masher_uk
Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2008
- Messages
- 102
- Location
- South Coast
- Car
- C300 Coupe AMG Line Premium Selenite Grey Porcelain Leather
Hi all. Following Chris Akabusi’s excellent review of his CLC, here’s my two penneth… I’ve tried to briefly cover the whole ‘ownership experience’ - hope somebody finds it useful.
Background
After living happily with my 9-year old 323i for several years I decided it was time for a change; definitely more want than need. Problem was it had so many toys that choosing a suitably loaded replacement was going to be both difficult and costly. Basically it had to be German and after doing a tour of the ‘big three’, finally settled on my first Mercedes-Benz. In fact at the time (Sep ’08), only MB seemed to care about selling me a car; bet the competition are singing a different tune now…
The Good
It’s simply a pleasure to sit in. It may well be the old 203 interior but I love it. Black leather, coupled with black maple wood looks great. The silver paintwork gleams and goes particularly well the black panoramic roof. Since taking delivery in November I’ve not had much call to use the roof but I’m sure I’ll appreciate it come spring. Interior space is more than adequate for my needs and the children love being in the back with the blackened side windows. Boot space is generally sufficient and if not the rear seats fold 60:40.
Performance is more than adequate. The 200 hp V6 through the 7-speed non-sequential auto is a lovely experience. To be honest I drive it pretty sedately but there’s always additional fun to be had via the paddle shifts. Stops pretty quick too, as I discovered the other evening whilst taking evasive action in ‘full ABS mode’ – enabled me to maintain steering throughout. The ride is comfortable and non-fatiguing, even on those fat low profiles. I only went for the standard audio system but it sounds fine to me, much better than my old BMW’s. It plays MP3 CDs, links my phone via Bluetooth and has an Aux socket for an iPod in the glove box. I particularly like the way track listings and phone book details can be viewed in the instrument console display. Best bit – the way the instrument needles go full-scale when switching on – OK, so I need to get out more…
The not so good
Nothing major, in fact I’m probably going to sound picky. I’m just under 6’ so don’t suffer from the ‘legs obscuring the window switches’ issue that Chris describes, but I can see how annoying that would be. Rear visibility is appalling but the large wing mirrors and parking sensors compensate adequately when manoeuvring.
Build quality is OK but I must admit I was expecting near perfection from a 3-pointed star. It isn’t as solid as my old 3-series. In fact it’s just been in to have a very annoying squeak fixed. Maybe it’s partly down to the hatch v saloon rigidity thing.
It’s also had to have the tracking realigned due to a slight tendency to pull to the left (as has been debated in other threads and seems to be a quirk of some MBs). Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m fighting to keep it in a straight line or anything.
Fuel consumption is significantly lower than with the BMW, I estimate by somewhere around 15% but there are a number of factors that could affect this including the cold weather, new engine, etc. I believe also that the 323 was a slightly detuned 2.5 litre (someone will know) making it more fuel efficient, plus it develops some 30+ less hp. Anyway, frankly I’m really not bothered.
Anything else has been largely self-inflicted. A stone chip to the windscreen (happens to anyone). A scuffed alloy (teach me to be more careful!). A mention at this point for the local MB dealership (Portsmouth) who took care of the wheel refurbishment for me. Not only were they sufficiently interested to sell me a car in the first place, their customer service has been exemplary! Given the number of similar quality offerings out there, customer service is a major differentiator, especially in this economic climate…
So in summary I’m very pleased with my vehicle choice. It exhibits great comfort and performance and exceeds my everyday requirements.
Some pics…
Background
After living happily with my 9-year old 323i for several years I decided it was time for a change; definitely more want than need. Problem was it had so many toys that choosing a suitably loaded replacement was going to be both difficult and costly. Basically it had to be German and after doing a tour of the ‘big three’, finally settled on my first Mercedes-Benz. In fact at the time (Sep ’08), only MB seemed to care about selling me a car; bet the competition are singing a different tune now…
The Good
It’s simply a pleasure to sit in. It may well be the old 203 interior but I love it. Black leather, coupled with black maple wood looks great. The silver paintwork gleams and goes particularly well the black panoramic roof. Since taking delivery in November I’ve not had much call to use the roof but I’m sure I’ll appreciate it come spring. Interior space is more than adequate for my needs and the children love being in the back with the blackened side windows. Boot space is generally sufficient and if not the rear seats fold 60:40.
Performance is more than adequate. The 200 hp V6 through the 7-speed non-sequential auto is a lovely experience. To be honest I drive it pretty sedately but there’s always additional fun to be had via the paddle shifts. Stops pretty quick too, as I discovered the other evening whilst taking evasive action in ‘full ABS mode’ – enabled me to maintain steering throughout. The ride is comfortable and non-fatiguing, even on those fat low profiles. I only went for the standard audio system but it sounds fine to me, much better than my old BMW’s. It plays MP3 CDs, links my phone via Bluetooth and has an Aux socket for an iPod in the glove box. I particularly like the way track listings and phone book details can be viewed in the instrument console display. Best bit – the way the instrument needles go full-scale when switching on – OK, so I need to get out more…
The not so good
Nothing major, in fact I’m probably going to sound picky. I’m just under 6’ so don’t suffer from the ‘legs obscuring the window switches’ issue that Chris describes, but I can see how annoying that would be. Rear visibility is appalling but the large wing mirrors and parking sensors compensate adequately when manoeuvring.
Build quality is OK but I must admit I was expecting near perfection from a 3-pointed star. It isn’t as solid as my old 3-series. In fact it’s just been in to have a very annoying squeak fixed. Maybe it’s partly down to the hatch v saloon rigidity thing.
It’s also had to have the tracking realigned due to a slight tendency to pull to the left (as has been debated in other threads and seems to be a quirk of some MBs). Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m fighting to keep it in a straight line or anything.
Fuel consumption is significantly lower than with the BMW, I estimate by somewhere around 15% but there are a number of factors that could affect this including the cold weather, new engine, etc. I believe also that the 323 was a slightly detuned 2.5 litre (someone will know) making it more fuel efficient, plus it develops some 30+ less hp. Anyway, frankly I’m really not bothered.
Anything else has been largely self-inflicted. A stone chip to the windscreen (happens to anyone). A scuffed alloy (teach me to be more careful!). A mention at this point for the local MB dealership (Portsmouth) who took care of the wheel refurbishment for me. Not only were they sufficiently interested to sell me a car in the first place, their customer service has been exemplary! Given the number of similar quality offerings out there, customer service is a major differentiator, especially in this economic climate…
So in summary I’m very pleased with my vehicle choice. It exhibits great comfort and performance and exceeds my everyday requirements.
Some pics…
:bannana:
