dlgkswh88

So I have been lurking around this forum for a while now, and I figured I might write an overall experience of the car.
It has been already a year ever since I purchasedmy first Mercedes Benz.
The 2014 W204 C300 4Matic in Diamond White. Thecar came mostly fully loaded along with Sport Plus package.
I purchased as Certified Pre-Owned and besides factory warranty still remaining, Mercedes gave an extra year of extended warranty for the fact it was certified pre-owned vehicle. For being covered until 2019, I pulled the trigger.

Overall, it is an outstanding vehicle with reliability as a first time Mercedes owner. All the extra features it has, I am satisfied.
I like the color (Yes, I really wanted an white car this time),
I like the look (Especially the lower stance for being a sport version),
I like the luxury with quietness (Yes, quiet and luxurious enough for me coming from Lancer Evolution MR),
I like the stableness of the car (especially on highway with a low drag coefficient),
I like all the convenience/safety features (Such as adaptive headlights as a part of lighting package, pre-collision features where I once hita huge pot hole and noticed all the doors were unlocked, Navi feature where I can see directions in the speedometer, and there are a lot more),
I like the panoramic roof (A big one for me),
I like the Sport Plus Package it came with (Such as Paddle Shifters, Red Colored Seat Belt, Alcantara Seats, Red Stitching, Steering Wheel, and AMG Wheels – Not sure what also includes in the sport plus package),
I like the organ type gas pedal (First time for this type of pedal but I love it!),
I like the huge trunk space with split folding back seats (In comparison to my previous car with tiny trunk space and no folding back seats),
I like the sound system (Harman Kardon and it also shows/reads my language when playing music!),
I like the characteristics of the NA engine (Whereas they are all turbocharged nowadays),
I like the 4Matic system (it was good on snow),
I like the exceptional service Mercedes Benz dealership provides.
I am pretty sure there are more.

The only thing I do not like is it does not drive as fast as and shifts as quick as my previous car, but the two serve completely different purposes so I can just live with it (There are far more greatness than dislikes).
Within a year of ownership, the only problem it had was the fuse.
A fuse was blown so the AC/Fan was not working properly, but after the fuse replacement, back to normal.
When I headed for my first year service, I have mentioned if they could update/re-flash transmission software and they did.
Now the transmission responds better, and I see in manual mode the speedometer shows that I need to up-shift a gear as speed/RPM increases. (The same feature it has on the new CLA model, which I had as a loaner)

The new W205 C300 may look nice and has more features, but I still prefer the W204 look (the facelifted model) and the naturally aspirated V6 it has for more smoothness.
So I plan on keeping it for a long time not only because I like a lot about this car and since it was so hard to find the white one with all the packages I wanted.
Some people might say European cars are not as reliable as other brands like Japanese, but I solely believe it all depends how well you take care and treat your car.

Hope you all enjoy what you drive and have a safe and wonderful weekend!

Vdhroso

Good to hear you've been enjoying your W204. I am with you on the W204 over the W205. We could be biased I think the W204 (facelift) is the best looking C-class to date. I think with the Sport Plus Package you get the Dynamic Handling Package included but I am not sure so don't quote me on that.
My favorite feature and probably most underrated feature of this car is the HOLD function. It is incredibly useful in city traffic and painfully long red lights. Just do a hard press on the brake pedal and the brakes stay in place, absolutely love it. So simple but yet so useful. But nowadays I am sure that feature is in even the most basic of cars.

edgalang

They are 2 different packages with a dependency. As in...you can get the sports plus package without the Dynamic Handling package, but not the other way around. The Sport Plus package is mainly cosmetic changes they split off later in the models.

For example, in 2012 (the first year of the facelift), there was no sports plus package, but the items in the sport plus package was included in the dynamic handling package (minus the red seatbelts/stiching and alcantara seats). After owning it for a year, if the OP has the dynamic handling package, he/she would definitely know it.

dlgkswh88

Vdhroso,


Yes, I like the HOLD function and it becomes very useful!




Vdhroso & edgalang,


I don't believe I have the Dynamic Handling Package.
I wish it came with the package, but just Sport Plus package only with cosmetic makeups.

tapankd

Hey... So glad to hear you are enjoying your car. I have a 2014 C300 Sport 4Matic too and I love every bit of the car especially being my first Mercedes.

Though mine does not have the adaptive headlights and sometimes those yellow halogen do **** me off a little but overall I love the ride and plan to keep it for few years since it has only 25k miles ... Still under warranty till Jan 2018 but I plan on getting 3 yr extended warranty by the end of the year.. so should be fine till Jan 2021.

Speaking of 205 models.. I thoroughly despise the interior having driven one as a loaner... the interior looks very plastic and cheap...

Can you explain what do you mean by transmission software update/ reflash ? How did it affect the car once the update. Thanks

dlgkswh88

tapankd,


When driving around, I felt hesitation in transmission so when I went for a first year service, I brought this up to a dealer.
They said they will look into it and when I went back to pick up my car after the service was done, the service record stated that they also felt hesitation in transmission while they were test driving my car.
They performed an update for the transmission ecu(software) and noted it responses better.


So I picked up the car and drove around town to test it out and it felt better.
I wouldn't say the update solved the hesitation issue completely, but it was better.
There will always be hesitation or slow in response in our transmission because the transmission is more made for comfort driving style.
It is not like a dual clutch transmission.


The other update I noticed was the upshift notification on the speedometer.
When in manual mode, it now tells/shows me when to upshift the gear.
I really don't need this feature, but better than nothing I guess.


Hope this helps.

tapankd

Thanks for getting back.. I have the Sports Package as opposed to Sports Plus.. So I am lacking the paddle shifters as well as the manual mode.. ( though i Do have 18" AMG wheels )

Havent had any experience in Manual mode.. since It only allows me to change either E or S while driving.. or lets me set the limit upto D6 I guess... ( havent really used that feature yet )

Thanks

1BigDaddy1

You can reset the Throttle Body to factory settings yourself. I did it yesterday and it made a HUGE difference! My car is a 2014 and was driven literally by a little old lady. The car has 4,800 miles on it. The car learned her driving style for 3 years, and once I started driving it, the throttle just would not open up.

The procedure is as follows:

1. With doors closed and windows up, insert key fob into ignition and turn 2 clicks (everything comes on except ignition).

2. Push and hold the accelerator down for 10 or 15 seconds.

3. While keeping accelerator depressed, turn key to off. Leave key in ignition.

4. Let up on the accelerator.

5. Leave key in ignition for 2 minutes.

The throttle body valve is now recalibrated and will fully open and learn your driving style. I was told it's not actually a transmission reset, but a throttle body reset, which affects how your tranny will shift It made a world of difference with my car, I can now wind it out and it drives like it's supposed to!