Palmball
MB Enthusiast
Well, not me exactly....but the father in law - I've done enough car buying recently 
(although I still ended up sorting the deal out for him!)
He currently has a 2 year old C220cdi S204 and I've got to say, my first experience of the W205 demo today was very impressive.
The whole car feels a real step-up in ambience and quality to the 204 - the interior and seating position are particularly outstanding for a c.£30k car. Things like the metal switchgear and the nicely shaped and chunky steering wheel make it feel very rich....this bodes very well for the forthcoming C63 which will sell for twice what he paid for this car. Unlike BMW's M3, which is too similar to the 1-series in terms of design and material quality (so is very disappointing when you get the the M3's price point), the C-class appears to have an interior which can stand up to the AMG's £60k+ price tag. It was also very refined, and although the engine is still clearly a 4-cylinder diesel, it was much more muted than in the 204.
I only had a brief go in the demo today so I can't really comment on its handling characteristics but it rode nicely (non-airmatic) and felt very solid, if not particularly 'agile'. It was disappointing to hear the panoramic sunroof rattling away (one of the reasons I hate sunroofs) but the one he's bought doesn't have this option....it was very obvious because the rest of the car was so quiet.
He's opted for another C220cdi auto estate in Sport trim, which is decent for a mid-range spec considering it's got things like (basic) nav and LED headlights as standard. He's opted for no options (bar the auto 'box) because after years of Peugeot company cars before his current S204, even these mid-range Mercs are like luxury to him.
He's got a long wait for the car as it doesn't arrive until.....next Sunday Amazing that MB already have free stock of such a new model, but I guess the lack of options he's opted for helps here.
Anyway, whilst I was very impressed the car, I think it's such a same that MB aren't selling any 6-cylinder engines on this new model - all it needed to be a proper little S-Class was a more silky and better sounding engine. As it stands, theres just such a huge gap between C250d/300h and the C63 which is just calling out for C400 and C350d models to fill.
(although I still ended up sorting the deal out for him!)He currently has a 2 year old C220cdi S204 and I've got to say, my first experience of the W205 demo today was very impressive.
The whole car feels a real step-up in ambience and quality to the 204 - the interior and seating position are particularly outstanding for a c.£30k car. Things like the metal switchgear and the nicely shaped and chunky steering wheel make it feel very rich....this bodes very well for the forthcoming C63 which will sell for twice what he paid for this car. Unlike BMW's M3, which is too similar to the 1-series in terms of design and material quality (so is very disappointing when you get the the M3's price point), the C-class appears to have an interior which can stand up to the AMG's £60k+ price tag. It was also very refined, and although the engine is still clearly a 4-cylinder diesel, it was much more muted than in the 204.
I only had a brief go in the demo today so I can't really comment on its handling characteristics but it rode nicely (non-airmatic) and felt very solid, if not particularly 'agile'. It was disappointing to hear the panoramic sunroof rattling away (one of the reasons I hate sunroofs) but the one he's bought doesn't have this option....it was very obvious because the rest of the car was so quiet.
He's opted for another C220cdi auto estate in Sport trim, which is decent for a mid-range spec considering it's got things like (basic) nav and LED headlights as standard. He's opted for no options (bar the auto 'box) because after years of Peugeot company cars before his current S204, even these mid-range Mercs are like luxury to him.
He's got a long wait for the car as it doesn't arrive until.....next Sunday
Amazing that MB already have free stock of such a new model, but I guess the lack of options he's opted for helps here.Anyway, whilst I was very impressed the car, I think it's such a same that MB aren't selling any 6-cylinder engines on this new model - all it needed to be a proper little S-Class was a more silky and better sounding engine. As it stands, theres just such a huge gap between C250d/300h and the C63 which is just calling out for C400 and C350d models to fill.
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