Jonobigblind

So the new motor arrived at about 09.15 today (a few hours ahead of schedule), sitting pretty on a trailer pulled by a decent sized 4x4.

Got it down, parked up, my A6 checked over and then that soon took its place on the trailer to go back to the leasing company.

After the delivery chap had left (lovely bloke and we had a natter over a cup of tea) I set about for a short few mile jaunt down the local roads to get a feel for it.

First impressions:
* It feels a fair bit smaller than my A6 but that's no bad thing at all
* Certainly lighter and far more agile / nimble through the corners and around roundabouts (of which there are many in Swindon)
* Picks up very well off the lights, even from just lifting my foot off the brake pedal, there's no lag and then slow haul as with the A6
* Seats are comfortable and the driving position is good although I'd like a little more adjustment options for the steering wheel
* Good chunky wheel with buttons that are easily accessible
* New style handbrake a vast improvement over the old foot brake (and doesn't sound like it's going to snap every time I use it)
* The entertainment system is a vast improvement on the one from the 2011 Audi I had. Searching by artist / genre / playlist is just so much easier and doesn't feel like half the battle I previously had.


Other points
* 4 pot engine of course doesn't sound as silky smooth as my old V6 diesel but it is an improvement on the C220 W204 I had for a while last year
* The throttle response seems rather fidgety but that will probably just be me getting used to the set up at the moment
* The steering is very direct, only minor turns required to point in the right direction - again, just needs a bit of getting used to.
* The touchpad works better than I thought and I can see me using it perhaps more than the wheel
* The one SD card slot contains the Garmin nav info so I've popped down to the supermarket and picked up a cheap USB stick for the juke box

Will have another drive later and try to post a few pics (boring car though - not optioned up like the rest of them on here).

mikeyw

I test drove a C250 last week. Very smooth and quiet for a 4 cylinder. I was pretty surprised, after hearing noise criticisms. Anyway, nice car.

Jonobigblind

Cheers, would have preferred the wagon but they weren't out when I placed my order. It's certainly different from the Audi - give me a few more days and I think I'll grow to love it.

Jonobigblind

Few more days in and it's only fair to update this to reflect my getting to know the car better.

Having had two trips to Southampton this week I've put a few hundred miles on the new motor so I've had chance to formulate a few more opinions on the kit...

I must admit the first couple of drives left me wondering if I'd picked the right set up as it felt quite wallowy compared to my old A6. The few motorway and dual carriageway trips soon helped showcase just how good this car is at munching the miles with effortless style.

The entertainment system (Audio 20) is just in a different league to the Audi system and just the ability to search for different artists / tracks / playlists makes it far easier to use on the move.

The reversing camera is handy and gives two clear images (one slightly wider angle than the other) so less chance for mishaps with posts or higher kerbs.

The headlights are superb (LED but not the intelligent system) and the DRLs look cool too

Only two real gripes so far... The first is the intelligent braking system, the red warning triangle seems to be permanently on when driving down the M4 and A34 thanks to the state of the driving and people filling any gaps left for braking space. The second is the interchangeable set up for engine and throttle response. The Eco and Comfort settings are great for the vast majority of driving I seem to have done so far but thought I'd put it in Sport+ for part of my drive home the other night. Hmmmm I thought someone had dropped a kangaroo in the engine bay. The engine, gearbox and throttle seem to drop out of synch and it just felt like a twitchy angry mess of a mode. Maybe more practice required or just select it when I'm on the traffic light Grand Prix.

Slick and smooth driving style really seems to be rewarded in this motor and the 250 engine just pulls well without any fuss.

Merlin1

Interesting to read about your reverse camera image my C200 only shows one image.

Jonobigblind

Weird. With mine if you click down on the wheel then to the right you can get a slightly wider angle which shows more approaching the rear arches.

ScoobyDave

From memory if you click down on the wheel (towards arm rest) it gives you the option for a second view. It's not much different and to be honest I still use the mirrors through habit!

Merlin1

Just look at online manual I am able to have a wide angle view. Thanks for the heads up.

Jonobigblind

No problem, it's not earth shattering but handy if you're going into a gateway or some tight space.