jmatero

Love the new C... and the lease on my E350 is coming up in a few months. We also have a 2014 C250 Sedan and there is a HUGE difference in ride, noise levels, and seat comfort. Wondering if anyone here has gone from the E-class to the C300/C400 and the comparison. I've read some accounts that the new C noise levels are low and that with AirMatic, it's quite comfortable.

Many thanks!

eaglehorn

I came from a S212 E350 01/2014 and went to a S205 C220 - I cannot begin to express how much I miss that V6 engine, it is just THAT good - That, and probably how rock solid and unconcerned the E-Class is with how good or bad the road is, it simply just drives amazingly, that's the only 2 things I miss about it.

Exterior wise I think the E-class looks better, but inside the cabin the C-Class has it beat by a huge margin - Then again, a new E is just around the corner, and that may change everything.

You're absolutely right, the AirMatic smoothes things over a lot, and it gives you that "flying over things" sensation. I am happy that I got that option, because I couldn't drive the C without - I am also very impressed with how the agility select interacts with AirMatic - Using "sport/sport+" settings will harden the suspension and make the steering feel heavy, and thus add to the feeling of stability when driving.

Noise level is also really good on the C - By my guess, I'd think it is probably as much as 40-50% more quiet inside the cabin under normal conditions- But I have to mention when driving 200+ km/h on the motorway the E has the C beat, not only in noise but also in stability.

I also have to comment on the C's 7G tronic - It's really been improved, I like it a lot - It seems to be much more responsive than the the 9g-tronic from my E - It's not that 9g-tronic is bad in any way, to me it was just too many gears for everyday use (great on motorway above 110 km/h)

Hope you find any of this useful

megaoctane

I had a 2012 E200 CDI before this one. I miss the classic grill with AMG styling.
Other than that the ride is more comfortable in the C. It is quiter. Interior is much better and modern than the old E. The Comand and vehicle settings are upgraded with better user interface.
I think the front of the C class with AMG looks a lot better than the facelift E with AMG. Mostly because of those gorgeous eyebrows in the headlamps.

floridadriver

Interesting comparison. Can you speak more about your ownership impression in the ride and quietness difference to you between the C with air, and E without? Does your C have run flats? More road or wind noise? One less forgiving with poor roads? Thanks

unr1

I'm also interested in road/wind noise

Does anyone know which cabin is quieter at highway speeds? W205 C-class vs W212 E-class

coladin

I have both cars since November 2014, got them a few weeks apart, and the gap between the lesser C Class and the current E class is uncomfortably close, to be honest. And that is good thing. The E class still has a slight edge but my goodness, the gap shrinked mightily between the W204 and W205. in all aspects the cars are close which leads me to believe the ne E class will be a significant step up form the current E.

HelenR

W212. If W205 car has the internationally acknowledged yet intermittent A-pillar wind noise issue, I'd bet a bundle it will be the most wind noise of any car you've ever been in with the top up made in the last decade.

IF they could fix the wind leak, it'd be close, maybe even advantage W205.

coladin

Mine are both the same, have had them both cruising, although my E class Pirellis are more quiet than my C Class Blizzaks. I would say that there is nothing in it between them, nothing significant.

puzzled

I just turned in a leased 2012 E350W and bought a 2015 C300W.

My impressions are as follows:

1. The interior on the C is much nicer. No comparison imo. To my eye the C interior just looks richer and more refined.
2. The C is hands down the quietest car I have ever owned, including my E, even at highway speed.
3. The tech on the 2012 E seems old fashioned in comparison.
4. I like the ride on the C better. It seems to take the bumps better than my E did. Neither car has/had Airmatic.
5. I don't miss the V6. The 4 cylinder has plenty of power for me.
6. The trunk on the C is smaller than the E. The E had a really deep trunk which was nice. Putting down the back seat on the C is really easy so that must be considered as well.
7.I mainly drive in the city and I actually prefer the size of the C. I am mostly the only person in the car. If I regularly had passengers in the back seat I might feel differently. The C is more fun for me to drive. The turning circle is really tight.

Finally, I would add that I think the new E will put the current E to shame. I think it will also be bigger and hands down nicer than the W205.

I hope this helps.

JurassicPark

I 'downgraded' from a W212 E220 Sport Coupe (2011/61) to a S205 C250 Prem Plus Estate with airmatic suspension.

All my comments are coloured by the HORRENDOUS A-Pillar wind-noise on my C250.

On the styling side, I prefer the racier E Coupe but family requirements meant I had to move to an estate.

I had extended test drives of the latest E250 saloon, C250 AMG Sport estate and C220 Sport saloon (non with air suspension). The C220 sport (with steel springs) was the most comfortable of all and much better than the E250.

I opted for the C250 with airmatic and it is like floating on air. For motorway driving, A-road driving and going over speed bumps it's fantastically smooth and comfortable (in Comfort mode, in Sport mode you do feel the bumps more). My E220 coupe was fine on the motorway, but for A-roads it was terribly jittery and you felt every bump in the road. Some journos have complained the C-Class air suspension crashes over pot holes but it's better than my E220 coupe.

In the cabin, there is a little less room for my left foot in the C-Class, but it's a lot nicer place to drive in and the controls are so much easier to use. There is less room in the C-Class seats and I miss the air-inflated side and lumbar supports from my E-Class. However I don't get any back-ache in the C-Class that I used to end up with in the E-Class after a 2 hours journey.

Back to the horrendous A-Pillar wind noise. Up to about 40mph its not noticeable. But after this, it sounds like the front window is slightly open all the time. It appears to be down to the door seals. I took the car back to the dealer and they tightened up both front doors slightly and the wind noise is a bit better but still not great. This has to be noisiest car on a motorway I've every driven but it's all down to this A-Pillar problem. My dealer tells me Merc are working upon this.

The dealer gave me a 2015/15 plate C-Class yesterday whilst my car was having its sat-nav updated. I tested it out (C200 AMG Sport premium) on the motorway unto 80mph and it was not as bad as my car, but still not whisper quiet.

Tjdehya

You actually upgraded. The E coupe is not a W212, it is a C207. It is a C class chassis (C204) modified to accept the larger V8 engine and a body similar to the W212. It is essentially a C class wearing E class clothes.

So moving from a modified C class to a W205 with a slightly bigger engine, Airmatic, latest technology from MB, and better overall interior sounds like a huge upgrade! Congrats!

floridadriver

Interesting post! Will the W213 share new W205 chassis with slight dimension extensions?

grimesch

I think the wheelbase makes an enormous difference. I had a 2011 E350 wagon, and when driving a C-class loaner (new) or an ML or the little GLk I couldn't believe the discomfort, the choppy ride and handling. Admittedly a newer car had newer attributes, but the ride is 90% of the pleasure in MB's. I have a 2015 AMG E63S wagon, and I can make it have a hot but choppy ride when I want, (but only when screaming on a back road with S or S+ settings) with the option to calm it down to E-Class comfort. My 2011 was the second best car I have ever had (with the AMG being the first.)

squid23

Well, nice to see that the interior W212 non-design does at least drive C class sales

Tjdehya

The W212 and the W204 were two completely different chassis.
The C204 and C207 were essentially the same.

Mercedes has moved to the MRA and MFA platform for their vehicles. I believe the W205 was the first with the MRA (I am not 100% sure about the W222, I don't think it was based on the MRA)

The Modular Rear Architecture (MRA) will be used on all the rear biased vehicles going forward and the Modular Front Architecture (MFA) on all the Front wheel architecture.

So unlike before, the W205 chassis doesn't "belong to" the C class. The W205 is based off a chassis that is shared with the all (or most) upcoming redesigned RWD biased vehicles. E, CLS, GLC, GLE, GLS, R, etc.

Giants54

I just spent two weeks with an E350 as a loaner car while my C400 was at the MB dealer waiting for a part to repair the Active Lane Keeping Assist which was inoperative. In my opinion the C is a far superior automobile with the E winning only in its ability to deal with potholed roads. The exterior styling of the C is more modern and the interior is classier with considerably more advanced technology. The final clincher is the Burmester stereo which has superior sound capabilities compared to the Harmon Kardon system in the E.

jjazzman

I always have been a BMW person but two weeks after purchasing 2015 ML250 for my wife, I understood why people buy Mercedes.. comfort. I wanted something more sporty so I ended up getting 2015 E350 with sport package. Looked pretty bad ***. Funny thing is I drove around for a day and I couldn't stand the way E350 drives other than straight line in highway. Even with sport package it couldn't hide its weight and the ride was way too plush. I keep asking myself why am I driving a glorified taxi to work every day?? Making a long story short, I traded in for 2015 C300 (got all the options except distronics and air suspension). It's been over a month now and every morning I can't wait to drive the car to work. My wife didn't care for E350 since it was pretty much same as her ML but she is actually jealous of my car and asked me to switch every chance she gets.

I have several colleague who is from Harmon Kardon and actually making fun of me about the Bemester's rattle noise issue on door panel. :P

floridadriver

Interesting comparison. Though obviously different vehicles, based just on ride, noise, comfort, how do you like the ML comapred to your E and C?