C43Flyby

Hi Everyone!

I'm currently in a 2018 C43 and my lease is ending so I wanted to get your opinions on switching to a 2022 E450. I was told my my sales person that the E450 would be a logical next step for me to move up if I wanted to. I'm 100% against a 4-cylinder C-Class (C43, C63, C63S) so I won't be going with the C-Class ever again. So my question is, has anyone else gone to an E450 from a C43? Any regrets? Any surprising positives?

I do enjoy the raucous nature of the C43 at times and am worried that I will miss it but at the same time, I don't drive like that ALL the time.

My main concerns are that
1) It's too toned down and quiet
2) It's too soft (the C43 was definitely too harsh but I lived with it), ideally I'd like to be somewhere in the middle
3) It's too slow (the C43 is about a second quicker to 60 and I do like to play with my car sometimes)

I realize that the E53 is probably closer to the C43 in overall concept but a new E450 is about the same price as the C43 was originally. I don't want to spend an extra $10k for an E53 if I can avoid it.

Thanks in advance.

Josh

mercedesmax

I'd just go to the E 53. The E 450 is a nice cruiser but it's not exciting.

C43Flyby

Yeah, that's kind of what I'm worried about. There isn't a day that I'm not excited to drive the C43. If I want a boring car that just gets me from point A to point B I'd rather save $40,000 and get a damn Honda Accord or something. If I'm spending this kind of money I want to enjoy what I'm driving.

rage2

This 100%. We have a c43 in the family, and I have an E400 and an E53. E53 is the correct choice. The E53 meets all 3 points you’re concerned about and is more in between for point 2 with the airmatic suspension.

JTK44

Could not disagree more: Have you driven the E450 in either Sport or Sport+????



Just my $.02

rage2

I’ll pose the opposite question. Have you driven the C43 in Sport+?

C43Flyby

I would love to test both but the local dealer has 0 E450s or E53s. He says the ones that are coming in are already sold. I did test out a 2018 E400 they had on the lot but wasn't sure how comparable it would be with the E450. The C43, on the other hand, I love in Sport+ when I'm feeling aggressive.

r3dbenz89

E450 will be very soft compared to a C43. All W213's drive really well and are pretty composed across all trims (Air suspension helps too) but I would say an E53 would be more up your alley. I don't think you'll regret spending the $10k more.

js_cls

You will not be interested in an E450 coming from a C43. If you want a similar experience with a bit more refinement an E53 (or used E43) is the way to go. An E450 is a great luxury cruiser, but will be much softer and more numb in comparison to the C43. There really is a noticeable difference in the tuning between the regular series cars and the lower-tier AMG products when it comes to the engine, trans, suspension, and chassis. I would recommend you check out a Genesis G70 3.3 or BMW M340i if you want something more comparable and similarly priced to the C43.

splunge

I decided to go this route and placed an order for an E450 cabriolet back in April and of course am still waiting , due to the current slow down ,but have assurance that it will arrive sometime in the near future . I love my C43 and its split personality ranging from sedate cruiser to fast , hard and noisy beast . I'm finding however that the novelty is wearing off with the hard and loud ride and feel a smoother ,quieter more luxurious experience will be more appreciated . The actual performance numbers are very similar between the two vehicles and I have driven an E450 so feel confident that it will be more suitable after 4 years of the C43 . I'm in my 70's ,so that may be a factor as well !

Elvisfan0108

Let us know when you get your car. I ordered a c300 in March. It arrived at the end of July. I have a feeling that if I had ordered an E 450, I’d still be waiting.

W205C43PFL

Good luck with your order and hope you get your car soon, I am also currently considering getting an E450 but I personally haven't got bored of the sound of the C43... yet.

I still remembered the test drive before the pandemic, everything just felt so much more solid compared to by 2017 C43 sedan (being built in Alabama doesn't help either, which you don't have such issue since you have a cabriolet that was built in Germany).

Quick question though, did you test drive the C43 facelift (MY19 and +) before you made the decision to order the E450? The suspension is much softer on the facelift and getting rid of the run-flats certainly helps.

Other than the E450 having way more body roll, the sound of the engine is actually not bad (well for the prefacelift with the same engine as the C43). Since you ordered this year, you likely have the facelift which has the inline 6 with the 48V mild hybrid tech, there are many pros of that engine and it is extremely smooth, you would love it. You will also enjoy the Adaptive High Beam Assist+ (the same technology the EU cars have which is finally enabled on your car for MY21+) if you optioned adaptive high beam assist.

W205C43PFL

As others said, you would enjoy the E53 more although I understand why you want to just get an E450 instead. Let me give you my opinion on your concerns first (I driven a 2019 E450 coupe so prefacelift that had the same engine as the C43 pfl, since you are getting a new E450, you are getting a facelift with the inline 6 with the 48V mild-hybrid, so what I experienced may be different.):

1. Yes the E-Class is way more quiet and just as it should be for the segment, there is way less wind noise and that sound insulation also covers the already muffled exhaust noise. It is meant to be a car that has adequate power to get from point A to point B arriving relaxed. However, the engine actually sounded pretty good when you floor it in sport+ with windows open. There are some pops but no bangs, from time to time as well but toned down as you would expect.
2. The ride is certainly way softer as it is tuned for comfort and since it is an E-Class. The type of tire also plays a role in ride quality though. The car I drove had summer run-flats.
3. The power is there, just isn't as exciting, you reach the speeds almost as fast as the C43 but in a much smoother way. The E450 has a dual clutch transmission (Edit: This information is incorrect, sorry about that) and tuned for comfort while the C43 has a torque converter transmission. If you wish to drive the car in manual mode, you may set the transmission to manual in individual and select that drive mode and then use the paddles like you would on the C43, you however can't just hit a dedicated button and set it to manual mode. (You can still just hit the paddles to put it in manual mode temporary for overtaking)

Quick question, did you enjoy the current car enough to want to buy it out? Did you consider the facelift C43 which still have the V6? If your answer to the first question is no, I guess it is probably because you want something different (if so, then it wouldn't make sense for you to look at the facelift C43 then so ignore question two)

Do you mind sharing with us what are the things you love or hate about the C-Class vs E-Class (other than the initial performance and the exhaust sound). Curious what do you think about both cars from your standpoint. For example, do you like the MBUX and with the dual screens stuck together on the fl E-Class, safety features, comfort features, general interior and exterior designs, etc? I am hoping based on these preferences we can suggest you why you might want to choose one over the other.

js_cls

rage2

Definitely no dual clutch transmission. Anyways what I love about the E53 is that in comfort mode, with the air suspension set to comfort, it’s as quiet and almost as soft as my E400, especially if the E53 is equipped with the 19” wheels. Throw it in Sport+, suspension tightens up, shifts are quicker, exhaust pops, and it sounds awesome. It’s truly 2 different cars at the flip of a switch.

tomd

Agree 100%

W205C43PFL

Sorry to confuse you, I provided the E450's transmission information wrong.

W205C43PFL

Thank you for correcting me. The transmission in the E450 is 725.048 which is yet another 9G Tronic transmission. It is no DCT, thanks again for correcting me, I probably mixed up the information with a different car I test drove. It felt like a DCT when I test drove it (the 2019 E450) but it is extremely likely I remembered it wrong.

Thanks again for calling me out.

jhpmbusa

had a good amount of MBs and only the C43 i decided to buy out after my lease. look for a newer facelift C43 (has softer suspension and the newer tech interiors) will be like a new car for you! or just buyout the 2018. we wont see v6s no more... sadly...

C43Flyby

To answer your question, yes, I am SERIOUSLY considering buying the car after the lease expires. The residual is low enough that if I wanted I could sell it but if I do keep it my payment would go down ever so slightly. The car has been flawless but in the back of my mind is a nagging concern about owning german cars. I had a 545i in 2008 and that thing was a gremlin nightmare. Within two weeks of buying it, had to have the transmission completely changed out. There was an intermittent bug that would cause the computer to reboot randomly while I was driving. There was a massive hesitation when beginning acceleration. That car was in an accident (not my fault) and happily declared a total loss. The C43 has been great but I'm concerned about as it gets older that some potentially expensive repairs might come up.

JTK44

You may want to consider one of the car buying venues like Carvana to actually determine the value of your car. On my 2019 E450, the lease, 36 months, 10K miles per year, ends on December 30, 2021. The residual was 60%. The offers from Carvana are for less than my residual: Ditto when you go to dealer's websites and they price your car for trade in.

Your payment should be substantially less not ever so slightly: remember your lease payment was for a brand new car. Your car is now several years old.

When my lease ends in calculating whether it makes sense to buy the car I take the residual, add in the tax and then use 5% per year as my cost of "use of money". If I plan to keep the car for three years, my cost would be residual + sales tax X 1.15 (5% per year). To this cost I would add tires, brakes and other anticipated maintenance costs. I would then make an estimate of what a 6 year old car would be worth, perhaps 30% of the MSRP. Then take that figure, subtract it from my cost and divide by 36, the number of months I plan to keep the car. That would be my cost per month.

Whenever I do it, the monthly cost is within 20% of the monthly cost of leasing a new car and I find the savings insufficient to take on the risk of ownership beyond the warranty.





I do not intend to get into a debate of leasing vs. owning, but I like you am terrified about the potential cost of owning a German car beyond warranty.

W205C43PFL

Thanks for your reply. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and I am sorry to hear about your previous car, glad you no longer have to deal with that. I understand that you are concerned with any expenses that car might incur during the lifetime of the vehicle. I believe that is also the main reason why you leased the C43 and not finance in the first place. I am sure you also considered extended warranty for the peace of mind but decided on getting a new vehicle instead and want something entirely different (so not considering the facelift C43). As other said, you will find the E450 not as exciting, the body roll is the worse part of that car. You mentioned from your previous posts that you don't just want a a to b luxury cruiser.

I guess your options left are exactly what others suggested, E53. As others have mentioned, you could consider other brands, the 550i has a V8 for example that you might like or 340i if you want to stick with the same tier.

splunge

Hi W205C43PFL , I didn't actually drive the face lifted C43 , but I guess my main decision was to upgrade to the E class even though the C43 is fairly comfortable in comfort mode . The fact that I rarely use the Sport + mode and the entertaining exhaust guided me to purchase the E450 rather than the E53 . Another factor is that in Canada , the extra $12 K for the E53 which I couldn't justify for myself . I was very impressed with the ride ,comfort ,relative sportiness and beautiful interior of the E450 and expect the 2022 with the mild hybrid to be even better . If the 2022 E450 cabriolet does not materialise ,then I'II be checking out the proposed CLE cabriolet for 2023 ! The story continues !

W205C43PFL

Understood, thanks for your reply and your answer to the question.

Honestly if you don't need the extra speed or (mostly... that you don't need the quick acceleration at start, the E450 is the way to go which you gladly chose because most of these cars especially with 6-cylinders, once it picks up speed it can keep on pulling for quite a while and once you are up to speed, downshifting to overtake is also an ease. Anything that has an AMG branding on the rear of the car (so not talking about AMG line cars) is really for those who want a fast MB with a good sound (sans 4-cylinder after the sound regulation) and better driving dynamics with some sacrifices with ride quality (even though most if not all AMGs are dual personalities but you still can't compare the comfort of base vehicle suspension to AMG tuned suspensions) You would love the instant torque that the 48V mild hybrid system provide before your engine's turbos spoof up on this facelift you ordered. If you happen to forget to turn off Eco/Start stop, it doesn't make the vehicle jerk anymore thanks to this 48V mild hybrid system.

Let's hope your car arrives soon, you may sign a HERMES module waiver enabling you to pickup the car without the HERMES module and retrofit it later next year instead of waiting for the module.

mercedesmax

Yes, I sell them. Not at all comparable to a C 43 or E 53.