C250 CDI Coupe Edition 125 - impressions after 9 weeks

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I have just collected mine (new to me 2011 C-Coupe C250 125Ed) having traded in my Audi A5 3.0TDI Quattro Sport - and couldn't be happier with it so far.

I got an ex-demo car (just under 6k on the clock) with nearly £8k off the list price, which I therefore couldn't spec myself, but as all I wanted was the comand, which the 125Ed has, I was fine. Would have loved the panoramic roof and 5 spoke split segment wheels, but beggars can't be choosers I suppose.

So far, I'm really impressed with the autobox as I'd never had one before. Tried VAGs DSG in a golf GTI a few years ago, but went with the manual in the end - so this is my first proper experience of one. The smooth changes have definately led to a much more relaxed / chilled driving style / experience and I'm not (it has only been 3 days so far!) missing the manual.

The 2.1/2 in the C250 is nearly a match for the 3.0 V6 in the A5, but as the missing 2 valves are only really noticable at high revs I'm sure I'll learn to live without them. The economy seems to be about 20% better than my A5 which is what I was expecting - so happy on that front too!

The Comand system is much better than the one in the A5 (although I had a 57 plate A5 and they have been updated from what I understand) - very easy to use - the speech recognition and voice commands are brilliant. 7 digit postcodes make findong somewhere a doddle and the sound from the music interface is within a whisker of my A5 which had a 10 speaker Bang & Oulfsen sound upgrade. The only problem I'm currently having is the comand knob (sure that's not the real name for it) works in the opposite direction to that of the Audi and I still can't get my head around scrolling up and down.

The only slight downside, and it is only slight, is the fact that the seat doesn't go quite low enough. In the A5 you really did feel as if you were much lower in the car - where as in the Merc I'm about 1-2 inches higher than I'd like to be. The seats themselves are nice and comfortable.

Just hope it doesn't snow now, as I live up a really steep estate and have spent the last 2 years laughing at RWD Merc and BMWs struggle and give up while I raced past in my 4WD Audi. Think I might miss the Quattro when it gets snowy - where's global warming when you need it.
 
Hi Blessed Badger,
Welcome to the forum.
Agree with all your comments - the seat could definately do with going a bit lower - its a little bit worse in mine due to the Pano roof.
But enjoy!!
Steve B.
 
Thanks Ringer, hopefully the forum here will be as useful / friendly / funny as the A5 one! Just a couple of questions:

Loads of the info on here refers to the cars as W***, what 'W' is the 2011 C-Coupe?

Is there a section / forum, just for us C / C-Coupe owners?

And finally, how the hell do I get ALL the album artwork to display on Comand screen? - About 50% does - I've trawled the Internet and tried the external HDD solution (my HDD is too large to format to FAT32), the USB stick also misses some artwork too! All the tracks have artwork that is embedded through iTunes and displays on all of iPhone, iPod and iPad!!!
 
For model numbers W*** You need to delve deeper. The C class coupes are still W204's its the next 3 numbers- linked to the power train that count. The first one is a 3 for coupes e.g. a W204.347 is the model number for the 250CGI coupe the equivalent saloon W204.047 and W204.247 the estate all with the same engine.
IN COMPARISON

The E class coupe with that engine would be a W207.347 the E class convertible a W207.447
 
Seen a few of these coupes in the flesh and IMHO they are nicer than the E class coupe and are mechanically identical and have a nicer interior. IMHO they are a bargain
 
Seen a few of these coupes in the flesh and IMHO they are nicer than the E class coupe and are mechanically identical and have a nicer interior.

Agreed, a tidy looking car.
 
Seen a few of these coupes in the flesh and IMHO they are nicer than the E class coupe and are mechanically identical and have a nicer interior. IMHO they are a bargain

Good though they are I've driven both, and they seem to have quite a different character. The E is more laid back, can still be hustled along but certainly more mature and softer and feels bigger inside, especially in the rear. The C coupe is a lot more tail happy and responsive.

I'd find it hard to choose but would probably go E. Not a huge price difference either.
 
timskemp said:
Good though they are I've driven both, and they seem to have quite a different character. The E is more laid back, can still be hustled along but certainly more mature and softer and feels bigger inside, especially in the rear. The C coupe is a lot more tail happy and responsive.

I'd find it hard to choose but would probably go E. Not a huge price difference either.

That surprises me. You of all people need a more lively car. I've driven the E coupe at brooklands in 500 form and it was ace but bar the unavailability of the 500 and 350cdi engines I'd go for the C on looks and cabin alone. Both cars get those brilliant seats which IMHO are worth the premium alone. See you in an hour btw final stop of the journey
 
Interested to read your post Blessed Badger. Buying new car early next year and have narrowed my choice to the C250 CDI Coupe 125 or the Audi Quattro 3.0TDI Sport. Having never owned a Quattro or an automatic ( in 40 years of driving!) I am looking forward to comparing the two cars. How highly do you rate the Quattro feature for everyday driving?
 
Yesterday I saw a red c class coupe with panoramic roof.

Now I like red cars as you can tell, but the coupe didn't wear the colour well at all.
 
Damn... I'm gonna have to wait a few years before I can have one or i'll break my 'never buy a new car' rule :-(, sounds like a great car, ~200bhp and ~50 mpg average, what more can you ask for. And it looks/handles/rides great!
 
Interested to read your post Blessed Badger. Buying new car early next year and have narrowed my choice to the C250 CDI Coupe 125 or the Audi Quattro 3.0TDI Sport. Having never owned a Quattro or an automatic ( in 40 years of driving!) I am looking forward to comparing the two cars. How highly do you rate the Quattro feature for everyday driving?

All of the below is only my opinion and experience over the last 2 years (23 months with the 3.0TDi Quattro Sport and 1 month (nearly) with the C250 Coupe).

Firstly - and most importantly I thought I was really going to struggle when it came to replacing my A5 with something of equal quality / performance / tech options etc. After nearly a month of my C250 I realise that I didn't need to worry on any of these fronts.

Dealerships: My only Mercedes experience has been a very positive one so far - knowledgeable about their products etc and at no point was / did I feel pressured. They phoned when they said they would and all the work I requested on the C250 (it was a few months old ex-demo so had the odd chip, alloy mark) was done before I collected it. I haven't yet used the service dept but as the desk where I was 'doing the deal' was right next to it - they too appeared courteous and knowledgeable. I used various Audi dealerships during my 2 years - seller (Stratford Audi) was good, Bolton / Manchester Audi for service etc was ok too. However, they must have passed on my details to other dealerships as I regularly got calls from dealerships many miles away asking me if I'd like my brake fluid / oil etc looking at! On that basis alone I'd say Merc 1 - Audi 0

Looks: The Audi (IMHO) is a very good looking car from all angles. However, with the facelift (due on roads Nov / Dec) they changed the lights at the front that didn't particularly appeal to me. (Something to note is that my Sport had the LEDs, the new ones don't, they're only part of the S-Line package (I think)). The Merc looks better from the front (a little more aggressive with the AMG flaired wheel arches) I feel and has a slightly more angular rear (which I also like). However, from side on I definitely prefer the A5 / although the more I look at the AMG skirts the more it's growing on me. Overall, probably too little in it to decide so: Merc 2 - Audi 1.

Engine: Bit of an unfair comparison as the Audi was a 3.0 V6 and the C250 is a 2.1 V4. But - there is not as much difference as you'd think (240 v 204 BHP). Both are smooth and from in the cabin difficult to tell they are diesels (except when the C250 starts with the Stop and Go!). Both pull well from 1000revs to about 3000revs but tail of from there. The manual box in the A5 was very good but I'm gradually growing into liking the 7 speed auto in the C250 - more relaxed but in Sport / Manual, which I never thought I'd say. At this point I'd give the points to the A5. However - take into account fuel economy and the C250 draws level. On a cold winters night my A5 would barely touch 30mpg on my 10 mile drive home - the C250 is high 30's every time. I reckon I'll save about £7 a week which is over £350 a year. And the C250 is half the road tax. Call it a draw Merc 3 - Audi 2

Interior - Both are definitely premium brands and the cabins are very good quality. Neither had / have any squeaks or rattles and felt / feel well put together. Seats are comfy in both but I don't feel the C250 seat goes quite low enough. Equipment levels are similar and personally I'd get the Nav in either as I think the big screen is wasted on audio / phone display. The sound quality from the standard speakers in the Merc are very close to those I had in the A5 (which were upgraded Bose ones), so another draw: Merc 4 - Audi 3

Price - obviously various deals / new / used etc will affect this - but from my experience - I paid £28k for a 2 1/2 year old A5, and the same amount for a 5 month old C250. The list prices were about £4k different (A5 more exp) but I think there's a bigger difference now. Definitely point for the Merc. Merc 5 - Audi 3.

Other stuff!
Paint - (worth mentioning) - The A5 suffered hugely from stone chips - a regularly discussed point on A5 forums.

Wheels - 19" Y-Spokes on the A5 are beautiful wheels. AMGs on the C250 are nice but not in the same league.

Boot - both have a decent boot for a coupe - but A5 has a slightly bigger appature.

Quattro - was really useful in the snow last year but in everyday driving can't really tell any difference - possibly because I never really pushed the car to the limit or may be because the rear wheel drive of the Merc is so good compared to front wheel drive cars (I've bought some Snowsocks just in case for the Merc! (probably be a waste of money but I live up a never-gritted hilly estate in Manchester with a private plate that shows my affiliation to Liverpool FC so I ain't leaving it parked on the street!))

To be honest - both cars are very good and if I had infinite money and had only the A5 and C250 coupe to choose from I'd be very happy with either - but - the saving I think you'd make on both purchase and running I'd go for the Merc (of course on the A5 forum I'd have said the Audi :)).

If there's anything I've missed or you'd like more info on I'll gladly help - but obviously test drive them both and play the dealers off against one another!
 
Blessed badger fantastic response ! Thanks a lot.. Must admit haven't seen Merc in flesh yet.. Obviously need to test drive but not quite in a position to buy yet. House to sell! I have a Volvo S60 D5 185 which is a bit dead handling but has great torque and comfort.. My girlfriend has a C200K C Class coupe which is fun but needs to be pushed..Don't think I can compromise on torque and Merc C250 has tons as does Audi I guess.. Sounds like they are both great cars so will be fun to try and choose.
Thanks for the time and trouble to post your experiences. Better to hear from someone who has actually owned the car rather than a magazine review..
Cheers, Chris
 
Thanks for all the input from you all,
looks like i will have some fun when i pick my 250 coupe from Kings Lynn on Tuesday,

Happy New Year,
trucke
 
Quattro is one of the things I really miss from my previous car, a TT-S. In conjunction with the Magnetic Ride option in sport mode, it made the car feel like it was on rails when cornering hard, with progressive understeer coming in when getting close to the limit.

I've had to re-learn how to drive a RWD car, and I would say that, especially after a few surprises, I do not have anything like the same amount of confidence with the Coupe as I did with the TT-S.

Don't get me wrong - it is great to have some character in a car, but the Merc does a very good job of dialling out any kind of warning signs that the backend might possibly be thinking about overtaking the front end.

Recent case in point : left a roundabout onto a dual carriageway, car is all lined up nicely, no obvious angular momentum, clear (but slightly damp) road all around, liberally apply go-juice, wait a moment or three for the gearbox to downshift, power arrives... and the backend whips out. Have to steer hard to recover, and end up driving along the middle of the road instead of the middle of the left hand lane that I had been in when I exited the roundabout.

TBH, it was almost like all the power had only gone into one wheel, while the other rear wheel had the brake fully applied, which would be much more concerning if true...

Anyway, a real "wtf" moment which has made me a very cautious corner-er since!
 
Exactly the same thing happened to me in my E350 coupe a couple of weeks ago. Exited a roundabout to join the motorway on an uphill ramp, applied the accelarotor liberally and nearly ended up in a ditch. What made it worse was that my 14 month old daughter was also on board.
 
Exactly the same thing happened to me in my E350 coupe a couple of weeks ago. Exited a roundabout to join the motorway on an uphill ramp, applied the accelarotor liberally and nearly ended up in a ditch. What made it worse was that my 14 month old daughter was also on board.

That's the problem with Merc's.

As much as I love Merc's handling is where they lack.

My parents had a BMW 318d M Sport as a courtesy car a couple of months ago, I drove it a couple of times and I'm telling you it will out handle my Merc all day long :eek:
 
rain x will give it a go!
 

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