alexx88

Hi guys & gals,

After pondering between the BMW M3/4, 440i, the S5 and the C43 AMG Coupe it's looking very likely that I'll end up buying the C43 AMG Sedan. Was set on the coupe last week, but after gauging the space for the rear passengers, how troublesome it is to get out of the car in busy underground car parks, I decided to got with the practicality of the 4-door.

Anyway, I'm having second thoughts on the color/trim/wheel combination. Haven't seen them together in real life and only basing my choice on the online configurator. If any of you have real-life pics or opinions, just shoot.

Ext: C43 sedan, selenite grey with night package, 19" wheels
Int: Black leather with red accents, open pore plasticky wood, command infotainment

Others: Intelligent LED headlights, AMG exhaust, ventilated seats
Didn't get: Burmester (not a big audiophile, usually listen to radio or Google Play Music), panoramic roof, HUD.

Pics attached.

Thanks,
Alex

Mr. J

I have the same wheels as your build. They look amazing when they are clean. They look pretty good when dirty. They get dusted up very quickly. If I was to do it over I would have chosen the stock wheels. My wife, OTOH, loves the 19's although she has never cleaned them

There is nothing "plasticy" about the black ash wood. You can see and feel the grain. The texture is completely different than the heavily lacquered wood finishes you may be used to. My favorite thing about the black ash wood is that it is very resistant to greasy smears and fingerprint marks. We've had this trim with or C450 for almost a year and could not be happier with it.

ILS headlights are a no-brainer. Get them, you will love them.

Performance exhaust wasn't an option for the C450 so we didn't get it. If it were an option at the time I would have insisted on it.

Burmester is a decent system. The standard audio 20 is junk. If this is a lease I would get the Burmester. If you are buying it you can go with and aftermarket upgrade to something better than Burmester but it will cost you. If you are looking for an audio system with "acceptable" quality, then the Burmester offers good value for the money. It is not really the audiophile system that MB makes it out to be.

I love the HUD. Real time speed limits and tach are very cool. I sometimes have difficulty with reading dashboard displays on vehicles with thicker steering wheels due to the top of the wheel interfering with my sightline once adjusted to the most comfortable position. The HUD eliminates this issue for me.

Pano is very individual. I love having it. I also reside in a region that has extremely dreary weather for a big chunk of the year. If I lived in a sunshine state I might feel differently about it.

Jimmy C43

I'm the outlier here, but I don't see the obsession with the black out options including the rims

I have the same split 5 spoke rims without the black inserts and love them

The cars look great no matter what, skipping the black out options is merely my opinion

munis

Same for me. I never really understood people's affinity with blacked out parts. The normal parts gives out the best contrast will all the colors except silver. It makes the stock colors pop way more than normal.

mo11

If you're planning to drop the car and upgrade the wheels. I'd just go for the stock no charge wheel option. A lot of people don't like the runflats, and they're expensive to replace. Specially if you're leasing. At lease end you can just slap the original wheels it came with and avoid the additional charges.
If you're keeping the car, you can skip the burmester and just look into upgrading the sound system in the future. But, since you seem not to mind how what you listen to sounds, you can save money there. The ILS and 360* camera are a must, if you ask me. The perf exhaust, i'm kinda torn with that. I went to the dealership when it came out and honestly, its more of an option to keep the car quiet when off. It didn't seem like it made it louder than the stock c43 that didn't come with the perf exhaust when it was on. Thats at least my opinion. The rest of your color combo is really upto you...
good luck!

unr1

is this for a '17 or '18 model?

Which country are you ordering in?

RichardCranium3

I second Mr J on the black ash interior finish. It's definitely not "plasticky" and everyone's is completely unique because of the wood grain. I have yet to come across two that are similar in pattern from all the pictures I've seen on the forum. No gloss, no annoying/blinding reflections, no fingerprints & smudges. Unless wood just truly isn't your thing, you will not be disappointed...and even if wood is not your thing, it's infinitely better than the piano black nightmare of an alternative. So that leaves you with the CF trim as the only other option to consider.

munis

]You probably did not really notice it properly, but the performance exhaust is significantly louder than the Non PE version. It not only adds the on-off valve, but that exhaust system itself makes way more bangs and crackles in general.[/QUOTE]

Big Goober

Yeah, I was wondering where that comment came from, too.

The PE exhaust is a must have when considering the price or even if going aftermarket so that you have the valve wiring already. It changes the sound on my car significantly even at idle. It's the button my kid hits as soon as he gets in the car.

mo11

really? hmmm... maybe i'll go back and have the dealer put a couple side by side, and i'll listen to it again.

AMG_FVR

I say definitely keep the night package, specially if you gonna get the 19" Bi-Colour wheels.

guhvies

Just a few points to reinforce what others have said. Your specs are great. Selenite Grey is a great colour. There are pics of it on the forum (mine is the same colour). I assume RO is Romania. About the sound, it's not about being an audiophile, it's about getting a clear and clean sound at good volumes. For that you'll need to enhance your system. All in all you're on to a winner there. Even tho I don't have the performance exhaust, the sound with the windows down and pano open is music to my ears.

alexx88

No idea. Delivery date is estimated to be July-August if that helps. Romania is the country - kudos to guhvies .

I agree, the night packages is a matter of personal taste. I got it mainly for the difuser, didn't like how it looked in silver. Again, hope that the online configurator pictures are close to reality. The dealerships over here don't really have anything resembling what I'm ordering. Just 2l diesels for test drives. To test the M3 I had to fly to Munich, Germany. Anyway, rant over.

The part where I'm having second thoughts is the interior. I'm worried that the black leather with red stitching might look a bit overloaded with all the other interior bits and I'm tempted to go for plain black leather. Anyone have pictures on this interior combination?

In regards to the AMG exhaust, as I said, I only went by the Youtube videos. Didn't want to take any chances, as sound is the main reason I didn't go with a M3.

coladin

Funny thing is when I went to see my car at the PDI stage it had the black window trim, I was expecting silver trim and thought I had the Night package. Turns out all C43 have the black window trim...I like black wheels in certain applications but not on everything. there has to be the right contrast

guhvies

I've got the black MB-Tex which is near enough the same thing. I'll try and attach some crappy pics I have. I had my doubts about it but in the nearly 3 months I've had the car I've gotten used to it. Maybe the 35% window tints help.

It's official, the Performance Exhaust sound is to die for.

alexx88

Looks very good! Regarding the AMG PE, indeed, it seems to make the motor one of the best sounding V6s currently on the market.

Now I can't wait for the lease to go through, get it ordered and then (im)patiently wait for it to be delivered. My SA said it should be July-August. I'll keep updating the thread.