AnthonyWC

I am wondering if the C43 (coupe version) is too harsh a ride to have a baby onboard? Me and the wife probably want to have a baby within 2 years so I wonder if I should instead consider the C300 coupe instead; would like to see if anyone who has a C43 and a baby can share their experience.

zibby43

I’ve had a 2019 C300 loaner the past week, and there is almost no difference in ride quality between the C300 and my ‘18 C43 when both are in Comfort mode.

The C43 is nowhere close to the stiffness of my old W204 C63. That car was firm all the time.

The 2019 cars seem to have better damping, in general, and I don’t think you’ll have any trouble whatsoever unless the roads you’ll be commuting on are in absolute shambles.

RichardCranium3

I know I'm off topic, but why on Earth would you want to squeeze a car seat in and out of a coupe? What's the aversion to the sedan? Temporarily had to live the coupe car seat life years ago while my niece stayed with us when my brother and his wife were on vacation. You will regret this decision and your wife will hold it against you!

zibby43

+1 to this.

Coupe is doable, but accessing the car seat on a daily basis would be much, much easier in the sedan.

PFEAMG

I have a coupe and I don’t think I would want it if I had to put a baby in the back. It’s certainly doable but a PITA to access.
Regarding the c300 vs c43, I would ask your dealer to let you test both of them. You can also compare the sedan and coupe while you’re there.

Tuxdude

Another +1 here. It's doable but not something you would want to do everyday, even if you do not plan to remove/place the car seat often but just move your baby to and from the car seat.

I've seen most people who have a Coupe and a family with kids have a second car they use for transporting their kids or other family members. That could be another option if you're particular on the Coupe.

Tirgoman

Get a C43 sedan and have the best of both worlds.people are always looking at mine.

jonathan358

Go with the C300, the C43 isn't all that powerful. It is more sound than anything, don't know if the wife and baby would enjoy that.

As others have said, the suspension in Comfort mode and with 18" tires is bearable. But that is not what the C43 is meant for. I find that with dampers on the lowest settings, the car is too floaty (in a bad way; feels improperly tuned) and it has to be in setting #2 to have any actual damping effect.

19" wheels will be quite harsh, not as bad as an M car but not pleasant.

Above all, the darty characteristic of the C43 is not the best for a smooth ride, the gear shifts are very rough and abrupt. When you get the infamous bunny-hopping, you will scare a turd outta your child inevitably.

Also, you do not want a coupe if you plan on using a baby seat in the back. 100%.

waisoserious

you shouldnt consider a coupe at all and get the sedan or a wagon lmao

RichardCranium3

S205 C43 if your outside of North America. Keep long roofs alive!

Star4life

do you own a c43? isnt all that powerful? thats laughable. it does 4.2 0-60 stock. with a basic jb4 tune 3.6 0-60 is had all day. better brakes and suspension than c300. so i deem it safer with plenty of power.

+1, get the c43 sedan with the 18" wheels if you have a baby coming one day. change out the runflats and keep it in comfort or eco with baby. its plenty smooth. you wont get bunnyhopping trans if you keep in comfort or eco which always starts in 2nd gear. people that complain about the bunny hopping trans dont know how gear ratios work. 1st gear is for hauling a$$, not for driving around town with your kid in the car. My kid will be here in 5 months and I am glad I got the c43 sedan, AWD too. us dads can still have fun in a 4 door. plus when you are alone (of course), its fun to take all those coupes and sports cars from a dig with our AWD and see the look on their faces. people dont expect family sedans to be fast, so when you burn them its extra special.

jonathan358

Yes, I own a C43. It has a good 0-60 but it doesn't have that **** your pants feel like the C63 or equivalent. Even an Infiniti red sport is more powerful...

And I am an automotive engineer, I know my gears. Comfort mode occasionally goes into 1st gear under specific circumstances and I have had the bunny hopping in 2nd gear too. It is not all driver induced either, badly programmed trans that does not allow for linear/gradual application. People say you need to "commit" when in 1st gear and apply full throttle but you should never do that anyway. But, I digress.

All I am saying is the transmission is too jerky as a family car amongst other reasons.

AMGiggity

I agree with you on transmission, it's **** poor design. Regarding power, yes it is nothing like C63 but no way you can compare it to C300. I had a C300 loaner for a couple of days and the difference was beyond night and day. All in all it is relative.

zibby43

I tend to agree with some of your points, except the one about the transmission. It may not be perfectly programmed, but the M-DCT behaves identically when giving minor throttle inputs in aggressive settings at low speeds.

My ‘18 C43 has been in the shop for a while and I’ve had a ‘19 C300 loaner in the meantime. I could easily live with the C300. It’s slower, but the rest of the car doesn’t feel much different under normal driving conditions, except both the transmission and the suspension are better sorted on the C300.

waisoserious

bro you should sell your car, better yet give it away. you car is clearly trash!










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Not to sound like an insecure 43 owner, but your above statement and original statement are just ridiculous and make absolutely no sense even within their own context. Regardless of vehicle.
I think you do not understand basic math concepts.

C300 = 245hp
C43 = 362hp

362-245 = 117hp

117/245 = 47.8%

C43 is nearly 50% more hp than C300 and does 4.0-4.5 secs to 60 stock

But "not that powerful" compared to C300 because a "redsport has more power" when a redsport has a lesser hp difference compared to c43 than a c43 does compared to c300. While both the redsport and the c43 accelerate at the same speed and figures.

"car is only good 0-60". you mean the car is fast were you spend 90% of your time?

I would like to see proof that you are an automotive engineer. Actually I would like to see proof that you are even over 14yrs old.

jonathan358

Lol, calm down. Just my 2c.

I guess I made a mistake paying too high of a premium for the C43 to have all the options when I should have kept it closer to the base price where this car really shines in terms of performance-power.

Say what you want but I don't like the car that much. It is nowhere near a true sports car, not a great GT either due to its jerky nature.

OP take what you want from my comments, I just think a C300 will suffice until you move onto something bigger and better...

RichardCranium3

Could’ve just lead with this...

waisoserious

lmao ok bro

alexasa

iTrader: (1)

he's life is over - might as well enjoy a car while he can. lol

Clint Westwood

If you're an automotive engineer then you should know US and Japanese manf use SAE and Europe uses EEC for hp measurement. If you want to compare you have to take about 80hp off the SAE number. I test drove the red sport, it's no where near as peppy as a C43. Not to mention is has a cheap interior and is not in the same league as MB in refinement.

shteef

I went from a C250(C300 in Australia) to C43, both 205 generation. C43 is an all together faster car, anyone who says differently really doesn't know how to get the best out of a car. However, back to the OP's question, either would be fine, just don't hoon with the baby on board. You will certainly regret getting a coupe though, baby seat in the back will drive you nuts and the wife will hate it!. I too an automotive engineer, though I design emergency response vehicles(ambulances etc), which gives no relevance to my opinions on performance cars. Being an automotive engineer doesn't make you a racing driver, nor lend weight to your arguments about which car is quicker than another, unless that's your speciality. If it were your speciality, you probably wouldn't have made such daft comments, which only go to weaken your argument.

sieglo

Minivan is only real solution.

JonWu

I have a baby and a c43 sedan. I have no issues with ride quality for the baby, and he most often sleeps during my driving in the back. If you are concerned, you can even use the slippery mode, which makes the gear transitions much smoother, although not necessary. I would get the C43 since there is no point in not getting it just because you are concerned about ride quality for your baby.

xX G Xx

Me exactly few months after my first born! LOL. Life's over might as well get a car to enjoy~

I do drive the coupe alone most of the time. Took the family on a few road trips. It was fine. The kid loves the zipping and vroooming. Wouldn't want to go in and out with a kid on a daily, or even weekly, routine tho. Fu*king back breaker.

Tuxdude

Are you referring to metric hp (i.e. 80/1269/EEC) vs imperial hp (i.e. SAE J1349)? 1 PS = 0.986 bhp

C43 has 385 bhp (i.e. 390 PS) whereas Infinity Q50 Red Sport has 400 bhp (i.e. 406 PS). I agree C43 is a better car overall, but at least as per the specs, Q50 Red Sport has more peak horsepower than the C43. The torque curves and range of RPMs where the peak horsepower is available could very well differ between the two.