C250 CDI Coupe Edition 125 - impressions after 9 weeks

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Ringer250

Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2011
Messages
33
Location
Bedfordshire
Car
Mercedes C Class Coupe 250 CDI AMG Edition 125
Hi all,
Thought I would give a summary of my car after 9 weeks of ownership.
Spec:
C250CDI Coupe Edition 125
Cavansite Blue
Alpaca Grey Leather
Panoramic Roof
Dynamic Handling Package
Extended Light Package

Engine – given this is a 4 cylinder, the performance is very good. Noise levels rise in the cabin when pushed to work hard but the unit is quiet under a feathered throttle and when cruising.

Gearbox – in normal (economy) mode, gear changes are made very low down the rev range but given that max torque is below 2000rpm then this is no surprise. Change to sport mode and the box extends the rev range for cog swapping but still has a very smooth operation.

Dynamic Handling Package - to my mind well worth the money. Does what it says on the tin. Steering is much sharper. Suspension gets taught but not overly firm and the gearbox gives you more fun using the manual change either by flicking the stick sideways or via the paddles. Car is very composed through bends and is not easily put off by uneven surfaces/ potholes. Motorway miles are effortless.

Economy – being a private purchase, this was an important area. Overall, according to the trip computer, the car has been used for 74 hours in total with an average of 53.3 MPG over 2,500 miles.
The majority of these miles are my 60 mile round trip to work which consists of 14 on back roads and the rest on the M1 with about 15 miles through 50MPH restrictions due to road works. I have attended a couple of roadcraft sessions so have learnt about improving economy – lighter braking, smooth acceleration etc.

Interior and Comfort – light and airy with the colour and roof combination. Easy to get to good driving position although the roof does impede on headroom so the seat could do with some further lowering
Ergonomics are fine with everything falling to hand. COMMAND system works well. Forward vision is good although slightly hampered at night by some reflections in the screen from the instrument binnacle. Rear vision is restricted due to a combination of a steeply raked rear screen and the rear head rests. Could do with some more cubby space and because the front seats are hard casing and sculpted at at the rear (to aid rear space) there are no seat pockets.

Intelligent Light System – very clever at knowing which beam spread to use according to the type of road you are on but the automatic dip can be slow so you need to be alert to dip manually to stop blinding on-coming traffic.

Wheels and Tyres – came with the 18” 7 spoke alloys with wider ones at the rear. Did want the Twin 5 spoke but this was not possible due to supply problems. The 7 spoke ones are very easy to keep clean though. The Conti tyres I have found to be a bit noisy compared to the 19” Pirellis I had on my Peugoet.
Might change make when the time comes. I have ordered some Winter alloys/tyres through MB – still waiting after 4 weeks and paying a deposit.

Overall – I think MB have done a competent job on the C Class Coupe. A worthy contender for the 3 series and Audi A5 (I did try both – BMW ride too hard, Audi not a pleasant ride at all) Looking forward to many more miles in my first Merc!

Steve B.
 
I agree with pretty much everything in the OP, except...

Negatives

The combination of my height (6'2"), the high seats, the low roofline, and the huge rear view mirror means that visibility of the passenger side of the road is seriously impaired, giving an "almost" blindspot between 9 and 11 o'clock. Examples of what this means in practice are : when turning right, you can only see the feet of any pedestrians waiting to cross the road, and only if the curb is low; on motorways, it is possible to not see traffic that is merging in front of you from a slip road, until they are almost directly in front of you.

The privacy glass prevents the auto-dimming mirrors from working in all but the most severe cases. The view through the rear might not be too bright, thanks to the heavy tint of the privacy glass, but I regularly get dazzled by the side mirrors not being tinted when they should be.

The buttons for disabling the interior alarm and anti-tow alarm sensor are located in the most stupid place possible, as they are invariably the first buttons that get pressed when trying to find an interior light switch in the dark.

The Sport button (Dynamic Handling) is also badly located. It should be where the "M" button is (next to the gear selector), so Sport it can be used without the driver having to take their eye off the road. Having to grope around for it in its present position is ergonomically bad and not something you would expect from a manufacturer that has such deep roots in motorsport.

In heavy rain, on a motorway, the wiper on the drivers-side clears the screen to a vertical line, about 1 inch from the edge. In this one-inch gap is a whole load of "standing" water that is being held there by the air pressure and the shape of the windscreen. When the wiper returns back down the screen, it drags half of this standing water back across my field of vision. I've never seen this effect before, probably because the end position of the wiper in previous cars I have driven has not been completely vertical, but angled at the top towards the edge of the screen. This triggers the OCD in me and once that happens, it is extremely hard to ignore! Is it possible to adjust the wiper's end point I wonder?

Speaking of OCD.. I have a rattle in the center console above the glove box (glove box is empty), and something in the drivers door vibrates harmonically to certain frequencies when listening to music. Do I want my dealer to strip the car to fix these rattles? No - they are more likely to introduce new ones.

The gearbox can be a little tempermental. If you move from D to R too quickly when parking, it can lock in N. You then need to put it back into D and try again.

The auto-wipers do not like frost and continue to wipe after the screen is clear unless manually deactivated.

The parking sensors have a built-in delay, making them only marginally more useful than a chocolate teapot.

The key. Why is it shaped like that? Why can't it just be a nicely rounded lozenge that doesn't have sharp edges that can cut through pockets and skin alike?

The footbrake. Completely useless and takes up space that a nice footrest could fill. Why don't these cars have an electronic handbrake?

Why can't the COMAND read out warning messages? And WTF is it with low fuel? It "pings", the fuel light goes orange AND you get a message that you have to OK before you can use the display again! All this with 100 miles range left in the tank. My first car didn't even have a fuel light...! /rant

Positives

Getting 52mpg on long trips without really trying.

Performance. I still cannot get over the way the car is able to start the engine (start/stop active) and accellerate hard without any drama whatsoever. Not that I do that very often, but when I do, it impresses.

Start/stop. After getting over initial misgivings, I am actually beginning to like it. Sitting in traffic with everything working except the engine, while all around you people are burning money, is a pretty strong selling point. If I were to change it, I would make it less aggressive, or more intelligent, as it cuts the engine the moment the car stops, which can be a pain in slow moving traffic.

Boot space is tardis-like. Realising that I no longer drove a hatchback AFTER spending a small fortune in IKEA was not an issue. With the rear seats folded down, everything went in and there was room to spare.

Parking - it's a long car, but parking it is so easy.

The cup holders are the best I have ever used, and the heated seats work very quickly indeed.

I didn't intend this to be an overly negative post about the car - I am actually really enjoying it, and would say that, with everything considered, it is one of the best cars that I have owned. Definitely in the top 3.

I am also sure that many of the negative points above can be equally applied to other cars in the range, and I guess I am probably noticing them more because this is the first MB I have owned for a while.

Still, some of this stuff is pretty basic and the sort of thing that you would expect to be discovered during product development - like the combination of privacy glass and rear-view mirrors should mean an extra light sensor in the side mirrors, for example.
 
I agree with pretty much everything in the OP, except...

Negatives

The combination of my height (6'2"), the high seats, the low roofline, and the huge rear view mirror means that visibility of the passenger side of the road is seriously impaired, giving an "almost" blindspot between 9 and 11 o'clock. Examples of what this means in practice are : when turning right, you can only see the feet of any pedestrians waiting to cross the road, and only if the curb is low; on motorways, it is possible to not see traffic that is merging in front of you from a slip road, until they are almost directly in front of you.

The privacy glass prevents the auto-dimming mirrors from working in all but the most severe cases. The view through the rear might not be too bright, thanks to the heavy tint of the privacy glass, but I regularly get dazzled by the side mirrors not being tinted when they should be.

The buttons for disabling the interior alarm and anti-tow alarm sensor are located in the most stupid place possible, as they are invariably the first buttons that get pressed when trying to find an interior light switch in the dark.

The Sport button (Dynamic Handling) is also badly located. It should be where the "M" button is (next to the gear selector), so Sport it can be used without the driver having to take their eye off the road. Having to grope around for it in its present position is ergonomically bad and not something you would expect from a manufacturer that has such deep roots in motorsport.

In heavy rain, on a motorway, the wiper on the drivers-side clears the screen to a vertical line, about 1 inch from the edge. In this one-inch gap is a whole load of "standing" water that is being held there by the air pressure and the shape of the windscreen. When the wiper returns back down the screen, it drags half of this standing water back across my field of vision. I've never seen this effect before, probably because the end position of the wiper in previous cars I have driven has not been completely vertical, but angled at the top towards the edge of the screen. This triggers the OCD in me and once that happens, it is extremely hard to ignore! Is it possible to adjust the wiper's end point I wonder?

Speaking of OCD.. I have a rattle in the center console above the glove box (glove box is empty), and something in the drivers door vibrates harmonically to certain frequencies when listening to music. Do I want my dealer to strip the car to fix these rattles? No - they are more likely to introduce new ones.

The gearbox can be a little tempermental. If you move from D to R too quickly when parking, it can lock in N. You then need to put it back into D and try again.

The auto-wipers do not like frost and continue to wipe after the screen is clear unless manually deactivated.

The parking sensors have a built-in delay, making them only marginally more useful than a chocolate teapot.

The key. Why is it shaped like that? Why can't it just be a nicely rounded lozenge that doesn't have sharp edges that can cut through pockets and skin alike?

The footbrake. Completely useless and takes up space that a nice footrest could fill. Why don't these cars have an electronic handbrake?

Why can't the COMAND read out warning messages? And WTF is it with low fuel? It "pings", the fuel light goes orange AND you get a message that you have to OK before you can use the display again! All this with 100 miles range left in the tank. My first car didn't even have a fuel light...! /rant

Positives

Getting 52mpg on long trips without really trying.

Performance. I still cannot get over the way the car is able to start the engine (start/stop active) and accellerate hard without any drama whatsoever. Not that I do that very often, but when I do, it impresses.

Start/stop. After getting over initial misgivings, I am actually beginning to like it. Sitting in traffic with everything working except the engine, while all around you people are burning money, is a pretty strong selling point. If I were to change it, I would make it less aggressive, or more intelligent, as it cuts the engine the moment the car stops, which can be a pain in slow moving traffic.

Boot space is tardis-like. Realising that I no longer drove a hatchback AFTER spending a small fortune in IKEA was not an issue. With the rear seats folded down, everything went in and there was room to spare.

Parking - it's a long car, but parking it is so easy.

The cup holders are the best I have ever used, and the heated seats work very quickly indeed.

I didn't intend this to be an overly negative post about the car - I am actually really enjoying it, and would say that, with everything considered, it is one of the best cars that I have owned. Definitely in the top 3.

I am also sure that many of the negative points above can be equally applied to other cars in the range, and I guess I am probably noticing them more because this is the first MB I have owned for a while.

Still, some of this stuff is pretty basic and the sort of thing that you would expect to be discovered during product development - like the combination of privacy glass and rear-view mirrors should mean an extra light sensor in the side mirrors, for example.

Hi Fuji,
Some good points there. I do not have the privacy glass and my auto dimming works very well - it is only the drivers door mirror that auto dims with the interior mirror.
Although the boot is tardis like, the aperture could be wider - no good for squarish boxes. Stop/Start is great with instant start as soon as you release the pressure off the break pedal.
Just my aftet thoughts prompted by your report.
Cheers
Steve B.
 
Have them check your auto dim, I have aftermarket tints and mine works fine!
 
I agree with pretty much everything in the OP, except...

Negatives

The privacy glass prevents the auto-dimming mirrors from working in all but the most severe cases. The view through the rear might not be too bright, thanks to the heavy tint of the privacy glass, but I regularly get dazzled by the side mirrors not being tinted when they should be.[/quote

I have privacy glass and my mirrors dim just fine (inside and out).

Speaking of OCD.. I have a rattle in the center console above the glove box (glove box is empty), and something in the drivers door vibrates harmonically to certain frequencies when listening to music. Do I want my dealer to strip the car to fix these rattles? No - they are more likely to introduce new ones.

I had a couple of rattles however I was not prepared to live with them. Dealers are more than capable of stripping a dashboard and putting it back together rattle free.

I am certainly running rattle free now.
 
I had a couple of rattles however I was not prepared to live with them. Dealers are more than capable of stripping a dashboard and putting it back together rattle free.

I am certainly running rattle free now.

My C350 is in tomorrow for a rattle fix with the seatbelt :)

Overall impression so far is very good. Much better levels of equipment over my BMW 3 series and my Audi A4. Heated seats, ICE, Automated lighting system all good.

Ride is firm but comfortable.

Gearbox is slow in Economy mode but switch to Sport and it makes a big difference.

Foot brake is really the only silly thing. Considering everyone else is doing away with manual handbrakes, MB should really of invested some time with a electronic one.

Other than that I love it. Even with 33MPG!
 


Overall – I think MB have done a competent job on the C Class Coupe. A worthy contender for the 3 series and Audi A5 (I did try both – BMW ride too hard, Audi not a pleasant ride at all) Looking forward to many more miles in my first Merc!

Steve B.


I would think the E coupe was closer to an A5 than the C coupe?
 
Regarding the comment on the wipers leaving a gap near the windscreen edge, don't any of you use rainX or a similar product that stops water sticking to the glass. It's very, very good for rainy weather! I would say a must have as the visibility difference is night and day!
 
I would think the E coupe was closer to an A5 than the C coupe?
I think the majority of all the tests and write ups put the C Class Coupe up against the 3 series Coupe and A5 Coupe. As far as I am aware the A5 has not been tested or directly compared to the E Class Coupe - no doubt someone will prove me wrong!
Steve B.
 
Regarding the comment on the wipers leaving a gap near the windscreen edge, don't any of you use rainX or a similar product that stops water sticking to the glass. It's very, very good for rainy weather! I would say a must have as the visibility difference is night and day!
I would second that. Used Rain X loads of times. :)
 
Since both the C class and E Class coupes are built on exactly the same platform [ down to wheelbase level ] there is little to distinguish them dynamically save for the availability of larger engines in the E class and the pillar-less side windows-- oh and the cabriolet version of the E of course!:eek:
 
Since both the C class and E Class coupes are built on exactly the same platform [ down to wheelbase level ] there is little to distinguish them dynamically save for the availability of larger engines in the E class and the pillar-less side windows-- oh and the cabriolet version of the E of course!:eek:
Fair point. I would love to see the V6 diesel in the C Class Coupe :)- its in the saloon.
Cheers
Steve B.
 
Regarding the comment on the wipers leaving a gap near the windscreen edge, don't any of you use rainX or a similar product that stops water sticking to the glass. It's very, very good for rainy weather! I would say a must have as the visibility difference is night and day!

Does it confuse the Auto sensing wipers?
 
Not that I'm aware of.

Does it confuse the Auto sensing wipers?

Not that I know of. My rain sensor seems to work just fine. I use RainX all the time that I now can't stand being in a car that doesn't have it. :)
 
My C350 is in tomorrow for a rattle fix with the seatbelt :)

Overall impression so far is very good. Much better levels of equipment over my BMW 3 series and my Audi A4. Heated seats, ICE, Automated lighting system all good.

Ride is firm but comfortable.

Gearbox is slow in Economy mode but switch to Sport and it makes a big difference.

Foot brake is really the only silly thing. Considering everyone else is doing away with manual handbrakes, MB should really of invested some time with a electronic one.

Other than that I love it. Even with 33MPG!

Which seatbelt rattles? I've found the passenger seat belt after use sometimes remains twisted so the buckle rattles against the pillar, if you untwist it the rattle is gone.

33MPG you're still playing aren't you!:D I manage average of 39MPG out of mine now I'm close to 30k.
 
Which seatbelt rattles? I've found the passenger seat belt after use sometimes remains twisted so the buckle rattles against the pillar, if you untwist it the rattle is gone.

33MPG you're still playing aren't you!:D I manage average of 39MPG out of mine now I'm close to 30k.

Its a squeak when the seatbelt moves around as you drive. Drives me insane right next to my ear. Local dealer just had a look, took the pillar to pieces and greased the system but it still does it. So they are ordering a complete new part for next week.
 
Regarding the comment on the wipers leaving a gap near the windscreen edge, don't any of you use rainX or a similar product that stops water sticking to the glass. It's very, very good for rainy weather! I would say a must have as the visibility difference is night and day!

I will try that! Any recommendations on where to find it? Been using AutoGlym which obviously isn't working very well.
 
I will try that! Any recommendations on where to find it? Been using AutoGlym which obviously isn't working very well.
Amazon sells Rain X for under £8 for 280 gramme bottle and there is always Halfords if its more convenient.
Steve B.
 
My last 2 weeks with a similar car!

I agree - a great car but after the recent BMW auto's my 7-G box is far from great. Like you say, smooth in 'E' but often drops too many gears in 'Sport'. The paddles (in my opinion) are pretty useless - sometimes you could practically go and make tea in the time it takes to swap a cog - particularly on downshifts - far better to leave it to its own devices is my first impression. Chuffed with it overall though.:)
 

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