W205 C Class "too small"

[bmoster]

Hi, I have not been on this forum for a while and apologise if this topic has been covered previously.

I currently have an Audi A6, previous car was a W204 C Class. I lease my cars and need to replace the A6 in a few months and have been scouring the internet for quotes.

Got a decent price on a C250d Sport and was happy with the standard spec. Was just going to add metallic and possibly real leather. Off I went to my local stealer to see if I could have a feel of the Artico seats to see if the £20 per month the lease company wanted for real leather was worth it.

The C Class they had in the showroom's Artico seats seemed fine however when I sat in it and adjusted the seat to my needs I was surpised at how cramped it felt width wise. I felt like my shoulder was jammed against the B pillar, the door was too close to me (not enough elbow room) and there was not enough room in the footwell to stretch and rest my left foot. Length wise the legroom fr my right (pedal) was fine. Now I am 6 ft 5 and quite broad but I was surprised as I was fine in my previous W204 and even in smaller cars (tried out a Golf recently) I have not experienced such a "narrow" drivers space.

I was just wondering if anyone else had the same experience.

 

[Red C220]

Yeah, I found it snug. That's why we went with an E Class. We also previously had a W204.

I'm not 6'5" but I am wide

 

[grober]

if you look at the published figures on Mercedes website
W204 interior width front 1440-1390
W205 interior width front 1454-1404
spookily the rears are the same at 1462-1398

compared to the E class
1490-1467 front 1505-1446 rear

I would venture that the reason the W205 feels cramped is that the seats are positioned slightly further out from the vehicle centre line-- possibly due to a wider transmission tunnel??

 

[bmoster]

Yes that's what I thought, they have accomodated a larger transmission tunnel and centre console.

Re the E Class, if I was going to go for the larger car which I am also looking at I would either have to take the W212 which is being replaced next summer or wait for the W213 and then have to make alternative arrangements after my A6 goes back but then as is often the case with brand new models there are no decent deals until it has been out for 6 - 12 months a year and you have to ask yourself how much extra is it worth than the equivalent 5 Series/A6/XF etc.

 

[kid-jensen]

Regualrly travel to the pub in a C-class and I can say from the experience it has less interior width than a 90's Fiesta...

Still doesn't mean I'd buy a 90's Fiesta though....

 

[m2mb]

Exact reason i replaced wife's vw golf with a 318i (the 3 cylinder one). Nice toy actually. Me, waiting for the W213. Compared to the bm my E220 is a different beast.

 

[Doodle]

Increasingly wide transmission tunnels and more intrusive B-pillars, combined with a seating position that has you sufficiently far back for them to interfere. I could overlook the ones in the W205 because they were just about bearable, and I liked the rest of the car.

An A-class is simply no-go, my shoulders are hard up against the pillar and I'm twisted towards the centre of the car (much to the disappointment as both myself and my girlfriend think it would make a fantastic car for her). We had to get her a 3door Fiesta for the same reason, the longer doors put the pillar out of the way.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I'd have thought that a C-Class would always feel smaller than an A6.

 

[ioweddie]

I went for the premium plus estate and the seats are wider than the standard saloon I test drove

 

[Red C220]

Re the E Class, if I was going to go for the larger car which I am also looking at I would either have to take the W212 which is being replaced next summer or wait for the W213 and then have to make alternative arrangements after my A6 goes back but then as is often the case with brand new models there are no decent deals until it has been out for 6 - 12 months a year and you have to ask yourself how much extra is it worth than the equivalent 5 Series/A6/XF etc.

The upside of this is there are some cracking deals available on the outgoing E class.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

The upside of this is there are some cracking deals available on the outgoing E class.

Plus it will be a 'well sorted' car given it's end of production run.

Matters little on a lease though I suppose.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I'm 6'1" and very broad and don't fit into our S204 properly, I can only imagine what you were like at 6'5"!

 

[Deleted member 113659]

I'd have thought that a C-Class would always feel smaller than an A6.

That's a fair point.

Surely A6/E Class/5 Series

And A4/C Class/3 Series?

Ant

 

[gIzzE]

..... And very broad........

Hahaha

 

[stevehg]

The upside of this is there are some cracking deals available on the outgoing E class.

Discount level was the same in June 2014, when I bought mine, as I looked at 350 too.

cheers, Steve

 

[219]

Hi, I have not been on this forum for a while and apologise if this topic has been covered previously.

I currently have an Audi A6, previous car was a W204 C Class. I lease my cars and need to replace the A6 in a few months and have been scouring the internet for quotes.

Got a decent price on a C250d Sport and was happy with the standard spec. Was just going to add metallic and possibly real leather. Off I went to my local stealer to see if I could have a feel of the Artico seats to see if the £20 per month the lease company wanted for real leather was worth it.

The C Class they had in the showroom's Artico seats seemed fine however when I sat in it and adjusted the seat to my needs I was surpised at how cramped it felt width wise. I felt like my shoulder was jammed against the B pillar, the door was too close to me (not enough elbow room) and there was not enough room in the footwell to stretch and rest my left foot. Length wise the legroom fr my right (pedal) was fine. Now I am 6 ft 5 and quite broad but I was surprised as I was fine in my previous W204 and even in smaller cars (tried out a Golf recently) I have not experienced such a "narrow" drivers space.

I was just wondering if anyone else had the same experience.

I haven't sat in a W205 , but my experience with my W203 , after having my two W126's , was that it was tiny , with hardly any space in the back , and felt really cramped and enclosed , especially with a sombre black interior - in the end I decided that the C stood for Claustrophobia Class !

Oddly , because I became thoroughly pi$$ed off with the 203 and all its problems , when I reverted to a 190E ( W201 ) I found it to be so much more airy and spacious than the 203 had been !

The only things I miss out of the 203 , since neither of my current cars has them , are the heated seats .