Topic: First Drive: 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class (C 300 and C 400)

[EV-Light]

Nice write-up Mmret.  After all these months of pondering it, I was eager to hear if my first impressions would be shared by others once the car was here on our shore. 

How much would a comparably-equipped 335i cost ya by comparison?  Or better still, IS350?

Just as a point of comparison, the 335i I ordered will cost me $53K + Tax. This is for the M-Sport, RWD, 6MT version.

IS350AWD with the Executive Package (top of line) nets for $53,900.00 and it comes with all the nannies and cool stuff one needs.

[Snowman]

Test drove a C400 yesterday with sport package.

Interior is miles above the class and, interestingly, well above the base C300 with that ugly piano black trim. The open pore wood stuff is incredibly cool and the Artico dash adds a lot of depth to it.

The 19" AMG multispoke wheels look best on this car. Compared it to the 18" 5 spoke AMGs (which are default C400, and come with the C300 +Sport) and the 19s are far and away better. And this is coming form someone with a unhealthy fetish for 5 spoke wheels. The 18s just have too much sidewall and the spokes seem too thin, doesn't quite look right.

I am having a debate again whether iridium silver is worth it over the regular "arctic white". Oddly this arctic white has a slight creaminess to it, so its not the intense, pure white that I saw on various MLs / E-Class in the showroom. I still think silver is a better color but suddenly its not a big difference, IMO. Both will show off the rear diffuser and pana roof nicely. Also, sweet sweet pana roof. Lovely to watch the bits move around from the inside of the car.

Much has been said about the screen. I don't mind it up there at all. Its in the correct place. I don't see why it needs to be retractable...are you really going to have it closed while driving? Sure it could be better integrated but from a functional perspective its fine. Also, probably requires less fuss of removing the dash if/when the screen breaks so there is that

Engine is very beefy but more of a surge than a sudden punch in the gut. AWD really puts a damper on proceedings compared to RWD cars. So, while fast, its not violent. The engine note is a bit dull, sort of a blendery-sound.
Airmatic is really cool. Reliability disaster maybe, but lets you have two or three cars in one. Plus having seen it now the Sport package is a requirement, so I guess its der beste oder nichts.

Handling is very planted. Doesn't have that level of connection to the road you get from an 235i for example but it doesn't need to. There's only a very small delay between steering input and front wheel reaction in Sport+ and it feels pretty nimble overall. Brakes are textbook FGC.

Didn't properly get to try out the Burmester audio since we only had FM radio to use...but those speaker grilles are works of art in and of themselves.


So, now the negatives:
- Its really expensive. The way I would spec it I'm looking at 62-64k + PDI + HST. Jebus.
- Its bigger than the old car but still rear seat headroom seems quite weak.
- The side view is slightly awkward. Like the car needs to be 15cm longer. There is a LWB version somewhere that looks super nice.
- There is a bulge that intrudes on both footwells where the transmission goes. Seems more annoying on the passenger side, oddly. I was fine when I was driving it but after sitting in the passenger seat had some weird knee pain.
- Overall noise levels were a bit higher than I had hoped for.
- I don't like the touchpad. It should be separated from the COMMAND knob like the Audi setup. Couldn't figure out how to do certain things and I was always afraid of brushing the pad when trying to use the knob.
- The dash rattled like a mofo. Hopefully just early production issues.
- The engine bay quality seems to have declined somewhat since our 2011 GLK. The rubber seals aren't as beefy, the plastic looks cheaper, and the struts that hold it up don't seem to have the two position stop anymore.
- The metal toggles are annoying, can't easily distinguish where one starts and the other begins by feel.
- Seems like there are no 360deg cameras available. Something about a lack of parts availability. The car is supposed to have it...
- The center screen on the instrument cluster isn't as nice as the new Audi screens, though it beats the BMW stuff.
- They went away from the "4 direction" MID controller on existing cars and into a "two direction" setup with Home/Back buttons. Dislike this as its too many clicks to scroll through things.
- I don't believe there is a "cruise control ring" any more on the speedo, only a small numeric display in the MID.
- MB reversed the location of the cruise and turn signal stalks. It was better before IMO.
- They didn't bring a RWD version
- They didn't bring a diesel version (yet)
- Runflats



How I'd Spec it:

C400 4MATIC (would get RWD if it were possible, but it is not)
Premium Package (Burmester, Nav, etc.) - and wait for 360 camera availability
Sport Package (19s, Airmatic, leather dash, sport seats, sport steering wheel)
Intelligent Drive (Adaptive Cruise, steering assist)
LED Lighting (LED low and high beams, auto highbeam, auto range adjustment, beam aiming, etc)

White or Iridium Silver
Black Artico, black ash open pore trim

Skip the HUD, kind of pointless now that I've seen it in action.

Its like $64k MSRP

EDIT: here is the LWB version. Check 2nd pic at bottom.
http://www.benzinsider.com/2014/04/2015-mercedes-c-class-lwb-model-launched-in-2014-beijing-motor-show/

Great report man. 

[mmret]

IS350AWD with the Executive Package (top of line) nets for $53,900.00 and it comes with all the nannies and cool stuff one needs.

Not for me, though admittedly I am a special case.

I also find the Lexus to be compromised in enough ways that its just not interesting to me. Its the finest version of a last-gen car, but its not properly contemporary. IMHO Lexus missed the boat.

And yes I have test driven it, twice, and spent a ton of time examining minute details about it.



EDIT: admittedly the 2015 IS350 comes closer since they finally realized their intransigence and reshuffled their packaging, but still not close enough.

[Hannibalsmith]

Nice write-up Mmret.  After all these months of pondering it, I was eager to hear if my first impressions would be shared by others once the car was here on our shore. 

How much would a comparably-equipped 335i cost ya by comparison?  Or better still, IS350?

Just as a point of comparison, the 335i I ordered will cost me $53K + Tax. This is for the M-Sport, RWD, 6MT version.

IS350AWD with the Executive Package (top of line) nets for $53,900.00 and it comes with all the nannies and cool stuff one needs.

And I like the IS as well. 6MT, styling, plus slightly more room in the rear (3 kids) is what swayed me to the BMW.

[DriverJeff]

Indeed, I don't feel the need for monsterous amounts of power but I suspect the E250, especially laden with AWD, would be just slow enough to be annoying.

Sounds like your brother got a great deal...certainly I would have bit hard on a mint E350 BT with every option for 58k!

With so much torque, that Benz 4-banger diesel is way better in the real world than its on-paper numbers give it credit.  The car I drove (http://www.autos.ca/car-comparisons/comparison-test-diesel-luxury-sedans/?all=1 ) had 4Matic and it was fantastic.  Really, really love that car.

But... having experienced the new C-Class, it just feels like the better, much more modern machine.

My friend, you are spoiled for choice in this category for sure. 

[Noto]

I really like the styling direction MB has taken with the new C Class. Not a fan of the navi screen..... looking like its a wall mounted HDTV and not part of the interior.

I love how in the Mazda, it's a Glue-On iPad...but in the Merc, it's a Wall-Mounted HDTV.  Brilliant.



sorry, dudes, but THIS ^^^ just doesn't work for me.  Too plain, followed by HOLY HANDLE, Batman on the lower bit, and the retro circular vents just look cheap to me.  I'm sure in person it's better, but I'm just not a fan.

I also find the Lexus to be compromised in enough ways that its just not interesting to me. Its the finest version of a last-gen car, but its not properly contemporary. IMHO Lexus missed the boat.

I agree, mmret.  I said a while ago that I was given an IS350AWD as a loaner while our RX400h was being serviced.  Not only was I not thoroughly impressed with the design (the execution was perfection, as per Lexus standards), but the WAF (well, in my case, the Lady Noto Acceptance Factor, or LNAF) was so low that she compared it to my Corolla.

That's not to say that it's crap (as I think visually, it's incredible), but the materials used were all hard and looked cheap compared to the elegent simplicity and use of high-quality materials that BMW interiors have.


Quite frankly, I love the front look, loathe the rear (I think it looks droopy, like the CLA), love the diesel option, and love the fact that they only offer 4Matic - a very, very good move IMO.

[OliverD]

Quite frankly, I love the front look, loathe the rear (I think it looks droopy, like the CLA), love the diesel option, and love the fact that they only offer 4Matic - a very, very good move IMO.

I know you're not a car enthusiast in the traditional sense, but why do you feel that getting rid of the enthusiast-friendly option is a good thing?

[mmret]

ou might as well add the 4 series gran coupe on your list of cars to test.  i think it's a much better looking car than the 3 series and it adds a bunch of sport features that are extra on the 3er. 

anybody know when the diesel will be available on the c class?

The build and price isn't up, but my suspicion is that its not going to be cheaper than the 3'er sedan, which will put it on par with the C400, at which point...why bother?

[Noto]

I know you're not a car enthusiast in the traditional sense, but why do you feel that getting rid of the enthusiast-friendly option is a good thing?

That's a good point.  I wasn't looking at it as removing an option, so much as giving me a "free" upgrade (i.e. not making me spend more for what I want).

I jump ship.  BRING BACK THE RWD!

[mmret]

I highly doubt its a "free" option. Only if you compare to a now nonexistent cheaper option.

Its almost like saying something is 50% off an arbitrary price...

[Noto]

I highly doubt its a "free" option. Only if you compare to a now nonexistent cheaper option.

Correct.

...but marketing departments know how the feeble, such as I, think.

[Julie]

mmret, great review.

Sounds like you're not ready to pick yet......... hmm........... Don't force it.

[jyarkony]

Quite frankly, I love the front look, loathe the rear (I think it looks droopy, like the CLA), love the diesel option, and love the fact that they only offer 4Matic - a very, very good move IMO.

I know you're not a car enthusiast in the traditional sense, but why do you feel that getting rid of the enthusiast-friendly option is a good thing?

Doesn't make sense to design and ship over cars for enthusiasts that aren't buying them. They said fewer than one percent (or something staggeringly low like that) in Canada were taking RWD at this point. The Mercedes enthusiast is not a manual-transmission RWD enthusiast, but rather a luxury and features enthusiast...

Oh, but according to the info packet they provided, C 63 AMG will be available as a base model or as "C 63 AMG 4MATIC S-Model", implying the base car will be a RWD variant.

And Great insight mmret - i got much the same sense of the car (especially the issues with the touchpad/knob ergo), though no rattles! Where did you find pricing for stuff like burmester, etc.? they didn't even give us packages and options pricing, nor could I launch the builder for the 2015... we'd love to add that level of detail to the article.

[mmret]

And Great insight mmret - i got much the same sense of the car (especially the issues with the touchpad/knob ergo), though no rattles! Where did you find pricing for stuff like burmester, etc.? they didn't even give us packages and options pricing, nor could I launch the builder for the 2015... we'd love to add that level of detail to the article.

Pricing I got inside deets on from my sales guy at MB since the car they "ordered for me" was nearly fully loaded. At least for C400. I can relay, but no "official" source.

Oh, and I'll write guest articles for a nominal fee

[jyarkony]

Jonathan, can you please clarify what you mean by

The C 300’s fixed suspension was poised and showed a good range of comfort and sport, though the C 400 we drove on the second day was capable of even greater flexibility

Did the C400 have the air suspension or did you see a significant difference between the C300 and C400 fixed suspensions?

Great article by the way: the most informative I have read until now on the new C Class.

Thanks.

to clarify, by flexibility i meant the range from comfort to sport. The fixed in the C 300 was suitably comfortable for a luxury car, with enough sporty handling to have a bit of fun - tires would be the issue before suspension. The C400, with its adjustability, was capable of being more comfortable (in comfort mode) and more sporty (in sport mode), and its normal middle ground setting may have been better on both counts as well to begin with. A couple days ago i would have said stick with the base suspension if possible (depending on packages), but after driving some of toronto's rough roads in a pretty hardcore sports car yesterday, i think that wider range of suspension tuning on the fly would be a pretty nice feature for a lot of drivers.

[OliverD]

Quite frankly, I love the front look, loathe the rear (I think it looks droopy, like the CLA), love the diesel option, and love the fact that they only offer 4Matic - a very, very good move IMO.

I know you're not a car enthusiast in the traditional sense, but why do you feel that getting rid of the enthusiast-friendly option is a good thing?

Doesn't make sense to design and ship over cars for enthusiasts that aren't buying them. They said fewer than one percent (or something staggeringly low like that) in Canada were taking RWD at this point. The Mercedes enthusiast is not a manual-transmission RWD enthusiast, but rather a luxury and features enthusiast...

I understand why 4matic is standard now, was must questioning why someone on an auto forum would actually advocate for less enthusiast-friendly choices. 

[Northernridge]

Quite frankly, I love the front look, loathe the rear (I think it looks droopy, like the CLA), love the diesel option, and love the fact that they only offer 4Matic - a very, very good move IMO.

I know you're not a car enthusiast in the traditional sense, but why do you feel that getting rid of the enthusiast-friendly option is a good thing?

Doesn't make sense to design and ship over cars for enthusiasts that aren't buying them. They said fewer than one percent (or something staggeringly low like that) in Canada were taking RWD at this point. The Mercedes enthusiast is not a manual-transmission RWD enthusiast, but rather a luxury and features enthusiast...

Oh, but according to the info packet they provided, C 63 AMG will be available as a base model or as "C 63 AMG 4MATIC S-Model", implying the base car will be a RWD variant.

And Great insight mmret - i got much the same sense of the car (especially the issues with the touchpad/knob ergo), though no rattles! Where did you find pricing for stuff like burmester, etc.? they didn't even give us packages and options pricing, nor could I launch the builder for the 2015... we'd love to add that level of detail to the article.

Packet! You got a packet? I didn't get a packet.

[jyarkony]

Quite frankly, I love the front look, loathe the rear (I think it looks droopy, like the CLA), love the diesel option, and love the fact that they only offer 4Matic - a very, very good move IMO.

I know you're not a car enthusiast in the traditional sense, but why do you feel that getting rid of the enthusiast-friendly option is a good thing?

Doesn't make sense to design and ship over cars for enthusiasts that aren't buying them. They said fewer than one percent (or something staggeringly low like that) in Canada were taking RWD at this point. The Mercedes enthusiast is not a manual-transmission RWD enthusiast, but rather a luxury and features enthusiast...

I understand why 4matic is standard now, was must questioning why someone on an auto forum would actually advocate for less enthusiast-friendly choices. 

Ah yes, that is strange... Carry on then.

[jyarkony]

Quite frankly, I love the front look, loathe the rear (I think it looks droopy, like the CLA), love the diesel option, and love the fact that they only offer 4Matic - a very, very good move IMO.

I know you're not a car enthusiast in the traditional sense, but why do you feel that getting rid of the enthusiast-friendly option is a good thing?

Doesn't make sense to design and ship over cars for enthusiasts that aren't buying them. They said fewer than one percent (or something staggeringly low like that) in Canada were taking RWD at this point. The Mercedes enthusiast is not a manual-transmission RWD enthusiast, but rather a luxury and features enthusiast...

Oh, but according to the info packet they provided, C 63 AMG will be available as a base model or as "C 63 AMG 4MATIC S-Model", implying the base car will be a RWD variant.

And Great insight mmret - i got much the same sense of the car (especially the issues with the touchpad/knob ergo), though no rattles! Where did you find pricing for stuff like burmester, etc.? they didn't even give us packages and options pricing, nor could I launch the builder for the 2015... we'd love to add that level of detail to the article.

Packet! You got a packet? I didn't get a packet.

Yup, it came with a stick of gum, six baseball cards and a 48-page PDF, half of which were about intelligent drive safety systems. I read all of it, all for you.

[Noto]

Quite frankly, I love the front look, loathe the rear (I think it looks droopy, like the CLA), love the diesel option, and love the fact that they only offer 4Matic - a very, very good move IMO.

I know you're not a car enthusiast in the traditional sense, but why do you feel that getting rid of the enthusiast-friendly option is a good thing?

Doesn't make sense to design and ship over cars for enthusiasts that aren't buying them. They said fewer than one percent (or something staggeringly low like that) in Canada were taking RWD at this point. The Mercedes enthusiast is not a manual-transmission RWD enthusiast, but rather a luxury and features enthusiast...

I understand why 4matic is standard now, was must questioning why someone on an auto forum would actually advocate for less enthusiast-friendly choices. 

Ah yes, that is strange... Carry on then.

I never said I was an automotive enthusiast in the traditional sense.  When I go to auto shows, I entirely skip the 'exotics' section and go straight to the compacts and CUVs of Honda, Subaru, Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, Nissan, etc.  I'm more interested in seeing consumer trends being followed by manufacturers than seeing what machines can be produced that violate every speed law in Canada just by pressing the "engine start" button.

...so long as I live in Canada, no RWD car will ever be in my sights.  So long as I drive in traffic, no manual tranny will ever be in my sights.  If/When I move to Palm Springs, California, both of those things will quickly change.  I LOVE having a mustang convertible there and would see zero benefit to an autobox or AWD.

...in Hawaii, on the other hand, the Murano Cabriolet actually makes a lot of sense (convertible, with AWD and 'some' ground clearance)

...so if ~1% of C-classes were sold with RWD, then I see no reason to continue selling it, but I don't advocate for making OliverD et al. unhappy.  Hell, the Rav4 V6 made up >15% of total sales in Canada and it was axed...as was the 3rd row Rav4 at ~5%.  If RWD C-Classes were truly ~1%, I'm surprised it took this long to axe.