RE: 2021 Mercedes-Benz C-Class unveiled

[GTEYE]

Chestrockwell said:

raspy said:

LOL You got a c-class for fun driving experiences? MB make it very clear that the C class as a model is focused on comfort and luxury (which is emphasised even more with the W206 model)

Of course it's an old man's car, they aim it at 35-45 year old buyers.

I think the new one looks rather ordinary from the outside but at least the interior looks bloody marvellous, love all the new advanced tech and provided the voice commands with MBUX work well, I don't see that much of an issue with having a giant touchscreen.

Well I didn’t get it expecting it to be a fun performance car but I thought being a midsize Mercedes with 240 bhp that I could have a bit of fun in it like I would with a BMW. It has all the ingredients of a great car but just falls short.

If I’m going to recommend a C-Class, I’d say get the C200d because the performance is wasted

Did you not actually look at it or test drive it before you bought it??

[survivalist]

GTEYE said:

Chestrockwell said:

raspy said:

LOL You got a c-class for fun driving experiences? MB make it very clear that the C class as a model is focused on comfort and luxury (which is emphasised even more with the W206 model)

Of course it's an old man's car, they aim it at 35-45 year old buyers.

I think the new one looks rather ordinary from the outside but at least the interior looks bloody marvellous, love all the new advanced tech and provided the voice commands with MBUX work well, I don't see that much of an issue with having a giant touchscreen.

Well I didn’t get it expecting it to be a fun performance car but I thought being a midsize Mercedes with 240 bhp that I could have a bit of fun in it like I would with a BMW. It has all the ingredients of a great car but just falls short.

If I’m going to recommend a C-Class, I’d say get the C200d because the performance is wasted

Did you not actually look at it or test drive it before you bought it??

My experience of the whole BMW vs Mercedes in terms of fun driving experience is that the ‘warm’ BMW is still slightly better than the ‘hot’ Mercedes in terms of driver engagement.

Have taken 2 generations of 335i 3-series to test drive 2 generations of C63 AMG. Both times the chassis on the 335i was till sharper. Both times the engine noise was more impressive in the Mercedes.

Still considering the current (or about to be replaced) c63 because of the engine and the fact I can get in an estate.

The move to 4 cylinder hybrid kills the AMG brand for me. It was always about big engines in small cars.

[cerb4.5lee]

survivalist said:

The move to 4 cylinder hybrid kills the AMG brand for me. It was always about big engines in small cars.

I see it like that as well. The brawny engines were always their USP for me.

[anonymous-user]

cerb4.5lee said:

I see it like that as well. The brawny engines were always their USP for me.

It’ll be cheaper to build so they can offer it on cheaper leases. That’ll more than offset the 4 actual enthusiasts who ever bought one and now won’t because of the wk engine.

[survivalist]

stickleback123 said:

cerb4.5lee said:

I see it like that as well. The brawny engines were always their USP for me.

It’ll be cheaper to build so they can offer it on cheaper leases. That’ll more than offset the 4 actual enthusiasts who ever bought one and now won’t because of the wk engine.

It’s not quite that simple. There were a varying of people who bought the 6.2L AMG but they all had to put up with a large VED bill and an even larger fuel bill. For whatever reasons (speed, looks, noise, perceived prestige) they were willing to pay the price. With a 4 pot under the bonnet a number of those people drift away.

Not sure of the price point, but once the engine no longer matters many will just go EV. Why buy a Mercedes over a Tesla? It’s not like the people who drove a 14mpg car did too many long journeys ( the number of low mileage ones in the classifieds is a testament to this) anyway.

[survivalist]

stickleback123 said:

It’ll be cheaper to build so they can offer it on cheaper leases. That’ll more than offset the 4 actual enthusiasts who ever bought one and now won’t because of the wk engine.

It’s not quite that simple. There were a varying of people who bought the 6.2L AMG but they all had to put up with a large VED bill and an even larger fuel bill. For whatever reasons (speed, looks, noise, perceived prestige) they were willing to pay the price. With a 4 pot under the bonnet a number of those people drift away.

Not sure of the price point, but once the engine no longer matters many will just go EV. Why buy a Mercedes over a Tesla? It’s not like the people who drove a 14mpg car did too many long journeys ( the number of low mileage ones in the classifieds is a testament to this) anyway

[Court_S]

cerb4.5lee said:

I didn't realise just how much I liked the idrive in a BMW...until I tried Mercedes Comand equivalent that is for sure! I get annoyed with it everytime I use it!

I still have an idrive of sorts in the Mini though...but for some reason that operates in a different direction to a BMW...so that used to catch me out a lot at first as well!

MINI’s backward buttons puss me off. Even after three years I could never remember which steering wheel button it was to skip a track forwards...

forrestgrump said:

Perhaps I’m out the loop, but if that’s accurate a 62 mile range and recharge in 30 mins sounds like a giant leap forward.

Indeed, it is a big leap on from the 30 - 35 miles the hybrids have been capable of to date.

The loss of the V8 in the AMG will be a big loss and it gave the car a big USP. Even the turbo version was mighty and sounded filthy compared to the M3/4.

[Chestrockwell]

GTEYE said:

Did you not actually look at it or test drive it before you bought it??

It was a lease and they had a pretty good deal on it so I went for it. A typical 15 minute test drive with a salesman beside me wouldn’t have exposed it’s flaws, the thing is I trusted the brand and didn’t think a RWD 240 bhp Mercedes would be that boring. Ultimately it is my fault and I will be doing an extended test drive before I buy any car from now on.

[anonymous-user]

Chestrockwell said:

didn’t think a RWD 240 bhp Mercedes would be that boring.

Your profile suggests you're happy in boy racer cars with concrete suspension. Against that background it's not particularly surprising that mainstream saloons/estates don't float your boat.

[raspy]

forrestgrump said:

Perhaps I’m out the loop, but if that’s accurate a 62 mile range and recharge in 30 mins sounds like a giant leap forward.

Yes it does appear to be a step forward.

The S580e PHEV also has a similar range and has a 3 litre six cylinder engine too!

Imagine if they put that 3 litre turbo petrol in the new C class rather than the 2 litre 4 cylinder? In the big fat S580e, it makes 510bhp combined with 0-60 somewhere between 4.5 and 5 seconds!

[B10]

Estate looks much better than saloon. I had an C300 estate. Great car apart from the very uncomfortable seats and poor reliability.
New C class interior is a mess. Previous model much better.
Was trying to think what the front end looked like.

[okenemem]

Chestrockwell said:

Powerful engine, can’t be faulted but the ESP in Sport+ allows the tiniest slip

yes

[okenemem]

estate looks amazing

[Bomberharris]

Be a great 2-3 years, then start fall apart.....made for the PCP crowd / company car

I wondered if they are fitting the 2.2 / 2.5 engine which fails after 50k cam follower issue of 3.5 with gearbox issues 60k

I’ve had 20 plus Mercedes they get prettier and faster but a lot more fragile

Build quality is Renault , How many post 2000 - 2015 Mercedes do you see on the road.

[0liver]

I agree this the author of this article: https://drivertical.com/hates/mercedes-benz-c63-am...
And I think that the new model loses so much of their character and legacy.

[ZX10R NIN]

Agree with the above & Mercedes will find out how big the V8 is in term of USP, the new car will be faster in every measurement but one & that'll be the (as J May would call it) fizz.

I get why they've done it but it was the wrong call.