C Class Coupe 220d - First Mercedes

[Alexf]

Hi All,

Next weekend I'm going to be purchasing my first Mercedes! Its my first new car and special car. (fiat punto owner for the last 10 years )

I've signed up to CarWow so letting the offers pile before I go into the showroom. I'm also armed with the knowledge that a facelift is just around the corner.

My Setup I'm thinking of is:

Engine C 220 d AMG Line Coupé

Colour Selenite Grey Metallic

Wheel 19" AMG Multispoke alloy wheels

Upholstery Brown - Artico Leather

Interior black open-pore ash wood trim

Packages Premium Plus, Also going for the addition leather dashboard.

Its pretty much the same set-up you see in the brochure, I find that most attractive, I think the grey really compliments the chrome, and the brown leather makes it look that much more special. I'm surprised you don't see that combination much.


As well as your opinions on my setup I do have a few questions.

Should I get real leather or is the Artico leather good?

If you have a C Class saloon or coupe what are your opinions on living with the car? Is there anything I should be aware of?

 

[markjay]

Welcome.

I had leather on previous car and have Artico on the current car.

Artico is more durable, easier to clean, and will look new for longer. I am happy with it.

But ultimately Artico is plastic... it does not really look like leather, feel like leather, or smell like leather.

So if you want durable and practical seats, Artico is great.

But if you like leather... then Artico is not a substitute that you will be happy with.

Hope this helps.

 

[markjay]

Also, not familiar with the current trim options, but I suggest you ensure it has COMAND and heated front seats. Both are nice options...

And have a look at the optional driving aids pack e.g. Road Sign Assyst, Lane Keeping Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Distronic, etc. Not everyone likes these electronic driving aids, but worth having a look.

 

[wemorgan]

I've the cabriolet version of the same car (engine, colour, main spec)

Engine: Power is OK for cruising, lacking when pushing on. It's rather on the noisy side compared to rivals. Not sure why they don't put latest 1950cc engine in the cars. Efficiency is excellent. ~65mpg on the motorway.

Colour: had the car a few months now and still not washed it. Hardly looks as if it needs it.

Premium Plus is nice to have, but the infotainment and COMAND are not as good as BMW.

General ride and handling are all very good ie. comfort without wallowing.

 

[geraldrobins]

Consider petrol is my advise especially if you do a high mileage and consider the nox output and any forseeable legislation or local issues. I would also consider comand over any aesthetic options.
Just my opinion and good luck with your purchase.

 

[MancMike]

Welcome Alex. Wow that's a vast step up from a Punto. I had one too, neat, but getting into your C Class is going to feel like you're driving a bank vault down the road to begin with. It's a different league of car, enjoy it, I'm sure you will.

 

[Delayed Steve]

I've got that spec on my car, apart from black seats. I've got the 200 petrol I've had it since March 2016. I had petrol because of the rumors at the time about diesel that have turned out to be true ! The 200 petrol is slightly faster than the 220 on paper but it's that slight I doubt you'd notice, it's plenty quick enough for what I use it for and I'm getting about 35 mpg daily driving . I'm really enjoying the car and would recommend it to a friend lol.
The things I wished I'd done is one ,had leather, it was £800 at the time and I wished I'd gone for it and two, had the 300 engine instead, my head tells me the 200 is plenty and I wouldn't go any faster withe the 300 but my heart says different.
Love the car though and I've got no problems with the artico, think about a petrol it's about two grand cheaper and may prove less hassle in the long run.

 

[GeeJayW]

Congrats...

We had the C204 C220d Coupe and liked it a great deal. Mainly changed it due to micro-blistering on the (Fire Opal Red) paint.

The (C205) C-class coupe only came out in Sep 2015, so although a facelift is expected next year for the saloon and estate versions, I don't think that the coupe facelift will appear until 2019.

Premium Plus includes COMAND Online and Burmester sound system

FWIW, I don't think that Euro 6 diesels will be penalised in the near future as the emissions are similar to gasoline cars. If you're considering a C200 (ie. small-engined) gasoline, drive one first.

The 19" rims look great, just be aware that the tyres will be run-flats (have the same on our car) and are not cheap to replace. Strongly suggest taking the insurance cover for tyres. Note the insurance for rims does not cover replacement cost (£150 contribution per rim). So if you break/damage a rim, it's not cheap to replace.

The coupe is a great looking car and Selenite Grey is a cool colour choice. Enjoy.

 

[Alexf]

Welcome.

I had leather on previous car and have Artico on the current car.

Artico is more durable, easier to clean, and will look new for longer. I am happy with it.

But ultimately Artico is plastic... it does not really look like leather, feel like leather, or smell like leather.

So if you want durable and practical seats, Artico is great.

But if you like leather... then Artico is not a substitute that you will be happy with.

Hope this helps.

Also, not familiar with the current trim options, but I suggest you ensure it has COMAND and heated front seats. Both are nice options...

And have a look at the optional driving aids pack e.g. Road Sign Assyst, Lane Keeping Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Distronic, etc. Not everyone likes these electronic driving aids, but worth having a look.

Thanks for the insight MarkJay,

Because I plan to go for brown leather I'm leaning towards Artico, easier to clean and I can't imagine that colour would age very well as real leather.

To be honest the driving aid packs seem a bit gimmicky and unnecessary to me. If I was to add any additional toys I'd want the 360 camera (I saw a demonstration and thought it looked really neat) and the hologram heads up display.

I've the cabriolet version of the same car (engine, colour, main spec)

Engine: Power is OK for cruising, lacking when pushing on. It's rather on the noisy side compared to rivals. Not sure why they don't put latest 1950cc engine in the cars. Efficiency is excellent. ~65mpg on the motorway.

Colour: had the car a few months now and still not washed it. Hardly looks as if it needs it.

Premium Plus is nice to have, but the infotainment and COMAND are not as good as BMW.

General ride and handling are all very good ie. comfort without wallowing.

Thanks Wemorgan
65mpg! I like the sound of that!, I'll probably be doing a fair bit of motorway driving.

I know its not a particularly fast car, I'm not too concerned about that, my Mrs has a fiat 500 1.2 and although frustrating at times I think I'll be quite happy sat in comfort and luxury of the merc.

As for COMMAND not being as good as the BMW, I can live with that, I mainly went for premium plus because the sound system looks fantastic and the satnav looks a lot better too.

Consider petrol is my advise especially if you do a high mileage and consider the nox output and any forseeable legislation or local issues. I would also consider comand over any aesthetic options.
Just my opinion and good luck with your purchase.

Thanks Geraldobins,
I'm opting for premium Plus that comes with Command

The reason why I want diesel is for the motorway miles, the mpg's are a lot higher and so hopefully will be cheaper to run.

The punto I have now is a thirsty petrol and it gets on my nerves.

Welcome Alex. Wow that's a vast step up from a Punto. I had one too, neat, but getting into your C Class is going to feel like you're driving a bank vault down the road to begin with. It's a different league of car, enjoy it, I'm sure you will.

Thanks I-Conica,
Its going to feel like stepping off a bus straight into a Bentley! I can't wait! Already planning a road trip to Scotland. I've never been that far north and hear the roads of spectacular!

I've got that spec on my car, apart from black seats. I've got the 200 petrol I've had it since March 2016. I had petrol because of the rumors at the time about diesel that have turned out to be true ! The 200 petrol is slightly faster than the 220 on paper but it's that slight I doubt you'd notice, it's plenty quick enough for what I use it for and I'm getting about 35 mpg daily driving . I'm really enjoying the car and would recommend it to a friend lol.
The things I wished I'd done is one ,had leather, it was £800 at the time and I wished I'd gone for it and two, had the 300 engine instead, my head tells me the 200 is plenty and I wouldn't go any faster withe the 300 but my heart says different.
Love the car though and I've got no problems with the artico, think about a petrol it's about two grand cheaper and may prove less hassle in the long run.

Thanks Steve,
I'll have another look at the petrol, at the moment I'm pretty sold on the diesel with its mpg. But will look again to make sure its worth it.

Congrats...

We had the C204 C220d Coupe and liked it a great deal. Mainly changed it due to micro-blistering on the (Fire Opal Red) paint.

The (C205) C-class coupe only came out in Sep 2015, so although a facelift is expected next year for the saloon and estate versions, I don't think that the coupe facelift will appear until 2019.

Premium Plus includes COMAND Online and Burmester sound system

FWIW, I don't think that Euro 6 diesels will be penalised in the near future as the emissions are similar to gasoline cars. If you're considering a C200 (ie. small-engined) gasoline, drive one first.

The 19" rims look great, just be aware that the tyres will be run-flats (have the same on our car) and are not cheap to replace. Strongly suggest taking the insurance cover for tyres. Note the insurance for rims does not cover replacement cost (£150 contribution per rim). So if you break/damage a rim, it's not cheap to replace.

The coupe is a great looking car and Selenite Grey is a cool colour choice. Enjoy.

Thanks GeeJayW,

Might be a stupid question but is the C204 the 2004 released model? So the one I'm looking at would be the C215? Trying to figure out how the models work.

I'm sure I read somewhere a c class coupe is arriving later this year. I may be wrong.

I'll have a look at some tyres, the 19s are quite essential for me, I'm not overly keen on the 5 spoke 18s. I'll see what tyre deals I can get.

Thanks again for the insights! I know it can range from garage to garage but how quick are Mercedes with the order dates? Do you think I'll be waiting months or weeks?

 

[GeeJayW]

Might be a stupid question but is the C204 the 2004 released model? So the one I'm looking at would be the C215? Trying to figure out how the models work.

I'm sure I read somewhere a c class coupe is arriving later this year. I may be wrong.

I'll have a look at some tyres, the 19s are quite essential for me, I'm not overly keen on the 5 spoke 18s. I'll see what tyre deals I can get.

Thanks again for the insights! I know it can range from garage to garage but how quick are Mercedes with the order dates? Do you think I'll be waiting months or weeks?

The C204 C-class coupe came out in 2011 to replace the ageing CLC and was phased out in 2015 when the C205 (current) version came out. Given that the W205 and S205 (Saloon and Estate respectively) came out in 2014 (I think), my expectation is that facelifted coupe will appear later too. Could easily be wrong though.

As for delivery, I can't really say about a new one as ours was an approved used car. We can live with a few thousand miles on clock for an otherwise highly spec'd and pristine car. Saved a LOT of money over buying new.

I would have chosen 18" five-spoke rims (which BTW can also have MOE run-flats fitted at the factory), but the car we were offered had 19" which weren't a deal-breaker. I do like the way the 19" look and they are not as harsh to drive as I thought they would be.

Good luck..

 

[MancMike]

Might be a stupid question but is the C204 the 2004 released model? So the one I'm looking at would be the C215? Trying to figure out how the models work.

There's no correlation with year.

The first letter is the type of vehicle, C is coupe, S is stationwagon (estate) and W is wagon (saloon).

The number is the model designation. So the C Class started at 201 (in 1982 until 1993). In year 2001, we'd seen the 202 in the late 90s and arrived at the 203 and it was made until 2007, when the 204 was released. In 2014 (i think) the 205 replaced the 204.

So mine is a 57 plate W204. Yours will be a C205 as it's a coupe, and the current model. Next will be the 206.

Other models follow this pattern too, so the current E Class is 213, So W213, S213 and C213. The model before it was W212, etc.

S Classes are W/S/C222, W/S/C221, etc.

Don't start looking at the entire range until you're familiar with this pattern.

 

[markjay]

PS - the C-Class 204 Coupe was available until 2015.

 

[GeeJayW]

PS - the C-Class 204 Coupe was available until 2015.

As per post #10...

 

[Alexf]

There's no correlation with year.

The first letter is the type of vehicle, C is coupe, S is stationwagon (estate) and W is wagon (saloon).

The number is the model designation. So the C Class started at 201 (in 1982 until 1993). In year 2001, we'd seen the 202 in the late 90s and arrived at the 203 and it was made until 2007, when the 204 was released. In 2014 (i think) the 205 replaced the 204.

So mine is a 57 plate W204. Yours will be a C205 as it's a coupe, and the current model. Next will be the 206.

Other models follow this pattern too, so the current E Class is 213, So W213, S213 and C213. The model before it was W212, etc.

S Classes are W/S/C222, W/S/C221, etc.

Don't start looking at the entire range until you're familiar with this pattern.

Of course!

Thanks for the explanation

 

[EClassy]

Picking up my C200 cabriolet tomorrow after 7 months.

Polar white/black roof
Black artico seats
Black ash trim
Premium Plus
Driving assistance package
Leather dash
360° camera

 

[Cash]

I have a similar C300, which is brilliant, although if you're not bothered about the extra speed, the poor mpg won't be worth it.

I have the 360 camera and, for the extra cash, I'd definitely recommend it! If it prevents one dink or scuffed alloy, it will pay for itself.

Leather wise, I think the artico would be fine. The cars I test drove were artico and the average joe wouldn't notice a major difference. I went with leather as the colour I wanted only came in leather (cranberry red) Otherwise, artico does the job.

I also have airmatic, which for me is the best thing I spec'd on the whole car. I came from an M sport coupe, which was shocking on anything resembling a pot hole etc.

Standard spec suspension was much better on the C205 (test drive car again), but with 19' and run flats as I have, the airmatic makes a big difference.

The night pack sets my car apart, but this is very much a marmite thing I suspect.

 

[Alexf]

Picking up my C200 cabriolet tomorrow after 7 months.

Polar white/black roof
Black artico seats
Black ash trim
Premium Plus
Driving assistance package
Leather dash
360° camera

Beautiful looking car!

Why did you have to wait 7 months!!?

 

[Alexf]

I have a similar C300, which is brilliant, although if you're not bothered about the extra speed, the poor mpg won't be worth it.

I have the 360 camera and, for the extra cash, I'd definitely recommend it! If it prevents one dink or scuffed alloy, it will pay for itself.

Leather wise, I think the artico would be fine. The cars I test drove were artico and the average joe wouldn't notice a major difference. I went with leather as the colour I wanted only came in leather (cranberry red) Otherwise, artico does the job.

I also have airmatic, which for me is the best thing I spec'd on the whole car. I came from an M sport coupe, which was shocking on anything resembling a pot hole etc.

Standard spec suspension was much better on the C205 (test drive car again), but with 19' and run flats as I have, the airmatic makes a big difference.

The night pack sets my car apart, but this is very much a marmite thing I suspect.

Thanks for the feedback,
The 360 camera does look like a really awesome feature. I think i'd use it a lot too.

I'm not sure I'd spend any more to get the airmatic though, unless the car was uncomfortable to begin with.

 

[MancMike]

I had the wide angle rear view camera on a courtesy car. It was invaluable for backing out of a space at the shops where all the cars park forwards and you have to reverse blind out into the road.

The camera lets you literally see left and right from the back of the car, so you can reverse out without worry.

Also much better for reversing into tight spaces where you need to go as far back as possible. Audio beeps from parking sensors aren't nearly as good as being able to see.

 

[masher_uk]

Here's my 2 cents as a recent C Coupe purchaser...

Engine: C300 AMG Line Coupé - I prefer petrol and this 245 bhp unit coupled with the 9-speed auto is simply sublime

Colour: Selenite Grey Metallic - I congratulate you on your taste sir...

Wheel: Stock 18" AMG 5-spoke alloy

Upholstery: Porcelain Leather - you just can't beat the smell of the real thing IMHO. Plus you've eaten the cow so might as well make use of the leftovers...

Interior: black open-pore ash wood trim, however if you're considering brown artico/leather, perhaps 'Dark Ash' might be a better option?

Packages: Premium. Yes my one regret - wish I'd paid attention and gone for 'Premium Plus' - the sound of the CD20 sucks.

Other: 'Distronic' would be a nice to have...

Anyway, enjoy! :bannana: