mgparr

Hello all,

I'm a new member that is considering jumping from a BMW 340i to a C43 sedan. I have a dealership that is near me with a leftover 2018 and I've been trying to figure out if I should take that car at a significant discount or try and acquire a 2019. I've been researching like mad trying to answer a few questions. I'm hoping you guys are willing to help a potential mercedes convert.

1.) I've read that the 2018s don't have android auto if they have the multimedia pack installed. Was this fixed at any point for the 2018 model year? The 2018 I'm looking at has the multimedia pack and android auto is pretty important to me.
2.) Do the 2019s have this same limitation?
3.) If so, and I don't have multimedia pack, what else would I be losing? It looks like with the 2019s you have the same screen with our without multimedia? I'd use android auto for waze for navigation anyway.
4.) Is there any difference in chassis / suspension setup between the 2018s and 2019s or the sedan to the coupe? I ask as the 2018 sedan I drove felt different than the 2019 coupe I drove. The 2019 coupe had a stiffer / rougher ride. Neither dealership in my city has a 2019 sedan for direct comparison.
5.) The 2019 coupe I drove had some interesting transmission behavior that I didn't notice in the 2018 sedan. Shifts felt a lot more harsh regardless of mode (although less so in comfort than sport or sport+). Are all 2019s like this or just a bad apple?
6.) Lastly, can anyone recommend dealers in the southeast that are aggressive and easy to work with? I'm based in Florida but have leased from out of state and I'm willing to do it again. Dealers local to me have been difficult to work with and are not aggressive on 2019s at all. One tried to hand me a 1200 a month payment on a pretty loaded C43 (72K) last night. I like the car a lot but not enough to overpay for it. Hopefully this doesn't offend anyone but, AMG badge or not, it needs to fall in line with 340i and S4 pricing to make sense to me. 1200 a month buys so very upmarket cars from the C43.

Thanks very much in advance. I know this is a pretty long list of question. i did my best to search and my apologies if I missed an easy to find topic that addresses one or all of them.

MGP

alexasa

iTrader: (1)

Mercedes Benz of Tampa gives me great deals.

mgparr

Thanks. I will check them out.

Tirgoman

My 2019 C43 Sedan rides fairly firm, there are multiple suspension settings on the car but even Comfort is fairly firm, this is exaggerated by the runflat tires that come on them, the stiffer sidewalls make then ride firmer. Now for me I love it, hate a mushy ride.
As for Android auto, I don't use it, can't stand the having to plug in the phone when I get in and then un-plug when I get out. I loaded a thousand songs onto a USB stick and plugged it into the console for music. I also hate Sirius XM, nothing but thieves. I got the MB SD card Nav instead of the full multi-media and it works great.
The transmission is programmed to 'imitate' a dual clutch transmission. I had one in my previous GLA45 AMG and I love it. Had it in Porsches and loved it. Closest thing to a manual and shift faster than any human can. Used by Porsche and others. Unfortunately the C43 comes with a true automatic but in today's world of electronics the black boxes are programmed to make it feel like a dual clutch transmission. I love the direct feel of the transmission, yes you feel the fast positive shifts and it's responsive. I also know there are those that don't like the feel. Can't figure out why they'd want a C43 but who knows. I'd say get the dealer to loan you a car and test drive it for an afternoon and if you like it great and if you don't you need to move on. I don't think the coupes and sedans are any different.
As for the lease, $1200 is crazy, I think mine is 7 somethings all in for 36 months.

DVision44

I bought my 18 from Mercedes Miami and had it shipped up to my place in NJ . Can't tell you what kind of deal you can get but they always have a large inventory.

SirJmon

The 2019 is better in everyway. Also, keep in mind whether the cars you are comparing have the same tire size. 19 inch wheels will seem rougher than 18’s. And from everything I’ve read and seen, the pre-face lifts are more rough than the new 2019s

Csandoval1988

I will cosign this. They gave me a steal on my c450

mgparr

Thanks very much for the replies guys. The information / input is very much appreciated.

Can anyone speak directly to what the car is like without multimedia pack? I'm worried about limited media functionality without the touch controller. Are you able to do everything with the dial that you otherwise could do without the touch controller from the media pack?

mwike

I don't have the multimedia. I don't really know what you mean "without the touch controller". Probably my ignorance. But anyway, I use Apple CarPlay and have no problems at all. I wanted the CarPlay over the MB nav.

Keep in mind that all I really use from a technology standpoint in the car is CarPlay, two or three radio stations and bluetooth phone.

My wife's MB has nav & doesn't have CarPlay. We both like mine much better. We also like using the phone voice commands vs the MB voice commands.

Tirgoman

If you like trying swipe with your finger you'll want the touch pad and pay almost $3000 for the multimedia. Or just twirl the knob without it. I've had both and did not get multimedia, got the MB SD Nav instead, don't miss the touchpad. You can use the Command knob or the voice commands. Tell it "next track" on music or twirl the knob, works either way. Try out both at the dealer.

sieglo

I've had a 2018 and a 2019. The big difference is in the multimedia and virtual cockpit. The center screen in the 2019 is much nicer, and the UX looks much more modern. The back end of the 19 looks a lot cooler. Although the 18 looks like a mini-S class, which also isn't bad. There really isn't a huge difference in handling or performance -- in my opinion. Although for some reason the 2019 has much more intrusive traction control that almost acts like a fuel cutoff if the wheels slip the slightest bit -- even if you're in sport traction mode.