Not feeling love for new C300
09-03-2015, 09:00 PM
#1
Not feeling love for new C300
We have had two C Class Mercs (my wife's car) and have generally been pleased. Previous was 2009 C350. Her current 2013 is coming off lease and we looked to replace it with a new 300 thinking everything would be upgraded and excited about the great reviews for the new model. Her 2013 was Sport model with premium and multimedia, We only have 17000 miles on the car but with a 28300 buyout in Dec. does not make sense to purchase since trade value is probably closer to 24k. Taking a test drive yesterday in a 47k C300sedan we were hit by a few items (not trying to be controversial just express our sincere thoughts).The 47k list of this car was approx what our 2013 MSRP'd for.
First of all the column shifter was bizarre. I just don't get it. Column shifte reeks of 1985 Impalas not MB- what is the point? The car we drove had no multimedia so no rear camera! really? So if we want Nav we can buy a 600 chip but not have rear camera or voice nav interface. The 17" wheels looked kind of dicey and we much preferred the 18" AMG on sport package similar to what we had previously. Panorama sunroof---- we frankly prefer a conventional sunroof but it is panorama or nothing. Run flats.. not our preference after living with them on 330i Bimmer. And of course we are now looking a 4 banger turbo vs, smooth 6 cylinder power.
So at the end of the day the 'upgraded' C300 seemed more downgrade.
My wife was not impressed and we will probably look at A4 Audi or BMW.
Bottom line is we could spend 55,000 to get similar features on our previous car (less V6) but again were underwhelmed. We actually looked at the 2013 with a renewed appreciation of what it did offer. And.... I will speak for my wife... the MB color palette of Silver black, white/black grey black has become just too boring. Just our humble opinion but wanted to express it here as former owners.
First of all the column shifter was bizarre. I just don't get it. Column shifte reeks of 1985 Impalas not MB- what is the point? The car we drove had no multimedia so no rear camera! really? So if we want Nav we can buy a 600 chip but not have rear camera or voice nav interface. The 17" wheels looked kind of dicey and we much preferred the 18" AMG on sport package similar to what we had previously. Panorama sunroof---- we frankly prefer a conventional sunroof but it is panorama or nothing. Run flats.. not our preference after living with them on 330i Bimmer. And of course we are now looking a 4 banger turbo vs, smooth 6 cylinder power.
So at the end of the day the 'upgraded' C300 seemed more downgrade.
My wife was not impressed and we will probably look at A4 Audi or BMW.
Bottom line is we could spend 55,000 to get similar features on our previous car (less V6) but again were underwhelmed. We actually looked at the 2013 with a renewed appreciation of what it did offer. And.... I will speak for my wife... the MB color palette of Silver black, white/black grey black has become just too boring. Just our humble opinion but wanted to express it here as former owners.
The following 3 users liked this post by bradtj:
09-03-2015, 09:11 PM
#2
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Sorry you feel that way, but as someone who had a 2010 C300, the new C300 is a significant upgrade. First of all, you're comparing the base car. News flash, cars have gotten more expensive. Second of all, all the things you think are missing can certainly be had, from rear view camera to upgraded wheels. And the rear view camera is available as a standalone option for $460 btw. I have several friends who have newer E's, C's and S class cars. All have commented they initially thought the column shifter was odd, but actually appreciate it now that they realize they get more functionality and storage.
Again, sorry you're disappointed. No car is for everyone and clearly the C isn't for you.
Again, sorry you're disappointed. No car is for everyone and clearly the C isn't for you.
Last edited by rbrylaw; 09-03-2015 at 09:14 PM.
09-03-2015, 11:25 PM
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2015 C300
I think you should consider giving it another shot. I also came from a 47k msrp 2013 class and the new 2015 C class is an upgrade in "almost" all areas. What your getting for 47k msrp is all relative to the items being equipped, I think issue was the fact that they had a bunch of useless options you didnt care for and none that you wanted. You could definitely resolve that, for $47,215 (with destination charges included, you can get Sports, Multimedia, Premium package which sounds like what you would want.Sports would get you the sports styling (exterior, interior) along with the AMG wheels you wanted. The multimedia package would give you the rearview camera, navigation etc. Premium, will have the sound system and keyless go etc. (Assuming you are in the U.S. market).
09-03-2015, 11:34 PM
#4
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Your first mistake was to trade a v6 for a 4. As its obvious the car will feel underpowered which will spoil everything else. A 400/450 on eco mode is more "motivated" than a 300 on sport plus. The other mistake was skipping on the options. The new C class is significantly more expensive than before. The car you should have ordered was a 400/450 (since you had a 350), well equipped you would have ended up with a 60k car not a 47k one. The fact is the C is not cheap any way you slice it. If you skimp, you end up with a car that is poorly equipped given all the goodies that now come standard in ordinary cars.
09-04-2015, 07:24 AM
#5
Appreciate the comments. Understand that some features (rear camera) can be ordered as options. The problem is that when you want a few specific options and particular color choices, suddenly the car can be difficult if impossible to find. Of course if you get camera option without multimedia I understood you have smaller view in driver cluster not on large screen.
It was surprising that few C300' s at the large dealer I visited had multimedia.
Yes, basically if is a more expensive car and there is nothing wrong with that if it still represents a good value for a respective buyer. To digress, After four Cad CTS leases for my company car CTS jacked up their prices significantly and I wound up leaving the maqrque for a 52,500 Hyundai Genesis Ultimate which has been a wonderful vehicle. By every measure the CTS was a significantly improved car but it no longer served my needs as well (actually many same concerns with C300 -run flats, turbo 4 vs 6) etc. and did not offer good value.
At the end of the day too many ??? marks so will look strongly at A4. Just wanted to share our opinions after two C300's and understand it is probably a minority opinion and am not knocking the vehicle just how it is perceived by us.
It was surprising that few C300' s at the large dealer I visited had multimedia.
Yes, basically if is a more expensive car and there is nothing wrong with that if it still represents a good value for a respective buyer. To digress, After four Cad CTS leases for my company car CTS jacked up their prices significantly and I wound up leaving the maqrque for a 52,500 Hyundai Genesis Ultimate which has been a wonderful vehicle. By every measure the CTS was a significantly improved car but it no longer served my needs as well (actually many same concerns with C300 -run flats, turbo 4 vs 6) etc. and did not offer good value.
At the end of the day too many ??? marks so will look strongly at A4. Just wanted to share our opinions after two C300's and understand it is probably a minority opinion and am not knocking the vehicle just how it is perceived by us.
09-04-2015, 07:57 AM
#6
MBWorld Fanatic!
Like others have stated, the price of the C-Class went up for the 2015 model since the car as a whole has "upscaled"...its no longer the entry model Mercedes, the CLA now is. The interior of the 2015 for instance is definitely a step up compared to the interior of the 2013.
Why not? What's the point of having a conventional console shifter if your car has paddle shifters on the steering wheel? I personally like the more open space on the 2015 console...less cluttered.
So you didn't like the "Base" model of the C300, neither did I, so I opted for extra packages. As for the pano sunroof, don't knock it until you try it. I like it far better than my wife's conventional sunroof on her 2014 BMW 328i.
Get used to run flats coming standard on higher end cars these days, it's the wave of the future.
Audi A4, BMW 328...they have turbocharged 4 cylinder engines as well, and the Mercedes 2.0L 4 cylinder is VERY smooth. Your 2013 C350 3.5L V6 makes 302 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque...the 2015 C300 2.0L 4 cylinder makes 241 hp and the same torque at 273 lb-ft...AND the new 2015 C300 is bigger all around, weighs 200 lbs less, AND gets better gas mileage. Even with less HP than the 3.5L 350, the new 2015 C300 2.0L is no slouch, and will still do 0 to 60 in about 6 seconds.
I totally disagree with you here...so would a friend of mine for instance who owns a 2013 C300 Sport 4Matic who has driven my newer 2015 C300 Sport 4Matic. My wife too who owns a loaded 2014 BMW 328i xDrive likes my car better as well.
First of all the column shifter was bizarre. I just don't get it. Column shifter reeks of 1985 Impalas not MB- what is the point?
The car we drove had no multimedia so no rear camera! really? So if we want Nav we can buy a 600 chip but not have rear camera or voice nav interface. The 17" wheels looked kind of dicey and we much preferred the 18" AMG on sport package similar to what we had previously. Panorama sunroof---- we frankly prefer a conventional sunroof but it is panorama or nothing.
Run flats.. not our preference after living with them on 330i Bimmer.
And of course we are now looking a 4 banger turbo vs, smooth 6 cylinder power.
So at the end of the day the 'upgraded' C300 seemed more downgrade.
Last edited by MASSC450; 09-04-2015 at 09:23 AM.
09-04-2015, 08:58 AM
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2015 C300 4Matic
Appreciate the comments. Understand that some features (rear camera) can be ordered as options. The problem is that when you want a few specific options and particular color choices, suddenly the car can be difficult if impossible to find. Of course if you get camera option without multimedia I understood you have smaller view in driver cluster not on large screen.
It was surprising that few C300' s at the large dealer I visited had multimedia.
Yes, basically if is a more expensive car and there is nothing wrong with that if it still represents a good value for a respective buyer. To digress, After four Cad CTS leases for my company car CTS jacked up their prices significantly and I wound up leaving the maqrque for a 52,500 Hyundai Genesis Ultimate which has been a wonderful vehicle. By every measure the CTS was a significantly improved car but it no longer served my needs as well (actually many same concerns with C300 -run flats, turbo 4 vs 6) etc. and did not offer good value.
At the end of the day too many ??? marks so will look strongly at A4. Just wanted to share our opinions after two C300's and understand it is probably a minority opinion and am not knocking the vehicle just how it is perceived by us.
It was surprising that few C300' s at the large dealer I visited had multimedia.
Yes, basically if is a more expensive car and there is nothing wrong with that if it still represents a good value for a respective buyer. To digress, After four Cad CTS leases for my company car CTS jacked up their prices significantly and I wound up leaving the maqrque for a 52,500 Hyundai Genesis Ultimate which has been a wonderful vehicle. By every measure the CTS was a significantly improved car but it no longer served my needs as well (actually many same concerns with C300 -run flats, turbo 4 vs 6) etc. and did not offer good value.
At the end of the day too many ??? marks so will look strongly at A4. Just wanted to share our opinions after two C300's and understand it is probably a minority opinion and am not knocking the vehicle just how it is perceived by us.
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09-04-2015, 09:47 AM
#8
MBWorld Fanatic!
Appreciate the comments. Understand that some features (rear camera) can be ordered as options. The problem is that when you want a few specific options and particular color choices, suddenly the car can be difficult if impossible to find. Of course if you get camera option without multimedia I understood you have smaller view in driver cluster not on large screen.
It was surprising that few C300' s at the large dealer I visited had multimedia.
Yes, basically if is a more expensive car and there is nothing wrong with that if it still represents a good value for a respective buyer. To digress, After four Cad CTS leases for my company car CTS jacked up their prices significantly and I wound up leaving the maqrque for a 52,500 Hyundai Genesis Ultimate which has been a wonderful vehicle. By every measure the CTS was a significantly improved car but it no longer served my needs as well (actually many same concerns with C300 -run flats, turbo 4 vs 6) etc. and did not offer good value.
At the end of the day too many ??? marks so will look strongly at A4. Just wanted to share our opinions after two C300's and understand it is probably a minority opinion and am not knocking the vehicle just how it is perceived by us.
It was surprising that few C300' s at the large dealer I visited had multimedia.
Yes, basically if is a more expensive car and there is nothing wrong with that if it still represents a good value for a respective buyer. To digress, After four Cad CTS leases for my company car CTS jacked up their prices significantly and I wound up leaving the maqrque for a 52,500 Hyundai Genesis Ultimate which has been a wonderful vehicle. By every measure the CTS was a significantly improved car but it no longer served my needs as well (actually many same concerns with C300 -run flats, turbo 4 vs 6) etc. and did not offer good value.
At the end of the day too many ??? marks so will look strongly at A4. Just wanted to share our opinions after two C300's and understand it is probably a minority opinion and am not knocking the vehicle just how it is perceived by us.
09-04-2015, 12:47 PM
#10
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09-04-2015, 12:50 PM
#11
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I'm not sure I agree with you. For me, for the price I pay I think my C300 is a great deal. I would have to have spent a lot more to get something I'd like better, and I like it far better than similarly priced options. Cars are depreciating assets so they're basically an expense, but dollar for dollar the C300 with current MB leasing options provides a fantastic value
09-04-2015, 02:22 PM
#12
MBWorld Fanatic!
"I just want to see how your car handles...Honey"...something is up...she hardly EVER calls me honey!
Is this how it starts?
Last edited by MASSC450; 09-04-2015 at 02:24 PM.
09-04-2015, 03:05 PM
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2015 C300 4Matic Luxury
I'm beginning to think you guys may be on to something here...my wife recently has asked to take my C300 to work a couple times instead of her BMW.
"I just want to see how your car handles...Honey"...something is up...she hardly EVER calls me honey!
Is this how it starts?
"I just want to see how your car handles...Honey"...something is up...she hardly EVER calls me honey!
Is this how it starts?
Dr Phil says offer to swap to have a 2x boost in Marital bliss.
09-04-2015, 03:06 PM
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2018 E300 Lux, 2006 Corvette Z51, 2015 Mercedes ML350 (wife's)
Good dialog here. Certainly appreciate the OP's opinion, however agree with most that it's undeniable that the '15 is upgraded in almost every way. I had a '10 C300, '13 C250 Coupe and now the '15 and it is so far superior and more enjoyable than my last two (that I liked a lot as well) that's it's almost like going from a C to and E Class.
09-04-2015, 04:17 PM
#15
MBWorld Fanatic!
Good dialog here. Certainly appreciate the OP's opinion, however agree with most that it's undeniable that the '15 is upgraded in almost every way. I had a '10 C300, '13 C250 Coupe and now the '15 and it is so far superior and more enjoyable than my last two (that I liked a lot as well) that's it's almost like going from a C to and E Class.
Why don't we have a like button? Huh? How Come!
09-04-2015, 09:19 PM
#16
Super Member
Don't ever settle for what is on the dealer's lot. I always order mine to get exactly what I want. There is not another car in the country exactly like mine. It's worth waiting for - IMO
09-05-2015, 08:45 AM
#17
Thanks again for the comments and I trust this does make an entertaining thread.
A few thoughts from the posts:
Lease value and residual-yes lease residual is crazy 62% I believe on 36 mos 10,000 MI.. and money factor is decent also. Unfortunately the strong resale doesn't let me buy my current car as it is thousands over market even with very restricted miles. That was part of our let down- the C300 lease was an easy decision if we liked the car enough
We are only expressing our opinions and respect others. We obviously like the C or would not have owned two. Being told we have to accept the wheel drive selector, styling, or run flats is kind of like telling us what the best color combination is. Haven't spoken of styling but really like the 'old' front end with the LED fog/driving at bottom of front. The rear is IMHO is nicer and is less 'stubby' than the W204. A love affair with the styling would have overcome some obstacles. I have had panorama roof vehicles and prefer an 'old' style' sunroof...not a big deal but it now adds 1400 to the car if we need a sunroof. We wanted to love the new C because it makes our next car choice an easy one.
Dealer lot selection is an issue with many marques but MB seems very limited with selections. We wanted to look at sport option but they almost universally are black interiors with the MB tex. My wife wants a beige and this is only available with leather. So again add 2300 for leather and 1400 for pano and the car is 3700 more just because of option availability.
If we do reconsider we would have to have Sport package, Premium, leather,
multi media, blind side, and panorama roof so I believe we are at around 54k. Again regarding dealer selection (I live in Chicago area so am looking at 5 or so large dealer inventories) color choices are limited. Almost all white
cars with Sport package come with black MB tex. There are a million black/ black, grey black, silver black (not suggesting there is anything wrong with these colors and there no doubt is a reason dealers order them this way). My wife wanted to see the Diamond Silver standard color and there is one in Chicago (not optioned the way we want). The metallic white is a special 1400 option but none anywhere to be found.
Understand that we could order but this does not work for leasing as you are at the whims of the current 'unknown' lease deal when you take possession.
Anyway we remain in limbo with a few months left on our lease.
A4 looks like strong contender and will look at BMW. Wife liked her 330i best of all her cars. We stopped at Lexus dealer and just can't warm up to these cars. Maybe a venture to the land of Infinity.
Another sidebar, I always thought the CLA 250 had great styling and at some level (haven't really investigated) the car might fit my wife who does very limited around town driving) but every dealer goes out of their way to 'bash' the car which kind of surprises me. So I am left with the 'it is faux Mercedes'
mantra which has kept me from even considering.
Happy Holiday everyone.
A few thoughts from the posts:
Lease value and residual-yes lease residual is crazy 62% I believe on 36 mos 10,000 MI.. and money factor is decent also. Unfortunately the strong resale doesn't let me buy my current car as it is thousands over market even with very restricted miles. That was part of our let down- the C300 lease was an easy decision if we liked the car enough
We are only expressing our opinions and respect others. We obviously like the C or would not have owned two. Being told we have to accept the wheel drive selector, styling, or run flats is kind of like telling us what the best color combination is. Haven't spoken of styling but really like the 'old' front end with the LED fog/driving at bottom of front. The rear is IMHO is nicer and is less 'stubby' than the W204. A love affair with the styling would have overcome some obstacles. I have had panorama roof vehicles and prefer an 'old' style' sunroof...not a big deal but it now adds 1400 to the car if we need a sunroof. We wanted to love the new C because it makes our next car choice an easy one.
Dealer lot selection is an issue with many marques but MB seems very limited with selections. We wanted to look at sport option but they almost universally are black interiors with the MB tex. My wife wants a beige and this is only available with leather. So again add 2300 for leather and 1400 for pano and the car is 3700 more just because of option availability.
If we do reconsider we would have to have Sport package, Premium, leather,
multi media, blind side, and panorama roof so I believe we are at around 54k. Again regarding dealer selection (I live in Chicago area so am looking at 5 or so large dealer inventories) color choices are limited. Almost all white
cars with Sport package come with black MB tex. There are a million black/ black, grey black, silver black (not suggesting there is anything wrong with these colors and there no doubt is a reason dealers order them this way). My wife wanted to see the Diamond Silver standard color and there is one in Chicago (not optioned the way we want). The metallic white is a special 1400 option but none anywhere to be found.
Understand that we could order but this does not work for leasing as you are at the whims of the current 'unknown' lease deal when you take possession.
Anyway we remain in limbo with a few months left on our lease.
A4 looks like strong contender and will look at BMW. Wife liked her 330i best of all her cars. We stopped at Lexus dealer and just can't warm up to these cars. Maybe a venture to the land of Infinity.
Another sidebar, I always thought the CLA 250 had great styling and at some level (haven't really investigated) the car might fit my wife who does very limited around town driving) but every dealer goes out of their way to 'bash' the car which kind of surprises me. So I am left with the 'it is faux Mercedes'
mantra which has kept me from even considering.
Happy Holiday everyone.
09-05-2015, 12:14 PM
#18
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Faux Mercedes? We're getting a 2016 C being built this month and a 2016 GLA also being built this month. Personally, I'm impressed with both and look forward to the versatility the GLA offers. Fully optioned (which puts a GLA in the mid-$40K range) it's certainly not a Faux Mercedes. No, it's not.
09-05-2015, 12:23 PM
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Faux Mercedes? We're getting a 2016 C being built this month and a 2016 GLA also being built this month. Personally, I'm impressed with both and look forward to the versatility the GLA offers. Fully optioned (which puts a GLA in the mid-$40K range) it's certainly not a Faux Mercedes. No, it's not.
09-05-2015, 12:25 PM
#20
MBWorld Fanatic!
09-05-2015, 01:12 PM
#21
Don't mean to diss anyone's ride. Yes I stated CLA 250. I think it is beautifully styled but two MB dealerships I visited seemed to go out of their way to discredit. I have done zero research other than to like the design.
Spoke further to my wife this AM regarding C Class and concluded (sadly) these are deal breakers for C class:
- steering wheel shift (bring on my old man's Galaxie 500 XL) will you get used to it.???? probably but why should you have to get 'used' to shifting a car from P to D to R.
- run flats
- touch pad "thing" over Command dial... how about a touch pad phone dial over mechanical rotary dial-just looks goofy. We both though it was removable when we first saw it
- how car is equipped... I could live without NAV although why have a big 'tablet' tacked onto the dash if if is just reading out radio stations, etc. no back up camera..etc. MB Tex interior (non black) color options with Sport would be desirable
panorama roof would prefer a standard roof option -I have had panorama on two previous vehicles. Not in love with it and don't want to pay for it
This is our humble opinion only. If these a few of these things were changed we would be in line to happily lease our 3rd C 300 (with Sport, Premium, Multimedia). Of course no vehicle meets everyone's desires, needs but the new C class missed on enough to lose us as customers.
MB's are certainly well engineered and manufactured vehicles and I can see where many see the W205 as a great step ahead. Peace and Love.
Spoke further to my wife this AM regarding C Class and concluded (sadly) these are deal breakers for C class:
- steering wheel shift (bring on my old man's Galaxie 500 XL) will you get used to it.???? probably but why should you have to get 'used' to shifting a car from P to D to R.
- run flats
- touch pad "thing" over Command dial... how about a touch pad phone dial over mechanical rotary dial-just looks goofy. We both though it was removable when we first saw it
- how car is equipped... I could live without NAV although why have a big 'tablet' tacked onto the dash if if is just reading out radio stations, etc. no back up camera..etc. MB Tex interior (non black) color options with Sport would be desirable
panorama roof would prefer a standard roof option -I have had panorama on two previous vehicles. Not in love with it and don't want to pay for it
This is our humble opinion only. If these a few of these things were changed we would be in line to happily lease our 3rd C 300 (with Sport, Premium, Multimedia). Of course no vehicle meets everyone's desires, needs but the new C class missed on enough to lose us as customers.
MB's are certainly well engineered and manufactured vehicles and I can see where many see the W205 as a great step ahead. Peace and Love.
09-05-2015, 02:17 PM
#22
MBWorld Fanatic!
Don't mean to diss anyone's ride. Yes I stated CLA 250. I think it is beautifully styled but two MB dealerships I visited seemed to go out of their way to discredit. I have done zero research other than to like the design.
Spoke further to my wife this AM regarding C Class and concluded (sadly) these are deal breakers for C class:
- steering wheel shift (bring on my old man's Galaxie 500 XL) will you get used to it.???? probably but why should you have to get 'used' to shifting a car from P to D to R.
The shifter on the column makes perfect sense once you've used it a few times. It opens up the entire console for storage and is very simple to use.
- run flats
Many manufacturers have gone, or will be going, to run flats. They save space and weight by eliminating the need for the spare and jack. I'm not in love with them, but it is a very common trend. In any case, tires can always be swapped out.
- touch pad "thing" over Command dial... how about a touch pad phone dial over mechanical rotary dial-just looks goofy. We both though it was removable when we first saw it
It is functional, although I use the rotary dial more than the pad. It's nice to have two options. The point is to offer the convenience of a touchscreen without the distraction.
- how car is equipped... I could live without NAV although why have a big 'tablet' tacked onto the dash if if is just reading out radio stations, etc. no back up camera..etc. MB Tex interior (non black) color options with Sport would be desirable
The fixed screen is a plus. It is very functional, has a very wide viewing angle, seems to be resistant to glare, and is fairly high resolution. It is fixed for both mechanical simplicity and for space saving in the dash. Again, it's a feature that you can only appreciate after you've used it.
panorama roof would prefer a standard roof option -I have had panorama on two previous vehicles. Not in love with it and don't want to pay for it
That's why many of us have custom ordered our cars. If your dealer doesn't have an in-stock one that suits you, he can look in the computer system and find one for you ... if you don't want to wait for a custom order.
This is our humble opinion only. If these a few of these things were changed we would be in line to happily lease our 3rd C 300 (with Sport, Premium, Multimedia). Of course no vehicle meets everyone's desires, needs but the new C class missed on enough to lose us as customers.
MB's are certainly well engineered and manufactured vehicles and I can see where many see the W205 as a great step ahead. Peace and Love.
Spoke further to my wife this AM regarding C Class and concluded (sadly) these are deal breakers for C class:
- steering wheel shift (bring on my old man's Galaxie 500 XL) will you get used to it.???? probably but why should you have to get 'used' to shifting a car from P to D to R.
The shifter on the column makes perfect sense once you've used it a few times. It opens up the entire console for storage and is very simple to use.
- run flats
Many manufacturers have gone, or will be going, to run flats. They save space and weight by eliminating the need for the spare and jack. I'm not in love with them, but it is a very common trend. In any case, tires can always be swapped out.
- touch pad "thing" over Command dial... how about a touch pad phone dial over mechanical rotary dial-just looks goofy. We both though it was removable when we first saw it
It is functional, although I use the rotary dial more than the pad. It's nice to have two options. The point is to offer the convenience of a touchscreen without the distraction.
- how car is equipped... I could live without NAV although why have a big 'tablet' tacked onto the dash if if is just reading out radio stations, etc. no back up camera..etc. MB Tex interior (non black) color options with Sport would be desirable
The fixed screen is a plus. It is very functional, has a very wide viewing angle, seems to be resistant to glare, and is fairly high resolution. It is fixed for both mechanical simplicity and for space saving in the dash. Again, it's a feature that you can only appreciate after you've used it.
panorama roof would prefer a standard roof option -I have had panorama on two previous vehicles. Not in love with it and don't want to pay for it
That's why many of us have custom ordered our cars. If your dealer doesn't have an in-stock one that suits you, he can look in the computer system and find one for you ... if you don't want to wait for a custom order.
This is our humble opinion only. If these a few of these things were changed we would be in line to happily lease our 3rd C 300 (with Sport, Premium, Multimedia). Of course no vehicle meets everyone's desires, needs but the new C class missed on enough to lose us as customers.
MB's are certainly well engineered and manufactured vehicles and I can see where many see the W205 as a great step ahead. Peace and Love.
There are plenty of good cars out there, so not going with the C-Class is not necessarily a mistake ... but it is a very good car and seems to do most things exceptionally well.
09-05-2015, 05:19 PM
#23
Stan,
Totally agree. The world is full of good cars- MB made in South Africa and Alabama, BMW in US, Volvo in China, even lowly Hyundai and Kia have stepped up the game remarkably. Probably a symptom of my 'old age' but don't feel that I should have to adapt to a manufacturer's design whim (Caddy lost me as 15 year loyal customer with their changes on CTS , CUE, etc).
I certainly could be mistaken but I would be shocked if MB did any outreach to their customers on some of these 'features' .
I am not against modernization and change but also want to keep my sanity with keeping basic functions simple and selecting gears on a car for a long time driver should not require a learning curve. Saving 10 sq. " in a console just isn't that compelling to me.
Totally agree. The world is full of good cars- MB made in South Africa and Alabama, BMW in US, Volvo in China, even lowly Hyundai and Kia have stepped up the game remarkably. Probably a symptom of my 'old age' but don't feel that I should have to adapt to a manufacturer's design whim (Caddy lost me as 15 year loyal customer with their changes on CTS , CUE, etc).
I certainly could be mistaken but I would be shocked if MB did any outreach to their customers on some of these 'features' .
I am not against modernization and change but also want to keep my sanity with keeping basic functions simple and selecting gears on a car for a long time driver should not require a learning curve. Saving 10 sq. " in a console just isn't that compelling to me.
09-05-2015, 06:01 PM
#24
Super Member
Stan,
Totally agree. The world is full of good cars- MB made in South Africa and Alabama, BMW in US, Volvo in China, even lowly Hyundai and Kia have stepped up the game remarkably. Probably a symptom of my 'old age' but don't feel that I should have to adapt to a manufacturer's design whim (Caddy lost me as 15 year loyal customer with their changes on CTS , CUE, etc).
I certainly could be mistaken but I would be shocked if MB did any outreach to their customers on some of these 'features' .
I am not against modernization and change but also want to keep my sanity with keeping basic functions simple and selecting gears on a car for a long time driver should not require a learning curve. Saving 10 sq. " in a console just isn't that compelling to me.
Totally agree. The world is full of good cars- MB made in South Africa and Alabama, BMW in US, Volvo in China, even lowly Hyundai and Kia have stepped up the game remarkably. Probably a symptom of my 'old age' but don't feel that I should have to adapt to a manufacturer's design whim (Caddy lost me as 15 year loyal customer with their changes on CTS , CUE, etc).
I certainly could be mistaken but I would be shocked if MB did any outreach to their customers on some of these 'features' .
I am not against modernization and change but also want to keep my sanity with keeping basic functions simple and selecting gears on a car for a long time driver should not require a learning curve. Saving 10 sq. " in a console just isn't that compelling to me.
09-06-2015, 09:39 AM
#25
I have probably been driving longer than you have, and I felt the same way. I really hated column shifters - like your father had. I got the C300 in spite of it. But now, after having used it, I wouldn't have it any other way. It just works so well, and is so much faster and convenient. You don't even have to take your right hand off the steering wheel to use it. So you might grow to like it - I did.
If it 'ain't broke don't fix it is' is the saying that comes to my mind. Anyway sincere kudos to MB on this car. That is one reason I am perhaps so strident in this post... if it wasn't for the stated issues (and I understand where some can see them as minor) we would be happy to hang with MB.
