First impressions
08-04-2007, 11:02 PM
#1
First impressions
Hello all: Had a chance to take a long-ish test-drive today. Here are my impressions.
1. Background: I plan to give my 2005 C230k SC to my other half and replace her B5 Passat V6 with something else that I'd drive. The only cars I had considered at first were the Mini Cooper S (do not like the new one as much as the old one, so it's out) and the BMW 3 Coupe. Indeed I'd already be driving an E92 if an August slot had been available for European delivery, but when I tried to order a 328 in late May the earliest slot BMW had was for November -- so I decided to wait for the W204 and/or the end of the pump issues on the 335 before ordering.
2. The car: C300 Sport, auto, upgraded audio, NAV.
3. The drive: mix of spirited city (mediocre to bad roads) and "country" driving (winding good 4-lane roads).
4. The summary: good but not great. I'll wait to drive a manual C300 and a C350 before making up my mind.
5. What struck me, in order of occurrence:
Looks:
Personal, but I like it -- a lot. The medium gray color is great, too. The only bad angle is from the side (tall nose). The alloys look great, too.
AC: the weather was oppressive today (very hot & humid), and my C230's blower had to work to keep the car cool -- had to set it on 4.5 for proper cooling. Not so in the C300, where the third blower setting was enough to cool things. Impressive, as the interior is black.
Note: As quiet the C300's AC is inside, the fan outside is quite noisy (less than the Passat's, but more than the 230). Has anybody had a similar experience?
Interior: Mixed bag. The C300 is clearly well finished, the sunroof is bigger than I had expected, and the NAV screen is good quality. Err, that's it. It's a matter of taste, but I would definitely wait for the maple trim. I was also not impressed with the leather inserts. Overall I like my 2005's interior better (YMMV): the plastics look better, I have memory seats/wheel/mirrors (memory for seats and mirrors is a big deal to me, MB-USA are you listening?), and the cowl is lower (might be a coupe thing, but it feels airier).
Mirrors: Quite a few people have complained about the aesthetics of the large mirrors' looks, but I give thanks to MB (and the EU) for not listening. The new mirrors are even better than on the 2005.
Steering wheel:
How big is this thing? When I drive my coupe or a 3, the wheel feels like a natural extension of m y body. On the W204, I felt like driving an E (I am exagerating, but you get the idea: too bus-like).
Steering: Good -- not quite as good as a 3, but improved on the W203.
Handling: The biggest improvement IMHO, especially in successions of fast bends.
Brakes: Very good (on the 203, the brakes are good but one has to push hard to stop; here, the brakes are anchor-like) but surprisingly hard to modulate.
Ride: with the Sport suspension, it is smoother than on my 2005 Sport Coupe, though there are still some trepidations on bad roads. No rattles, but that's the least I expect from MB -- I have zero rattle in mine after 3 years.
Update: the 204 I drove had 18" wheels, which makes the ride quality particularly impressive.
Transmission: I like stick shifts, but regrettably/of course there was none available. Here is my take on the automatic. Dr. Jekyll (C mode) and Mr Hyde (S mode). The former is creamy smooth and very, very relaxing. Truly good, MB should sell a lot of Luxury model. As for me, though, with the tranny in C mode, the car was not fast enough to my taste (the C350 might cure that issue). The S mode does hustle but the noise level goes up significantly -- indeed, I found it so tiresome that I switched to C mode. The 328, in DS mode, is both more rewarding to drive and much more pleasant hear.
Radio: Good -- better than in my 2005 and in the E92.
Noise: Mostly good. Almost as quiet as the Passat, except when the engine is in S mode and the driver pushes on it. Then it's too noisy.
After driving this car, I want to drive a C300 with stick. Then I'll see which car I get
1. Background: I plan to give my 2005 C230k SC to my other half and replace her B5 Passat V6 with something else that I'd drive. The only cars I had considered at first were the Mini Cooper S (do not like the new one as much as the old one, so it's out) and the BMW 3 Coupe. Indeed I'd already be driving an E92 if an August slot had been available for European delivery, but when I tried to order a 328 in late May the earliest slot BMW had was for November -- so I decided to wait for the W204 and/or the end of the pump issues on the 335 before ordering.
2. The car: C300 Sport, auto, upgraded audio, NAV.
3. The drive: mix of spirited city (mediocre to bad roads) and "country" driving (winding good 4-lane roads).
4. The summary: good but not great. I'll wait to drive a manual C300 and a C350 before making up my mind.
5. What struck me, in order of occurrence:
Looks:
Personal, but I like it -- a lot. The medium gray color is great, too. The only bad angle is from the side (tall nose). The alloys look great, too.AC:
the weather was oppressive today (very hot & humid), and my C230's blower had to work to keep the car cool -- had to set it on 4.5 for proper cooling. Not so in the C300, where the third blower setting was enough to cool things. Impressive, as the interior is black. Note: As quiet the C300's AC is inside, the fan outside is quite noisy (less than the Passat's, but more than the 230). Has anybody had a similar experience?
Interior: Mixed bag. The C300 is clearly well finished, the sunroof is bigger than I had expected, and the NAV screen is good quality. Err, that's it. It's a matter of taste, but I would definitely wait for the maple trim. I was also not impressed with the leather inserts. Overall I like my 2005's interior better (YMMV): the plastics look better, I have memory seats/wheel/mirrors (memory for seats and mirrors is a big deal to me, MB-USA are you listening?), and the cowl is lower (might be a coupe thing, but it feels airier).
Mirrors:
Quite a few people have complained about the aesthetics of the large mirrors' looks, but I give thanks to MB (and the EU) for not listening. The new mirrors are even better than on the 2005. Steering wheel:
How big is this thing? When I drive my coupe or a 3, the wheel feels like a natural extension of m y body. On the W204, I felt like driving an E (I am exagerating, but you get the idea: too bus-like). Steering:
Good -- not quite as good as a 3, but improved on the W203. Handling:
The biggest improvement IMHO, especially in successions of fast bends. Brakes: Very good (on the 203, the brakes are good but one has to push hard to stop; here, the brakes are anchor-like) but surprisingly hard to modulate.
Ride:
with the Sport suspension, it is smoother than on my 2005 Sport Coupe, though there are still some trepidations on bad roads. No rattles, but that's the least I expect from MB -- I have zero rattle in mine after 3 years.Update: the 204 I drove had 18" wheels, which makes the ride quality particularly impressive.
Transmission: I like stick shifts, but regrettably/of course there was none available. Here is my take on the automatic. Dr. Jekyll (C mode) and Mr Hyde (S mode). The former is creamy smooth and very, very relaxing. Truly good, MB should sell a lot of Luxury model. As for me, though, with the tranny in C mode, the car was not fast enough to my taste (the C350 might cure that issue). The S mode does hustle but the noise level goes up significantly -- indeed, I found it so tiresome that I switched to C mode. The 328, in DS mode, is both more rewarding to drive and much more pleasant hear.
Radio:
Good -- better than in my 2005 and in the E92.Noise: Mostly good. Almost as quiet as the Passat, except when the engine is in S mode and the driver pushes on it. Then it's too noisy.
After driving this car, I want to drive a C300 with stick. Then I'll see which car I get
Last edited by ayilar; 08-05-2007 at 04:18 PM.
08-05-2007, 03:00 PM
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2016 C63
I have been able to confirm that the black birdseye maple trim is standard in the C350 for the US. It is listed on my detailed build sheet from MB for my C350 which will be built next week.
TEAShea
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TEAShea
from Nebraska
08-06-2007, 04:10 PM
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2007 C230 Sport manual
Hello all: Had a chance to take a long-ish test-drive today. Here are my impressions.
1. Background: I plan to give my 2005 C230k SC to my other half and replace her B5 Passat V6 with something else that I'd drive. The only cars I had considered at first were the Mini Cooper S (do not like the new one as much as the old one, so it's out) and the BMW 3 Coupe. Indeed I'd already be driving an E92 if an August slot had been available for European delivery, but when I tried to order a 328 in late May the earliest slot BMW had was for November -- so I decided to wait for the W204 and/or the end of the pump issues on the 335 before ordering.
2. The car: C300 Sport, auto, upgraded audio, NAV.
3. The drive: mix of spirited city (mediocre to bad roads) and "country" driving (winding good 4-lane roads).
4. The summary: good but not great. I'll wait to drive a manual C300 and a C350 before making up my mind.
5. What struck me, in order of occurrence:
Looks: Personal, but I like it -- a lot. The medium gray color is great, too. The only bad angle is from the side (tall nose). The alloys look great, too.
AC: the weather was oppressive today (very hot & humid), and my C230's blower had to work to keep the car cool -- had to set it on 4.5 for proper cooling. Not so in the C300, where the third blower setting was enough to cool things. Impressive, as the interior is black.
Note: As quiet the C300's AC is inside, the fan outside is quite noisy (less than the Passat's, but more than the 230). Has anybody had a similar experience?
Interior: Mixed bag. The C300 is clearly well finished, the sunroof is bigger than I had expected, and the NAV screen is good quality. Err, that's it. It's a matter of taste, but I would definitely wait for the maple trim. I was also not impressed with the leather inserts. Overall I like my 2005's interior better (YMMV): the plastics look better, I have memory seats/wheel/mirrors (memory for seats and mirrors is a big deal to me, MB-USA are you listening?), and the cowl is lower (might be a coupe thing, but it feels airier).
Mirrors: Quite a few people have complained about the aesthetics of the large mirrors' looks, but I give thanks to MB (and the EU) for not listening. The new mirrors are even better than on the 2005.
Steering wheel: How big is this thing? When I drive my coupe or a 3, the wheel feels like a natural extension of m y body. On the W204, I felt like driving an E (I am exagerating, but you get the idea: too bus-like).
Steering: Good -- not quite as good as a 3, but improved on the W203.
Handling: The biggest improvement IMHO, especially in successions of fast bends.
Brakes: Very good (on the 203, the brakes are good but one has to push hard to stop; here, the brakes are anchor-like) but surprisingly hard to modulate.
Ride: with the Sport suspension, it is smoother than on my 2005 Sport Coupe, though there are still some trepidations on bad roads. No rattles, but that's the least I expect from MB -- I have zero rattle in mine after 3 years.
Update: the 204 I drove had 18" wheels, which makes the ride quality particularly impressive.
Transmission: I like stick shifts, but regrettably/of course there was none available. Here is my take on the automatic. Dr. Jekyll (C mode) and Mr Hyde (S mode). The former is creamy smooth and very, very relaxing. Truly good, MB should sell a lot of Luxury model. As for me, though, with the tranny in C mode, the car was not fast enough to my taste (the C350 might cure that issue). The S mode does hustle but the noise level goes up significantly -- indeed, I found it so tiresome that I switched to C mode. The 328, in DS mode, is both more rewarding to drive and much more pleasant hear.
Radio: Good -- better than in my 2005 and in the E92.
Noise: Mostly good. Almost as quiet as the Passat, except when the engine is in S mode and the driver pushes on it. Then it's too noisy.
After driving this car, I want to drive a C300 with stick. Then I'll see which car I get
1. Background: I plan to give my 2005 C230k SC to my other half and replace her B5 Passat V6 with something else that I'd drive. The only cars I had considered at first were the Mini Cooper S (do not like the new one as much as the old one, so it's out) and the BMW 3 Coupe. Indeed I'd already be driving an E92 if an August slot had been available for European delivery, but when I tried to order a 328 in late May the earliest slot BMW had was for November -- so I decided to wait for the W204 and/or the end of the pump issues on the 335 before ordering.
2. The car: C300 Sport, auto, upgraded audio, NAV.
3. The drive: mix of spirited city (mediocre to bad roads) and "country" driving (winding good 4-lane roads).
4. The summary: good but not great. I'll wait to drive a manual C300 and a C350 before making up my mind.
5. What struck me, in order of occurrence:
Looks:
Personal, but I like it -- a lot. The medium gray color is great, too. The only bad angle is from the side (tall nose). The alloys look great, too.AC:
the weather was oppressive today (very hot & humid), and my C230's blower had to work to keep the car cool -- had to set it on 4.5 for proper cooling. Not so in the C300, where the third blower setting was enough to cool things. Impressive, as the interior is black. Note: As quiet the C300's AC is inside, the fan outside is quite noisy (less than the Passat's, but more than the 230). Has anybody had a similar experience?
Interior: Mixed bag. The C300 is clearly well finished, the sunroof is bigger than I had expected, and the NAV screen is good quality. Err, that's it. It's a matter of taste, but I would definitely wait for the maple trim. I was also not impressed with the leather inserts. Overall I like my 2005's interior better (YMMV): the plastics look better, I have memory seats/wheel/mirrors (memory for seats and mirrors is a big deal to me, MB-USA are you listening?), and the cowl is lower (might be a coupe thing, but it feels airier).
Mirrors:
Quite a few people have complained about the aesthetics of the large mirrors' looks, but I give thanks to MB (and the EU) for not listening. The new mirrors are even better than on the 2005. Steering wheel:
How big is this thing? When I drive my coupe or a 3, the wheel feels like a natural extension of m y body. On the W204, I felt like driving an E (I am exagerating, but you get the idea: too bus-like). Steering:
Good -- not quite as good as a 3, but improved on the W203. Handling:
The biggest improvement IMHO, especially in successions of fast bends. Brakes: Very good (on the 203, the brakes are good but one has to push hard to stop; here, the brakes are anchor-like) but surprisingly hard to modulate.
Ride:
with the Sport suspension, it is smoother than on my 2005 Sport Coupe, though there are still some trepidations on bad roads. No rattles, but that's the least I expect from MB -- I have zero rattle in mine after 3 years.Update: the 204 I drove had 18" wheels, which makes the ride quality particularly impressive.
Transmission: I like stick shifts, but regrettably/of course there was none available. Here is my take on the automatic. Dr. Jekyll (C mode) and Mr Hyde (S mode). The former is creamy smooth and very, very relaxing. Truly good, MB should sell a lot of Luxury model. As for me, though, with the tranny in C mode, the car was not fast enough to my taste (the C350 might cure that issue). The S mode does hustle but the noise level goes up significantly -- indeed, I found it so tiresome that I switched to C mode. The 328, in DS mode, is both more rewarding to drive and much more pleasant hear.
Radio:
Good -- better than in my 2005 and in the E92.Noise: Mostly good. Almost as quiet as the Passat, except when the engine is in S mode and the driver pushes on it. Then it's too noisy.
After driving this car, I want to drive a C300 with stick. Then I'll see which car I get
Funny...but I agree with all of these comments based on my test drive. I think it best to wait for the new engines which I think are supposed to come out in a year or so.
08-06-2007, 11:36 PM
#5
Agreed on the waiting part -- memory seats, more interior options, better engines would make a good car a great one. I may not have the luxury of waiting, unfortunately. Still, I'll see what the C300 with stick and the C350 look like before I decide.
09-18-2007, 12:51 AM
#6
C350 test update
I took out a C350 for a 45-minute test drive this week-end. Most of this test was carried out within city limits, with an emphasis on bad surfaces as I wanted to check out how the 17-in wheels improved the suspension.
Here are my additional impressions:
1.a Engine: Much, much better. Not strained at all when being pushed (no highway driving), and no real need to use the sport mode in city/suburban driving. On the downside, I got only 13 mpg during my test drive.
1.b Transmission: The 7-speeder seems to work well, but I did not want to give it a good trashing on small winding roads (brand new car, would not be nice to the ultimate buyer). In terms of ergonomics, though, it has two drawbacks:
(i) Mode selector: I prefer BMW's E90 approach to switching between comfort and sport modes -- in a hurry (which is the case when you need more power _now_ but were cruising along in comfort mode), it's much easier to move the whole transmission lever (BMW) than to find and push the small transmission mode button on the center console (MB). It's less of an issue for the 350 than for the 300, as the former has enough torque to handle most situations in C mode.
(ii) Drive selector: Again, the BMW's is better -- I found it hard to switch quickly between Drive and Reverse on the MB, because of the notches along the way. Given MB's focus on safety, I don't understand this one.
2. Ride/handling: The 17-inch tires improved the ride significantly, even on bad roads -- the W204 significantly better in this respect (and quieter) than my 2005 Coupe. On the downside, I spun the Contis the one time when I floored the accelerator (as I said, I don't like doing pushing hard a new car's engine, but traffic conditions left me no choice).
3. Standard equipment: Fine on the 350 (most of the goodies I ordered on my C as options are standard here), except for the lack of memory seats and power adjustment for the steering wheel. This is a major frustration for me, as I use valet parking at work every day.
4. Exterior: Why add a trunk lip/spoiler on the 350? I like the 300 better.
5. Interior: Gloomy, due to the black headliner. The standard sunroof is nice and big -- AFAIAC, the pano roof is not worth it in this case (unlike on my Coupe, where I think it an essential ingredient of the whole experience). The sunvisors look cheap and shiny in black finish, and they clash with the roof lights (white against black) -- though they seem solid. Overall, the interior is OK, but the Luxury model looks much better to my eyes.
In sum, a very nice effort by MB and a solid improvement on the W203 in most respects. Not a home run, IMHO, because of the interior.
Here are my additional impressions:
1.a Engine: Much, much better. Not strained at all when being pushed (no highway driving), and no real need to use the sport mode in city/suburban driving.
On the downside, I got only 13 mpg during my test drive.1.b Transmission: The 7-speeder seems to work well, but I did not want to give it a good trashing on small winding roads (brand new car, would not be nice to the ultimate buyer). In terms of ergonomics, though, it has two drawbacks:
(i) Mode selector: I prefer BMW's E90 approach to switching between comfort and sport modes -- in a hurry (which is the case when you need more power _now_ but were cruising along in comfort mode), it's much easier to move the whole transmission lever (BMW) than to find and push the small transmission mode button on the center console (MB). It's less of an issue for the 350 than for the 300, as the former has enough torque to handle most situations in C mode.
(ii) Drive selector: Again, the BMW's is better -- I found it hard to switch quickly between Drive and Reverse on the MB, because of the notches along the way. Given MB's focus on safety, I don't understand this one.
2. Ride/handling: The 17-inch tires improved the ride significantly, even on bad roads -- the W204 significantly better in this respect (and quieter) than my 2005 Coupe. On the downside, I spun the Contis the one time when I floored the accelerator (as I said, I don't like doing pushing hard a new car's engine, but traffic conditions left me no choice).
3. Standard equipment: Fine on the 350 (most of the goodies I ordered on my C as options are standard here), except for the lack of memory seats and power adjustment for the steering wheel. This is a major frustration for me, as I use valet parking at work every day.
4. Exterior: Why add a trunk lip/spoiler on the 350? I like the 300 better.
5. Interior: Gloomy, due to the black headliner. The standard sunroof is nice and big -- AFAIAC, the pano roof is not worth it in this case (unlike on my Coupe, where I think it an essential ingredient of the whole experience). The sunvisors look cheap and shiny in black finish, and they clash with the roof lights (white against black) -- though they seem solid. Overall, the interior is OK, but the Luxury model looks much better to my eyes.
In sum, a very nice effort by MB and a solid improvement on the W203 in most respects. Not a home run, IMHO, because of the interior.
Last edited by ayilar; 09-18-2007 at 11:05 PM.
09-18-2007, 09:37 AM
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97 Nissan Maxima, On order '08 C350; AW, Grey/Black Tex, P2, MM, 18"
Here are my additional impressions
Also, I considered the lemon/black interior of the 3 but DID NOT like the grey headliner. I much prefer the grey/black interior of the C with the black headliner.
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09-18-2007, 10:26 AM
#8
09-08-2008, 11:21 PM
#9
Well, finally took the plunge -- bought a C350 4 weeks ago, with P2 and MM, in steel grey. After 700 miles, I stand by my test-drive comments. As a side note, the black headliner ended up not being an issue as I found it to work just fine with the grey interior. The lack of memory for the seats was (almost) forgiven in light of the superb deal I got (that, and I need the power-folding mirrors).
Cheers!
Cheers!
09-09-2008, 12:31 AM
#10
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2008 R350 & 2008 C300
Thats great, there are some really good deals to be had on 2008 left overs right now, to the point where it makes me almost sick to realize what I paid and what I could pay now ha ha. Not to mention that there is a price increase of $1k for 2009 models, just goes to show it pays to hold out till the end of the model year...if you can wait that long ha ha.
09-09-2008, 01:19 AM
#11
Senior Member
Well, finally took the plunge -- bought a C350 4 weeks ago, with P2 and MM, in steel grey. After 700 miles, I stand by my test-drive comments. As a side note, the black headliner ended up not being an issue as I found it to work just fine with the grey interior. The lack of memory for the seats was (almost) forgiven in light of the superb deal I got (that, and I need the power-folding mirrors).
Cheers!
Cheers!
Enjoy youre new wheels
keith
09-09-2008, 09:40 AM
#12
Thanks, I will!
09-09-2008, 10:36 AM
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C300 Sport
AC: the weather was oppressive today (very hot & humid), and my C230's blower had to work to keep the car cool -- had to set it on 4.5 for proper cooling. Not so in the C300, where the third blower setting was enough to cool things. Impressive, as the interior is black.
Note: As quiet the C300's AC is inside, the fan outside is quite noisy (less than the Passat's, but more than the 230). Has anybody had a similar experience?
the weather was oppressive today (very hot & humid), and my C230's blower had to work to keep the car cool -- had to set it on 4.5 for proper cooling. Not so in the C300, where the third blower setting was enough to cool things. Impressive, as the interior is black. Note: As quiet the C300's AC is inside, the fan outside is quite noisy (less than the Passat's, but more than the 230). Has anybody had a similar experience?
