I have agreed to terms on a new 2017 C43 sedan lease with local dealer. Supposed to sign and take delivery tomorrow evening. Pretty excited - premium 4 pkg, AMG perf exhaust, parktronic pkg, etc. pretty loaded build.

Not that I'm trying to second guess myself, but I still have a little under 24 hours to finalize my decision. Was wondering what others considered before going with (or not going with) the C43. I can't seem to find a better blend of luxury, performance, tech, style, and price in my opinion.

This will be my DD and I live in northeast Ohio so AWD is required. My other car is a 991 Carrera S.

Interested to hear what you considered alongside the C43.

 

Pagani huayra... but, it can't make it up the ramp at work so I can't use it as a dd....

 

I considered a lot of cars...

1) BMW M2 - Probably would have probably gotten this car if I didn't have a ton of snow driving to do. I already have an N55 engine in one car...don't want a tuned version of it in another.

2) BMW 340i - Briefly considered this but the G series is coming out soon. I wasn't able to convince myself to fork out money for a car that will soon be replaced by the newest 3 series - not that there is anything wrong with the existing 340i.

3) Jaguar XE - I think the current XE looks pretty unattractive. It looks like they started with an expensive jag and replaced lots of it with cheaper components as opposed to building it from the ground up. I barely see any on the road and probably for a good reason.

4) Infiniti Q60 Red Sport - I was close to pulling the trigger on this. The car is a looker, that's for certain. The exhaust note and acceleration leave a lot to be desired. Almost every male that falls in my demographic ends up with a second hand G35 / G37 Coupe once they land their first job. No thanks.

5) Audi S4 - Really wanted to like this car - it looks great and the digital dash is on point. I had no reason not to buy this car, but I ended up having a pretty terrible experience at the Audi dealership. I got a nice loyalty discount through MB so I didn't want to forfeit that either. I'm glad I went the way I did...most reviews comparing the C43 and S4 have confirmed that the C43 is the one to have. Also, doesn't help that I work right next to an Audi dealership. I see tons of these things around and they lost their allure pretty quickly.

Needless to say, I'm glad I went the way I did. The car has it's fair share of grins to offer as well as headaches. I like it for what it is, and that's an extremely competent German sports coupe that can be both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

 

I basically ended up in this car because it was the best deal I could strike.

The only two cars that I really considered were the B9 Audi S4 and the BMW 340 xdrive (my company requires AWD).

I came from a B8.5 Audi S4, loved it but the new car wasn't quite out when I needed a new car and getting into the same exact car was unappealing. The 340 Xdrive with the M sport package ended up being really hard to get numbers into an area that I was comfortable with. I ended up in the MB and I think you can't really go wrong with any of the options. This car is very communicative with the amount of noise it makes in it's factory trim which made the transition from a manual transmission to an auto fairly easy.

 

This is basically verbatim for me. B9 S4/S5 and 340i. Along with a few others to a lesser extent, that would have been pre-owned purchases: 14' Cayman S, S6/S7. Also considered the 63S but felt at the time it wasn't needed.

Came out of a 16' S4 (and 11' S4 before that), and was patiently waiting on the B9 but needed to pull trigger before end of Feb and not a single demo had landed here, yet. Would have been nice to get a fair comparison.

Really digging the Sportback S5 when I see them now.

That aside, got a good deal on my loaded C43 (first MB) and enjoying it.

 

Seems like I'm in the same boat then as everyone else. Just trying to make sure there's not some gem out there that I'm completely overlooking! I've previously owned a BMW 335i and then next an M235i. I have a ton of love for BMW, but a 340i is just more of the same for me. I checked out the Audi S5, but it didn't leave me thinking about it like the C43 has. Plus I've never had a Merc, so I'm excited to get into one! If I didn't need AWD, I'd probably just go down to one car and sell my 991 S for a 991 Turbo. But it's also fun to have some variety.

 

I kept my options very open this time around but it really came down to the main 3 from BMW/Audi/MB. I don't think there's much outside of that realm to consider, imo. I was actually surprised to see Motortrend do the recent C43 comparison video vs the Jag XE. I never did, and still wouldn't consider that particular vehicle, personally.

Just love the sound from this car out the box with the Performance Exhaust. With the S4s, first think you always had to do was invest in an AWE or something equivalent to it.

 

Agreed about the performance exhaust - that just sealed the deal for me. I test drove a C43 at one dealer that didn't have the performance exhaust and I really liked the car. Then I found one on the other side of town (the car I'm taking delivery upon this evening) and holy crap, I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since.

Only other contenders were the GLC43 and Macan GTS. I was originally set on getting a Macan GTS, but then really started falling for the C43. Wife thought we should have an SUV so I tried to like the GLC43 but compared to the GTS or the C43 it just wasn't working for me. If the Macan GTS wasn't $20k more than the C43 I might have went that route.

 

Did any if you consider the giulia, or was everyone worried about reliability like I was?

Just yesterday, on my way to work i saw one being put on a flat bed. I didn't notice any physical damage so I doubt it was involved in an accident. It probably just didn't wanna start or had something that rendered it undrivable.

I can live with the c43 rattles and I've even solved the transmission lurch by changing and timing my driving habits. But, it still gets me from point a to b. Seeing that giulia on a flat bed made me feel better about my decision. Although, I really wanted to get the pagani but it just won't make it over the steep ramp at work, hahaha!

 

We considered and drove a M240i Xdrive, a 340iXdrive, a 440ixdrive, and an Audi S5.

The M240i Xdrive was fun, but too small, didn't offer as many amenities, or safety features. The 340iX and 440ix were nice, but seemed dated, the interiors seemed like something that belongs in a car from 15 years ago, and in order to have nearly the same features, and nearly the same power (performance and exhaust package), the MSRP would have been more and BMW dealers were offering a much smaller discount. The thing I liked most about the 340/440 was the option of a manual transmission (that made the car the most engaging of cars we were considering). Once that was out of the equation, the wife didn't want a manual for everyday driving, we just couldn't justify spending more for cars that seemed ready for more than just a face lift. In the end, my wife said she would only be interested in a BMW if we could get it equipped roughly with the same features as the MB, but for a lot less money as she liked the MB more and I agreed with her.

We also drove an Audi S5. It drove well, it was fun to drive, seemed well built, but neither of us could get very excited about owning an Audi.

We ordered a very loaded C43 premium 4, leather interior, performance exhaust, parktronic etc. and we haven't looked back. It's been a blast to drive! Wishing you luck on your C43!

 

I briefly did as close friends of mine kept saying to consider it (Quadrifoglio), but I knew next to nothing about Alfa as they basically just came back into the market here. When I thought the 63S may have been an option I did price out the Quadrifoglio. It got up there real quick. So not knowing much about them (ie: reliability, which we are now hearing about alot) I just wasn't willing to take the risk. Car looks great in person though. I've seen a few of the regular Giulias and they are nice.

I think the C43 hits everything all around. Have recently been utilizing Distronic alot. Been quite a relief.

 

Only briefly looked into the Giulia, when I saw some info about the Quadrifoglio. However, the lack of AWD and it being an Alfa, took it out of serious consideration pretty quickly. If I were looking for a car with more power and AWD wasn't important, I'd go for a C63 or C63s over a Giulia Quad. I love the looks and the performance of my C43 ...to me a Giulia is different...but different isn't the same as better. A base Giulia with AWD wasn't of interest to me.

To me the Giulia is more novelty than a serious daily driver. I know that they are trying to be a serious car that could be used daily. But I have my doubts about whether these cars are really durable/reliable to use daily. A friend who works on a lot of German cars and exotics had a chance to do a bit of work on an Alfa and he said the engineering and build quality just isn't up to the same standards as what one gets from Porsche, BMW, MB, or Audi.

In addition, they don't have a dealer network that is as developed as the German companies. If you need service or parts on a German car, or a loaner while your car is being serviced its not a big deal. With an Alfa...its probably a gamble. I have an MB dealer 1 mile from my home, an Audi dealer, 4 miles from my home, and BMW dealer 11 miles from my home. Then the next closest dealer is for all German cars is 30 minutes from home, and if I go an hour from my home there are 3 more dealers for each brand. With Alfa I have 2 dealers that are both a little less than an hour from me. Granted about an hour isn't that bad, but if the car has lots of issues (even if covered by warranty) its about an hour there and back for each issue. Not to mention, if you are on a weekend drive with an Alfa and you have a serious issue, you better hope you are in a major area that has an Alfa dealer (that wouldn't be a concern for me with any German car). Cheers!

 

I've understood the level that the Germans are on so I knew if I wanted a sporty luxury sedan, the only options were going to be Audi, BMW, Benz. No need to even consider anything American or Japanese makes.

So wanting forced induction, 4 doors, decent tech, AWD, and a $50-60k price range, it came down to S4, 440I GC, & C450.

Drove the BMW and simply LOVED the way it drives. Really loved everything about the way that thing handles and feels. Loved the way the Gran Coupe's look too. The 340i's look good, but the 440 GC is sexy as hell! But the interior wasn't exciting since it's 15 years old. Being that the interior is where you spend all your time when with the car, it's a big deal breaker for me. Plus my trips to the ski resorts here in Utah require a more than capable AWD system. And since "X-Drive" is unanimously the worst of the German big 3, that was the final deal breaker for me. BMW was out, sadly.

Then the S4. Which wasn't out for purchase when I needed a car. Big Audi fanboy here so I thought this was going to be the car I was going to be going with. I liked the feel of the updated interiors (Spent time in the new Q7 which is basically the same interior). Boring to look at but feel very nice to the touch and are simple and brilliant in their minimalist design. Much better than the previous gen. And the "Virtual Cockpit" is second to none, without a doubt. Very cool feature and more than made up for the boringness of the rest of the interior. AWD is best in the biz so that box was easily checked. Then came to the exterior. Again, just like the new interior, it was boring. Hardly unique compared to the A4 other than wheels and the "S" badges for the most part. Driving experience was going to have to be amazing to carry the exterior like the "VC" did for the interior. But after watching/reading all the reviews on it, I wasn't confident in loving the car. It was still ahead of the Bimmer only slightly due to the AWD criteria, but only slightly. People liked the new B9 S but no one was enthralled with it like I was hoping. Like many were when driving the new x40's.

Then came to the C450. Which I hadn't even known about until I went to the dealer to see what options they might have for me. I was thinking of getting a CPO'd 2-3 year old E550 to be honest. Wasn't really familiar with Benz's too much. Liked the AMG's over the years but they never had many options for me as their AWD was garbage until recently.

So I took the 450 out and instantly fell in love! Loved the looks right off the bat. Got in the cockpit and my feelings were only growing stronger. Started it and put it in 'S+' before I left the parking lot and I was giddy with excitement I must say. It was fun to experience something that I had no idea even existed 10 minutes before. After the drive, I was smitten. I honestly couldn't believe that I was leaning towards this car over the Audi. Audi's been my brand. I have Audi coffee mugs. I've been talking crap on MB's for years (the 2000's models which I still stand by. Fight me!). But this car was fantastic.

All that was left for the deal to be sealed was some research. So that night I spent hours looking up everything about this new "Wannabe/baby AMG" and new tech that Benz has been integrating to their fleet (specifically AWD) over the past few years. And watching reviews by the same people to compare to what was said about the new S4. The mood was easily elevated across the board for the new lil AMG. Most were big grins when behind the wheel just as I was. And that was that. The decision was made. Against my nature, the Audi was out, and the Benz was in. And 10.5 months, 9,xxx miles, & countless doughnuts in the snow later, no regrets are to be found

 

Damn! I thought I was going to simply type out a paragraph or two. Then 10 minutes later that happened. It all came out like I was typing on autopilot lol

 

Dacia Sondero. This on recommendation from Captain Slow. However I unwisely decided against this and have seen smiling/grinning ever since.

 

Just ordered myself a 2018 C43 Sedan... I'm a die hard BMW fan and I was going to go for the 340i (not x drive), so I went to test drive it. Had fun, steering was precise BMW as usual, but the interior was out dated and I knew that in a year from now a new 3 series would hit the market. Was searching around online and came across the motortrend video about the C43 vs Jag, went to test drive the C43 and not only was it faster but it was SO much more fun!

It didn't feel as precise as the BMW but that was the only area where it didn't stand up against the 340i...

 

E300
but I realized it’s kinda boring :P

 

You can say that again...what a snooze mobile! I had two as loners, and I hated them.

In my mind, currently there is no better vehicle to own in this class. The Mercedes C43/C450 is just a better all around vehicle than the BMW 340/440, Jaguar XE 35t Sport, Audi S4, Cadillac ATS, Lexus IS or the Infiniti Q50...period. The interior alone in the C Class blows all the competition away.

 

eh, I think Audi has best in class interiors.

I preferred the more driver centric interior of the previous generation but still think audi has minimalist with high tech and intuitive design.

 

To me, "minimalist" is just another word for "boring"...

 

I am currently torn between the C43 sedan (i just can't do the coupe for everyday driving) and the CLS550 - VERY different cars - but i really like aspects of them both. I considered another Audi S4, but wanted a change (been driving my good ol' S4 for 10 years now). decisions, decisions.....