evanswan

I have the e350 2010 and have a loaner for a few days. the c is tiny but handles so much better. It's a bumpier ride, but I like the confidence in handeling. Do I have to get an e550 with Airmatic to get the best of both worlds ?

park423

I had a C300 sport with the 18" wheels (which I believe is makes a pretty big difference in handling over the 17" stock wheels) and have an E550. I would take the C with the 18" wheels over the E550 on airmatic sport setting for handling curves and the such. It is a great car for spirited driving, drove the C63 around a mini-track several times and it is an awesome car. MB did a great job with the C platform, very solid. my sister-in-law has an E350 coupe and also a great handling car since it shares the C platform. I imagine the C coupe is a great handling car and with the new interior on the C class, I would choose the C350 over the E350. Now overall, the E550 is awesome, the power is exhilarting while comfortable/roomy and luxurious (with P2 package), probably the best of both worlds second to the E63.

e550 87ss

I had an e350 loaner and I felt it handled better than the e550 with airmatic. I also have a e90 3series somewhat equivalent to a C and it handles much better than an E. I've only been a passenger in a C... Have an e63 and its a little floaty in comparison to the 3 series, but very close for a larger heavier sedan. I think it is hard to match the handling of a C...

threeMBs

As far as E/C ride/handling compromise, E coupe is the best of both worlds - E sedan like ride(well almost) with C like handling (of course you will loose 2 rear doors, which may not be what you want).

steelgrey

Thank You very much for this post. I am an E350 Coupe owner who in numerous threads has explained the virtues of the E coupe being built on the C platform. It is the perfect platform to provide the type of handling one would expect from a coupe. Even back in the days of the fabled w124 the CE coupe had a 3 inch shorter wheelbase than the E sedan. So for the person on this forum who feels the necessity to continue to point out that the E is nothing but a marketing ploy and is really a C. It appears that Mercedes did know what they were doing and the E coupe follows the tradition of having a shorter wheelbase. It would have been a little impractical for MB to have developed another chassis just for the E coupe when the C wheelbase is only four inches shorter than the sedan.

K-A

It won't be the best of both worlds.

The E350 Sport is a sportier more "handling-oriented" ride than the E550, while the E550 goes further into luxury/smooth ride.

The E's ride blows the C's away in everything but bumpy/sporty ride, so I dunno why you'd choose an E if the C's ride is so much more appealing, and you can get it at such a cheaper price.

If you want handling and a nimble small car, it doesn't end at the C, as the 3-Series goes much further. I'm assuming the C has a better balanced ride than the 3 though (comfort and handling).

PHML

Here's my loaner from yesterday....C300...

I think the C handles better cuz of its weight...its very light compared to my 2010 E350. I enjoyed driving it...zipping in and out of lanes which I normally won't do with my E...LMAO!!!

K-A

I took a C "Canyon Carving" last time I had a Loaner, and I had fun.

Getting back into my E felt like ultimate serenity and luxury though.

hyperion667

+1

when I got back in my car last night it was heaven,
I still have the loaner too.......put about 250 miles on it since
I got it, LOL

park423

You also get the contrast white stitching on the black interior which I love, can't believe my E550 doesn't have it.

I do wonder what will happen to E350 coupe sales now that there is the C coupe and with having the same interior design. I think MB should have made the E coupe bigger (E platform?) and a 6 series competitor if they were planning on the C coupe all along.

steelgrey

If you go to the MBUSA site and compare dash boards you will find that the controls on the center stack and the gauge cluster layout is the same on the E sedan and Coupe but significantly different on the C. In reviewing the C vs E...Car and Driver says quote "But this new car (C class) is not just a smaller version of the E-class two-door. It is mainly a cheaper version" end quote. The C has B pillars, fixed rear side windows, simply styled wheel arches and a rear design which is almost identical to the C sedan. If you check exterior design photos their is really very little resemblance to the E coupe. Since the C class is MBs leading seller they obviously feel their is a market for a coupe. Judging from the enthusiasm being shown on the new C coupe forum they are right.

evanswan

No Mistake I like my E because of the Luxury and the Size. The C is way to small. But it handles much much better. The E is a nice comfy ride, which I like sometimes, but I wish I had a button to hunker that sucker down and get stiff for those days I'm pissed off and want to drive faster than most.

I test drove the A7 and it had 3 different ride settings and you could feel the car change it's characteristics. It was sweet, I think it's to much for a v6 and I still am not in love with the Rear end.

So I gave back the C today and got a v6 Genesis. It's a very nice car. Not as nice as an E in some respects, but for 20k less it gets you thinking.

K-A

Yeah, the Genesis is a hell of a "bargain Luxury Sedan" per-se. The underlying detail and overall quality/soul isn't there like the Benz offerings, IMO, however, if you need the job to get done, the Genesis will get it done for much cheaper.

About the C Coupe, I really think it's one of the ugliest non-SUV/Trucks in the M-B lineup right now. The proportions are off, since it's a Sedan with a Coupe greenhouse (not to mention, the design is still based off of a 4+ year old design), and the hideously single framed door is.... well.... hideous, as a Coupe should always have a more graceful frame-less door (NOT B-Pillarless, that's something different, but FRAMEless should go without saying). The greenhouse, usually M-B's strong points in power and/or elegance, just looks like a bargain-basement Coupe offering, i.e Accord Coupe (identical greenhouse, and framed door). The framed door even reminds me of an old Pontiac Sunfire. On Sedans, framed doors look great, however, Coupes need frameless.

All in all, I'm pretty unimpressed with it, and feel that even the current (now older) 3-Series Coupe is a much nicer choice. Not to mention, the A5. IMO, M-B's "half-a$$ed" attempt at launching a C-Coupe is behind the competitors. Next gen, when they've had time to properly R&D the design for a 2-Door, it should look more proper, I'd think.

//Rant off.

park423

nevertheless, it will be a top selling model, in the end that's all that matters

K-A

It's sell for sure. For their bottom line, yeah it's definitely all that matters, but it won't go down as a memorable model in the M-B timeline I'm sure. It's kind of a "Market-Share bandaid grabber", the way I see it. I doubt it'll be able to remain competitive once the novelty wears off, however, it only has to last for a half-cycle (until the W205 comes out).

It will definitely cannibalize E-Coupe sales though, especially since the interior is pretty much in line with the E Coupes. However, exterior wise, the E-Coupe, while more fussy, is a definitely noticeable Class above the C (size aside).

YYZ-E55

I wouldn't worry much about cannibalization. Nobody wants a coupe after it's been in market for more than two years - it's considered "old". Perhaps the exception to this is a P-car.

The launch of the C coupe coincides perfectly with the bottoming out of the E coupe lifecycle.

alsyli

Do you know if MB plans to push the E-class coupe upmarket for the next gen models? There seems to be a pretty wide gap btw the E- and S-class coupes that would nicely filled by the MB version of a "true" 6-series (which I guess is already filled by the CLS?)....

Agree w/ the other posters that the C-class likely handles subjectively b/c of its smaller size and wt. My impression is that they post pretty similar numbers for handling....

Germancar1

How in the world is the E-Class coupe bottoming out already?

Where do you guys get this stuff from?

The C-Class Coupe didn't have any R&D?

OMG.


M

hyperion667

I've decided as long as it has 4M, it's okay for a loaner

threeMBs

Agreed. When I see BS like that, just tend to ignore it and stay far away from.

Yosheego

took my car in for service for the last 3 times, have yet to get a MB loaner! =( i was hoping to hope in the new C's..

newyorktoLA

LOLZ when i get my windshield replaced on wednesday, the dealer will be giving me a 2012 C250 (the car that I almost bought but didn't)! All the dealers I know are using 2012's as loaners now.

K-A

Ahh, finally an acceptable interior to drive in while our cars get serviced.

Germancar1

Indeed, and they're flying off the lots here.


M

ImInPA

The Genesis is a fantastic car period. Love getting them as rentals when I travel. The V6s are nice, but the V8 Genesis is outstanding. The suspension is very similar to the sport E's but are not as compliant.For 20K less, it is pretty damned close though. If Hyundai would put a diesel in the Genesis, I could easily see driving one. Solid and quiet ride. That said, if MB would bring the C250 CDI here, I would definitely consider that too.