Pretty simple...I'd love to see a rundown on how you guys feel about these cars. What makes you enjoy the car, and what do you think it is lacking, or what do you not like about it? Get as specific as you want ("I like how the headlight switch works, I like how fast the seats warm up, etc")

 

I love the seats on the car. I generally like the layout of all the buttons, though I wish I had the digital read out for the temp control. I wish there weren't empty black buttons on the upper tier of buttons. I also wish that the US C could have gotton some of the options of the Euro C, so I could have filled more of those buttons.

I love how I can casually drive it from place to place and not turn a head or if I want to pop it in M mode, and let that engine rev up and roar. It turns from a docile little C into a donw right animal.

Only really pet peeve I can think of right now is that the wipers in auto mode will sometimes go off when it's perfectly sunny out.

Oh, and that there really aren't any amazing mods for really cheap...

 

Pros
Great engine
Great seats
Great exhaust note
Love all of the entertainment stuff: Nav, iPod, changer and aux
Folding rear seats

Cons:
Wish it had 6 or 7 speed transmission
Wish it had puddle lights for under sideview mirrors
Wish it beeped once for lock and 3 times for unlock
Wish it had matching rear brakes
Wish it had a sport button

 

[QUOTE=MercedesFTW;2355908]
Only really pet peeve I can think of right now is that the wipers in auto mode will sometimes go off when it's perfectly sunny out./QUOTE]

You're not supposed to leave the wipers in the auto setting unless it is raining.

 

Really...?

I usually do, other than the few random times it goes off, it's done pretty well. One time it had just rained, and this giant blop of water, from a leaf probably, landed on my windshield and they did one swipe and stopped. That brought a smile to my face.

Doesn't it do that? I know my beeps, but don't remember the counting.

 

Mine beeps once for unlock and three times for lock. Makes no sense to me.

 

you say - "I wish I had the digital read out for the temp control"

C32: I say - I have them; I really H A T E them (my wife has trouble getting it right); I screemed at AMG.... all the way to Untertuerkheim! Why do you think they switched back... after having received a fair number of complaints. It's unsafe to monkey with the buttons in the dark at any speed! SIMPLICITY is a must!

The auto. control works - but, if you need the heater in the morning and air during lunch and the heater in the evening; what a pain to get it right IMMEDIATELY(!!) before you park again!!

I will not buy another car with (only) AUTO climate control, if it doesn't have a SIMPLE override, that can be operated BY TOUCH (blindly).

Some people are very sensitive to draft - EX Audi Dr. Piech was one of them - he did get it right (avoid draft issue).

 

I also wish that the round knobs that control the temperature were more substantial. To me they feel like Fisher Price cheapos

 

Well, I have had both the MB digital temp. controls (in my C43) and the manual temp controls (in my C55) and don't really notice a significant difference. Usually, I set the temperature once to 72 deg. and leave it. I let the automatic climate control do the rest. The person who really doesn't appreciate termostats (the auto. climate control) is my wife who turns the temp up when cold and down when hot. This is not necessary, the MB auto cliamte control will heat or cool the car to the set temperature as fast as it can without input. The only manual overide I need is the front defrost button. This button exists on both the manual and digital.

Regards,

 

Basically, U.S version of C55 is wackest of all..
I've seen other C55s with pedal shifters and CLK63 style bumper...
I still love the car though..

Pros
Great engine / power
Supprotive seats
Great sound system

Cons
You have to pay for oil change
Rear brakes
Some people may think ur car is a Reg C-class with AMG kit
Minor electric problems such as heat seater, radio, and A/C..
No LSD
Out dated 5speed auto tranny.
No pedal shift

 

Exactly correct! I never move my temp off of 72. My wife is just like your's, always adjusting.

Once it's set, it will never be a problem.

 

However the dial sucks. Am I on 70 or 71?? It's stupid with no real substantial click or anything.

 

Mine clicks...in fact it feels the same as the SL55, just has a plastic ring instead of a loose metal ring!

Is that a bad thing?

 

Maybe I'm just used to a knob that actually clicks for each degree. Mine clicks but I don't feel it's tactile nor audible enough.

 

Why do I like my C55?

1) Able to carry my wife and 2 kids in relative comfort.
2) Competent and comfortable as a daily driver and in rush hour traffic.
3) Good acceleration.
4) Throaty V8 sound, but not intrusive at all when windows are closed.
5) Competent occasional track car because of VERY GOOD HANDLING which is very close to a E46 M3......despite what many BMW fanboys think, the published slalom speeds, skidpad grip numbers, and laptimes are VERY CLOSE, such that it really is a driver's race on a twisty track.
6) Although the transmission has only 5 speeds, it really shifts quickly if you leave it in automatic "S" mode. It is also quite smart.......on the track it automatically downshifts under heavy braking, and HOLDS the gear through the corner so as to avoid an upshift in the middle of the corner.

Why do I dislike my C55?

1) Not the best winter car. Almost got stuck last year when trying to climb a steep hill with lots of snow/ice on the ground.
2) Not the most fuel efficient (although it is also on par with the E46 M3 and much better than the B6/B7 S4).
3) Can't turn ESP off completely, although this is not necessarily a bad thing depending on the situation.
4) In "M" mode, there is a noticeable lag from the time you press the shift button to when the actual shift occurs, especially for upshifts. Manual downshifts are better, though.

Bottom line, I have always thought of the C55 as a smaller, cheaper version of the E39 M5 (but with an automatic tranmission). V8 power with almost identical acceleration numbers, although the C55 has better handling than the E39 M5 and has lower laptimes on a track. As a daily driver and road car, it is superior to the E46 M3, and the handling deficit it has to the M3 is actually a very small one that can only be exploited by a better than average driver on a twisty track. Of course, the C55 is not as involving as the M3, given the nature of the transmission, inferior steering feel, and high reving nature of the M3.

 

LOL! Looks like this is a gender thing because my wife is the exact same way. She can't leave it on 72 under any circumstance. She has it up at 85 or however high it will go on cold days and completely off on warmer days. I've been looking at the "0" lately everytime I get in the car because it's warmer out. I'd like to see some study on this.

 

i just got a C55 a couple of months ago and i'm new here but here goes

likes
-power
-seats 4 comfortably

dislikes
-steering wheel layout, i wish i could swap the location of the horn button and the computer buttons. i use the horn more than i use the computer buttons also, i would prefer a shift paddle instead of the buttons they use.
- transmission could shift faster.

 

Perfect summary. I agree completely. Except, I debaged mine and made it a perfect sleeper for my neighborhood. Even my wife doesn't really know or realize how fast the car is (a critical consideration in my keeping the car without sleeping in the shed).

Regards

 

Source buttons on the steering wheel for the radio
Better sound from the stereo with less rattle from the subwoofer
Leather door pulls instead of plastic
Factory standard non-70's door locks
Higher grade plastic on the seat belt adjusters
LSD

 

LIKE
engine
manual program/paddle shifters
seats (except maybe they could be a little wider across the seat)
looks
handling
sound
designo burl wood mine came with
jekyl/hyde personality -- low key sleeper

LIKE NOT SO MUCH (especially after owning an infiniti m35 briefly)
-no way to tell where the volume is set on the radio
-really low tech, cheap, cryptic dash display system
-so very few stock features like bluetooth, back up cam, keyless start, etc. a freakin' prius has more features
-stereo sounds like a##
-i get the argument for analog controls, so, fine, but they feel and look kind of cheap.

 

Not a C55, but I like my C32 because there is nothing on the market today that is so substantially better that I feel any strong desire to trade up. To have a car that is 5 years old (almost 6) that still satisfies me and does not bore me (and I am VERY easily bored) is quite an accomplishment.