Test drove a fully loaded C350

[amdhunter]

First of all, it was a gorgeous looking car. White with black panoramic sunroof, a really nice Harmon Kardon system + the Navigation system was probably the cleanest looking and smooth navigation I've seen so far.

The interior was very nice too. I didn't like it as much as the 335i (Sedan) interior, but it definitely was nice.

Then I started driving it -- I was sort of unimpressed at the acceleration when I initially took off and started to shrug it off VERY quickly. Then I got onto a strip where I could gun it, and the owner of the car threw it into sports mode.

All of a sudden the car sprung to life, but I was still unimpressed. The car was decently fast (but didn't really feel faster than my Jetta) and shifted very fast, but never felt like it was going anywhere. I took it up to ~90MPH and backed off.

It handled nicely, but still had an "old man" feel to it. You'd think a car with 50lbs more torque and 60HP over my Jetta would feel much faster than it was.

I never did get to test drive the 135i/335i yet...I've been sort of avoiding it, I am going to leave it for last.

 

[GTaudiophile]

I've driven SLKs, E-Class, and S-Class MBs and never been "wowed" by any of them.

I see MB as a classier, ho-hum (but less reliable) improvement over Lexus.

If you want your heart to beat faster, you need to look elsewhere.

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
I've driven SLKs, E-Class, and S-Class MBs and never been "wowed" by any of them.

I see MB as a classier, ho-hum (but less reliable) improvement over Lexus.

If you want your heart to beat faster, you need to look elsewhere.

Yeah, it just didn't have the ooomph that I wanted.

 

[jtvang125]

That's what the C63 is for.

But it's still no match for the M3 though:
http://www.autospies.com/news/...-Driver-M3-wins-22335/

 

[ayabe]

Well for the kind of jack they're asking for the 350, it ought to move decently, but it doesn't.

There needs to be an intermediate motor that ups the performance to near 335i levels for this car to be competitive.

The chasm between the C350 and C63 is just enormous, whereas the 335i-->M3 is much less so.

 

[KDKPSJ]

Originally posted by: ayabe
Well for the kind of jack they're asking for the 350, it ought to move decently, but it doesn't.

There needs to be an intermediate motor that ups the performance to near 335i levels for this car to be competitive.

The chasm between the C350 and C63 is just enormous, whereas the 335i-->M3 is much less so.

Totally agree. C63 is an awesome performer, but C300 -> C350 -> C63 is way worse than 328 -> 335 -> M3 or A4 -> S4 -> RS4. I hoped they'd come up with new engine with facelift, but unfortunately they didn't.

 

[sdifox]

Your Jetta feels faster because it rattles more :laugh:

You really have to pay attention to the speedometer when you are driving one of the luxury vehicles, it's main job is to mask the road feel. Your senses don't get as much info from the car as you do on the pocket rockets.

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: sdifox
Your Jetta feels faster because it rattles more :laugh:

You really have to pay attention to the speedometer when you are driving one of the luxury vehicles, it's main job is to mask the road feel. Your senses don't get as much info from the car as you do on the pocket rockets.

Yeah, I think this is the problem. I really like the rattling feel more than the "luxury" feel. I wish I could find something like my fathers srt8 in a mid-sized sedan, or coupe package.

 

[Doggiedog]

335i will eat the C350 alive. But I think while the price points are similar, the target audiences are a bit different. The 335i is more for driving enthusiasts. The C350 is more for the luxury crowd.

 

[rh71]

mom just bought a C300 after I test drove it... I felt it was fine for her, I'd call it 'peppy' at best. Even people on the MB forums think the C350 is underpowered... some just get it because of the included premium pkg which makes it worthwhile. Anyway, the styling is pretty nice, especially the white. Getting it fresh off the boat next week... I'm more excited for her than she is. I wonder if she'll let me add some small mods here and there.

Oh and yes the bmw engines will have it for breakfast.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I'm betting the Mercedes weighs a few hundred pounds more than your Jetta. Add the weight of the owner being with you on the test drive and it could have been as much as 500lbs heavier than your car.

 

[waffleironhead]

Originally posted by: sdifox
Your Jetta feels faster because it rattles more :laugh:

You really have to pay attention to the speedometer when you are driving one of the luxury vehicles, it's main job is to mask the road feel. Your senses don't get as much info from the car as you do on the pocket rockets.

This is what I was thinking. Was it really slower or was it just disconnect from road noise and acceleration.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: waffleironhead

Originally posted by: sdifox
Your Jetta feels faster because it rattles more :laugh:

You really have to pay attention to the speedometer when you are driving one of the luxury vehicles, it's main job is to mask the road feel. Your senses don't get as much info from the car as you do on the pocket rockets.

This is what I was thinking. Was it really slower or was it just disconnect from road noise and acceleration.

I have to remind myself to check the speedo when I drive the E350 4Matic...I am doing 140kph and it's frigging stable and very little noise. The only thing that makes it through is when I drive on scraped pavement.

Meanwhile, on the Protege5 it felt like I was going really fast when I do 120kph. I guess we can't load 2 different set of sensory parameters .

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: rh71
mom just bought a C300 after I test drove it... I felt it was fine for her, I'd call it 'peppy' at best. Even people on the MB forums think the C350 is underpowered... some just get it because of the included premium pkg which makes it worthwhile. Anyway, the styling is pretty nice, especially the white. Getting it fresh off the boat next week... I'm more excited for her than she is. I wonder if she'll let me add some small mods here and there.

Oh and yes the bmw engines will have it for breakfast.

When I was pricing out cars, the C350 was over $5K cheaper than the 335i and better equipped. You are basically paying a premium for the engine with the 335i but I think its worth it.

 

[ayabe]

Yeah they're great on the highway, especially the E class, that thing is like a freight train.

I'd take a 2010 E550 Coupe in a heartbeat.

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: ayabe
Yeah they're great on the highway, especially the E class, that thing is like a freight train.

I'd take a 2010 E550 Coupe in a heartbeat.

I asked about that. After $10k down, my payments would still be in the 1000 range lol.

 

[dirtboy]

I came very close to getting a 2008 C350 but the dealerships were arrogant and wouldn't discount to clean out the inventory beyond the MB rebates.

I ended up with a 335i sedan, which is what I really wanted. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not thrilled with my car; far better than the Benz.

 

[sindows]

I've said it before in your threads and I'll say it again. The OP has been spoiled by a big American V8 and once you've tasted it, nothing else will do(his father has a SRT-8 something). There is just something about the feel of a V8 that 4/6 cylinders can't match no matter how powerful they are.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: sindows
I've said it before in your threads and I'll say it again. The OP has been spoiled by a big American V8 and once you've tasted it, nothing else will do(his father has a SRT-8 something). There is just something about the feel of a V8 that 4/6 cylinders can't match no matter how powerful they are.

??

GT-R
335i
G37s
370Z
'10 Taurus SHO
etc

All deliver performance at very respectable ranges with 6 cylinder setups. I love a V8 too, but a lot of V8 cars (Mustang GT, Challenger SRT8, etc) can't match the performance of a well-built or forced-induction 6-banger.

If you want to talk about ridiculous 4-bangers, the Evo FQ series and WRX STI are nutty.

http://www.vicky.in/internatio...i-evo-fq-400-revealed/

"403bhp and 387lb ft of torque"

When it comes to legendary modern V8's, I can only really think of Chevy/GM outside of the exotics.

 

[rh71]

oh btw, i think Merc is still having the end-of-year (2009s) rebate of $3k on C300 and $5k on C350s. I remember reading it on Edmunds.

 

[RichieZ]

Cayman [EOM]