sk_nj

I have been trying to decide but keep falling into the dilemma of which one I want. I currently drive a 2011 535i. It s a nice car. Has decent power. But I made a mistake. I test drove C43 AMG. Yup that was a mistake. It screwed up my mind. Now I know how much more thrilling driving can be after driving that. Since then, I made up my mind that I want to get C43 AMG. The issue is this....
When I test drive my 2011 535i, I like the fact that its very nice and comfortable. Sure it doesn't have that amazing thrill I get from C43 but its comfortable. Now, if I go with C43, I am sure I'll loosing that comfort. May be not completely but to a good degree. Plus that exhaust on C43 mannnnnnnnnn. Just Amazing.
Ok so you see how I'm loving C43 but torn apart with not having the comfort. Welcome to E43. Now, I haven't test driven E43 but I am hoping that its as thrilling as C43? Its hard to decide how comfortable a car is when you are test driving for a short time period. Just too many things to focus on. Therefore, I'd like to know from my good fellow members here
1 - Is E43 also very thrilling to drive?
2 - Is E43 also comfortable?? You don't feel like you are having a roller coaster ride?
3 - I don't want to have 1000K/month payment. I can put down 10-12K as down payment. May be I can buy a used 2017-2018 E43 would do? Any idea how much a good used (10-20K miles) be purchased for?

Starting in 2019, we also have E450 which seems to have 365ish HP? I think it has the same engine of C43 from 2018 I think. So that can be another candidate.

BACnMercedes

The E is going to be a lot more comfortable, have a better ride, better quality, and an over all nice car. The C is going to be a little more fun to drive but not nearly as nice as a daily driver. Me personally, and since you are in a 5 series now, I’ll probably never go back down to a c class unless I’m going for a weekend fun car. I just want a little more room and comfort now when I drive. The E is going to have more and better standard features. Although I do think the C43 sounds better than the E43.
Think small, fun weekend, sporty vs refined, great daily, sporty.
I can’t say much about the 450 since I’ve never even seen one much less drove it. Although for the money and what I’ve been reading in other threads, it maybe the way to go.
Good luck.

rbrylaw

One thing you said is you want comfort. Coming from a 2016 C to my now E450, the E is infinitely more comfortable, larger and a better driving car. Add trust me, the 362HP Twin Turbo V6 in the 450 has plenty of power. The interior of the E is miles head of the C class, IMHO. The E43 is no longer made, so you'd have to either get a used E43 or move up to the E53. I guess it's possible, some dealer has a 2018 E43 still hanging around. For me, and that's just me, the E450 is simply the best all around Benz I've owned. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

sk_nj

You are spot on. We recently got a C300 that my wife drives. She loves it specially the interior. I like it as well. In fact, it is much quicker to response than my 300HP 535i. Feels faster as well but it could just be because its smaller in size. But yeah, I do feel every time I get in it that its small. 535 Feels much more welcoming in terms of size. C43 I think has same size as C300.
When you said C43 sounds better than E43, I'm assuming that you compared both with both having the exhaust option on?

Alrightttt. We have an E450 owner. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Did you test drive E43 or E53. There is a youtube video on E450 where the gentleman talked a lot about how well E450 drives and that it has good amount of power. I think he power launched. I myself don't really care of the power launch because it requires a few steps before you can do that including being in stop state. For me, what I enjoy a lot is you press the gas paddle and off it goes even when you are doing 30 or 40 or 50 mph. When I test drove C43, I went up to 125mph on highway. Even when I drove on 100 and let go of gas paddle and then gave it a go, if left 0 and I mean 0 seconds of delay. It was just super ready to launch. Thats on 100mph I don't need to mention below that speed obviously. I loved this no delay part of C43. Do you get the same effect in E450? Does it have any delay when you put the paddle down?

rbrylaw

Got to be honest, the E43/E53 was of little interest to me. The power available on the E450 is more than I really need to begin with. And I don't care about having people look at me because the exhaust note draws attention. I'm at a point in life, where enough power and the comfort I want should be rolled into one package and the E450 does that with aplomb. You'll have to drive them both and decide if the extra money is truly worth the price of admission. At some point, you reach the value of diminishing returns. Where that point is for you, may not be where it is for me or anyone else.

There is a regular poster here (2012 Merc AMG) who traded his E63 for the E450. He constantly comments he's infinitely happier in the 450 over the 63.

rustybear3

Parroting what Ron has said, I too have an E450 Cabriolet, and I can tell you that baby can move....especially in Sports+ mode. More importantly to me, it is comfortable with more than enough amenities to satisfy your tech & comfort tooth.

Coming from the sporty Cadillac ATS, I also was looking for a car that was roomier, more comfortable, and yet have that sporty handling I was so used to. Plus it's a convertible!! What more could I ask for?

Test drive an E450 of your choice and you'll see what I mean....you won't look back!

sk_nj

OH wowww. Who is that guy who went from E63 to E450. Would be great to have him post here and share his thoughts as to why he even considered it in the first place? Youtube is filled with raving reviews with E63 as Insane Power + Luxury. I get that he might not want to utilize 0-60 in 3.5 secs and realized that may be he was paying too much for something he doesn't utilize as much and E450 just does enough for him for far less money. I mean it'd be great to see why he wanted to walk away from E63 in the first place. Is it money... Is it not comfortable enough... Is it too powerful....
I hear you sir and I think I agree with what you are saying. E43 can do 0-60 in 4.2 sec and E450 most like in 5 seconds but not sure of it. Its a 0.8 secs but for most that difference is not something they'd want to pay 10K+ more for.
To be honest, the exhaust notes that I like was not for others to pay attention to me but for my own amusements. It just made me laugh when I heard them. Also it makes you think that you are driving faster than you really are (at least for me).
On C43, I was able to get a deal with 706/month with 0 down for 48 months 10K miles. I think E450 will fall around the same price range? The only way I can afford an E43 (if that's the one I'd wanna go for) is buy it used. Leasing is out of my range


Very interesting. I think Cadillac CTS are famous for being fast+great handling. Not sure if ATS fall into the same category but I think overall Cadillac is famous for having a very enjoyable/fun ride. Someone coming from that and still enjoying E450 does say a lot about the E450. Appreciate you sharing it with us. I guess I do have to test drive it now. Need to also see what would make a good deal for E450. I was more interested in E43 and not E53 because I thought that since E43 are no more available, those who still have E43 in their inventory can give me a very good deal. But if its still not going to be close to E43 then what's the point. E450 might just do it all

rbrylaw

I gave you his forum name. 2012 Merc AMG. You can do a search for his threads, or even PM him directly. He's a great guy.

At the end of the day, it's you, not any of us who can decide what will work best for you. I could afford the E53. I just don't have any desire to own one. I won't ever go 125mph. I live in a metropolitan location. My E450 can comfortably hit 0-60 in 5 seconds (one review I read said 4.8 seconds). I'll likely never push it hard enough to do so. The power I need (and then some) is readily available to me. More would just be wasted $$'s on power I don't need and would likely never use.

jl199986

E450 Wagon with lux suspension owner here. If comfort and highway cruise missile are what you want, the E450 is great- perfect really. More than ample power for highway cruising and 70-90mph overtake bursts. I didn’t like the run flat tires that came stock. Now on normal tires it is wonderfully comfortable for the little (tire) & big (suspension) bumps, but still agile.

A sport supension would have have controllable dampers to make it tauter yet.

The E’s are big cars though. Coming from a 17 Golf R I often miss the tossable nature of a small car. You can’t hide the almost 1300lbs extra weight on backroads compared to a smaller car like the golf or C. For everyday though,the E is hard to beat.

rustybear3

Quite frankly, having test driven the CTS (several times as a loaner) , its extra weight affected its handling greatly IMO. That's what really sold me on the E450 CAB. It's larger than the ATS, more comfortable, yet handles just as good as the ATS and is, of course, miles ahead of the CTS. Again, take the test drive and see for yourself. Plenty of used E400's out there as well if you don't want new. A little less HP.

Frank Rizzo

I drove the C63, C63s, E53 CLS53 and E43 and looked at a M550i. I also was comparing it to a 2019 CTS-V and 2019 CTS-V sport. I'm coming out of a 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT as my baseline. Honestly the CTS-V was insane, there was no way to get 640HP to the rear wheels and it was very squirrely...I could see me wrapping it around a pole. The CTS-V sport is the same cost as the E43 and it beat it out on the C&D (2018) test for first place - and both CTS's were missing a lot of stuff like power trunk closer, sunglasses pocket and over all lower interior quality compared to Benz, then GM announced they were shutting down the Detroit plants and were not going to make sedans anymore - so that made it easy, they were off the list. I love the way Cadillac dealers wont let you test drive a CTS-V - like it is some sort of rare item worthy of Tiffany levels of protection. Im going to spend $100k on a car that I cant drive until I give you a credit application? Pfft!

The E53 is amazing (Car and Driver 10 best 2019), I especially like the quad exhaust tips and the electric motor makes the eco start very seamless. Mrs. Rizzo wanted me to get the CLS 53, but its looks seems to feminine to me...honestly I liked the way the E53 looked better - but I had a mental bock on the cost. I don't know why...probably because it cost almost as much as my first house! So I thought I'd downsize to a C43 or used C63(s) to save some bucks and mentally feel better about it. The problem is that the C is really small (if you came from from a 5er you might miss the space) and it feels like the C class is made for "younger" kids. The used E63's are no bargain either. A friend of mine just got her M550i and I took a look. I'm not a BMW guy anymore and I know why, It is nice...but...it drives like a boat and the interior in inferior to the E (IMHO), but there are tons of 2018's on the lot and most cost less (you should take a look). I really wanted an E63s, but can not fathom paying $120k for a car. I am focused on retiring soon and would rather spend the extra money on trips to Hawaii with Mrs. Rizzo.

So, I'm about to give up and just keep the Challenger for a while longer while I ponder my situation (I did not need a new car at all). I'm looking around the web (non-p0rn) and bump into the E43 on a few road tests and see that it won car of the year (E400/E43) in 2018. Not bad. It looks good on paper and it is as fast/faster than the Challenger. I head over to listingallcars.com and start searching for E43's. Like you I thought used might be a better was to go, but I ended up getting a better deal on a new E43 than most people/dealers were asking for used (under 10k miles), so I did the deal before I even drove it. There are not many E43's left to deal on though...

You should know that the E43 does not have the "active exhaust" like the C43/E53, so if you are looking to make noise - the E43 is not going to do it unless you get downpipes and muffler mods. I admit that I miss the noise - I used to put the Challenger in Track mode and open the windows and sunroof thru the McClure tunnel quite often on the way to work. With 4matic the E gets down to business without a lot of drama...no spinning, smoking or a lot of noise - just goes. The E also has significantly better lease residuals than the C.

If you are a "car guy" you will like the E400/E450 a LOT - the technology, especially with options like the digital dash - is quite impressive. If you are a "hardcore car guy" you will want the AMG car. If you dont know the difference - get the 400/450. I plan on taking mine to the track. I only have about 350 miles, so I cant comment yet on the performance but so far it feels great. Different, but still great.

The bigger issue for you (in my opinion) is it sounds like you can not afford this level of car. I think you should be looking at CPO/used E/C class cars. Going underwater for a car is a bad idea. No one believes in delayed gratification anymore and stuff changes quite frequently in your life and it would suck to be saddled with a $800-$1k payment if something changes in your life. If the difference between $800 and $1k moves the needle in your world...you are in too deep and go get a Stinger.

.

2012 merc amg

Great thread. I will chime in with the reasons I traded in my 2018 E63 AMG Wagon and my 2015 S550 Sedan for a 2019 E450 AMG line Cabriolet and a 2019 Luxury line E450 wagon. I would strongly suggest anyone in the market consider the E450 over the 2018 E400 even though it's going to be more money for the E450. First off MB really did improve the Distronic Software, may have even done something with the hardware, not sure but every year since steering assist Distronic came out (2014) it has been improved upon. It really bothered me the imperfections in the Steering assist in the 2015 S550 and 2018 E63 I had. The 2015 S550 tended to drift back and forth a lot within lanes making it look as though there was a drunk driver at the wheel, and it could not handle anything more than a limited curve without going out of the lane. The 2018 E63 AMG did things such as try and cut off on exits off highways and that sort of thing with I found very annoying. The 2019 E450 drifts very little, hardly noticeable in both cars I have and never tries to cut off exit ramps on highways, it is just much improved over previous years. As far as performance goes, ya the 2018 E63 Wagon I had was a rocket ship. I did use it's power, actually quite frequently, maybe more so than a lot of drivers, I very much worried sooner or later my luck was going to run out and I was going to get a high speed ticket and end up in traffic school with a huge fine or worse. I've done a lot of high speed driving in my life and at this point at nearly 61 years old I don't care to press my luck much more. Down at the lower end of the torque curve where most driving is done the E450 pulls very well, feels like a V8. Before you know it your over 60 MPH when your pushing the car. It really is enough for me, were your really notice the difference with the E63 is when you stay on it full throttle over 60 the car keeps on pulling very hard and before you know it your over 100 MPH. I just really don't have a reason to do this type of driving. The other factor is I drive the Wagon around 25K miles per year which was just crazy to take a AMG and drive it those kinds of miles it only would have quickly depreciated that much more and I figured cut my losses now.

The ride on the E63 was horrible, very stiff and you got jolted all around over bumpy roads. The ride on my E450 Wagon even with the current goodyear sport run flats is much better. As soon as those are worn out when I hit around 35K miles or so I'll get rid of those for a non run flat grand touring tire and get even a better ride, I just can't see dumping them now, figure might as well get my moneys worth out of them. I have the non air suspension on both my E450's and am very happy with it. The handling on both cars I find very good also. I would say my E450 Cabriolet with the AMG line wide wheels and tires handles pretty darn near as good as my E63 AMG did and with a much better ride and a nicer feel to the steering. When driving the the E450 Cabriolet it just has a elegant feel to it and I really think that car is one of the best looking cars on the road, especially with the low profile amg line look, it just has kind of custom look to it. The car really turns heads, My Red 2018 E63 AMG wagon really did not turn heads as much as my Cabriolet does and there is the extra benefit of riding with the top down which I do a lot of here in Florida. I just feel really great driving that car and with the 2018 AMG I had it didn't really feel like anything special and of course it was no where near as efficient either, every time i looked at fuel mileage it was well under 20 MPG, the E450s I find myself seeing 27 to 30 MPG on the highway. Again that is the mechanical perfectionist part of me. I just feel that the E63 AMG I had was very inefficient and that bothered me. I mean I can understand it with all that power, but as I said I don't really require that and actually the exhaust rumble I started finding kind of annoying. The E450's just do what they need to do and don't make a lot of noise doing it.

Well hopefully I summed things up for anyone on the fence about what to do as far as car selection goes. I'd say stick with the 2019, you get the much better steering wheel too and really think about the long term which car would work out better for you.

Formula1Fan

I had a C43 and moved to an E53 when the lease was up. The C43 was a blast. Exhaust was amazing and the car really moved especially in sports plus mode. Shifts were rifle quick and aggressive. The best way to describe the E53 is more mature. The exhaust is way more muted and the shifts much less aggressive. The car is still plenty quick but not in the point and shoot way of the C43. The ride is miles ahead of the C43 however. While the C43's ride can best be described as flinty and rough, the E53 is much smoother and composed. It also seems to handle as good if not better than the C43. Turn in is sharp and the body stays fairly flat ( I did ditch the run flats for Michelin PS AS 3's). The interior and fit and finish is also much better in the E53.

Never even considered the E450 as I was more interested in the handling upgrades the E53 offers.

I wish my E53 was a bit more aggressive (E63 )but overall I'm very happy. It really depends what you are looking for but you can't go wrong either way.

sk_nj

Feeling a bit under the weather today. Crazy cold here today in NJ. I thank you all very much for jumping in and sharing your opinion. Means a lot. Great folks on this forum.

I went to the BMW dealer to test drive 440. Also saw M550 in the store. It looked very BIG. Could be because I saw it inside the store but it just looked very big. I'm 36 years old and I think that even if I could afford 7 series, I won't get it till I'm like 50. Just not a 30-40 year old car in my opinion. When I saw M550, it kinda gave me the same vibe. 535 series though sits very nicely in the middle. 440 looked nice as well but from outside. Inside.. mehhh.
Now see merc from outside, it puts a simple on face (like BMW but a bit more) and when you sit inside, that smile only gets bigger. Love the interior.
I agree that C class is small. My wife drives C class. She likes it because she doesn't feel comfortable driving bigger car. She finds my 5 series too big to drive. When I sit inside C class, I feel like its small every time. That is one of my concern with getting C43. I feel like I will feel that its too small all the time.
E43 doesn't have Exhaust bummer. I did love the exhaust on C43. Don't think I'll go for E53 because its lease is around 1k. Not that I can't afford it but its just a mental block for me. Thinking of paying 1K/month for a car that I'll return after 3 years kinda makes we feel strange. Don't know why. But E53 surely is a beauty.
I have no plan/desire to take the car on track. Am I a car guy??? Not sure if I know the answer. What I do know that I LOVE going 0-60 FAST. I love that thrill. I don't want to drive like 120 mph but sure would love to fly from 0-60. Based on what you wrote, it seems like your advice is to go with E450.

Hey merc amg, thanks for joining the thread and making such a great post. Very informative. Great to read from many other fellow members as well as your opinion.
Wooowwww E63 has a rough ride. I really thought that it'd be like a butter smooth ride considering its E series and the highest version of it. I thought it would like... I'm quiet and nimble but as soon as you push me, I"ll roar. What you said here really speaks to me. This is what I really want from the car. Nice comfy to drive early morning when I'm driving to the bus terminal but fun fun fun when I'm driving back when I push it. Don't have any desire to do over 100 MPH but most here easily push 80mph on highways and one thing I'd love to have in car is a very smooth ride on that speed. So basically, fast and furious from 0-60 and nice and smooth like butter when cruising on highway. Seems like E450 does it and only missing the exhaust sound.
You mentioned on E450. Is that a package that merc provides? Something similar to what BMW has like M package for their sedan cars?

Niceeeee. Seems like you drove C43 for 3 ears to get all that driving like crazy stuff out and now settling down to nice smooth ride but with enough power to smoke anyone on the road if you wish to . Plus having that AMG logo has its own beauty I must confess.
Many members here are voting for E450. It seems a very well all rounded car with enough power. I'll have to test drive it myself of course but I'm very sure that E53 is no joke. Its most likely E450+More Power. But I though the same for E63 but turned out that its a rough drive. I guess E53 is not the case. I think if we look at how most of the companies are making their Sedans sporty, they are making sure of keeping them comfortable as well. S5 from Audi comes to mind. I test drove it. Didn't like it though . The reason I didn't like it is because I test drove it after C43. I thought it'd response as C43 did and it was no where close to it. I mean what a let down. I could count one whole second and a half before that car responded to my foot all the way down on gas paddle. C43 was dancing on my finger tips and with S5 I felt like the conversation when something like this "Hey S5, can you please go fast. S5: hmmm let me think. ah ok sure. off I go now". I mean there was a delay that made me think that its deciding if it wanted to go fast lollssss.
I'm sure E63 is more aggressive but I feel like if you drive E63, you'll have that but then you'll wish to have E53 comfort :-). Seems like E53 is a keeper.

Formula1Fan

I am sure that the E450 is more than quick enough. Not sure if you are leasing but the E53 leases are terrible. I am pretty sure the E450 will be much better.

sk_nj

Leasing. Yeah E450 would be muchhh better as compared to E53. E43 though can also be leased with good numbers (I think).

rbrylaw

If you can still find a new E43........

jumpman726

It might not matter to you, but the C43 has a smaller fuel tank than the E43/E53 so you'll be having to stop more often to fill up. All of the car reviews say the C43 has a very harsh ride, so keep that in mind.

The V8 M550i is faster than the previous gen M5 and it costs the same as the V6 E43/E53. Enough said.

There are rumors that the 2020 BMW M550i will get the new engine from the 8 series, which has 523 hp and 553 lb ft torque, so you might want to wait a few months if that interests you.

If you decide on an M550i make sure it has the $3,600 Dynamic Handling Package, which gives you Integral Active Steering (rear wheel steering; making the car more nimble and feel smaller than it is), Active Roll Stabilization (reduces body lean in corners, improves comfort), and the Adaptive M Suspension.

If you're bored of your 535i and you want driving excitement then I don't see how getting an E450 would solve that.

Frank Rizzo

My E43 had by far the best residual of the E43/C43/E53. (I did not look at the 450, not my pick) That combined with MSD made it a no-brainer choice.

There are 80 left in the USA
https://www.listingallcars.com/srp/?...t=AMG%2BE%2B43

The M550 handles and rides like a big, heavy boat even with the dynamic package in my opinion. The E/C43 are much lighter on their feet and nimble in comparison, but there is a small tradeoff in ride quality. But... the BMW ends up being less expensive most of the time. The MSRP is usually lower and they dont sell well - many on the lots are almost a year stale - so BMW subsidizes them a with trunk money and other discounts. It might be worth looking into for you.

patek

Last week I drove the E450, the 2018 E43 and a CLS550 from 2016. I was so shocked, I thought E43 would dominate , and that would be that. But the best driving of all the cars was , to me , was the dang 2016 CLSS 550. What is up with that. It was the oldest car there. I told the guys what I thought, and they did agree, of course the new stuff has all the New technology etc, I like the dash on the 450 and E43, hated the dash on the CLS 550. The 450 was just too much body roll, the E43 was nice, but not just what I expected, not a rough ride as the E63. Crazy how each person has a different view. I have had about 28 Mercedes over they years, so I know what I like and feel when I am in the car. Last year Went to buy the E63 and drove it 30 minutes , just could not stand the car, I mean what is wrong with a car with 550hp or whatever, aging I thought I would be bringing it home for sure , no doubt, even had the title to trade the Panamera.......... no go. I ended up with the Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio. Big switch, super fast, and no room in the back.

jhpmbusa

this is exactly what i have been saying... the generation once the 4cyclinder turbos came out, they dont drive/feel like a real benz anymore. They just feel too light and not too strong etc...

2012 merc amg

How about a cabrio 2 wd 2019 e450. Hands down my fav car ever. I liked my 2012 e63amg. Did not like my 2018 e63 amg wagon. I like my e450 wagon but love my 2wd e450 cab. Drives better and smoother and faster than my wagon. With a tune it would be the absolute perfect car for me but waiting 3.5 years till the warrantee is out to do that. Was the Giulia fast and good handling? Was it a Cabriolet? The tech is a lot better on the 2019s. Loving the current adaptive cruise. Radio sounded horrible in my 2018 amg. Never did figure that out. Glad I sold it. I say drive the 2019 e450 2wd Cabriolet. I don’t see how you can’t like that car plus the trunk is big and nice top. Very little wind noise.

SGTzAMG

Go for 2019 E450.

43 AMGs are..just not legit AMGs. #sorrynotsorry

2012 merc amg

I like the older e550 twin turbo cabs too. 2012 to 2016. V8s with a tune rockets. A friend has a 2012 he got a year ago for 25k with 12 k miles. Needed some paint touch up and damaged wheels fixed but that was a steal of a deal.

SGTzAMG

OOOH yes! the 2011-13 E550 with the bi Turbo V8s, yes! even the 2014 E550 coupes are dope