jlw000

I took my E500 into dealer to get a few things fixed. Nice dealer gave me a loaner...a c350 sport with amg package. Brand new. So I was fine with that. The reason i took my car in was originally to get a 4 wheel alignment (was pulling to the right) and the passenger side head rest button/switch replaced. Car is still under warranty so was not worried about cost, but since the warranty expires in december i pointed a few things out (which i will come back to).

Now, for the c350. I was so underwhelmed by it I could not stand it by the time i gave it back (4 days later). Good looking front end. Bad looking rear end (looks like a toyota). Sport interior nice looking, but I cannot believe the seats were leather (felt like pleather and no nice smell like in mine). Dash has silly lid for radio and even more ridiculous radio control on center console that looks like BMW idrive. Road noise was unbelievable (kept checking windows and sunroof to make sure they were closed). On the positive side handling was good and sporty, made me recall my previous BMWs in a way. Overall, however, I felt like if I was in a cheap car that was trying to be a Mercedes.

Now back to mine, which I could not wait to drive again. The 4 wheel alignment turned out to be free since they claimed it was really the stearing box not coming back to center, so they replaced it. Also, the ticking I noted they said was a result of broken engine mounts, that they replaced. The head rest button which was not working was replaced. The left rear parking light which I thought was simply blown resulted in a replaced control unit. The trunk lid not staying up if it was hot outside yielded replaced struts. The musty smell in the AC was resolved with recommendations from the service bulletin. The sick sounding alarm was replaced with a new siren. And all of this did not cost a cent. Now the fact that it needed all this with just 25K miles on it is another issue. But I must say, driving it is absolutely in another class (no pun intended) vs the c 350 and i still love it.

Long Islander

Glad you got all your E500 items fixed. Our dealer gave us a new (only 1200 miles) C350 sport to drive for a week while awaiting delivery of our E350 wagon. The first 15 minutes, I really liked it, but the more I drove it, the less I liked it. The steering was quick, and the handling was crisp, but the ride was quite jiggly. I too disliked the silly lid for the radio, and the iDrive-like controler. It seemed to have M-B Tex, which felt very cheap, and it didn't smell at all like leather. It was a very useful test drive because I was thinking I might get one to replace my Jaguar S-type, but now I've definitely ruled it out. The one feature it has that I wish our E class had is the automatic fold-up electric mirrors. We could use a bit more elbow room in our garage when both cars are inside.

Benz-O-Rama

Mine has them.

K-A

That is EXACTLY how I feel.

I can't get over how much I DO NOT LIKE the C300 Sport I'm driving right now!! My E's getting it's Door repainted (for free since I bought it with a little scratch), and at first I was like "oh cool, new C".

The front is the only nice part IMO, the back looks like a Toyota from the 90's indeed (dated light design), the interior although durable feeling is cheap and not luxurious at all, I do not enjoy sitting in this car. My GF couldn't believe it was a Mercedes. Also I constantly keep checking if windows are down all the time as well. The interior materials are pretty rough, rubbery dash (traps dirt), cheapo seats, sandpaper like roof line and A-Pillar material. I also think that I-Drive style radio looks really bad and aftermarket rigged when it has the Navi Screen. I kind of feel the W203 has a slightly more luxurious feeling interior even? I do like the Command controller next to me though.

Very unimpressed with it. No feeling of luxury or style, pretty bland and generic IMO, sans the front and the side doesn't look too bad either to give it some credit, just a bit boring.

Can't wait to get my E back

MercFiveHundred

My brother wanted to get into a C350 Black/Black and i went with him to test drive it. Mechanically, the motor/tranny was great! Suspension was too stiff (the reason i advised him to opt out). However, i dont understand why so much negativity toward the styling. The rear isnt great, but i think a much better improvement over the previous C. It definately catches your eye. My brother ended up getting a 2008 Honda Accord coupe V6-6 speed. Much better looks and a much better price. The interior seems identical in material and the Nav/display screen doesn't look as aftermarket as the C. Plus it will probably hold it's value much better than the C-class too.

K-A

I just think it's a bit bland and not very stand-out from some of the more Economical Japanese cars out there. I like the interior of the old C better, but I don't know if it's due to the fact that W203's are like Rental Fleet out here (there are TONS of them, like every other Car it seems, just lost all of their attraction because it's like looking at a lamp post IMO), but I do like the W204 better....In a couple years when they're all over the place too (getting there I think as they're selling like crazy apparently) then that might change, but I doubt it. The sharper lines give it a stronger look since it's so small, balances it out better than the W203 which is small and has really no strong impact design wise IMO.

Long Islander

Okay, explain. How and how much?

jlw000

Yes...how did you get those mirrors?

BTW, I forgot to mention that when I had the car in as I described at the top of this thread, I asked about setting the car a bit lower and they refused to do that. They also refused to show me the VMI. I reamed them on that, given that I own the car. It's not like it's a medical record! Well it is sort of, but you get my point. Why would they refuse to let me have or see that? I did get it ultimately. A little steam goes a long way.

Benz-O-Rama

Folding mirrors are an option in Europe for the W211. I was lucky enough to find a guy selling the guts (motorized part) in the classified about a year ago or so. I just replaced the guts of my 2 mirrors with the guts of the euro setup, replaced my mirror switch with the euro mirror switch and VOILA! I had power folding mirrors. To get them to fold automatically when locking, the dealer had to activate it with the SDS machine.

MBenzNL, on this site, sells this setup for 750.00, I believe. Contact user BIGSIS for details.

C43AMG

Benzo...didn't you used to have a E55 ?

Benz-O-Rama

Nah, that's a really old picture. My car now has a factory AMG body kit on it. So it looks like an E55/E63

BenzBee

I have to echo K-A's opinion of the C300. I drove both the C and the E before deciding on my car. It was no contest.

I have had three different 2008 C300 loaner cars from my dealer while having repairs done so far and I am completely unimpressed. A friend, who used to work for MB and has owned dozens over the years, thought I was just being an "E Class snob" when I told him I would never buy a C after driving the C300. When I tried to punch the gas, the car would not give me the immediate reaction my E gives me. The last time I had the C300 loaner I took this friend for lunch and he kept saying, over and over, how he could not believe he was in a Benz and could not believe how cheap the interior looked and felt! He then told me to stop driving so conservatively (there was a grandma reference made), and when I told them that was the best the car could do, he laughed. Again, this was coming from somone who has had ties to MB!

LaidBackUSA

While kicking the tires on various W211's, I also looked at a few 09 C350's out of curiousity. I was orginally impressed by the sporty/aggressive looks of the exterior. Unfortunately, that's where the music stops. The interior of this thing is a complete tragedy that can be summed up in two words: cheap plastic. Even the "real wood" looks like plastic. Does a high standard of quality even matter anymore to the manufacturer or consumer? MB should be embarassed by this piece of garbage. A loaded C350 hovers around 44K, there are so many better choices for that money. Jeez, even at 30-35K there so many better choices....IMO, the current C class is a huge disappointment....

ATSOBE

I just felt the smae way to when i drove the E Class . Old Body stle i been seeing for years. The seat felt not to cmoy as in my c 350. ztechnology wise no blue tooth when the current E 350 were out. Plus every tiem i see a an E 350 i see an old man i could pictur emy self in the 30 in an E . Plus the 0 to 60 speed time is faster in the C 350 plus consumer reports gave the E 350 a negative review verses the previouse c 350. I dont know wha tthe hype with the E class . I find it boring money was nto an issue to i paid almost what an E class almost cost with my c 350 just like 4 k below e 350 . Plus the c 350 hugs the road verses the E 350. I always wonder if i made a mistake and not gotten an E but the c 50 love it inside

dreamcatchr23

ummmm... ok... what???

Barry45RPM

S-Clusiv

luckytruck

ive had the 08 c300 for 10 months. traded up to the 08 e350. no contest. had to pay a little more per month but it was well worth it

K-A

(OK I admit I've always wanted to use that last icon, heehee)

BTW, tomorrow I get my E back!! Finally can get out of this damn C!!

usc96

BawHaHaHa.

I wasn't going to step into this because if you don't have anything nice to say, and so on, but that post, obvious troll or otherwise, cries for a response.

I got a C class loaner recently and I was not impressed. It's a Mercedes in name only.

MB-JIM

I might as well respond once again on the W211 forum. I have owned a 2004 E500, 2005 E320 CDI and a 2006 E350. I left them all and switched to a 2006 C350. I hated the SBC brakes and was never totally comfortable in those cars. My W203 C350 is a dream to drive. Now, like many of you, I have had a W204 C300 and C350 as loaners. Frankly, I wouldn't consider trading my car for either of them. The performance of the 300 engine was very disappointing. It had a lag and no high end when needed. The C350 was ok but the suspension and low profile tires made the car ride rough. The interior seemed cheap compared to my leather interior. They were very disappointing.
I had been planning to replace my wonderful old E Wagon with a W204 but now that is out of the question. Now, I may try another E Class since they are rid of SBC and have the latest nav system.

dw8083

Personally I like the the new C class styling. I drove a couple of loaners for 2 days each. The C300 is bland feeling and underpowered. The C350 has much better power and drives more like a BMW 3 series.

Agree, the flip-up radio hood is ugly.

BTW, 5 series BMW guys have the same types comments regarding the 3 series. It's just a different car.

Lets be real, the new C-class is MUCH better than it's predecessor. The fact the we are even comparing the C-class to the current E-class is a tribute to the advances MB has made with the car.

Just my humble opinion,

-David

gaazmon

My sister has a W203 C230, non-kompressor (2007). Exterior wise the car is great: AMG body kit, big brakes w/ drilled rotors, spoiler, AMG exhaust. I hear that thing every morning while I'm sleeping (my neighbor has a 2006 CLK500 and same exhaust, hear that one too). My friends even say her exterior is nicer than mine (minus the pano roof ). However, the interior and seating (gives me back pains) leaves much to be desired for. The throttle sucks, you have to slam on the damn thing, and there is one hell of a lag. The 7-spd sucks too on that car. On the V8's (I don't know about the V6 350's) the 7-spd performs nicely.

I was looking at W204 C300 and C350 (first day it came out). I hit my head when I went in and on the way out. The sales lady giggled (she's a friend of mine) and told me we should look at something else. I was gonna go with the 350 but they wanted $700 a month for lease . Again, the interior leaves much to be desired for. Aunt had a C300 as a loaner for her E350. Again, throttle response sucked. I don't what it is with these cars: is it the engine, transmission, idk.

I love my E. Only thing is wish it had a little more power (I even complain about my throttle lag at times, fu** drive-by-wire) and a littler firmer suspension (I drive on Sport 2).

K-A

Getting back into my E today felt like getting into a Bentley to me, seriously. That C was just not cutting it in the refinement department.

I will agree that Drive By Wire SUCKS!! I don't understand why we need Electronics controlling all of the drivetrain, IT FEELS WORSE than the average joe schmoe car. Just a ploy from M-B to make the car look superior to others in its class, justify a higher price, charge ALOT more for problems IMO.

dpalm

what the additional $30k buys you..