C250 CDI Coupe Edition 125 - impressions after 9 weeks

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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:

You have an E class, which is bigger, heavier and setup for a more luxurious ride. It stands to reason that a smaller lighter car will handle better.
 
You have an E class, which is bigger, heavier and setup for a more luxurious ride. It stands to reason that a smaller lighter car will handle better.

An E class coupe is based on the C class 204 platform.

I recall my own experience of driving a 204 and it did break away sharply, my car lets go more kindly and with more warning
 
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:


Define handling.

A 318d M sport has much less weight over the front wheels than an E350CDI, which has the heaviest engine in any E class (heavier than the V8s). It's also a significantly less powerful car, so requires less finesse to drive quickly.

Your car is designed to protect its occupants in case of an accident, so is set up to understeer, and the ESP is designed to encourage that also, as the best crash protection for the passengers is straight frontal impact. That's why the ESP is so aggressive at preventing oversteer and sometimes the whole thing feels dull. Driven within the limits of grip, the "handling" (which to me means mostly steering eel) is as good as the equivalent BMW. The M sport BMW will probably have more outright grip by having a more aggressive suspension and tyre setup.
 
I have to say having run a W204 C250cdi and regularly used an E... ( as well as having a BMW 3ser based daily driver right now....) the C sport is 99% as good a handler as the BMW but the E's I have driven - both saloon and coupe really do show their extra weight / comfort and cant handle the same way - having said that I havent ever come close to spinning a modern merc with the ESP tuned on apart from on 2-3 inches of compacted snow/ice and deliberatley provoking it....
 
Your car is designed to protect its occupants in case of an accident, so is set up to understeer, and the ESP is designed to encourage that also, as the best crash protection for the passengers is straight frontal impact.

The reason why cars are setup to understeer is because the onset of that is slow, whereas the onset of oversteer is much quicker, so for "average joe", understeer is much easier to control.
 
Thought I'd add a little to this thread.

Re handling, or rather the set up, its far easier to get the back end out on the C250cdi than my 3 Series Coupe on the recent greasy roads. Admittedly provoked, on roads I know well, and not particularly quickly, the merc breaks goes sooner and the electronics kick in later. Both with 255 section rear tyres by the way.

As for MPG, I've just driven 200 motorway miles in 3 hours and averaged 52 mpg according to the computer. Cruise set at 80 most of the way, rarely exceeded, plenty of 60 - 70. Thats about as good as it will get imho.
 
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!

Interesting. I have a 9 week wait for my new 350. Any further thougts, hwta can I expect, etc? Cheers in advance!
 
Also, I think the 335i Convertible that I have (going at the weekend) has the hardest ride of any car I've owned. I was fine with it, but, yes, very firm indeed.
 
Thought I'd add a little to this thread.

Re handling, or rather the set up, its far easier to get the back end out on the C250cdi than my 3 Series Coupe on the recent greasy roads.

Agree completely, comparing C250CDI estate to my 130i here.

Longer wheelbase on the Merc of course though.

It's a little annoying that you can't switch the electronics off completely in the MB (not that there is any reason to on the road but on an empty private carpark I found this out); MB's off setting is equivalent to the 'halfway off' setting on the BMW.
 
love it
 

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