injection version and thus have better gas efficiency and more power next year?

***Not sure if they will upgrade the V6 with direct-injection but the 4 cylinder turbo C250 (0-100/kmh 7.1 secs) is quicker and more fuel efficient than the C250 V6 with 4matic (8.6 secs) ****

c) Or it is not worth the wait. Which model will you suggest?

***I would suggest the C250 4 cylinder and throw on some snow tires during winter ****

Come to Canada and get a c250 4-matic lolll

Thanks for the response. I live in NJ, where it rains and also snows, but not a lot. Winter tires can help when snowing or when roads are icy. Since there aren't a lot of snow, it is seemingly not worthwhile to have winter tires. It does rain some in Spring and also has thunderstorms in summer.

The car is for daily commute, so performance isn't a priority. On the contrary, instead going for a sporty ride, I prefer a quiet and smooth ride after long-day work. That's why C-class comes to mind instead of BMW 3-series.

Thanks for the suggestion. I just checked the Canada web site and noticed that the C250 4MATIC uses 6-cylinder instead of 4.

If you compare the C350 RWD vs C350 4MATIC, the parameters (acceleration and fuel economy) are very much identical.

Make sure you get the Luxury model, and not the Sport, based on your preferences. I understand you are in NJ, but I don't recognize your description of the weather from when I lived in NYC, from friends who still do, and reading the news in the past few years. It seems from Cherry Hill to Teaneck, you have been reliably getting major snow storms a couple of times a winter. A rear wheel drive C Class with stock tires should stay home those days.

That's right - the C250 comes with two engines. The V6 with 4matic and the direct injection I4 turbo RWD. It's hard to compare the two variants because of the different engines but I would suggest getting the I4 and add winter tires during the winter months.

The C350 RWD and C350 4matic have the same V6 302 HP engines so it's easier to compare the two.

don't forget the c250 only has one exhaust tip!!!

The C250 V6 in Canada is 2.5L, and only rated at 181 ft-lbs of torque, vs 228 ft-lbs for the 1.8L-turbo. With the 2.5L not in the US (yet), the Turbo would be a much better deal for the OP, if he does something as suggested for the winters.
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And kev10, don't forget about the state of the art 7 speed automatic on both cars:

Best 7-Speed Automatic Trans

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+1

Based on my conversation with someone at the local dealer, the C300 will not be continued in the US in the next year or two. Just the C250 turbo, and the C350. Just what I heard.

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i'd prefer a v6 over a 4cylinder anyday. quieter and smoother. that's just my opinion

I agreed, don't know if the mid-range to top end of the 4 cylinder can keep up with the 300's V6?

Why would it need to, if the decision is based on the OP's preferences? :nix:

Your A4s a Quattro, right? Could you wait through winter and get a 2012 mid-year. Then you would have another 9 months before you have to worry about winter tires.

Had a 2005 C230k with the supercharged 4-cyl, it was a blast to drive and I was able to get home from work on those days it would start snowing mid-day, just have to be a smart driver.

Mercedes runs thier car models for 7-8 years before a switching, they offer facelifts halfway through, i.e., w204 arrived in '08 and the facelift in '12. The changes in '10 & '11 are simply MY refreshes.

Yes, my 2002 Audi A4 is a Quattro 4 cylinder. It is a nice car and grip well on wet roads and on curve. It is also reliable during light snow (we don't have many snow storms in northwest NJ). But after 10 years, I feel maybe it isn't a bad idea to make a change, especially new features keep coming out. Friends have been suggesting the upcoming re-modeled 2012/2013 BMW 3-series, but I don't like BMW's interior and would prefer a quiet and smooth ride after long-day work.

I checked with two local dealers and they don't have any C250 in stock yet. Some reviews mentioned that C250 is noticeably noisier than C300 (one poster above said the same thing). So I will need to make sure that C250 is at least as quiet and smooth as my A4.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

not really apples to apples comparison, but i test drove the OLD C230 Kompressor, and i did not like that 4 cylinder at all. engine was noisy to me and did not seem as smooth as the c300 v6 right now. of course, that was on the w203 model and like 6 or 7 years ago

im getting the c250 and i currently have the c300. not a fan of sedans! :)

^^FWIW, you can get a c250 in Coupe or Sedan...