Hi All, I recently made - albeit unfortunately briefly - a long awaited move to a W205 C63 and thought I'd comment on experiences. Although I had the vehicle for a very short time the reason for not having the car now is outside of my control and I am looking for another. I came from a 1.8 W204 which I had for 6+ years.
I had my heart set on a proper AMG for a long time and decided to wait for a W205 although the W205 seems to draw a certain amount of criticism around dissapointing build quality and noise etc that the previous car didnt. I certainly realise now it is - even AMG differences aside - quite a different car. The W204 seemed to carry a certain all over solidness that lended itself nicely to that Benz feeling which hasnt entirely carried over to the new car but it is likely just a fair amount of steel that hasnt come across. It is not a complaint from me and its not like the W205 is lacking in robustness but I could probably understand now how some owners perceptions have translated into criticism and I can definitely relate to some of the concerns around interior rattles especially with the centre console and the comand screen. I also had HUD in the W205 and the trim around the HUD in the dash complained painfully in some situations.
The vehicle I had suffered from some bodywork complaints and which I believe were unique to that car however that said not entirely unique - I have seen on various W205s inconsistencies with the front end namely bumper/headlight alignments. There is no denying the panels and bumpers on the W205 are lighter and likely the bumper fitment is different. One dealer who looked at my W205 initially identified a missing bumper bracket however after further investigation they confirmed the expected bracket was also omitted from 2 other C63s they compared with. I dont know why they expected it in the first place but possibly a similar bracket existed on the W204 that hasnt come across. There are not many W205 bumper removal details online yet to compare enough with the W204.
Anyway above aside. That C63 goes like a train and stops nicely too! Fuel economy was reasonable - I got 32+mpg on a long run driving reasonably and occasional rattles aside the interior is a lovely place to be and definitely premium. I wanted a car with 18s expecting slightly better compliancy but I was still surprised how firm the ride remained even in Comfort however I will accept the compromise being the car it is. I think the standard 18s look great and I like the look of the additional rubber + cheaper too.
Spec wise I have now been spoilt with HUD and 360 Cam. I do not see many C63s with these 2 options currently advertised and I started to get used to both of them. If I was speccing a new one I would definitely add them. The car also had premium plus pack. To be honest I couldnt get used to keyless go and had already removed the button and stuck to using the good old key. I was also not completely sold on the roof - it seemed impossible to have it closed without the fabric cover due to the amount of heat that translated into the cabin and thereby losing the additional natural light. If a car came up without premium I would definitely consider it although my main concern would be losing the other features in the pack. The Burmeister was good but difficult to comment without comparison to the standard system. I'd wonder if there are good aftermarket upgrade options for the standard system if considering a car without Burmeister.
The car also had night package which I would definitely want on another car however I expect with the exception of the exhaust tips that the main chrome trim on the doors could be wrapped or plasti dipped if I was unable to find a car with the option. I believe the back windows are also further tinted.
Not much else to say but keen to get back into one asap and definitely having been without the car for a few weeks I certainly have an AMG bug!
I had my heart set on a proper AMG for a long time and decided to wait for a W205 although the W205 seems to draw a certain amount of criticism around dissapointing build quality and noise etc that the previous car didnt. I certainly realise now it is - even AMG differences aside - quite a different car. The W204 seemed to carry a certain all over solidness that lended itself nicely to that Benz feeling which hasnt entirely carried over to the new car but it is likely just a fair amount of steel that hasnt come across. It is not a complaint from me and its not like the W205 is lacking in robustness but I could probably understand now how some owners perceptions have translated into criticism and I can definitely relate to some of the concerns around interior rattles especially with the centre console and the comand screen. I also had HUD in the W205 and the trim around the HUD in the dash complained painfully in some situations.
The vehicle I had suffered from some bodywork complaints and which I believe were unique to that car however that said not entirely unique - I have seen on various W205s inconsistencies with the front end namely bumper/headlight alignments. There is no denying the panels and bumpers on the W205 are lighter and likely the bumper fitment is different. One dealer who looked at my W205 initially identified a missing bumper bracket however after further investigation they confirmed the expected bracket was also omitted from 2 other C63s they compared with. I dont know why they expected it in the first place but possibly a similar bracket existed on the W204 that hasnt come across. There are not many W205 bumper removal details online yet to compare enough with the W204.
Anyway above aside. That C63 goes like a train and stops nicely too! Fuel economy was reasonable - I got 32+mpg on a long run driving reasonably and occasional rattles aside the interior is a lovely place to be and definitely premium. I wanted a car with 18s expecting slightly better compliancy but I was still surprised how firm the ride remained even in Comfort however I will accept the compromise being the car it is. I think the standard 18s look great and I like the look of the additional rubber + cheaper too.
Spec wise I have now been spoilt with HUD and 360 Cam. I do not see many C63s with these 2 options currently advertised and I started to get used to both of them. If I was speccing a new one I would definitely add them. The car also had premium plus pack. To be honest I couldnt get used to keyless go and had already removed the button and stuck to using the good old key. I was also not completely sold on the roof - it seemed impossible to have it closed without the fabric cover due to the amount of heat that translated into the cabin and thereby losing the additional natural light. If a car came up without premium I would definitely consider it although my main concern would be losing the other features in the pack. The Burmeister was good but difficult to comment without comparison to the standard system. I'd wonder if there are good aftermarket upgrade options for the standard system if considering a car without Burmeister.
The car also had night package which I would definitely want on another car however I expect with the exception of the exhaust tips that the main chrome trim on the doors could be wrapped or plasti dipped if I was unable to find a car with the option. I believe the back windows are also further tinted.
Not much else to say but keen to get back into one asap and definitely having been without the car for a few weeks I certainly have an AMG bug!
