My Early Impressions -- C43
04-16-2019, 09:44 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
My Early Impressions -- C43
Still very early with my ownership experience (one week) but wanted to provide my early read on the car:
Likes
- perfect size for me...not too big, not too small
- beautiful interior...especially after coming from some pretty boring BMW interiors
- power - much more than I thought when I bought it...it definitely feels like a low 4s 0-60 car
- duality -- drove in pretty bad traffic this morning so just stuck it in comfort and went on my way
- exhaust sound -- it is incredible, it reminded me how much the sound of the car adds to the experience (for reference, my last car was a 2016 M4...great car, but sounded terrible)
- sleeper looks -- I have gotten a couple of thumbs up but most people think it is just a nice C series Mercedes
Dislikes
- still getting used to the stalk mounted shifter...
- no Apple carplay...I thought it came standard but my mistake
Overall, just a great car...looking forward to many more miles!!
Likes
- perfect size for me...not too big, not too small
- beautiful interior...especially after coming from some pretty boring BMW interiors
- power - much more than I thought when I bought it...it definitely feels like a low 4s 0-60 car
- duality -- drove in pretty bad traffic this morning so just stuck it in comfort and went on my way
- exhaust sound -- it is incredible, it reminded me how much the sound of the car adds to the experience (for reference, my last car was a 2016 M4...great car, but sounded terrible)
- sleeper looks -- I have gotten a couple of thumbs up but most people think it is just a nice C series Mercedes
Dislikes
- still getting used to the stalk mounted shifter...
- no Apple carplay...I thought it came standard but my mistake
Overall, just a great car...looking forward to many more miles!!
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Aasif (04-16-2019)
04-16-2019, 01:26 PM
#5
i daily drive a tacoma. which has a standard shifter. after having the mercedes for 3 months now, driving it 3-4 times a week, i still get in the tacoma and reach for the steering column area and just grab the nearest lever...... its frigging annoying.
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Aasif (04-16-2019)
04-16-2019, 02:58 PM
#6
Junior Member
Thread Starter
I really liked the M4...it was my third M car in a row. It was a 6spd manual and it got old real quick having to row the gears in bad Dallas traffic. The M4 was faster than my C43, but not by much...I don't track my cars so didn't feel the need to get into a more powerful car.
PS I am Canadian (from Toronto), been living in Dallas for the last several years.
PS I am Canadian (from Toronto), been living in Dallas for the last several years.
04-16-2019, 03:00 PM
#7
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Not to hijack his thread, but I've owned a 2009 335i (Dinan Stage 3), 2011 M3 (stock), 2013 M5 (Dinan Stage 1), 2015 M4 (ESS Stage 1), 2018 S5 (stock and was basically a lemon), and now own a 2018 C43 (stock). I can tell you that the power isn't close between the M4/M5 and the C43. I do *very* much miss the power and the Dinan upgrade isn't really an option because I leased this one. From a stop, it's not as noticeable because I always used to have to feather the gas given the loads of torque and RWD on those cars, whereas I can floor it in the C43. But I miss being able to floor it at any speed and have intense acceleration. Only the S5 on my list was slower than the C43 from a roll.
That said, the C43 has a nicer interior than all but the M5 (though I did prefer the S5's soft leather to the C43's). And the Burmester in the C43 isn't great, but it's better than the sound system in all but the M5 where the B&O was amazing. And the exhaust sound of the C43 easily beats all but the M5.
Despite the pros and cons, for daily driving it almost doesn't matter. Any of those cars are "fast enough" to get to and from work if you live in a mid-sized or greater city, and the cost savings on the C43 are quite substantial. It's a fantastic blend of power/luxury/sound/handling/affordability. I probably will go back to M with my next car, but this car has given me tremendous respect for AMG.
That said, the C43 has a nicer interior than all but the M5 (though I did prefer the S5's soft leather to the C43's). And the Burmester in the C43 isn't great, but it's better than the sound system in all but the M5 where the B&O was amazing. And the exhaust sound of the C43 easily beats all but the M5.
Despite the pros and cons, for daily driving it almost doesn't matter. Any of those cars are "fast enough" to get to and from work if you live in a mid-sized or greater city, and the cost savings on the C43 are quite substantial. It's a fantastic blend of power/luxury/sound/handling/affordability. I probably will go back to M with my next car, but this car has given me tremendous respect for AMG.
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Synarchist (04-17-2019)
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04-16-2019, 03:02 PM
#8
Junior Member
Thread Starter
I don't think they are that comparable (I think the C63 is the more direct M3/M4 competitor?)...having said that, I would say my M4 was more raw, while the Mercedes is more civilized. At the track it would not be a contest, but for daily driving they are pretty similar in terms of power.
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Aasif (04-16-2019)
04-16-2019, 05:29 PM
#10
Senior Member
I owned a 2013 328i xdrive sedan and going from that to my 2019 C43 coupe has been quite the treat I must say. Now I know its obviously a step up but Id still like to point out the follwing:
The interior is leagues better (even the new top of the range BMW 8 series has a boring and plain interior compared to my car, specially with the carbon trim I got). The turbo lag was very noticeable in my BMW but pretty much non-existent in the C43 (again Im aware its going from an inline 4 to a V6). The exterior styling also clearly goes to the Merc, new BMW's look very boring to me. Really impressed with the sound, AMG are just the masters at making nice rumbling exhausts and BMW needs to take note with their shameful fake noise pumping through the speakers on the interior of the car (even with M cars). The one thing I thought I would miss was the handling since beamers are supposed to be kings in that regard; but the C43 has been very fun to handle and Im thoroughly enjoying the car. Completely agree on the stalk mounted shifter, took me a while to get used to but Ive finally got the hang of it now I think. Lastly, the 360 birds-eye camera is making me very complacent and I don't think I can go to another car without it going forward!
The interior is leagues better (even the new top of the range BMW 8 series has a boring and plain interior compared to my car, specially with the carbon trim I got). The turbo lag was very noticeable in my BMW but pretty much non-existent in the C43 (again Im aware its going from an inline 4 to a V6). The exterior styling also clearly goes to the Merc, new BMW's look very boring to me. Really impressed with the sound, AMG are just the masters at making nice rumbling exhausts and BMW needs to take note with their shameful fake noise pumping through the speakers on the interior of the car (even with M cars). The one thing I thought I would miss was the handling since beamers are supposed to be kings in that regard; but the C43 has been very fun to handle and Im thoroughly enjoying the car. Completely agree on the stalk mounted shifter, took me a while to get used to but Ive finally got the hang of it now I think. Lastly, the 360 birds-eye camera is making me very complacent and I don't think I can go to another car without it going forward!
Last edited by 3.Pointed.Czar; 04-16-2019 at 05:39 PM.
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Aasif (04-16-2019)
04-16-2019, 10:00 PM
#11
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GLC43, X P100D, S P100D, CT200H
Still very early with my ownership experience (one week) but wanted to provide my early read on the car:
Likes
- perfect size for me...not too big, not too small
- beautiful interior...especially after coming from some pretty boring BMW interiors
- power - much more than I thought when I bought it...it definitely feels like a low 4s 0-60 car
- duality -- drove in pretty bad traffic this morning so just stuck it in comfort and went on my way
- exhaust sound -- it is incredible, it reminded me how much the sound of the car adds to the experience (for reference, my last car was a 2016 M4...great car, but sounded terrible)
- sleeper looks -- I have gotten a couple of thumbs up but most people think it is just a nice C series Mercedes
Dislikes
- still getting used to the stalk mounted shifter...
- no Apple carplay...I thought it came standard but my mistake
Overall, just a great car...looking forward to many more miles!!
Likes
- perfect size for me...not too big, not too small
- beautiful interior...especially after coming from some pretty boring BMW interiors
- power - much more than I thought when I bought it...it definitely feels like a low 4s 0-60 car
- duality -- drove in pretty bad traffic this morning so just stuck it in comfort and went on my way
- exhaust sound -- it is incredible, it reminded me how much the sound of the car adds to the experience (for reference, my last car was a 2016 M4...great car, but sounded terrible)
- sleeper looks -- I have gotten a couple of thumbs up but most people think it is just a nice C series Mercedes
Dislikes
- still getting used to the stalk mounted shifter...
- no Apple carplay...I thought it came standard but my mistake
Overall, just a great car...looking forward to many more miles!!
04-16-2019, 11:41 PM
#12
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2019 C63CS
04-17-2019, 07:47 AM
#13
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Thread Starter
04-17-2019, 02:03 PM
#16
04-17-2019, 04:02 PM
#17
Super Member
I was very unimpressed with the 2019 S4 test drive in terms of performance. Loads of lag and never felt all that fast.
However each car is in the $60-70k range, well equipped, so that makes it a reasonable market comparison
04-17-2019, 04:09 PM
#18
Comparative to the current "on the lot" models, yes. The Outgoing F30 340i is outdated but the new G20 M340 will give the facelifted C43 a serious run.
I was very unimpressed with the 2019 S4 test drive in terms of performance. Loads of lag and never felt all that fast.
However each car is in the $60-70k range, well equipped, so that makes it a reasonable market comparison
I was very unimpressed with the 2019 S4 test drive in terms of performance. Loads of lag and never felt all that fast.
However each car is in the $60-70k range, well equipped, so that makes it a reasonable market comparison
04-17-2019, 04:33 PM
#19
Junior Member
Thread Starter
I sat inside the new G20 at my local BMW dealership and they made a huge leap with the interior...much more modern with more tech. It was about time, the previous gen 3 series was getting really dated, especially the interior.
05-18-2019, 12:16 PM
#20
I really liked the M4...it was my third M car in a row. It was a 6spd manual and it got old real quick having to row the gears in bad Dallas traffic. The M4 was faster than my C43, but not by much...I don't track my cars so didn't feel the need to get into a more powerful car.
PS I am Canadian (from Toronto), been living in Dallas for the last several years.
PS I am Canadian (from Toronto), been living in Dallas for the last several years.
Good info! I also came from an M4, but chose to stick with BMW and got an M340i.... M4 is more raw\brutal in acceleration, as it should be... But the C43\M340i, have more than enough power for daily driving, and also feel more comfortable!
But, same as you.. I plan to return to a full M after the lease is up!
Last edited by BigSky702; 05-18-2019 at 12:28 PM.
