bradtj

Agree completely except.... if you are leasing which at least half MB owners do you are gambling with the lease program that is in effect at time of delivery.
So for many not practical.
Anyway Happy Holidays to the MB faithful My wife opted at the end for a BMW SUV. She had owned a 330i prior to the C classes and always liked the car and the BMW 'free' maintenance experience. We thought of buying her C class but the maintenance for MB was definitely viewed as a negative in
owning a MB.

MASSC450

Sorry the column mounted gear selector on the Mercedes scared you guys away...

bradtj

Appreciate it. Frankly I was taken aback at all the bashing I took over my comments on the new C 300 especially after owning two happily.
I would have expected such with a Chevy vs Ford post.
Frankly the world marketplace supplies many wonderful vehicles and they all have positive attributes that have different measures of importance to different buyers. In this Special Holiday time I try to remember that I am blessed in many ways and the color or letters of a logo on my vehicle may not ultimately be that important.

Mike5215

We've owned two Audis, a 2012 A5 Coupe (the Coupe variant of the A4) and my wife's current car, a 2014 Q7 SUV. The A5 drove great, probably the most similar to the C300 (down to the Turbo 4). Interior materials were CHEAP. The leather was stiff and brittle when the car was new and never improved. It did manage to get discolored though. Parts of the dash are glued together and you could see the dried glue in uneven panel gaps. The carpet is very thin, with almost no nap or give. Everything below the eye line is brittle low grade plastic. The Audi interior is really a bunch of parts from the VW parts bin, with just enough strategically placed eye candy to fool a buyer into thinking he's buying a German luxury car.

To create the sense of more leg room, the steering wheel is 10 degrees off center relative to the pedals, which caused you to sit slightly twisted, and the seats had rock hard and barely adjustable lumbar supports. I could never get comfortable in that thing.

When we got the Q7 for my wife, again the seats are badly designed with cheap brittle leather. (I wanted her to get an MDX, which had really comfortable seats in glove soft perforated leather but she liked the Q). I asked the Audi salesman what Audi had against comfortable seats, like those in my S Class or even the Honda.

His explanation, which may rank as one of the dumbest things a car salesman has ever said out loud, is that Audi intentionally wants the seats to be firm and not too comfortable so drivers stay alert. It's a safety feature.

The C is a much more honest attempt at a legitimate luxury sedan than the A4/A5. I had one for two weeks as a loaner and never had an uncomfortable moment. It was every bit as lithe, playful and quick as the A4/A5, and there is no comparing the interior design, materials, tech, or fit and finish. I'd own one in a heartbeat. On the other hand, you couldn't pay me to drive another Audi.

I'm wondering, with all the lying they did in engineering their diesels, if they plan on keeping the slogan "Truth In Engineering". Because, um, no. I suggested a new slogan for them, "Volkswagon Quality At Mercedes Prices", but so far I haven't heard back. Probably the time difference.

MASSC450

You and I sir have two different definitions of the term "bashing". Simply countering your opinion with another is not bashing...I admit though I was needling you at times for your aversion to modern trends & technology...in good fun of course.



Truth be told, I too might be turning to the dark side and go with BMW next time around myself...the new 340i xDrive seems to be quite the performance car...for a tad less money even, and I feel that's the direction I want to go next time around.

Good luck with your new BMW.

True101

BMW is certainly a more macho vehicle

bradtj

No bad feelings. I wanted to love the new C but we had some areas that we had subjective problems with. At the end of the day not going back into the C Class opened up a renewed car 'evaluation' and the wife started thinking about small SUV's which is the way we went.
One observation- I was disappointed in both marques (BMW and MB) in not making blind spot, rear cameras, parking assistance, etc more readily available without a big premium package. As we surveyed the SUV scene I was impressed that cos like Mazda and Hyundai economically offered these on vehicles that were 10-20k less.

Good luck to all in enjoying their driving passion.

Mike5215

In terms of sheer content, the Asian brands have always been generous with the goodies. On paper you get a laundry list of desirable features...back up cam, blind spot detection, navigation, heated/cooled seats, etc. But when you look at the execution of those features, on each feature in isolation, it's often not great. The navi screen looks low res and pixelated, the seat heaters have two positions...hot and off, the back up cam is distorted and grainy. MB/BMW/AUDI definitely collect a heavy premium on their stuff, but its almost always really nice stuff.

There's no wrong answer. If you're fortunate enough to be able to drive a car you absolutely love, regardless of make or price, that's as good as it gets.

bradtj

I have been introduced to most of this technology on a Hyundai Genesis Ultimate and have to respectfully disagree. The features have worked flawlessly and include a 9" display (touch and rotary knob controlled) that is crystal clear. There is blindspot detection that displays in heads up and in mirrors. A collision avoidance system and lane detection is included.
A cool video on you tube shows a convoy of Genesis cars driving themselves.
The Lexicon 21 speaker stereo system shames the HK system we had on our C300 and the new BMW. These guys (Koreans) are catching up!
Anyway, agree, we are all most fortunate to be able to afford and enjoy cars that we like.

megasaurus

Almost how almost....

megasaurus

You're amusing

Mike5215

I guess it's a matter of perspective. Coming from an S Class, arguably the benchmark for Hyundai in their stab at a high content full size luxury car (Equus) and driving both the S Class and Equus (I'd driven the Genesis as well), I felt the cars rode spongy and handled sloppily, and while there was a convincing veneer of luxury appointments, the overall execution of the cars felt cheap to me. Then again, relative to an S, they literally are cheaper by a significant margin.

If I was still coming up through the luxury car ranks, I'm sure the Hyundais would be a great stop. But I don't think a lot of S Class buyers are snapping up Hyundais as a value proposition. I think the Koreans are catching up, but it's Lexus they're catching up to.

True101

StanNH

What I'm learning from this thread is that I really don't care what other people think about my taste in cars.

I've owned many different cars over the years, my favorites having been BMW's and Audi's. My first 2015 C300 was so bad, as far as build quality and reliability, that I was on the verge of going back to one of those brands. I accepted a generous trade offer and a new C300 Sport, and this car stands up to any car I've ever owned. It's that good .. and this one has been completely reliable and very well put together.

So, basically, I really don't care if others don't like the shifter, the display screen, the lights or bumper design, or the seat comfort. It works for me, I paid for the car with my own money, my wife loves it, and I have a good dealer to work with. I wouldn't bash other brands or cars, because they're all really pretty good at this point in time ... and there seems to be something out there to suit everyone's taste.

So, if you're not "feeling the love," buy something else. I don't make a living selling these cars, and my only real concern is about my own needs in a car. My current C300 serves those needs well, so I am happy with it. If, in a few years, some other manufacturer comes out with a new model that totally blows me away, I would have no hesitation in moving to another brand. For now though, this is my daily driver and it's a good one.

rbrylaw

Like!

ezshift5

With a CPO C250 coupe in my garage, I should admit to the bias factor (but after 5,000 miles, I've really no complaints).

No trips to the dealer with faults, fuel numbers have been impressive, plus the Iridium/Ash color really appeals to this sailor.

I still feel guilty driving this gorgeous coupe.

And all this at 2/3 list price is frosting on the cake..............


Season's best, ez

Mike5215

Well, going down to Tampa tomorrow to eyeball a C450. They're offering 10% off MSRP if we close in 2015. This thread may no longer be an academic exercise for me 24 hours from now.

rbrylaw

That's fantastic Mike! Are you working with Mercedes of Tampa? That's my dealer and I've bought more cars from them over the years than I can count. Please update us for sure!!

Mike5215

It's Wesley Chapel, I think that's north of Tampa. I'm holding you personally responsible for my C450 experience since you talked me in to it. 😉

Now I need to private sale the S550. Of course all the kids online REALLY like it and can afford to pay $20k for it. Might be sitting on it awhile. Trade in was too low to let it go at the dealership. I'm paid ahead on the note thru April so I've got 4 months before double car payments.

Here it is on AutoTrader, Car ID
AT-18F32966 if you know of anyone. Still another year of CPO or 120,000 miles. Very sound car, always got whatever it needed.

MASSC450

I still find threads like these useful...pointing out the short comings of a certain car compared to another similar vehicle in it's segment. I'd like to think people from Mercedes read these posts as well.

My sediments exactly when it comes to moving on to another manufacturer if another brand better suits my needs...something Mercedes needs to keep in mind if they want to keep their customers from leaving as well.

My next vehicle in this segment for instance WILL have:

1) Remote start

2) Heated steering wheel & rear seats (like BMW)

3) Some sort of "mbrace" free for 5 years (like the 2016's)

4) More power, less turbo lag, and a rear end that's more planted over rough road (like BMW)

5) A way to more "permanently" disable the Eco engine shutoff (like BMW). I really LOATH this type of fuel saving feature.

topsider

its amazing how the rear end skips over bumps while cornering

DutchTim1

Hey everybody! Have a look at my youtube channel. I made a video with my new Mercedes C Class 2 liter petrol. Its a driving video. Hope you guys like it! I went to the washingstreet. Please like and subscribe for more!

Cao Black

Pardon the interruption. I just happened to stumble across this thread and have been reading it with great interest. You (everyone) are entitled to your own likes and dislikes. I respect that, and you make some very good points, such as what good is that imposing command screen without navigation. It's not even touch screen.

However, I am surprised, even amused, by the amount of controversy that the column shifter has generated kind of across the board. I happen to be in the "it's great once you get used to it" camp. I find the added console real estate much more valuable than the missing knob to rest my hand on while driving. I especially love the was it puts itself into park when you turn the engine off and open the driver's door. I can see how "mistakes" could happen with that feature though.

Personally, I had much more trouble with the electric parking brake. I find myself flailing away with my left leg looking for that darn lever to push.

To each his own, but without change we would still be pressing a little "button" on the floorboard to raise and lower the high beams. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Mr. J

If you go with a C450 all of your deal breakers except the column shifter go away. It's available with summer performance tires or all season tires, it only comes with sport trim, powerful V6, better interior trim with AMG finishes.

All the cars in this class have seen quite a bit of price inflation over the last 3 years. Unless you stay with 4 cylinders and lower level trims, the A4 and the 3 series are going to be just as expensive.

OTOH, if your wife only drives 12days/year then the last thing she needs is a high performance vehicle.

topsider

regardless of the summer tires the c450 still has runflats though