After 14 months of being a garage queen my W204 is in need of a service B and took it out today to the dealer to get serviced. It started without drama since I was smart enough to buy a good trickle charger for it. There were few brake gri ding in the first 2 kilometers as there is rust buildup on the rotors and after that it was smooth again. I love the sound of the x-pipe on the car and made a few heads turn on the way to the dealer. Then I was handed a 2018 c300. Other than the fancy interior there was nothing else I like with the newer car. Handling and steering response even in S+ is not as good as the w204. Gas consumption is even worse. I want my car back.

 

the new 300 is a 4 cilinder turbo engine like the 250 W204 and they made the 205 less sporty unless you take the AMG version which has for example a different steering mechanism.
i'm not a fan of "drive by wire" as it makes you feel like driving a boring audi

 

 

I got a few times of loaner cars, all turbo 4, newer than my 2011. To me, the exterior look is fine or little better. Interior is also fine and the gauge area, controls are better. However, I do not like 4 cylinder engine when it's idling, rougher than 6-cylinder. Not problem when driving.

 

Reckon your hearing is first class (I really have not noticed the idle).

I have a CPO coupe. It's Iridium (beautiful little car). The highway mpg can be very impressive: a 400 mile trip to Carmel (and a 2000 mile trip to AZ) calculated out to 35 .

The transmission - so it would seem - is no impediment to impressive - at least to this sailor - MPG.



all the best, ez

 

I meant not the rough idle sound but the vibration I felt from the steering wheel and the foot pedal. It is very little, but compared to my V6 it is rough.

 

HAHA, that's a little TOO lax on the gas pedal for me as my highway MPGs get reduced to city MPG numbers, if not worse. And I hate the turbo 4 as well. I can hear the motor ticking away at every stop.

 

If I wanted a four, I'd have bought a Mazda, Honda or Toyota. Mercedes is destroying the brand with these things. It's especially ridiculous that they give you a four now in the E-class. What's next, a four-cylinder S-class?

However, you may have noticed, they added an E400 model to the E-class range to give buyers a way to get a 300+ HP V-6 (a nifty turbo-ed M276 by the way). When you're spending 60K or more on a fine car, you certainly should get a great engine.

My gratuitous rant ... :-)

 

Let's not worry too much with the gas engines, it will be a history soon. Europe has a plan by (?) year they will make all EVs, no more traditional engines of any number of cylinders.

 

"soon" is subjective (and usage poses no hazard here)



ez