dreamerak

C&D seems to really like it.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...t-drive-review

PeterUbers

"Looks almost identical to the c63 on the inside and out..."

synaptik

honestly 95% of all people can't tell the difference between any of the C class trims.

bartola

4.7 (stock) 0 to 60 is impressive - C400 is 5.2 (stock), that is .5 seconds quicker. Considering, tuning a C300 can achieve 4.9 (modified - according to burger), I will be quite happy to be in the neighborhood. Best I could achieve on my modified CLA 250 (chiptunning advance / no downpipe) has been 5.6 sec. 0 - 60.

mdsbuc

Is this true?

bartola

yes, that is true, MB announced. c400 is a collector car!

mdsbuc

If C&D is right about the base price, we'll see a $3500. price jump over the "old" C400. It's probably worth it, but perhaps pushes it beyond a price point that keeps my interest.

dreamerak

I'm a bit surprised at peoples focus on straight line speed , the real story here is the handling.

Newzchspy

Keep telling yourself that......... Once the C450 hits the street, the values of the C300/400 will plummet like our temps the past three months.

BTW, those 0-60 times are not far off the old C63 which tells me that the C450 is really hooking. In the wet, I'd speculate that it'll easily take a C63 off the dig.

Zig-Zag

I'm kinda happy I went with C400. IMMO the racing seats, red stitching and grill don't really fit the character of the car...it looks neither sporty nor classy, but then again, it is just my opinion.

Btw I think it's a mistake from a marketing point of view to replace C400 with C450...enough people out there who want a classic, non-sporty look with a bit of power.

PeterUbers

I still don't get why this car is so controversial

I get the amg "sport" moniker bothers people but as a car in the lineup this is a good thing for Benz IMO

stolenfire

I agree.....this car is perfect for Benz in terms of product placement going forward. Especially taking into consideration the success of the S4 and on a smaller scale the X6 (GLE Coupe).

Tjdehya

The C400 does not offer a "classic, non-sporty look."
You can only get the C400 with the sport package.
The C450 is a C400... its the same car!
The C400 has been touched by AMG and is now call the C450.
It is not a new or different car so why sell both the C400 and C450?


I would Agree that there might be customers that want a C class with extra power and without the added cost and harsh suspension of an AMG vehicle though.

BoboPolo12

This is sad/frustrating but very likely true, especially with C400 values. Same thing happened when BMW's 335i came out and replaced the one-year model 330i back in ~2007.

I can only hope some buyers would rather have crystal grey interior and non-racing seats when it's time to sell on.. sigh

bartola

The "AMG badge on the fender", ruffles the feathers of "some" AMG purist that paid through the nose for the badge. In the end, AMG technology trickles down to prod vehicles, that has been the case with BMW for years. Point of fact the E36 M3 suspension is close to what you see on E46 prod vehicles. It is evolution technology in cars. Mercedes cars have evolved and will keep doing so and trickle down to production cars.

I think of pure AMG's as "Beta" test vehicles with cool technology that needs qualification and a few affluent people get the technology ahead (sometimes years) of mainstream. (speaking as an engineer, not intended to start a fire and purely my personal opinion).

mdsbuc

About the seats, I had the same reaction when I first read the article. I have no interest in the racing seats either. But after re-reading the article, I saw that the seats are an option. According to the author they're "must have." Ha, not for me! I do like the grill though....

PeterUbers

The 2013/14 c300 and c350 were the Same care except for a tune difference ... This is not new for Benz

RPM99

Can someone explain in general terms why the c450 4 matic is not as fun to drive as an RWD like the c63? Never had an AWD before.

jrcart

For starters the C450 has about 140 less hp than a C63.

Newzchspy

Come on now Jimmy, we've known each other for a long time. Why are the hardcore AMG guys all butt hurt about the C450? NO, its NOT a C63, no one is claiming it to be, BUT with a tune or other light work from Weistec or another tuner, you can guarantee that it'll be in the mid 400s and with AWD its a no brainer. In fact, in our crappy Chi-Town weather, I can guarantee that off a digg it'll take a C63 to 100.

All they are trying to do it increase the AMG brand across the line. I see no dilution there. BMW has done this with MUCH SUCCESS with the M235 class of cars and guess what. They're beating the M3/4 cars if you give it a tune, just like the old 335s were smoking the old M3s when they got bolt-ons and a tune.

I know a lot of Duck guys and they swear that a Diavel is NOT a true Duck. Its all in how you look at it!!

Newzchspy

Different suspension, different tune, different wheels and different interior. Yes, I'd say they ARE indeed different cars. Note that the C400 and C450 are NOT going to be sold at the same time. The C400 is already going bye bye in the next two months once orders fulfilled. Yes, the values of the C400 will drop once the C450 hits the streets too. Its just the way it is.

idriveacar

Anyone care to speculate on how much the price of c400s will drop when this is out?

Newzchspy

Total speculation, but $10-15 K would be a good guess. It drops the minute you drive it off the showroom floor. Add the C450 to the mix and you're talking big dollars.

jrcart

First off the 4-matic is nice, I was hoping the new C63 and GT-S would have offered a 4-matic, that being said I do not race people in the rain or snow so from a performance stance vs a C63 the point is moot.

Regarding what BMW has been doing...are you saying tht it's cool for AMG to follow BMW? AMG has never followed BMW. BMW has not built a car to compete with an AMG in probably 10 years. W204's will murder a E9X M3 and an E63S will murder an F10 M5 and an E60 M5.

The C450 is simply nothing more than a run of the mill C400 with an ECU tune and some AMG bumpers. The truth of the matter is I would buy a CLA45 before a C450. A CLA45 will run circles around a C450. You will never get a C450 to make over 400whp yet Wesitec is making over 450whp with their CLA45. The C450 motor has mediocre tame cam lobe, stock C400 heads, stock C400 crank and a C400 block. It is for all purposes a C400 with some extra fuel and timing thrown into the ECU.

On the other hand we have the W205 C63 powerplant which was derived from the AMG GT 4.0 power plant. The C63 was built from the ground up to be a maximum performance high output engine as were the C450 motor is a band-aided C400 nearly tweaked to it's max output from the factory.

Anyone to make a comparison between the two is simply grasping at straws and for AMG to maek the exteriors of the two cars so similar it is shameful and as I said before a slap in the face to W205 C63 buyers/owners.

Tjdehya

You are so wrong about this.
The C450 is a C63 without the engine. It even has an AMG part that the C63 doesn't have... It has the AMG 4matic... yes that's correct, it doesn't have the Mercedes 4Matic, it has the AMG 4Matic in a W205 Chasis.

Do I think that they should have released this vehicle? No!
Do I think they are watering down the brand? yes!
But there is no denying that this vehicle is an AMG, it has EVERYTHING the C63 has except the engine and dynamic engine mounts. And like I said before it even has an W205 exclusive AMG 4Matic!