flycaster

Got this 10 year old Z4 2.5l with 44K miles in near all-around perfect condition that I'm going to give up - even though I don't want to - because it is just getting harder to get in and out of. So, I've done my research on the subject above and went to a local MB dealer today.

The car is certainly a looker, in and out, drives nicely but there are a few things that although different from my BMWs (also had a new 2002 325i that was traded in for an ATS,) I could still live with. The overall ride was good and power was adequate. I found the steering to not be as tight as that on the ATS or the BMWs. The car was quiet and full of bells and whistles. I don't think I'd ever use the Eco setting as there is a definite "bump" on the restart. I did notice a difference (although slight, it was there) in the suspension when going from Comfort to Sport as the feel of the road increased. Never tried Sport+, but have the feeling that it would even improve the feel of the road. Also, and I found this interesting, when going from Comfort to Sport, and not changing the throttle position, there was a definite "jump, kick" in the car. Don't know if that is good or bad, but it was there. The MB-tex seats looked great, were very comfortable and quite adjustable - even had power adjustable thigh support. BTW, I'm choosing mb-tex over leather for a couple of reasons. MB-tex, wears better than coated-leather, is supposed to breathe as well as leather, it is really difficult to tell the difference between the two surfaces, and to my surprise, the seat pattern was very much nicer and impressive that what I had seen on the net...these seats looked great! And, of course, given this assessment, why spend $1600 more for just the smell?

I was thinking of leasing and asked what the residual was = 60%.

If I were to order the car, it would be available in June. As I'm still looking around, I never brought up what kind of deals were available. However, the rep, out of the blue, said he could take $2000 off the cost of the car as spec'ed ($50,160: Lunar Blue, Brown MB-tex, Premium 2 package, rear view camera, heated seats, N-grain brown ash wood.) This sounded like a reasonable deal given that I figure I could do better if we got down to haggling. Would love to hear how guys that have ordered similarly made out...

hans007

well can't see any modern car matching up with a 10 year old bmw steering wise.

i'm going to order a C43 most likely and i'm just hoping the steering is up to par with my F30.

i went to check out the C300 this weekend just to get general look of the car. and wow, the black plastic interior that is base is seriously terrible. its almost a must buy to get some sort of the ash wood

Mike5215

Saw the Coupe in the flesh last month. Corporate had brought two production demos to my local dealer. While I typically like coupes, especially when I like the sedan, I wasn't impressed with the C. It's something in the c-pillar and the way the lines resolve in the rear.

But yeah, the base interior without the contrast stitched MBtex on the dash and doors is nothing special, and the gloss black/brushed aluminum trim looks and feels cheap. But with the leather package and AMG sport interior it's a very nice place to be. I did the Crystal Grey/Black Ash. Love it.

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Mike5215

flycaster

Yeah, after 2006, or so, BMW's drive became "softer" in an effort to capture more market. The closest they've come to restoring the "feel" is with the 228 and 235...so I've read.

Also, I too, didn't like the black plastic look and will opt for saddle brown mb-tex with natural grain brown ash.

ezshift5

I appreciate your MB-Tex notes (versus leather).

My previous generation coupe has Ash MB-Tex. Stills smells like a new car.

Only drive it when I need a change of pace from my Teutonic diesel wagon........

Thanks again for your take on the new coupe ....................


ez

hans007

Yeah the black plastic, in a brand new C coupe I was sitting in at the dealer was already scratched up. It would bother me so much.

hans007

Went to a dealer and sat in white coupe optioned to look good. Im ordering a c43 but my god this car is beautiful. It's gonna be a hard 4-5 months waiting.

scrambler900

In photos it looks good, but in person something seems off. The rear looks massive behind the doors. I know all coupes have bigger 1/4 panels, etc... Maybe it will grow on me.

Mike5215

Yeah, it looks like the dogleg on the rear quarter panel is about twice as long as it should be, and the character lines starting at the front don't resolve as neatly as on the sedan.

Not just the C. The new S Coupe I think suffers the same issues. Still I wouldn't kick either coupe out of my garage.

gfmohn

I had MB-tex on my previous C280, so I have experience with both MB-tex and leather. Smell isn't the only difference with leather, at least if you get the Ventilated seats. Ventilated seats are available with leather only. A few steps from the car, I can use the SmartKey feature that lowers all four windows (and opens the sunroof, if you have one) to turn on the seat ventilation. In that brief time, the seats are no longer hot against my back when I enter the car and lean back. (My seats are Silk Beige, not black.) Even though the seats are only ventilated (not cooled), I will usually turn off the ventilation or turn it to low, except on the hottest days. On long trips, MB-tex got sweaty behind my back, even in merely warm (not hot) weather. Ventilated seats prevent this.

hans007

C coupe has ventilated mbtex on this version

gfmohn

What is your source? In the "Build" page for the 2017 C-Class Coupe, the mbusa.com site says in Interior, Options, under Heated and ventilated front seats, "This will require an additional change Additional Equipment Required. You may select one of the following: Black leather, Crystal Grey/Black leather, Saddle Brown/Black leather, Porcelain/Black leather, Cranberry Red/Black leather." If you are just looking at the perforations, that is not "ventilation," though some people call it that. "Ventilation" has a fan. The perforations in the MB-tex seats of my C280 did not prevent the build-up of perspiration behind me. (You may be well aware of this distinction, but others may not be.)


Tip: I just found out that the front seat heating and ventilation can be used at the same time. "On cold or damp days, using both the ventilation and heating together can circulate the seat heating more quickly, to help keep you warm and dry." My seat heating is still rather slow. As delivered, it was VERY slow. It was yet another thing I had to take back to the dealer to fix, and they had to take the seats apart to do it.

hans007

oh my bad. i swear i read that somewhere, but the configurator doesn't allow it. sucks. pleather gets warmer than leather as it is.