El Cid

Had the opportunity to drive a 2016 C300 for about 50 miles on interstate, highways and in cities. Nice enough car, but not nearly as pleasing as my "E."
Regardless, I was not impressed with the interior at all. The tacked on infotainment screen really looks tacky and has a fairly wide "frame" around the screen. The knob over a knob on the console seemed to be redundant and bothersome.
Reversing the cruise and wiper/signal stalks serves no real improvement purpose. The cruise stalk needs to be removed entirely and controls placed on the steering wheel.
Not a fan of round vents, especially in luxury cars. They just look so dated.
Not impressed with new front end of either the "C" or the "E." The "C" continues to have the fake grilles on lower corners of front bumper cover. The "E" does have louvers behind its grilles, but not sure they really do very much. Besides, the grilles are just too big for the car.
Both have the prominent "noses" compared to previous versions and not sure about that. You really have to see them in person to understand how the new nose looks.
Biggest complaint was the ECO - it sucks! While there was not much of a pause before re-starting, there was one. It also shuddered every time it re-started. Having to turn it off every time you used the car would be a real pain.

Dema

Strange, ECO isn't really annoying for me. However I have to agree with rest of complains. My major problem I want a new car, but MB for some reason ships only poorly configured Es, I can't get distronic and other nice options. It looks like MB is trying to compete with Honda Accord or something, providing same options for aprox same price. It is very weird.

cc16177

Yeah, when I bought my E550 I was shopping between a 2010-2011 E class or a 2012 and newer C class...

I was tempted to get the C due to longer warranty (I drive a ton of miles so it's really important) but the sales guy kept telling me "look, if you drive 3-4 hours in a C class it's going to FEEL like you drove 3-4 hours... the same drive in an E class will feel like nothing" and I figured it was just a sales tactic to unload the older model.

Anyways, I got the 2011 E550 and sure enough...

I've had it in the shop a few times for warranty items and every time they give me a C or CLA rental and every time I am thrilled to get back to my E.

El Cid

If you are looking for a new car, negotiate a price and have dealer order it from Germany. That's what I did back in 2009 when W212 was new to market. Took four weeks and two days to get to me. Same price for ordering one as purchasing one off lot.
Dealers are going to order what sells quickest because they either have to outright purchase the cars or get a loan on them for length of time on lot.
MB dealers could trade with other dealers, but seems that very few do.
Most cars today on the higher end - Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, etc. will be very comparably equipped to MB as for as electronics are concerned. Same for American brands.

Incidentally, another thing that doesn't look good on new "C" and "E" to me is the speakers on the upper part of the door panels. They look too much like an after market add-on.

rufmb

No comparisaon between C and E, everytime I think I'll save money and move to a C next time around I test drive one and immediately change my mind. Overall cheap interior, retro-fitted features and the size of a Honda Civic.

jonUF02

I was cross-shopping a new Dodge Charger or Chrysler 300S V8 models with a slightly used E550. I found that those new vehicles had every bell and whistle that the MB had, plus a few extra, (rear heated seats, cup holder warmer and cooler, better stereo, better entertainment and driver info displays and sport mode controls, 8-speed trans, etc.) but there was just no comparison when it came to fit and finish. My wife sat int the brand new Dodge and said very loudly "this just feels cheap" even though it was brand new in the wrapper vs. a few years old E-class.

Russ103

Same here, my wife (who drives the E-350) was between a brand new Taurus SHO or a CPO E-350.

The SHO has all the bells/whistles one could want, far more then the P1 E Class sadly but the fit/finish, and most important, that feel of a German made car just isn't there

I have to give the SHO a hat tip though, bang for the buck it's a nice ride

As far as the OP, the new C-300 is a big improvement over the outgoing model, but it's not meant to sway over any E-Class owners.

Just like no S-Class owner will ever consider an E-Class downgrade (E-63 excluded)

jahquan3

I'm like you in that I test drove a 2015 Charger RT before I got my E. It sounded and ran like a beast but the backseating area was so tight and everything except for the sport mode control in the info center was not overly impressive. A great car but I'm glad I didn't get it and ended up with my current E.

megasaurus

I wouldn't even test drive an e400 as another sensitive member on the forum knows and got upset. Personally all c classes are inadequate. I'm not at all even impressed by the c63.

rediesel

I paid as much for my CPO 550 as a new W205 C was at the time I remember sitting in one thinking I could have a new car...then I thought about the options it didn't have (distronic, leather, biturbo V8).

When I took the E550 in for service I got a C loaner and was so happy with my decision. The kicker for me was how thin the padding under the leather/vinyl surfaces was on the C. My E it's hard to press it until it touches the backing, on the C it was virtually non-existent. The wood trim felt super fake as well.

El Cid

Not sure how much remains, but at one point Charger and Chrysler 300 and "E" had a lot of platform similarities.
If cross shopping, the Hyundai Genesis Sedan may be more comparable to the "E."

MBSebas87

so true

thefisch

No matter how good those other cars look in photos or in a brochure, the real test is always to sit in it so you can notice quality of materials, fit and finish, etc. Since I tend to keep my cars for 6-8 years, I am going to be looking at it for a while. Nothing like getting a loaner to remind you of why you chose your car in the first place.