Count Laszlo

Dropped off my '16 GL550 for service and was given a black '16 C300 Sport loaner car - and let me tell you, I'm very impressed!

My wife has a '12 C350 Sport and although it's also an incredible car, well crafted and built like a little tank, the new C-class is such an impressive product.

I really cannot figure out how other compete against this thing. It's absolutely gorgeous from a design perspective and it drives beautifully. I put the car in comfort mode and wanted to keep driving... And driving. Although I'm not into 4-bangers, the engine is very quiet for a four-cylinder and has a lot of power - more than I expected. I cannot even imagine how sublime the V6 is.

Such an impressive product and wish I drove one sooner. It's leagues ahead of the 3-series (BMW is a joke btw) and just feels so damn premium. I know my wife is going to want one ASAP after driving this thing. I'll have this beauty for a few days - and will enjoy every moment of it.

Great job Mercedes. I get it.

Graycat305

Looks like the loaner did its marketing job well!

Mike5215

Same thing happened to me. My S was in for two weeks and I fell in love with the zippy little C. Had one built special with AirMatic and pretty much everything else. No more S. Got about 1k miles on her.

Count Laszlo

That's awesome, congrats on the new ride. If I didn't need the space I would trade in my GL550 for one of these. It's such a very special car and has so much emotion. The design alone emotionally moves you - and the driving dynamics finish the experience by delivering a rounded package. Couldn't be more impressed with the car. BTW, the loaner is pretty much loaded with only 900 miles on it. Almost feel like I bought it lol!

Mike5215

Thanks. So maybe that '12 C350 needs to go

Count Laszlo

She'll definitely want one. She's been eyeing the current E-class or next gen that's about to release - but this car has such life and a zippy fun factor ---and roomy enough too.

Mike5215

Yeah, great chassis, great steering and a lot of low end grunt for a T4. Nice to be able to switch modes when you're feeling frisky, and switch back to relaxed cruising. Very playful car that begs to be driven. I think the E will be a nice midsize sedan but doubt it'll have the C's sporty feel.

Shadwell

The warranty issues are also very emotional... 😉

Mike5215

Yeah, it does seem like Vance pumped out some turds. Although my 16 (March 21st build) hasn't had any hiccups so far. I like the car more each time I take it out. But that can definitely sour in a hurry if things start going bad.

Then again, having owned three CPO S Class, I'm not surprised or even phased when stuff fails. The last warranty repair on my 2010 S550 was $6,000.

ronmart

This same thing happened to me - the loaded black C300 Sport got me pumped up so I ended up buying a 2016 C450 AMG last Thursday to replace my 2014 E350 Sport.

Upon closer inspection, I miss my E350 terribly for its higher build quality BUT in the court of public opinion, I get a lot more love for this car than I did its predecessor.

Mike5215

Yeah I got suckered out of my 2010 S550 by a C300 loaner. I like my new C but I'm very glad I leased. Long term durability and build quality would be a concern otherwise. But I'd much rather drive a C than a 3 series or A4.

With Airmatic, 18" wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sports, in Comfort, the ride is very similar to my previous S.

I was bothered by the T4...not the performance of it, just the idea of it... but it's a great little engine and I find it very responsive and reasonably smooth in Comfort mode. Once in awhile if I'm feeling frisky I'll put it in Sport with everything else in Comfort. The driving experience and handling are what sucked me in.

ronmart

We are on the same page - I'm glad I leased too, but I like it more than the other choices. I had a 335i that I enjoyed but I think this car is better than the new 340i xDrive which I also considered.


Going from a S550 is a big jump! In my case since I have the same suspension as the AMG C63 & C63S and hard rubber sport runflats, so I find the ride even in Comfort mode to be too harsh - which is different from the C300 I enjoyed as a loaner.

While I think my 335i had a better overall suspension setup, this car is a lot of fun in Sport+ and the burble you get on downshifts from the sports exhaust is grin inducing. That said, the 14 - 18 mpg I get is closer to my 911, and not really what I needed for my daily commuter car so I should have stuck with the C300 instead of being lured into the AMG world (albeit the ******* stepchild AMG for 2016 - it becomes a proper AMG when it gets a new tranny and rename to C43 for 2017).

Like you, I was very disappointed with the audio system. I feel that my HK sound bars in my E350 were significantly better as this system just sounds too bright and harsh with a directional feel that is more like wearing cheap headphones. Since it is leased I won't bother with your upgrades, but if I had chance to get my E350 back I definitely would. Too bad the first 500 miles return offer they have for CPO doesn't apply here.

I'm also bummed with the tiny gas tank - back to weekly gas station visits again after enjoying 2.5 week visits with the E350.

At least I can cross AMG off the bucket list.

Mike5215

Yeah, my loaner was a base car and coming from the S I wanted as much C Class as possible, which led me at first to the C450. In fact, I had a deal done on a C450 at a dealership about 5 hours away, just had to drive my trade up and get it.

Got up there, car looked gorgeous. Took it out and had second thoughts. Ride on 19" was brutal compared to the base car (and the S). Engine note annoyed me. Too blatty and shrill (I had an aftermarket quad exhaust on the S that sounded amazing). On the highway, between the noise from the runflats and the constant drone of the exhaust, it clearly was the wrong car for me. Although I did love the acceleration. That's about it. The discontinued C400 probably would have been perfect.

The C450 was reasonably well equipped for $63k, so I did a build on a C300 and absolutely loaded it up, and I was still under at $59k. I did the stereo (despite it being a lease) since I had most of the equipment on hand from the S. My two priorities are a smooth, quiet ride and good audio..

So you're clearly having some buyers/sellers remorse trading out of the E for the 450. I'm pretty sure I've had that experience on every deal I've ever done to some extent. The cure is to do what ever is necessary to fall in love with the new car. Spending the money to fix the shortcomings...Michelin Pilot Supersports for the runflats, just a simple subwoofer in the trunk... might get you there. Definitely preferable to a) spending hundreds of dollars in payment a month on a car you're just tolerating or b) dumping out of the lease early.

On the audio front, if your music is local on an IOS device, get the EQu app by Elephant Candy ($2.99). Massive improvement when you can push down the mids and add in some bottom.

Or, lets swap cars every other month. I'll get the hot rodding out of my system and you can get a month of smooth quiet bliss and audio heaven.

NYbenzzz

i could understand that the C class compared to the S class will feel a lot more nimble and agile.

however, in my experience coming from a g35 that had a 280hp V6 (the vq35de is one of the smoothest engines i've ever experienced), the C300 i have now feels like a boat.
don't get me wrong, power delivery is smooth and adequate for city driving. but there's absolutely zero excitement when flooring it due to the embarrasing sound the 4 banger puts out. I think the 4 banger should stay with the cla and gla models. I don't think it's an adequate engine for either the C (which is not an entry model anymore) or E class. i'd much rather have a naturaly aspirated V6 that sounds like a V6.

Mike5215

Yeah the T4 makes what could have been a great sport sedan merely good. Give me the NA inline 6 from my 190e even. No thrills in the C300. The engine is at its best when you can barely hear it. Agree a NA V6 would be perfect.

topsider

the 2.0t in the CLA sounds way better than the one in our cars

ronmart

i agree which is why I went with the C450, but then you lose the comfort in the suspension and tires.

I think my 2014 E350 is going to go down as the best balance of fun and comfort of any car I've ever owned.