4maticneday

Went to my local MB dealer too see the new C class in person & test drive it. Just one word to describe the new c class, luxurious. This will be my first c class, and a well needed upgrade from my 06 civic. Attached are some pics

joshg1001

Love the design of the rear vents. I know its something nobody usually takes a second glance at, but it looks very well done, similar to the S class.

Also, it seems like the luxury or sport package is a must to get the stitched dash and upper door trimmed in MBTEX

Quadcammer

style is ok, some of the materials are ok, but man some of that plastic is more hard cheap junk.

joshg1001

^^ wait till you see it in person before you pass judgment. in my experience, black plastic always photographs way cheaper than it is in person.

Roger_4ever

wow is that the fineline brown wood trim? That looks pretty dark lol, I expect it to be more yellow and bright....

alsyli

Yeah, I was expecting it to be lighter, too, based on the initial official pics. =(

MBNUT1

Saw and drove it today as well. Really nice car. Pretty car inside and out. 4 cylinder made it a less than special car to me given it's price. Drove a 2014 C3004matic next and it felt like it had more substance but didn't ride nearly as well with the AMG 18 in wheels and of course now it looks dated next to the 2015 particularly the interior.

Don't have to have the W205 right now

c400benz

how was the 4 cylinders power? was it substantial? did it feel weak to you?

MBNUT1

Didn't push it. I'm sure it would be fine for me. It was a little stubbly so don't regret the C400. Having what sounded like a Camry engine seemed out of character for a car they want $45K for.

alsyli

How was the steering? I was a little disappointed to read from another poster that the steering was even lighter than the W204.

C400Driver

On my way after work to check out the new c class myself...too bad there are no c400 demos available

NYC-Style

Yes...it's very dark...when I saw the demo it actually looked like piano black from outside the car. I was hoping it would be lighter as well...

Glyn M Ruck

The "linestructure" lime wood trim is available in both high gloss light brown & dark brown on SA "Exclusive" model.

Light brown below:

Glyn M Ruck

The interior of the W205 is a massive step up in quality in this class. If well spec'ed there is no hard plastic anywhere other than some brightwork. Quite an achievement in a car that shed weight.

Quadcammer

massive step up, yes.

look at the top of the door panels.

look at the material around the hideous tacked on nav screen.

I will reserve final judgment until I've spent some more time with it

joshg1001

^^ that is why you have to get the sport or luxury package so that the top of the doors and the dash are lined with mbtex and stitching.

MBNUT1

It is lighter than the W204 which made the car feel less substantial to me. The W204 with the 6 cylinder was much more Mercedes like feeling but did have poorer ride quality and wasn't as quiet in general. To be fair I didn't mess around with the agility control to stiffen up the steering.

Glyn M Ruck

The top of the doors are soft touch energy absorbing material on low rent models. MBTex or leather on well spec'ed models. Mainly leather in SA.

Screen surround is the same as the rear screens in an S Class other than the black bezel.

nyca

Just drove the C300. Yes, the steering is lighter than the W204 - but the feedback is good, so overall I think its fine.

The car is very quiet - that's the first thing you notice compared to the W204.

As others have posted and not unexpectedly - the 4 cylinder turbo is not as refined as the V6s. My dealer didn't have a C400, will drive that when it comes out.

The nav screen is not as bad as I thought it would be, in fact I would drop this as a critique of the car now - its set low enough on the dash to avoid the "stuck on, sticks up" look that many people were afraid of from the photos.

Interior room really isn't a big improvement over the W204 - yes, the numbers tells us its roomier, but its not a quantum leap in usable space.

Controls and interior details are very nice.

One thing I didn't like during the test drive - when you switch agility modes to Sport, etc - the engine start/stop function resets to ON, even if you had optioned it off in a previous mode. I flipped the option, stopped the car, the engine stopped, I was a little freaked out.

No way to judge the edges of the car for parking - I would rethink and get Parktronic on this car now.

No need to continue dwelling on the price issue - its expensive, lets just leave it at that.

alsyli

Yikes. Well, at least you can adjust the steering now. Consumer Reports also commented that the steering of the Luxury models (for the W204 and W212) is heavier than the Sport models, so I think I'll be fine.

Interesting to hear the car is quieter. I remember when I first drove the W204, I was sort of surprised at how quiet it was.

Disappointed to hear about the NVH of the 4-cyl. The engine in my C250 is horrible before it's warmed up, but it sounds and feels fine after that (and has considerably less of a "ticking" sound at idle from the outside vs. a 3-series). I'm hoping that warm-up + break in will help the 4-cyl to feel more refined (although I'm personally holding out of the diesel).

Rather annoyed that the US doesn't get the lighter colored "linden wood" trim! (or ash colored leather)

Thanks to all for the first drive reports!

C400Driver

Test drove a silver c300 with pano roof..multimedia package...airmatic suspension..mb tex...very impressed with the quality of even the base model interior... the mb TeX looks and feels great for pleather....even gave off a hint of leather smell!!!!... Base steering wheel has an awesome thick rimmed sporty feel in your hands.. The adjustable power tilt wheel is nice...i sat in a new 2015 acura tlx and there is no comparison either room / interior quality wise...the c300 is pretty roomy in the front... ...ipad screen is colorful sharp and easy to see... The led color gauge info cluster screen is also very awesome.... It allows you to view actions related to the steering wheel controls... It is nice not having to look at the center console screen for every single action... The control knob/touch pad is awesome... You can actually choose which control you want to use at anytime .... They both allow you to perform the same on screen functions.... Very quiet when in motion aside from the four pot motor.... Trunk space is decent not large... Has a illuminated red warning light for traffic visibility when you raise the trunk....the exterior silhouette appears larger then the previous C class I mistook a new E class passing us as a c400!!!...yes it appears that large!!!.... The led headlight color temp gives off a nice purple hue... I can only imagine what the full led headlights will look like....my only gripe was the rear tail light does not have a separate positive turn signal...the brake element flashes when using the turn signal....again this was a base model with the stock led headlights....I have the c400 with the full led headlights...hopefully the tail lights have a separate turn signal apart from the brake light element...also the new ordering guide deleted the 19" amg black wheel with polished face option...maybe it is an oversight...I'm glad I optioned those wheels early on...my car has an august 28 production date... So it should arrive at the dealer early- mid September...BTW the blind spot monitoring system is awesome... If you don't have it.. What are you staring at?!?... Get it now!!!!

evansw220

Unfortunately thats the tail lamps that are equipped for the US market, same as the W222 and updated W212 the Amber turn signals are not offered... In some MB vids of the W205 you'll see the Amber turn signals.. The only time that I've seen the US W205 turn signals and brake separate is when the rear fog light is active.. When you get a chance again try it out....

joshg1001

Sigh, so that means when you are stopped at a stop light and signaling, one whole side is flashing? I hate that on the current audis. Cant carmakers understand that people want symmetry?

C400Driver

That's where they cheap out unfortunately.... I've seen various Ford cars and the brand new 2015 gm trucks with separate led positive amber turn signals!!!!.. But the Germans aside from the BMW 7 series can't be bothered... On A positive note the headlight led turn signals don't turn off the DRLs!!!!

NYC-Style

The infotainment display is indeed impressive...the demo I drove had the multimedia package so the display was larger. I plan on going back for another test drive this week. I'm surprised they're telling you early to mid Sept with an Aug 28th build. I have a Aug 2nd build with a mid to late Sept delivery. But if something comes in sooner that meets my needs/wants I may go with that....