Bloodstar57

My first Post; hello everyone. I have never been a MB owner but will likely pickup one for the next car.
Here is my ownership history:

1996 Audi A4 5 spd
2007 Audi A4 S-line ti package 6 spd (modded to destruction)
2009 Audi S5 6 spd
2013 Audi Q7 Sline prestige
2015 Maserati Ghibli SQ4
2x Suzuki GSXR 750's

Currently car pooling

Car test driven for possible new car
Suv:
GLA 45

Sport Sedan:
C63s
C43
ATS v

Sport Coupes:
M4


4 door Coupes:
650xi gran coupe
CLS 550

i live in NYC so this makes it harder for me to decided to have a RWD car as DD. However, i love the C63s the sound and the power

aggies15

Recently, I went from:
2015 BMW M4 -> 2015 Lexus IS350 F-Sport -> 2017 Mercedes C300 Coupe -> 2017 Mercedes C43 Coupe

Having experienced a range of different cars in a relatively short amount of time, the C43 is leaps and bounds ahead and better than any of those cars in both performance and aesthetics. I've driven the ATS-V before and was not impressed at all at that price point. Interior was incredibly underwhelming. The M4 I had looked great outside and was quick, but again, the interior was ugly and antiquated. The CLA45 is super small interior wise and I don't like how the tail lights look.

I actually had a hard time deciding between the C43 and the C63S coupes. Ultimately, I chose the 43 because it was definitely quick enough for me and has an "off" button in terms of being able to switch from super sporty to super comfortable.

gabe.m

Try to decide on how much horsepower you need. I looked at the Ghibli, did not drive it, seems a nice car. Coming from that, I would ignore the GLA (build quality/interior - one step below the C series). Also, MB interior is a bit above compared to the bimmers (my opinion). I just jumped from a bimmer to MB for that reason (interior luxury). C43 is definitely nice, compared to the 440 and Jag XE, but it seems you want more power. Daily commuter in NY, do you mind a stiffer ride? Based on what you already had, probably not. RWD... use uber two days per year, and have a nice RWD car for the rest (that's me talking, I just went for the C43, one of the reasons being AWD , I just did not follow my own logic/advice).

GEARS5

My brother currently has the 2015 Maserati Ghibli SQ4... we are both long time BMW drivers, between the 2 of us had almost every model.

Last week he drove my new C43 Coupe... huge smile on his face. He commented how great it sounds and I don't even have the PE. He also liked the seating position, said it wraps around you.

I'm a month in (1500 miles) and I love this car for a daily driver, comfort, loads of power when you want it, the best interior in the business and the grip is amazing in the rain and sleet we've been having.

ASH_C43

Your interest right now is all over the map... from SUV to Coupe. That's hard!

I think you'd get more helpful feedback from this post if you could narrow it down and perhaps if you want different opinions between the C43 and C63 choices.

At the end, we're all C450/C43/C63 owners here so we expectedly will be only in favor of a couple of items in your list.

Bloodstar57

This is the real sticking point for me: DD AWD vs RWD in NYC. Could you get by with 500+hp on winter tires?

I'm currently at this point:

C63s and C43 are both tied for 1st, for different reason of course.

Then:

M4/M3

As far as test drives:

GLA45: Underwhelming in every area. Did not live up to the hype in my opinion. For some reason i did not like the transmission, sound or interior and neither did my fiance'.

C43 with PE: Sound was lovely almost as good as the Ghibli. Felt faster and more planted than the GLA45. interior was just a nice place to be. transmission almost (very close) as good as the 8 speed ZF. Stopped good and had a touch more acceleration than the Ghibli.

C63s: Sound was awesome. Test drove on a cold day and traction was not great when the tires were cold in comfort mode. Transmission almost as good as the 8 speed ZF. Great interior recaro seats were beautiful and supportive. (If it came with 4 matic it would already be at my house!)

ATS-V: Sound was okay. Performance was really good. Test drove on a cold day and traction was almost as bad as the C63s. Transmission was not good; it was like the paddles didn't work. Interior was bad IMO; recaro seats were amazing. However, all the interior pieces were just bad. The gauge cluster was the worst offence of all on a car in this price range. The interior sealed the deal for me; i could not live with this thing.

M4: Sound was bad. Performance was good. Test drove on a warm day so traction was good; on a cold day it would probably be like the ATS-v and/or C63s. Transmission was spot on; better than 8 speed ZF. However, i did not get to drive it in heavy traffic. Interior was better than the ATS-v but did not have the comfort to it that makes you want to sit in it for long periods of time (OMG its happened, I'm getting older).

Bloodstar57

I only consider the GLA 45 because to me it's just a hot hatch (A 45).

Like my previous post I'm in the realm of C63/C43 and at a distance M3/M4.

C450JA

check your dm

5ilver-5urfer

I appreciate you testing out as many different cars as possible before making your purchase decision. The spectrum of cars you are looking at is fairly wide though - not sure if you've managed to narrow it down to what kind of driving experience you are looking for. If AWD is a must then you are good with the C43 - it's a lot of bang for your buck. If you are okay with RWD and are looking for a true drivers experience, then do yourself a favor a test out the new M2 (if you can even find one). At this point, the M3 and M4 have been out sufficiently long enough that they don't look or feel fresh any longer - I wouldn't consider them in the running.

cenzo86

My mother has a Ghibli qS4. I have taken the car on a couple of road trips and both my wife and I came to the conclusion that the Ghibli is like a very pretty shoe.
It is very drop dead gorgeous, and you sit inside and touch the seats, very soft supple leather, and the Alcantara headliner, oooo suede-y, and you start it up and it barks... And then you start driving it. The seats are uncomfortable, and the interior feels cramped. The multimedia system is tuuurrble. The power is there, until it stops! It makes great midrange power that dies short of the redline, and lacks low end power.
It is the fine Italian shoe you buy because you are infatuated with it, and your feet scream for mercy after an hour of wearing it!
I (and even my wife) prefers my c450. On road trips it is exponentially more comfortable, has a roomier back seat, is exactly the same to 60MPH and quarter mile, and has a very usable (albeit smaller) trunk than the Ghibli.
I think these two cars share many similarities, even though there is a bit of a price gap. The Maserati tends to stand out, whereas the Merc can blend in when you want to.
Good luck.

emanisem

This is my first post as well, I just recently ordered the C43 AMG coupe and waiting to receive by the end of Feb. I've driven it on a couple of test drives and I won't change it with anything else.

Comfortable when you want and sporty when you need ... you can go wrong with this car...

Did I mention I can't wait for end of Feb?

Bloodstar57

Right; my main dilemma is AWD vs RWD in NYC.

Very true, I also had the sport suspension so I fully understand.

Did you test drive a C63, before you picked up the 450?
If so, was AWD the deciding factor?

cenzo86

I was looking only for AWD vehicles and he c63 was out of my budget and never under consideration. For that matter the 450 was out of my budget too😉. God bless America!
Other vehicles I was looking at we're the Audi S3 (goddamn that sepang blue is hot) and Volvo v60r (I've got a thing for fast blue wagons). The Audi S3 was leaps and bounds lower grade than the c class. The interior is less refined, as is the turbo 4. The Volvo is very cool, but alas it was a Volvo and therefore inherently uncool. Very comfortable seats, but an odd center stack that I wouldn't want to get used to.
As long as you won't mind losing some trunk space, I think you will be very happy with the c43. Make sure to get the performance exhaust because you need to have it (circular logic?). If you need more space, I'd say wait for the e43 or get into a gle43 coupe right now.

sean1.8t

Get the 43 and tune it. Pretty much on par with the c63 at that point. Plus you'll always have the grip to rip. I love the peace of mind AWD gives. I'd get a RWD for a track car, but for a DD, AWD everyday of the week.

The only thing I truly think the 63 has on the 43 is the exhaust note. The v6 sounds fantastic for what it is but good god I'd love to hear that v8 behind me everyday.

OhMy

i had a 2015 M4. Drove it for a year. Liked it but never loved it. Maybe I'm not the raw speed guy that I thought I was. It always felt like a thoroughbred horse just chomping at the bit to go crazy fast which is hard to do in atlanta traffic. It wasn't accessible speed.

Interior was okay in the M4 but didn't do much for me from an aesthetic perspective.

While i I just got the C43c this past weekend, the interior is just plain better IMO. And it seems to have more accessible speed, not so fast as to be unusable in Atlanta.

Since the OP lives in NYC, I'd think anything faster would be a waste in the city. Seems like the C43 is a good compromise and the 4wd makes a ton of sense.

gabe.m

Yep, as they said before me, get the C43, get the AMR ECU tuning, 100+ hp boost . You'll have fun with it , get all 4 wheels spinning a bit .

ot: I wish every post had a +1 thing, or a voting thing, so if one agrees with something, one doesn't have to quote/post something to show it I guess the "Thanks" sign is somewhat useful, but a +1/-1 usefulness voting thing would be nice

OhMy

sounds like the AMR ECU tune gets your recommendation. Did you wait 500 or 1000 mikes before installing yours?

Bloodstar57

Thanks all! Seeing how this is time of year that has me most concerned about C63s of C43, I will test drive them both again. However, this will be a back to back testing on the same day. After that I think i will know what to get

Did you have it dyno tuned?

NYCSoiL

I'd go with C63 if the price isn't a question. I had 2 RWD cars and still have one (V8 with 420HP) and they pretty good in the snow with winter tires. But again, look outside today, it's not even a winter lol

My friend drives his P85 RWD Tesla on all season tires with no prob

Bloodstar57

Thanks for the monkey wrench in my thinking ...lol.
My problem is that I have never driven a RWD car in winter weather with winter tires. So I have no reference point.

I have only driven the S5 with winter tires in the winter...so that's not even fair to use.

I used the ghilbli last winter with summer performance tires. Over 70mph the car was all RWD... so maybe that but it's really about the low speed driving I guess.

Will be moving forward with the planned test drives.

gabe.m

My friend, here in CT, drives a Mustang, 5.0, V8, 420hp (or so), winter tires. He would struggle uphill on hard snow, but he's not really complaining. It only makes it more interesting.

piredon11

I liked the F10 5 series overall, so I imagine the 6 is quite similar. Had one for 3 years. But the only reason I'd get a 6, however, is for a screaming lease deal. They are great looking cars that are incredibly capable, but I found my 5 series fairly emotionless. And the 6 is the same car with $20k added to the pricetag. If you do get one, get the suspension package. It's expensive as hell, but it provides a wide range on the ride quality from floaty comfortable to sporty firm. Most important option on the vehicle IMO.

CLS550 is a previous gen E-class. I did not like the interior in that vehicle. Design feels 10 years old.

M4 is loud, and not in a good way. The interior is also a disappointment in a number of ways. Liked the 2 previous generations much better. It's also honestly too much car for NYC. 440i xdrive is nearly as fast for a lot less money. I hear they have improved the steering in the mid-cycle refresh as well. I absolutely hated the steering in all the F30 vehicles I've driven, so I didn't even consider a 3/4 series when my 5 lease came up.

C63 sounds a hell of a lot better, and has a presence the m4 lacks, but it's still total overkill for the city. C43 can play luxury car if it needs to, and is nearly as fast from a standstill til traffic stops again. Sounds better than the m4 too. It does not have tremendous ride quality though. Too much rebound in comfort mode means sport is more comfortable overall IMO, and sport is fairly firm.

If u want a luxury car, try to get a crazy low lease payment on a 650xi (BMW offers stupid incentives on occasion). If you want a true sports sedan, get a c63s. If you want something in between, get a c43.