megaoctane

I will try to write a little bit of my experience buying and then driving the car. I am not a professional writer, and English is not my mother tongue, so there will be typos, and i probably go a bit front and back on the issues. Apologize in advance

I have owned E classes for the past 10 years. 2 x S210, then a W211, followed by a 2012 W212.
Saw the new C class at the local launchparty in March, and got to drive it for 20 minutes. Was blown away by the looks and feel of the car.
Got a good price on the W212 so sold it, and got a used S202 99 model C180 estate extremely cheap, so i had a car while i wait.

So i downloaded the price-list for the C. Put together the options i wanted and then in April i visited and contacted 5 dealers in my city and neighboring cities and presented the option codes i wanted for the car, and what deals they could give me.

The dealer i ended up with gave me the best price and service. When I visited the dealer, he asked if i had driven the car. I told him, that 20 minutes was what i got the day it launched. He went out, and came back with the keys for a C, and handed them to me.
"Go and take it for a spin. Come back in 1-2 hours time. Then we can talk options." Needless to say, he got my business.

We went through the options list. He was really cooperative, and helped me choose the options i would most likely use, and not bother with "nice to haves".
Since i had used cruise control 6 times during the period i had owned the W211 and W212, going for distronic plus would be a waste.

Same with LED intelligent lighting system. I mainly drive at daytime, and spending the money on a cornering system i would use occasionally and living in a well lit city, the auto high beam would never activate at all.

Regarding engines - in Norway the government charges extra fees according to horsepower and CO2 usage of the car. Since i had driven a W212 E200 CDI with 136hp, we agreed that the 180 with 154hp would be more than enough, and use the money i save on a panorama roof instead. Also it would use less gas, and here petrol is more expensive than diesel.

Color - we went to and from between iridium silver, tenorite gray or polar white. But when we landed on the panorama roof, I went for the polar white. The black roof really pops at you with the polar white car. Also being a amateur detailer (limited to my own car) i prefer to wash my car myself, and use the correct wash mitts, microfiber towels, iron x'es, tar removers etc, so keeping the car bright white would not be any major issue.

So I ended up with:
Polar white C180 7G automatic
AMG interior black
AMG exterior with 18" AMG wheels
Panorama roof
Blind spot assist
Burmester sound system
Audio 20 CD with Garmin Map pilot
Comfort auto closing of boot
Key less go start
LED headlights
Parking package with reverse camera
Seat comfort package
Ambilight

The order was placed 20th April - got the call on the 20th June that the car was ready for pick up.

Went to pick up the car. It stood there in all its glory, with a note in the windshield: "This car is sold and waiting for its owner to come and pick it up. Please handle with care"
I got them to put on locking bolts which i had from the 212 - just for security. Also had a unpacked unused set of windshield wipers for the 212, and they traded them in and i got a set of new wipers for the 205

So to the car...
The car has been a joy to drive. I have mainly driven it in Comfort mode but a little bit with the Eco mode and sport+ mode. You really feel the steering wheel and the engine change behavior. I got the steel springs, so i don't think those are affected by these modes.
Really pleased with how big the car is. Moving from a W212 to a S202 for three months, and then to the W205 really showed how much bigger the C has become since 1999. I am 180 cm, and weigh 105 kg. by no means a small guy, but i sit comfortably in the car, my knees don't touch the dash. If I go back and sit in the backseat behind the driver seat, I can easily get in and get out.

The sides of the panorama roof lining don't touch my hair, so i have enough space height wise also. But people who like a high seating position so they can see the entire bonnet, should probably steer away from the panorama roof. But if you like to have a low seating position, a little bit laid back, the pano will be a perfect fit.

Seats are extremely comfortable. I got the seat comfort package, and both passenger and driver has the extended thigh support. it makes the car look a lot sportier in my opinion.
Was not a huge fan of the touch pad for the audio 20 in the beginning. It covers your view of the buttons located on the other side. Once you start using it, and learn the different ways to use it in the different "windows", you stop using the rolling knob. Much easier to swipe left or right to change songs for example. But when entering the address in navigation, it is a lot easier to use the knob. same goes for the telephone. you can use the touch to enter phone numbers, but it takes a bit time for the system to recognize what you typed with your finger, so much easier to use the knob. This is also your only option since one don't have a numeric pad like in the earlier audio 20's and COMANDs.

This is my first car with key less go start, and just barely gotten used to putting the key back in my pocket after unlocking.
Also noticed that when you push the button once, the audio 20 turns on (if it was on before you turned off the car last time of course), and when you push the break and push the start engine button again, the audio 20 screen stays on and the audio runs as before, without a brief blackout. In my W212 without key-less, the COMAND screen would turn off when the car started and then turn back on once the engine was running.

The car and the engine is great. The car is powerful, and is a much smoother, quiter ride than the 212 E200 CDI I had. In Comfort mode, the W212 E200 CI would require much more throttle to get going from standstill. Roundabouts in rushtime was always an issue, as it took off slowly. The C180 takes off without hesitation.
I prefer Comfort mode. The ride, gear changes and engine is smooth, and you still got a lot of power when some bloke tries to drive too close behind you on the highway

We have bad roads in Norway, but as long as you avoid the biggest or deepest pot holes, the run flats are no issue. I was amazed by how quiet and comfortable the ride is. Maybe these second generation tires aren't that bad? or it just might be me going from a S202? Still, I remember that my W212 with 18" AMG rims and Bridgestone normal tires, was a much more harder ride than the W205.
Drove with ECO mode today, and noticed that the car goes to neutral, and the engine turning to 500-600 rpm when you lift the foot of the gas. Requirements being that the car can roll and still maintain speed. Happened going downhill and on a completely straight road, cool feature.

The navigation is good, but the maps of the COMAND are much better looking. I had COMAND in all my earlier cars, except the S202 and this one. BUT, Mercedes charging 5 times more for 1" larger screen, DVD changer and maps is just bull****. They could easily install the same maps in the Audio 20 for a small extra..
I have used the navigation twice, and it was spot on both times. It is Garmin, and the maps are installed on a Garmin SD Card. The audio 20 gives you two USB ports and a SD Card slot in the armrest compartment. The Garmin SD Card is installed here, so you loose the SD card slot and can only use the two USB's. Since the system is a Garmin, I will try to install Darth Vader voices and speed cameras

iPhone 5S connects flawlessly, also using the USB. The car charges the phone quickly. But only connecting with lightning USB cable enables music, but not the phone. You must activate bluetooth on the phone to make and accept phone calls.

The comfort auto closing trunk lid is much quiter than my W212.

Ambilight has three modes, yellow, white and blue. Prefer the yellow or blue.

I have the piano black in the mid console, and it attracts dust. Must find something to wash it with so it doesn't attract so much dust.

bdajeha

I'm interested in knowing how the Burmester sounds?
I have W204 HK today, is it better?

megaoctane

I had Bose in the 210, H/K in the 211 and H/K in the 212. Burmester sounds diferent but better. The bass is much better. I have tested some tracks i used to listen to in the 212 with H/K, and the bass is much better and noticable. Probably have to do with both bass speakers being positioned in the front.

DameMD

Megaoctane - Since your coming from an E-Class, how is the rear seat room compared to your previous E. I was looking at getting a new E-Class or truck for my next car, as my current c350 is seriously lacking rear leg room. If the new C-Class has vastly improved the rear legroom, then I would be sold on buying a c400 or c450 as my next car.

megaoctane

The leg room is good enough. It is almost the same as the E class. There isn't much difference between the 212 and 205 in wheelbase length.
But you have to try for yourself.

Tjdehya

I am also considering moving from the W212 to the W205.
If you have the time do you mind giving detailed comparison after you have spent some time in the W205. Thanks.
Love the Pics btw. Enjoy!

Roger Bill

Megaoctane, thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed and informative review. I really value the opinions of owners who live with their car on a daily basis rather whereas journalists generally just spend a limited time with each car.

MBNUT1

+1

megaoctane

Thanks for the kind words @Roger and @mbnut1. I personally enjoy reading reviews by regular car owners. So I thought I write down my experience and thoughts.
Day 5 and still enjoying the car AND the new car smell

The car attracts a lot of attention. Was at the movies on Saturday and parked the car by the road. While waiting for a friend some 20 meters away, I could see people going by, admiring the car. The polar white with pano roof really catch people's eyes.

Thinking of either get 3M safety film on the load/unload area by the trunk lid, and getting the side mirrors and chrome lip in front bumper in 3M black film... Will start by gathering some prices from different workshops who specialize in this stuff.

When I had the S210 E240 1999 model, it took maybe 40-50 sec for the engine to settle down to 800 rpm after start. The S202 I had for a few months used even longer time.
This one starts off with 1700rpm, then goes down to 1100 rpm, and get to 800 rpm in approx 20sec.

The garmin map remembers the country you are in, but one has to enter town every time.
Comand in W212, W211 and S210 remembered country and town, and you just entered the street. Maybe this is normal behavior for Garmin navis.
But I remember being annoyed by the comand each time one had to enter a street in different city/town. You had to press back, and then delete the town and enter the correct town.

Also I used the navi to find local metro stations. Can't remember if the comand in my w212 could so that, never tried. But I had to pick up a friend from a subway station, chose POI=subway station! and it listed all subways in the nearby area. I could just browse down to the one I was looking for.

WhiteAMG

Thank you for this in-depth review! I think we all needed to read a W205 owner experience before purchasing one. I am now looking forward to my C200 coming in less than a month

Btw can you take pictures of the ambient lighting in the dark so that we can see how it looks?

J2brian703

You can see the ambient lighting demo in this video.

Roger Bill

Hi WhiteAMG


Later this year I'm hoping to order a C200. All the journalists and owners reviews I've seen so far have been of W205's with diesel engines so when you get yours I'd very interested to hear your views on the engine, how quiet and refined it is and how well it works with the automatic gearbox, e.g. smoothness and speed of gear changes.


Many thanks, Roger

WhiteAMG

I'll let you all know how it is with the C200. The car is currently in production now

Thanks J2brian703, I've seen this video a million times before but a still picture on those three colors would do even better.

megaoctane

I will try to take a picture. I only have an iPhone, so will try my best to get a nice picture.
Main problem is probably the sun never setting

kots

hi megaoctane

can you confirm if your car has apples carplay?

does anybody knows if its a standard feature??

thanks

cleankutazn

Mercedes hit a home run with this c class. This one will go down in history as one of the best c classes.

kots

Oh and by the way, that's a STUNNING car you got

megaoctane

Thanks @kots.
No CarPlay yet. The car works fine with the lightning USB cable, but it does not switch to CarPlay. Mercedes hasn't activated this feature yet, and the technology is at least a year away from being a mainstream option
I just hope it will be available for those of us with Audio 20, and not a exclusive feature for COMAND.

Source:
http://www.beyond.ca/carplay-and-mer...enz/37634.html

kots

Thanks for the info,

So you dont get carplay but you can connect iphone right? Can it play music from iphone etc??

What are the exact capabilities with the lightning cable and iphone?

Do you believe its worth going for the command online?

Navigation does not work in my country.

Thanks agAin

megaoctane

With lightning it can play music, and show cover art and artist and song meta data.
You have to enable Bluetooth to make and receive calls.
The only good thing with Comand is the maps. But if you don't have navigation, the Comand isn't worth it.
Yeah you can watch a DVD but the car must be standstill.

bigigg

Is the difuser color matched with the car?

megaoctane

As far as i know, it is.

cupofjoe

megaoctane

Thanks

Just found out yesterday: pressing and holding "open boot" button on the key, will close the boot.
It didn't work on my W212 2012...
So a pleasant surprise.

Will try to hold the lock doors button and see if it addition to closing the roof and windows also closes the boot... Worth a try

Also I met a fellow mercedes enthusiast from the Norwegian Mercedes forum. He has the a late 2012 S212.
Slightly wider car then the C, but almost the same legroom in the back.
Sitting in frontseat of a 212 after 5 months, you get the impression of it being a bigger car. Mostly because of its straight lines on the dashboard and footwells. The C however "feels" like a nimbler and much faster car when sitting in the driver seat.

megaoctane

The car has nearly driven 1000km. The car was polished by the dealer but no wax or other LSP was applied to the body.
So I took a thorough wash of the car, "detailer style". What amazed me the most was how much metal particles IronX found on the car. For those who hasn't used this kind of material.

You may not have noticed by looking at your paintwork, but next time it’s washed and clean lightly feel the paintwork, especially the horizontal panels; bonnet, boot lid, roof etc. Very gently with finger tip touch you’ll be able to feel a rough grittiness. Airborne metallic particles liberated by braking surfaces, such as pads and discs fill the air along our roads, when the car in front of you brakes your car travels through them, as a result they embed themselves in your paintwork.
Especially on a white car over time these show as yellowish "rust".

Swissvax shield was applied to the body. Now after a quick wash, the car is clean, and just after 1 minute on the highway it is dry
Collinite 845 to the rims. Now I just have to spray som water on the rims and they are clean