michail71

Not sure if I will offend anyone in the W204 group but when I was on my car search there was just something about the W205 cars I didn't like. Especially the interior. It looks like they tried to Americanize the interior with some kind of retro/futuristic Chrysler inspired design. Then throw in a touch of the Cadillac over the top trying too hard.

That and they really aren't modernizing the car's tech. Other than making the Comand screen look like a dash mounted mini iPad stuck on as an afterthought.

The W204 line had been moving in a clean, modern, refined yet youthful style.

Rodpwnz

I've sat inside the new W205 and while I may not be a complete fan of the new interior styling and design, I feel the quality is exceptionally better than the W204.

I still think the facelift and even pre facelift w204 exterior looks more aggressive than the new W205 though, the bumper vents excluded.

I've heard that the w205 is like a baby S class, and I agree.

Funkwagen

Definitely loved the interior of the w205 when I sat in it in Jan at an autoshow. Very nice interior, but I prefer the external styling of the 204 over the 205.

michail71

For me it a weird mixture of nice but not exactly my style I guess. I didn't care for it on the S either. It's a barrage of AC vents and an iPad that doesn't do much of anything of innovative.

I like the slightly harder look of the W204 exterior. While very similar it looks like the W205 is trying to blend in with average car looks where as the W204 stands out unique looking.

All that said I'd still be happy to have one. I could get over it if it had a nice feature package. But they are still rolling them out without common items found standard in other makes.

Cadillac interiors are nice and have great tech but they look so tacky at the same time.

I love many things about BMWs but their interiors often look randomly thrown together too me. Mercedes wins out to me because they have such a consistency to the design.

I like what Tesla does conceptually on the interior but would prefer a more sports oriented touch to it.

Jeep is doing some nice interior design work too.

I'm so picky about interiors I could never be happy with a car, lol.

michail71

I do agree with getting rid of the keypad. It make a nice preset tuner but looks like an old fashioned throwback to the pre-smartphone days. Who actually punches in phone numbers to make a call?

shotgun_banjo

Honestly I prefer the W204 styling vs the W205. To my eyes the W205 become a small S-class that does not have the right proportions (like CLS and CLA) True that the interior workmanship is far better than the W204 but the outside.....god all mighty.....will not hold a candle to the aggressive face of the W204. The W204 is like a well toned young man vs the W205 being a regular joe who has money that is hitting 50s (s-class is well mannered 60ish man).

I will pick a fully loaded 2014 C300 or C350 vs a new C300 or C450 anytime. I like the facelift interior better, simple and straight forward, no track pad, ipad screen mumbo-jumbo. Has enough wood inserts to make it look classy and I think has more room (width wise) on the driver's and passenger's front seats.

If you see a lot of W205s like here in Vancouver you will feel good as your old W204 does indeed look better. Few people I know who are leased their W204 went to BMW to get a 3 series just because of the look of the W205.

shotgun_banjo

I do! that is very usefull when you want to dial a number without the number on your contact list and when checking voicemail! Remember, you can't touch your mobile phone while driving so having those keys attached to the car is a work around with that law.

michail71

Ok, lol. I guess I never have calls that are important enough to make while driving but I can see that it would be for some people.

I'm just about all text messaging and my phone will do everything voice too.

michail71

I'm getting closer to my 50s but still very well toned and youthful. Perhaps that's why I like the W204.

tekfoc

love the interior of the w205 but hate the exterior and hate how the rear end of the w205 handles at high speed and crappy roads .
it hops and skips to much for my liking.
this is on a w205 c300 4matic .
m
the w204 butt just plants it self down at high speeds and stays there.
love my w204.


power on the w205 is really good for a 2.0 .
but there's still a lot of plastic in the w205. I hate the center console way to much plastic.
I've driven a c400 for several days and its night and day different then the w205 c300.
100 times better power and handling .
looking forward one day driving the C450 AMG.
had a new E class several times as a loaner way way to boring for my liking.
good power though.

AZN Optics

This reminds me of the thread on the w203 forum where all the w203 owners dissed on the then new w204 lol That said, I prefer the interior and exterior styling of the w204, but the material quality seems to have taken a step up in the w205.

shotgun_banjo

I would say after 2 or more generations of the c-class the W204 will be a cult classic for people who really wants a handsome and simple c-class (heck imagine what the W204 C63 507 will be like after 14 years from now=pure german muscle car that you will just drool upon when hearing that natural aspirated V8). Mind you that the W204's interior does not look too bad even on the pre-facelift model as it's geometry and lines inside are simple enough that it will be age well.

I am in the process of car shopping to replace my wrecked 09 C300 and guess what I will be buying...another W204 and will keep it till I cannot run her anymore.

stratman1954

I had a w205 as a loaner for a couple of days and liked the interior a lot. Not so much the exterior. Reminded me of a Japanese car. It had a much smoother ride than my C300 sport, was very quiet and had plenty of power. What struck me as odd was there was no moonroof.

michail71

A German car with now moon/sunroof?

Aren't these produced in Alabama now too. Not that is should matter any.

michail71

Well, I was thinking this before I was a w204 owner . I ran into a few on the pre-owned market. As far as the W203s go I was never a fan of the headlight style. But it was unique.

I had the same reaction when VW went from the MKV to the MK6 and MK7s. While they improved it they turned it into a bit of a Japanese looking car.

mr.brightside

I like the new look of the w205 sedans, reminds me of a baby S Class.

chazzz

I've had an opportunity to drive W205 for approx 300 miles while my C350 (W204) sat at the dealer for ELS repairs.

- the seats in W205 are MUCH better. I sat in the driver's seat and drove through the city and highway...very comfortable and fits me like a glove. I'm 6'1" and 185 lbs.

- the four cylinder turbocharged is fast, it's more refined and better fuel economy than my W204 3.5 liter V6.

- the body is all aluminum but very strong. The car feels "lighter" than my W204. I can go from zero to sixty more quicker.

- After driving 300 miles in W205, I drove my W204, I felt like I was driving a Honda Accord. No kidding. My car doesn't feel "Mercedes" anymore. The W205 is more like a "real Mercedes". My wife drives her 2005 C230 (W203) and I like it better than my C350 because it's more nimble-feeling.

-W205s were built in Alabama by the Americans. I believe that it should be more reliable than German-built cars. I have a 2000 Grand Cherokee, built by Daimler-Chrysler in Detroit and it is the most reliable car I've ever seen. It's 15 year old and still in a great shape. I owned a 2007 BMW 335i (built in Germany) but after 7 years and 45,000 miles it is started to fall apart... leaking oil pan gasket, leaking A/C evaporator, etc. I sold it last year.

shotgun_banjo

I just want to see what the facelift version of the w205 will be. Hopefully MB address the exterior more than the interior and give it a little muscle. Actually the W205 is asking for fender flares and that I think will fix the problem of looking skimpy.

jlr82

I have driven a W205 for about three weeks due to issues with the 2014 W204 that I bought from the dealer. I agree that I like most of the interior components better in the W205. The seats are more comfortable and I like the general design. I don't like the really big, but very light doors. Even on a slight incline like my driveway it was hard to keep the doors open and this was in two different W205's that I drove over that three weeks. I like the way they handle overall, but I have an unfair comparison. I've only drive a non-4matic W204, but the W205s I drove were 4matic, so I'm not sure if the better handling and feel was due to that or the new chassis.

I was very disappointed that the system in terms of radio/phone/navi/etc. was basically still the same with just a minor facelift of the user interface. It's still clunky as hell and I think Mercedes could do a lot better in this area. That is my one big disappointment with the W204 too, I just think they are capable of better front end technology. I drove one that had the flat black plastic interior and I didn't like it at all, and the other one I drove had the black wood trim and that was much better looking.

I like the front end of the exterior overall, but hate the rear end. Definitely more a fan of the W204 in terms of exterior styling overall. And I really hate the doors on the W205, the exterior and interior. It just seems really wide and bulky, but they seem super light compared to the W204.

One thing I'm on the fence about is the steering. It's definitely much different and I did play around quite a bit between the "sport" and "comfort" steering options in the custom agility mode. I'll admit, I like that ability. Overall though I think I still like the way my W204 steers. One thing I noticed about the W205s was that the steering wheel really wants to snap back to "straight" when making a turn where I feel the W204's motion both ways is smoother and consistent... not sure if that makes sense.

I'd like to see what 2017 holds in terms of the technology... I'd like to see what they do with Car Play and if they overhaul the overall infotainment system because to me for a $50k car its seriously lacking in this area.

edgalang

I don't use it to make a call, but I do use the number pad roughly once a week to enter in a conference bridge/participant number whenever I need to attend a meeting while on the road.

This is a lifesaver, since the phone can autodial me into a meeting, but I still need to enter in a passcode afterwards, and since the phone cant display the passcode and let me enter it at the same time, I use the number pad on the dash to punch it in.

michail71

Another good point. I have been stuck by that same situation.

SCTinkering

It's kind of ironic that one of the auto mags noted the 2014 W204 as one of the highest regret buys of that model year because buyers felt like they were getting "less car" and a "dated design". When I bought my 2013 I knew full well that the W205 was in the works. I'm glad I didn't wait for it because it seems like the first 4-6 months worth of builds had some serious issues.

If won't even be in the market again until after the W205 has its facelift, but even then anything new will depend on far more than just looks....

95Sinned420

The W205 interior is beautiful..and the material is top notch. Seats are way better. Buttons and everything. Everything except the ugly screen that seems like they just threw it on there because they couldn't figure out a way to hide it. It looks like someone got a car mount for their iPad and just stuck it there. Also, **** knob is gone and now on the steering wheel. Hell, isn't that for minivans?!

Exterior design gives it a modern look, but the rear is ugly as hell. The front isn't unique anymore, hell you can barely tell the difference between it and the E class or CLA.

Overall, would still take it over a w204 any day. The interior of the w204 does not even compare.

michail71

I don't mind so much getting a car at the end of it's platform lifespan. Most of the kinks get worked out and the W204 is still a great car. For the price difference I had issues that the tech/info system was still archaic and basic features found in other manufacturers are scarce. At least they aren't still putting cassette decks in the cars. I remember seeing that in a 2008 Acura.

I'll be stick with this car for the next 6-8 years. Then after that it may be a 2019-2022 BMW.

Glyn M Ruck

The OP is asking the wrong forum. The W205 is a great car but as always as with any new model from any manufacturer I recommend not being an early adopter unless it's a lease or under full Mobilodrive plan in the case of Benz. Where I come from the more organic lines are preferred to the boxy W204. The 204 is a good car & sold well here just never loved especially the rear end. The W203 was universally liked in SA but early models were more troublesome than W204 which was really old wine in new bottles & well debugged. The W205 Coupe is stunning IMHO.