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I paid MSRP and nitro was the only required add on. I got huge discounts on wheel + tire and prepaid maintenance. I got hooked up tho - I never paid a deposit for example.
The sticker for breaking in is identical to the one that was in my A35. I obviously played with it a bit today, I won't be perfect but I'll be generally conservative until 1k I guess.
Ok all, thanks for being patient, my day was such a whirlwind. Here's my write-up for you. Up front, my last 3 cars were a 2016 S3, 2018 S4, and 2020 A35, just for when I speak about things relative to them:
1. This car is loud, even at idle in Comfort. It's much louder than my A35 was which really caught me off guard.
2. The engine is smoother than I thought it would be and the throttle response is remarkable. The turbo's effect on lag is noticeable but I wouldn't call it magic.
3. The transmission is far smoother than my A35's DCT was so I'm not sure what all the *****ing was about - it's fast too. You can relax about the transmission!
4. The car accelerates more like my S4 did than my S3/A35 - it isn't dramatic but then I look and I'm going 100 in the blink of an eye. But it's NOT boring like the S4 was - it has a soul and is playful. I'm not concerned about acceleration times in this car.
5. It's heavy but still nimble which is cool. I can tell it's bigger than my A35 but it's much more light on its toes than my S4.
6, The ride is definitely sporty but far more refined than my A35. It's a bit more firm than the S4 but the impacts are neither flinty nor unrefined. It's perfect for me!
7. The interior is as nice as you hope - the plastic by my knees is definitely hard plastic which is disappointing but not a big deal. The touch controls suck. I turned on the seat heater 5 times while trying to save my seating position to memory.
8. The base seats are incredible. Far more comfortable than my previous cars and have aggressive bolstering that I dig.
9. The base speakers (I skipped Pinnacle) are disappointing - I'll spend some more time tweaking them but they might suck.
10. The back seat is kid approved even with a rear-facing seat. My wife approved of it too.
11. The regular headlights do not look bad or cheap at all and I feel much less regret about passing on Digital Light.
12. Like my A35, my two favorite things are the steering wheel and the exhaust sound. Yes, the exhaust sound is a resounding A+ for me. I'll try to get better videos for you on the exhaust.
13. Haven't been able to get Mercedes Me Connect to set up. Think there was some sort of outage with Netstar or something they said (somehow that impacts it) and it still wasn't working even a couple hours ago. Can't comment on the connected services as a result. Not a fan of T-Mobile being the carrier as I work for AT&T and know that T-Mobile's coverage = garbage. I will investigate whether or not the SIM is locked.
14. I'll get an ambient lighting pic shortly - remember, no Pinnacle here.
That's all I got for now - let me know what else you guys want to know!
Amazing, thanks for sharing your impressions! Please enjoy your car in good health!
I paid MSRP and nitro was the only required add on. I got huge discounts on wheel + tire and prepaid maintenance. I got hooked up tho - I never paid a deposit for example.
The sticker for breaking in is identical to the one that was in my A35. I obviously played with it a bit today, I won't be perfect but I'll be generally conservative until 1k I guess.
Ambient lights still looks very nice without Pinnacle, thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks for confirming the transmission was smooth, making us relieved there are nothing to be worried about after reading numerous reviews of transmission complaining.
That really helps. Sorry to hear about the speakers being trash that was a common compliant in the regular W206 sub-forum, still hoping it is better than the base speakers of the W205 though but you didn't have a W205 so can't compare that way, what do you think of the speakers to your old A35?
Does your vehicle have the real performance sound optioned?
Nice to hear the ride is comfortable as C 43 s are known to have harsh ride, the W205 facelift improved it but it is still less than ideal.
Looking forward to follow up reviews, again thanks for posting your initial impressions.
Forum member Alexasa, quick question for you, curious if you don't mind, may I ask when is your delivery as well for your build? Looking forward to your impressions too. Thanks.
Forum member wetwillycf, that got me curious, will you be swapping the hood badge with the Affalterbach one, most of us here discussed about it for our W206 C 43 and I think it will look good and it is very appropriate given that the engine is hand-built.
I just noticed you mentioned you paid MSRP (good for you!) and paid Nitro, how much was that and that got me curious how much difference did Nitro make compared to conventional air?
what’s the spec on this car? Does it have the advanced bucket seats?
im so confused on why the outer leather is not nappa but it looks to be the grainy cheap mb-Tex?
Originally Posted by W205C43PFL
Those look like the base performance seats to me, not the advanced one like the one with the leather. I could be wrong though.
Guys,
leather seats = advanced
Microfiber/alcantara = base performance seats
Can't comment on potentially MB tex used for portions but there is that same leather graininess elsewhere on the front of the seat if you look for it. It's very possible they use MB tex on portions however.
Forum member Alexasa, quick question for you, curious if you don't mind, may I ask when is your delivery as well for your build? Looking forward to your impressions too. Thanks.
If I can get it tomorrow I will. Otherwise I will be waiting until the 10th - either way I won't really have a ton of impressions cause I will literally be away from the car until the 10th
I should have pictures from SA either way that I can post. As will a ton of members here starting next week.
If I can get it tomorrow I will. Otherwise I will be waiting until the 10th - either way I won't really have a ton of impressions cause I will literally be away from the car until the 10th
I should have pictures from SA either way that I can post. As will a ton of members here starting next week.
I see, sounds good, looking forward to those pictures!
Guys,
leather seats = advanced
Microfiber/alcantara = base performance seats
Can't comment on potentially MB tex used for portions but there is that same leather graininess elsewhere on the front of the seat if you look for it. It's very possible they use MB tex on portions however.
Interesting decision by MB, thanks for pointing it out will never notice that myself.
Yeah almost hard to watch. Havent seen him review a car with that many complaints from him. Makes me sad and confused.
He had similar complaint with the W206 C 300, he dislike the rear end, he hates the fake engine sound and rather drive in comfort (I mean in that vehicle, comfort was the way to go anyways), so basically he is just not a fan of this generation so he is probably hating it a lot because of that. I am just thankful to hear that folks in the States taking delivery like forum member wetwillycf have a positive experience with the sound, the acceleration, drive, comfort, features, transmission smoothness, etc. making me look forward to seeing this one in person.
Guys,
leather seats = advanced
Microfiber/alcantara = base performance seats
Can't comment on potentially MB tex used for portions but there is that same leather graininess elsewhere on the front of the seat if you look for it. It's very possible they use MB tex on portions however.
The only thing that confuses me is that ***** has the alcantara seats but his leather is nappa and looks like nappa.
the perf seats that were posted (the ones I am commenting on) have the black leather/red stitch option but the leather used looks super grainy and looks like cheap leather. It makes no sense.
I looked at videos of other cars and they all have the nappa look, the only ones they don’t are the US spec ones
The only thing that confuses me is that ***** has the alcantara seats but his leather is nappa and looks like nappa.
the perf seats that were posted (the ones I am commenting on) have the black leather/red stitch option but the leather used looks super grainy and looks like cheap leather. It makes no sense.
I looked at videos of other cars and they all have the nappa look, the only ones they don’t are the US spec ones
Interesting, I also noticed that for some reason the Affalterbach logo is not on the seats either, I wonder if it was regional decision?
The only thing that confuses me is that ***** has the alcantara seats but his leather is nappa and looks like nappa.
the perf seats that were posted (the ones I am commenting on) have the black leather/red stitch option but the leather used looks super grainy and looks like cheap leather. It makes no sense.
I looked at videos of other cars and they all have the nappa look, the only ones they don’t are the US spec ones
So you think from this one photo that the exterior bolsters and headrest look more like nappa than the full nappa advanced performance seats?
***** should technically have mb tex - so maybe mb tex is smoother and nicer than the nappa.. lol
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