jwill412

Hello,

I am new to the forum and came here for opinions and experience.

I am looking to purchase a c250. I first wanted to know the difference between the sport c250 the 2012 and 2013 model? The cars I am looking at have between 40k and 55k.

Second, how reliable has everyones experience been with the c250 and is it really as costly as they say to keep up with repair and maintenance?

Sound system, I have seen some come with HK and others I didn't see the brand unless COMAND is the audio brand???? And the c250's that come with NAV, are they any good and are you able to update the GPS maps and do they have traffic info on there as well?

Thanks for your help

michail71

They are both facelift models but I think the 2013 has the dark Comand and instrument cluster and the 2012 usually has the yellow theme. I'm not sure but I think the 7GTronic plus is in both those model years.

Maintenance costs aren't too bad if you use an independent shop. But with any Euro car the maintenance is going to be higher.

The HK is the upgraded audio system. It comes with Comand. I think base model is called Audio 20. The navigation system can be updated but it basically requires the dealer in these later models. I haven't seen dealers even know about updating the maps. Although I did get an update because of a warranty issue. Otherwise it is too expensive.

You can get traffic through a Sirius subscription. With a MBrace subscription or a later 2013 MY and a phone you can get data on Comand as well. I've found the Yelp and Here apps to be useful as they work with the map and your phone.

At a minimum I would get a car that had nav, HK, Comand with 7 inch screen and backup camera. Although the backup cameras really suck in the C-class. I think HK and the 7 inch screen come together.

davis449

Just bought a 2013 for my GF. Drove a few 2012's and I didn't even notice a difference in the COMMAND color scheme. I agree with michail71, get it loaded. We did, no regrets. I can't speak to the reliability as we've barely had it a month.

strangebrew

I own a 2012 and have driven a few 2013s as loaners. My observations:

• I need someone to confirm, but I bet the power steering must be different between the two years. 2013 steering felt much lighter and artificial at low speeds. (hydraulic assisted vs electric assisted ?) I prefer the 2012 steering.
• Boost came on quicker in the 2013. Car felt more responsive to throttle inputs. I have asked multiple times if there are ECU or TCU updates to fix this in my 2012, and so far no luck. I prefer the 2013 throttle response.
• The color scheme of command is different.

Regarding options/features:
I have the nav but I rarely ever use it. To be honest, the interface was dated back in 2012 when I got the car, and it looks even more prehistoric now. I just like having the larger center screen with slightly better resolution.
I regret not buying a car with a backup camera. I would recommend HK and Keyless Go for sure. It is nearly impossible to find lighting package cars in the US, so I had to go aftermarket for that (a lot of us did on MBWorld).

My ideal spec: If I had to do it over again, I would try to find a lightly used 2013 "sport plus" model with nav, keyless, backup cam, hk, pano, and xenons.

Regarding maintenance: 2012 was the first year for the 1.8T engine, so I would recommend a 2013 or a late-VIN 2012. I have had a couple problems pop up that would have been very costly to fix if I didn't have a warranty. Had a small leak in the turbo and had to replace the cam chain tensioners. I only have 32,000 on the odometer right now.