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So hate may be a strong word, but I've had my C63S for a little over a month, just finished the 1,000 mile break-in, and wanted to air my grievances with the car for all to enjoy, because griping about things you can't change is cathartic. This is my attempt at a light hearted review of some of the issues with the car, and while none of them take away from the greater package of the beast that is the C63S, many of them are major frustrations and show a general lack of effort on MB's part to give us a polished finished product. So here they are, in no particular order:
First - The 9 speed transmission shifts like a mac truck under normal acceleration from a stop while in Comfort Mode. We're talking running through 3-4 gears before you're through the intersection. I'm in 7th gear by the time I hit 35mph. I know it's done for fuel economy, and it's pretty fluid, but man does it run through those gears quick.
Second - the user interface is a train wreck in some situations. There are 3 independent ways to navigate the main menu - the small touch pad on the steering wheel, the dial, and the touch pad right above the dial wheel, plus a multitude of fixed buttons on the center console for things like exhaust and dynamic, though those are duplicated by the new steering wheel buttons. But on top of that, there's no consistency between them. For example, on the steering wheel, the "Home" button is to the left and the back button to the right, but on the center console it's reversed with home on the right and back on the left. What possible reason would there be to flip this?
On the steering wheel - Home on Left.
Center console - Home on Right because... you know... reasons? Also, pardon the messy interior, the pollen has been absurd...
In addition, the dial isn't even consistent. For the majority of the menus turning the dial clockwise goes right or down, and counter/anit-clockwise goes left/up. But go into the menu to change interior color and now we're in opposite world, and clockwise moves up the list because again - why the hell should we expect a $80-90,000 car to work right? In the map menu it's the same thing - when you're turning a screw, you turn it clockwise to drive it down but turning clockwise zooms the map out (and your little zoom indicator goes up the bar on the right) - this is totally non-intuitive. I know AMG focuses a lot on their engines but someone should be doing a little QC with the UI.
Clockwise goes up now, because colors are fun like that.
Screw in, zoom out...
Third - The glove box is designed to get stuck. Look at the photo below, when you open the compartment there's a little shelf space that forms below the glove box, between the door and the actual compartment. Stuff loves to fall out, like any pens or EZ-Pass transponder or small documents you had in there. And then you try to close it and NOPE, joke's on you., because something's wedged in there. Then you have to fish out whatever fell in there. It's frustrating.
Fourth - Having 3 memory seat options is awesome. Having a seat that you can adjust in 7-dozen different directions is great. Why do I have to hold down the #1 button if I want to go to seating position #1? Why can't I just push the button once and have it go to that position? Is there ever a time when someone only wants to go part-way to the pre-saved position? We have auto-windows and auto-sun roof and all kinds of 1-touch, but not on the memory seat, and I can't think of any reason why it would be that way.
Press and hold!
Fifth - I've complained about this before and it just seems dumb. The menu interface for Nav and Radio and everything else - they're great. Why isn't there a graphical interface for the climate control? MB clearly isn't afraid of having static buttons to duplicate options that you could otherwise get to from COMMAND, so why now? The only thing I get, if I hit the "Menu" button, is the below screen that shows up for around 4-5 seconds and then goes away. Give me an option to see everything and adjust it with the COMMAND interface (all 3 of them) - though knowing my luck, it'd probably be one of the menu options where everything is reversed, just to spite me.
Look quick, the menu option is about to disappear before your eyes!
Sixth - with all the customizable options in the car, you can't adjust the navigation options on the digital insturment cluster. You want 2d vs 3d, or zoomed in vs zoomed out - too bad. Personally, when I'm running Nav, I like the center dash display to give me a zoomed out top-down, north-up overview so I can see what's coming. I prefer the display in the instrument cluster to be a 3d vehicle-up zoomed in view, so I can see my immediate next turns. Audi has this figured out, letting the user choose how they configure each of the Nav displays (even with the HUD) but MB doesn't want us to have that much say in our configuration, apparently.
What you see is what you get, no options for you.
Seventh - This has been a sore subject for many people, for many years, and MB simply doesn't give a rip. Why in the name of all that is sacred do they not have a remote start feature from the key fob? The most basic model of junk *** car you can get at the Thrifty Car Rental has remote start. But for a luxury performance vehicle - no way. Sure, I can pull out my phone, open the MB app, select the "Remote Start" option, ask the phone very nicely to ask the car to turn on, and then wait with my fingers crossed to see if it actually does. If it works half the time I'm doing good. What a monumental pain in the *** for something so simple. And while I'm piling it on - in the event the car DOES turn on, it runs the previous climate control settings. My 6 year old pick up truck is smart enough to recognize that if it's cold outside, it should turn on the heated seats and heater, and if it's hot outside, it should turn on the ventilated seats and AC. Maybe they don't have the season of Spring and Fall in Germany, with hot days and cold nights, or situations where the last temperature setting isn't ideal for the next time you start it up. Figure your **** out, MB - that big star in the middle would make a great remote start button.
Useless...
Eighth - Now I'm just being nit-picky, but the proximity sensors on this thing are ridiculously sensitive. When I'm pulling in to my garage the alarms go off like I'm in the sonar room of the Red October! I'm nowhere near close hitting the sides, but my car thinks I'm about to just go medieval on my body panels. I've had the same thing happen when I'm in bumper-to-bumper slow traffic on the freeway, AKA every day in the Washington DC area. Nothing to startle you like sudden alarm bells going off in the car because someone is driving in the next lane over.
Prepare for impact!!
Lastly, and this bothers me only because I can't figure it out... for some reason my front right tire is always around 10-20* warmer than the others (Fahrenheit for the rest of the world, sorry). Pressures are all good, and I don't think the alignment is off unless it came that way from the factory (AKA, haven't hit any big pot holes) but for some reason that one tire just needs to be a little extra compared to the rest.
Toasty.
So, in conclusion - the car is spectacular. It runs great, it drives great, it turns heads, and it puts a smile on my face every damn time I drive it. If it weren't for how perfect the rest of the car is, these things wouldn't be that noticeable. But at the price point and market-segment this car is trying to live in, some of these issues are outright inexcusable from MB and reflect a failure during the design, engineering, and QC testing phase of their operations. I'm still happy with the car, no question there. But if MB ever wants to hire someone to function test their cars before they go to market and identify some glaring issues they seem to have missed - give me a call.
-Kevin
Last edited by bob_ham; 04-28-2019 at 12:27 PM.
Reason: Typos
All seem to be minor details and perhaps based on differences in opinion, too. Couple of thoughts. Short shifting the transmission is not just done for fuel economy, but also for comfort. This machine has a lot of torque. There's no need to stay in gears longer if one is just doodling around. Regarding the Home/Back button, not sure why it's reverse on the steering wheel, but one idea that came to mind is that the Back button is probably used more frequently than the Home button. Placing it on the right on the steering wheel puts it closer to your thumb, so quicker to reach and on the center console it's closer to your index finger. The scroll wheel direction is something that comes up with other manufactures as well. Some people think it should be one way, and others disagree. Zooming the map is probably done better using pinch and zoom on the touchpad anyway.
Good point on the torque, definitely another valid reason.
The theory on the buttons is reasonable, but why not keep it consistent across platforms? Same with the scroll wheel - if one direction is up for most menu options, why not be up for all options, regardless of pinch and zoom. It be like if all the switches in your house are flip up to turn on, except one randomly is flip down for on... Just doesn't make sense.
Sorry, couldn’t be bothered to read it all but if it helps the pictures made me jealous of your 2019 vs my 2018 non facelift interior tech. Key envy also!
I agree not having the seat memory as a single touch operation is annoying , but I'm guessing its a safety issue . If someone unfamiliar with the car pushed another seat position and it went all the way without stopping ,they may end up being crushed into the steering wheel or too far away to reach anything .I cant imagine any other reason .
I think the 5th issue is for safety in regards to the memory seat function. If you have it one touch and it goes it could easily break something that has fallen under or on the side of the seat. At least you could stop it by taking pressure off the button. My BMW’s and Merc’s are the same way.
I think the 5th issue is for safety in regards to the memory seat function. If you have it one touch and it goes it could easily break something that has fallen under or on the side of the seat. At least you could stop it by taking pressure off the button. My BMW’s and Merc’s are the same way.
Maybe it's a EU requirement? I've been in a few American cars that will adjust on a single push. And they can all be cancelled by pushing any of the buttons while the seat is mid-motion. If you're the guy getting squished against the steering wheel or your phone is getting crushed because your seat is moving, you could just hit a button and stop it, same as releasing your finger. It may even have a pressure sensor, like when the seat is going back (in the Coupe) and hits someone's knees, it stops moving backwards.
I agree not having the seat memory as a single touch operation is annoying , but I'm guessing its a safety issue . If someone unfamiliar with the car pushed another seat position and it went all the way without stopping ,they may end up being crushed into the steering wheel or too far away to reach anything .I cant imagine any other reason .
My M4 automatically changes to the seating position when I open the door (and it's not in my keyed memory position already). Otherwise, I would have to hold the button down as well, if sitting in the car already. Yeah, does seem like a safety feature...
Interesting points, and this is where I would hope and expect a major 'luxury' brand like Mercedes would excel. But hey, no one is perfect. A couple of comments from me, in no particular order:
1) Seat memory buttons - yeah, dont like holding them, but hey, its the same on my wife's Chevy Malibu too. Pretty sure my most recent Porsche Cayenne was the same. Guess its for a reason, people messing with them?
2) Gearbox changes in C mode - I have the older model, so not the latest gearbox. But that shifts pretty badly in C mode too. I refuse to call it Comfort because its not! But its OK, just OK mind. Oddly, in Sport its smoother, just need to get use to starting off in 1st!
3) Key fob - Yeah, be pleased you dont have an older Aston, they just had Volvo ones! The older one is OK and well built, but didnt like the sticking out part, not nice.
4) In car entertainment stuff - its not great I know, but the older Merc system is way worse, its a major step up. I was struggling with it for a while until someone made a few comments - use short cuts and the voice recognition for the navigation is excellent. Once I did that, everything got a lot easier. Not sure if the new system has short cuts, but once I got it sorted, its great. The only thing I dont like about the older one is I cant customize the screen how I want it. I want the next turn to show on the screen! I am sure there is a setting hidden somewhere, but it doesnt. Have to switch the HUD to show it, which sucks.
5) User / hand interface - Yeah, dont use that crappy panel in any way. I got used to years of BMW and the i-Drive, so turning and pushing is fine for me. Nice and expensive hand rest....
6) Parking sensors - my car is very highly spec'ed but one thing it doesnt have is parking sensors.... grrrr... but the loaner E that I had a month ago was excellent. Cameras were great, sensors worked great. Over sensitive yes, but hey, think about the average driver!
But, and here is the big question - does your 2019 creak and rattle? ;-)
Interesting points, and this is where I would hope and expect a major 'luxury' brand like Mercedes would excel. But hey, no one is perfect. A couple of comments from me, in no particular order:
1) Seat memory buttons - yeah, dont like holding them, but hey, its the same on my wife's Chevy Malibu too. Pretty sure my most recent Porsche Cayenne was the same. Guess its for a reason, people messing with them?
2) Gearbox changes in C mode - I have the older model, so not the latest gearbox. But that shifts pretty badly in C mode too. I refuse to call it Comfort because its not! But its OK, just OK mind. Oddly, in Sport its smoother, just need to get use to starting off in 1st!
3) Key fob - Yeah, be pleased you dont have an older Aston, they just had Volvo ones! The older one is OK and well built, but didnt like the sticking out part, not nice.
4) In car entertainment stuff - its not great I know, but the older Merc system is way worse, its a major step up. I was struggling with it for a while until someone made a few comments - use short cuts and the voice recognition for the navigation is excellent. Once I did that, everything got a lot easier. Not sure if the new system has short cuts, but once I got it sorted, its great. The only thing I dont like about the older one is I cant customize the screen how I want it. I want the next turn to show on the screen! I am sure there is a setting hidden somewhere, but it doesnt. Have to switch the HUD to show it, which sucks.
5) User / hand interface - Yeah, dont use that crappy panel in any way. I got used to years of BMW and the i-Drive, so turning and pushing is fine for me. Nice and expensive hand rest....
6) Parking sensors - my car is very highly spec'ed but one thing it doesnt have is parking sensors.... grrrr... but the loaner E that I had a month ago was excellent. Cameras were great, sensors worked great. Over sensitive yes, but hey, think about the average driver!
But, and here is the big question - does your 2019 creak and rattle? ;-)
1 - Maybe I just lucked out that my F150 is a one-push... First world problems, I know.
2 - Yeah, much smoother in S than C, which is weird. I've had some really jerky shifts in C under very light acceleration. I just chalk it up to it being a performance vehicle first, not a comfort vehicle.
3 - It's a shame that they put all the effort into making a beautiful car and then forget the key and functionality. I do think the new AMG key is beautiful, just missing the remote start.
5 - Yup, expensive hand rest that sometimes I accidentally make selections with.
So far, no noticeable creaks or rattles. It does creak every start up as the exhaust flaps adjust, but otherwise it's quiet in that regard.
Of all the awesome updates to the interior, the one that makes me most jelaous is the updated lighting.
You are right. The interior ambiance is more pleasant especially at nighttime.
The digital instrument cluster, the new wide screen both with excellent resolution and of course the steering wheel,
really moves the C class forward.
In general you do get the benefit of the facelift where it matters most, and where
you will spend most of your time, the interior.
I am coming across improvements and refinements as I get to know the car.
Examples are
Multi beam blows the old intelligent lighting away.
It has a smoother and faster transition from main beam to dipped.
Another is the 360 camera which now senses when you are making tight manoeuvres.
It will automatically switch the display to highlight the potential danger. It even lets you know
if you are likely to curb you alloys.
You are right. The interior ambiance is more pleasant especially at nighttime.
The digital instrument cluster, the new wide screen both with excellent resolution and of course the steering wheel,
really moves the C class forward.
In general you do get the benefit of the facelift where it matters most, and where
you will spend most of your time, the interior.
I am coming across improvements and refinements as I get to know the car.
Examples are
Multi beam blows the old intelligent lighting away.
It has a smoother and faster transition from main beam to dipped.
Another is the 360 camera which now senses when you are making tight manoeuvres.
It will automatically switch the display to highlight the potential danger. It even lets you know
if you are likely to curb you alloys.
Very happy I made the switch.
This is definitely a nicer car than the 2018, from my limited experience with that year. The headlights, as you point out, are incredible. I was reading the owner's manual, and the amount of intelligence built into them is staggering. The 360* camera is also a must-have, especially when parking against a curb. Totally a spectacular car, even with its flaws.
Odd that we all have front right tire warmer than the rest. I was worried it could be an alignment issue but maybe the exhaust runs closer down that side, or is less shielded?
Hmmmm. My right front tire runs warm as well. My service department had never heard of this issue before, but it’s now at least noted in my vehicle service history.
Funny you mention the front right tire being 10 to 12 degrees warmer. Mine does the exact same thing and I thought that was odd. I have the 19 c63s coupe.
04-28-2019, 12:17 PM
