I've just come up to 2 years' ownership with my w205 C63, which I bought in January 2019 after exactly 2 years with my w204 C63. Both great cars which have brought me very happy memories but for me there is a clear winner.
I've driven both cars to the Nurburgring and back, both went on Oulton Park and both went on the Anglesey GP circuit - and in total I covered around 24k miles in the w204 and have so far done 14k in the w205 (lockdown meant much lower miles in 2020 obviously).
The w204 turned more heads for sure. People would come up to me on garage forecourts and in supermarket car parks and compliment me on it - it definitely felt like driving a classic, an icon. I loved the colour (Palladium) and the feeling of monumental power when you floored it at 80mph on the autobahn was hilarious. But it wasn't a car for fast driving on twisty roads or on track. I like to go to North Wales around the roads near Pentrefoelas and here, and on track, the nose-heaviness really made it problematic. It is a big, heavy brute of a car - great for straight line booming but not what I'd call a driver's car. The tech was badly dated, the aircon never worked properly and the 19" wheels were made of oatmeal - I had to replace two in two years from cracking. The seats were amazingly comfy and the legendary noise was great ....... but one-dimensional: it never changed.
The w205 is virtually invisible on the road - it turns no heads unless it is for the noise. The noise (with the switchable exhaust on) is simply fantastic - crackling, burbling, popping and banging all the way. I find the noise way way better and more interesting than in my w204 (controversial opinion perhaps but, having owned both cars, it is true nonetheless). The tech is great - I love the Burmeister stereo and the pan roof is superb. Seats not as good but the build quality feels better than the w204 to me - everything works, all of the time. It is a much better car in the handling department - no doubt about it. The slides are more controllable, the nose-heavy pivot-swinging isn't there and it just feels so much more on its toes. I don't time my track laps but this is a much quicker car than the w204, much more nimble and faster in the corners.
Both great, great cars - but I'd take the w205 every time.
I've driven both cars to the Nurburgring and back, both went on Oulton Park and both went on the Anglesey GP circuit - and in total I covered around 24k miles in the w204 and have so far done 14k in the w205 (lockdown meant much lower miles in 2020 obviously).
The w204 turned more heads for sure. People would come up to me on garage forecourts and in supermarket car parks and compliment me on it - it definitely felt like driving a classic, an icon. I loved the colour (Palladium) and the feeling of monumental power when you floored it at 80mph on the autobahn was hilarious. But it wasn't a car for fast driving on twisty roads or on track. I like to go to North Wales around the roads near Pentrefoelas and here, and on track, the nose-heaviness really made it problematic. It is a big, heavy brute of a car - great for straight line booming but not what I'd call a driver's car. The tech was badly dated, the aircon never worked properly and the 19" wheels were made of oatmeal - I had to replace two in two years from cracking. The seats were amazingly comfy and the legendary noise was great ....... but one-dimensional: it never changed.
The w205 is virtually invisible on the road - it turns no heads unless it is for the noise. The noise (with the switchable exhaust on) is simply fantastic - crackling, burbling, popping and banging all the way. I find the noise way way better and more interesting than in my w204 (controversial opinion perhaps but, having owned both cars, it is true nonetheless). The tech is great - I love the Burmeister stereo and the pan roof is superb. Seats not as good but the build quality feels better than the w204 to me - everything works, all of the time. It is a much better car in the handling department - no doubt about it. The slides are more controllable, the nose-heavy pivot-swinging isn't there and it just feels so much more on its toes. I don't time my track laps but this is a much quicker car than the w204, much more nimble and faster in the corners.
Both great, great cars - but I'd take the w205 every time.
