Mike5215

Yeah that totally describes my experience. My 2010 S550 had to go in for a blown strut and they put me in a very basic C loaner. My first thought was "ugh...how long am I going to be stuck in this little turd?", (S Class owners are smug a-holes about their cars, me included.)

Then the strut for the S was on a two week back order, and I was driving the C every day. Little by little I started to enjoy it. First I noticed that I found the seats very comfortable. Then I started to enjoy how light and quick it was, how tight the steering was, how modern the cabin and tech was. I knew I was in trouble when they called to tell me the S was ready and I had to take the C out on one last joy ride first.

The C450 (and I drove a bunch) is a monster and I had a ****-eating grin on my face the whole time I was behind the wheel. Downside for me was that coming from the S it felt a little too rough around the edges for DD duty. Coming from an E400, I'd hunt down the discontinued C400, which has the detuned version of that TTV6 without all the sound and fury. There are still some new 2015's out there and prices are very good.(Unless sound and fury are your thing.)

topsider

looks great, love the seats! interested to know how the knew tweeters will compliment the burmester

Mike5215

It'll be new 4" mids plus new tweets. I don't expect the Focal mids to be much better than the Burmester 4", but I have a feeling the Focal KRS 100 tweets will make a difference.

The big difference will be active 3 way crossovers in the front doors, where each individual tweet, mid and sub will have its own dedicated channel from the amp and allow me to apply EQ, band pass filters, time correction and level control to each individual tweet, mid and sub. It really opens up tuning flexibility.

The stock Burmester is 80% where I'd like it as is. I wouldn't spend $1000 for the Prima, $750 for the KRS 100's, $300 for the JL amp and another $300 for the sub plus install labor if I didn't already have the gear on hand.

cyberorth

Congrats man. Certainly enjoyed following along with your quest and glad to see its happy ending or shall I say beginning.
Didn't realize this was the sequel thread and just now found out it was about the arrival of your new car. Enjoy.

1bad540

Hey Mike good luck on the new c class.

dieseldoc

Congrats!! Enjoy!

aambulo

I was going to go with the piano black, but i thought about fingerprint smudges and scratches from regular wear and tear and I think I'm going to go with the black ash wood too....its gorgeous. I was also debating on the crystal leather. I wont be order for maybe another month or so...let us know how it holds up with everyday use...I was most concerned about dyes from clothing leeching into the leather!

the car looks great btw! congrats!

Mike5215

I use a sheepskin center insert that covers most of the contact areas on the driver's seat, but the passenger seat is naked. I'm keeping an eye on it. It's usually the upper outboard side bolsters that go first, from the friction of people getting in and out.

I had piano black in a loaner and it of course got all smudged up and to me looked cheap. For $3xx the ash or Lindenwood are no brainers.

aambulo

I was thinking about seat covers too, but then I reasoned myself out of it since I'll be leasing and I don't need to worry too much about the overall longevity of the leather. That being said, I do care about the maintenance since I don't want to be tip-toeing around the cabin just to make sure the leather remains pristine...that crystal leather looks absolutely amazing. I might have to reconsider lol

Agreed on the wood. The Black Ash wood adds a ton of character to the interior without bleeding you dry in terms of cost. Also I don't know if anyone else noticed but the upgraded trim also adds the analog clock in the console which I think is a very classy touch.

Mike5215

Yeah, I'm leasing too. I prefer the inserts just from a comfort standpoint, and they look decent enough. They're just a strip down the center of the seat, a hundred for the set. I get mine at www.comfysheep.com

Had them on the S and got used to them. Now a seat feels naked without one. They do let the seat heater thru but not so much the cooling. Then again they feel cool anyway.

aambulo

Do you have any pics of them installed in the S? They look great. I might just get the black mb-tex and have the black insert...I think it'd make a great contrast