itstheo54

Rear Wheel Drive is one more reason...haha

Mike5215

I'm not a fan of the W212 E. Not a terrible car I guess just nothing that says Benz in terms of the way it looks or drives. It's just another mid sized sedan.

I'd MUCH rather find a CPO W221 S. Drive one and it'll take you about 30 seconds to see what Mercedes can do when they have a bigger budget.

Or if the CPO S are still too pricey, a low mileage 2010+ and a decent 3rd party warranty from the dealer or better yet your credit union. Mileage is the key. Most warranty companies won't touch them north of 50k.

Jay_Chicago

I was also afraid that the ties with VW would damage the brand but it doesn't seem like it lately. I tested the A4 (B9) before buying the C300. The A4 has some outstanding features but the C300 won me on the exterior/interior design and riding performance.

LINKBXQ

I did take a look at Audi and my experience was like many other with Audi. Walked in with my short and t-shirt, front desk was nice, older saleman was accommodating but was busy. I had a young guy look at me and ask what car I was driving, told him I took the bus to the dealership. He just grabbed key and press the alarm and told me to take a look at the car myself. Walk out and went to Mercedes and pay cash for my current car.

nadeau

yep, i went from a 2014 S4 to the C450, and haven't regretted it at all i saw the new A4 the other day and i actually really like it, inside and out, but its still not as good looking as the new C class

Sebby

I cross shopped an S4 vs a C450..and went with a C450 hands down for me the way better of the two. the A4 body style is super plain in and the interior is also super plain. Quality is great but the styling is bland and boring compared to the new interior of the C class.

Plus the new C450 drives and handles waaaaaay better. Feels like a rear wheel drive but the traction of an all wheel drive. It has a 67(rear)33Front drive split and really pays off when cornering.

I also test drove a stock C300.. still drove and handles better then the stock A4.

Sheepy

Link???

I've crossed shopped the new A4 and plan on checking out the S3 soon. Not hyped just yet but I did like the Q3.

My local BMW dealer are incredibly excited and happy to interact with customers. Only been to one of the two MB dealerships in town so far. They're nice but a bit cooler when just window shopping.

MBNUT1

Disagree with the comment about the W212 not feeling like a Benz in the way it drives. That is the sole reason I bought mine and did not buy the W205. The W212 feels much more closely related to my W201 2.6 than the W205. If anything the W205 felt like a more generic car. Excellent ride quality and much better fuel mileage and I would have much preferred a more compact car as well but wanted the Mercedes "Kaiser of the Strasse" feel when I go down the highway one more time in my life.

As far as the topic at hand I would pick the new B9 A4 over the new C simply because it is more fun to drive in part because the engine feels stronger. The Mercedes also feels softer to me but the B9 A4 rode well and was quiet but I also found the C was quiet also.

In summary I think the Mercedes has the edge in luxury and the Audi in sport. Consumers rates the A4 very highly in reliability.

Mike5215

I guess those were just my impressions coming from the S. I'd get those Es as loaners and just never liked them. The 205 was the first loaner I'd had that I was a little bummed about having to give it back.

GrussGott

Granted VAG gets a few points deducted for organization stupidity and getting caught, but come on - "responsible multi-national corporation" is bit of an oxymoron don't you think?

EDIT: Fun update!

mcbc220

Thank you for the perspective. I had heard others say that the W212 does feel more like a classic Mercedes, especially in the luxury/comfort suspension trim. Maybe the sport vs luxury trim affects one's perception of the car, or maybe it's all about one's reference points.

I would go with the W212 except that I also would prefer something one class down because I need to be able to park and maneuver it in downtown, city driving all week easily, and I'm usually only driving myself, or one passenger. And, regardless of the fact that a CPO E is cheaper than a new C, I don't want to appear ostentatious in front of clients (because I'm about 10 years younger than the "typical" E buyer). There's the slight difference between having a premium car for the 20s-30s crowd and the luxury car your boss drives.

As for reliability, I really don't know what to believe. CR says good things, but forums still seem to have plenty of people with some pretty bad reliability problems with pretty new Audis. CR's reports have tracked my and my family's ownership experiences pretty well in the past, so I'm inclined to believe them, but it's still a confusing issue to me.

SoDakBenz

U have to take issues owners talk about in forums with a grain of salt. If u find a forum for each car u will see just as many issues. No car is perfect and in this day of age every single car will have some sort of recall wether it is something they find right away or years later down the road.

Xtrema

Look for MotomouthCanada channel on youtube.

He just posted S5 review, didn't go into detail of why it's better than C43 but saying back to back S5 is better.

It could be the lighter chassis or improved sport diff.

MBNUT1

Certainly a E class is a significant step down from an S. Secondly mine is a 2010 Luxury which I found is unique in terms of conveying the Mercedes feel even relative to later E's particularly the sport model.

And honestly I think the W205 is a better car and would have been a better car for me than the E because of size, fuel mileage and styling, but every car I test drove (and there were many (my apologies to all the car salesman)) the drive qualities of my E was the standard that I was seeking and that was based on my experience with my 2.6 W201 which I loved.

I'm sure I would have liked an S even better (love the seats and styling and the grill is attached to the hood like it should be on any Mercedes sedan) but the size was beyond consideration.

Sheepy

Wife would shut down a 2 door coupe in a heart beat, sadly.

hans007

i do have to say i personally like the audi interior design slightly more (just on personal preference, i guess i like the german squareness of it), though i think mercedes uses better materials from having sat in the b9 a4.

but it was never enough to sway me.

Mike5215

We had a 2012 A5 and despite my myriad complaints about it I have to admit the body was beautiful. Just saw the new A5 and um...no. They over worked it and now it looks goofy.

mcbc220

What I'm taking away from this thread (although time permitting, I may still test drive one just to cross it off the list) is that Mercedes is still a cut above Audi. Audi may have good designs and a nice package, but there's still more "there" there in Mercedes. Which makes sense, as there isn't exactly the same corporate heritage in the engineering and design at Audi, with all due respect to the company. Historically, Audis looked great in a modernist, Bauhaus way, drove above average, and didn't last very long. It would be surprising if they became great-driving, supremely durable cars beginning, out of nowhere, in 2012.

Mplayers2006

I believe you will get more bang for your buck in a mercedes, definitely during the summer event. You get unlimited miles, You over there get unlimited miles, every body gets unlimited miles!!!

Beside the best deal on a warranty, Mercede's Interior matches the beauty of its exterior. You can really make your cabin glow with ambient lighting perfectly placed around the front and rear cabin. You can have that stylus interior color combos that just yells exclusive with a touch of expensive.

The audi exterior Looks good, If you're not comparing it to a mercedes. Same with the interior, The seats look bulkier than the benz, the Attention to detail in audi's cabin is not as detailed or elegant as the Mercedes. When you look at the two vehicles in comparison, You start to generalize the Audis are for the older gentlemen, And the Mercedes are for the millennials. Only cool thing Audi has right now is their new virtual cockpit.

alexasa

iTrader: (1)

You're going to get extremely biased answers asking whether MB or Audi is better on a MB forum. Go ask in an Audi forum...

I think the A4>c300

But the C43>S4

and C63>RS4 (old model still, new one will probably understeer too much to remain competitive.)

Sheepy

Audi exterior looks like an American car. Ugly.

New A4 interior, and especially the new TT interior, almost rivals the C300.

NYbenzzz

i cross shopped audi, lexus before i got my C.

Audi= same design from 2009. hell no i ain't paying $400+ a month for an outdated design. i was looking into a4/a5. and i used to be in love with the A5 exterior.
Interior, i gotta admit the LED instrument cluster of the A4 is AGES ahead of the boring gauges on the benz. Bang&olufsen system also looks 100x better than the cheap chinese aluminum on our doors (burmeister). it sounds better too.
what killed it was the exterior and the interior center console. The c class easily wins that.

alexasa

iTrader: (1)

The A4 is all new this year and the S follows this trend for next year..

arnold0523

Well. My personal experience is Burmester sounds better than A4 Bang & Olufsen. And it looks 100x better than B&F.

mcbc220

It's interesting to me that most of the comparisons with an A4 are on how it looks. I feel like when people compare the C with the 3 series, it's more about how it drives. Personally, I think both cars look good inside and out, two different philosophies of design. I think the Mercedes interior is warmer and a more relaxing place to get into at the end of a long day. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the 60/40 weight distribution and FWD platform more than the design differences.

Actually, I did ask an Audi forum. One guy said it was the best driving car in the segment (to him), others mainly focused on tech or interior over reason for purchase, not so much ride/handling. I'll test one out and see what I think of the handling, but it may be that my priorities even in a base car are just not where Audi invests the most effort. If I wanted a futuristic interior with more tech for a lower price than the Benz, Audi would be a compelling choice. I'm more concerned with something that rides nicely but puts a smile on my face when I'm ready to have a little fun--and doesn't cost more than 50k.