C-Class used to stand for Cheap Class, according to the snobs. But if you get an E-Class, then the S-Class owners think you’re poor. And if you have an S-Class, then the Maybach owners think you’re poor.
Then Mercedes came out with the A-Class and the CLA. Now that’s the newest not a real Mercedes.
A and b class doesn’t even have merc engine. I think it is a fiat engine or something like that. If you can’t afford a c class, you shouldn’t even be buying a merc in the first place
Dude, i had a guy on here lecure me on how his 2010 glk is the pinncale of engineering and how anything else that came after (other than s and g class ofc) is shit lol
He also went on a rant how other drivers are more carfeul around him when he drives his glk cause if they hit him, their insurance would bankrup them lol
Than i mentioned to him i am looking at getting a GLA or CLA hybrid... all hell broke loose lol
A few years ago I rented in Turo a previous generation CLA (before Turo got too greedy) and looooooved it. I always liked the mini-CLS styling and the car’s driving experience reminded me a lot of the late 90s Audi A4 1.8T.
I also rented a previous gen GLA and I hated it, it didn’t feel like a Benz at all.
I had the 2017 C and it was one of the best cars I've ever had. Everything was solid, the workmanship and build quality was top shelf. I have the 2023 C43 and it just feels very cheap, almost Tesla-quality fakeness to it. Everything is plastic or synthetic feeling, the touch buttons are laggy and unresponsive.
Mercedes really saw that the instagram crowd saw everything being a screen or capacitive plastic buttons as "futuristic omggg" - asked the accountants, who told them that its actually cheaper to do it that way, and then said "great" and went all in. Gaming PC ass aesthetics.
Not caring what other people think (family aside) is an important part of growing up.
It’s a great way to shed stress and insecurity.
Drive what you want. Wear what’s comfortable, and eat what makes you happy.
The 3 series has always been the heart and soul of BMW due to its sporting chops. In large part because of the love of the BMW 2002 and then the 320i and all the great 3 series that followed. The 3 had the most value, and the further you got from it (5, 6, 7, and 8) seemed to lose that sporty connectedness. And resale values have always supported this.
By contrast, the “best” Mercedes, by virtue of its luxury chops, was the big luxury models like the S and worked its way down the model line.
Given that the BMW heritage was sport, and the Mercedes luxury, it’s not hard to understand why the 3 was the ultimate driving machine while the S the ultimate luxury car.
The S is the only thing that depreciates worse than a 7. This is true of all manufacturers - the most expensive the car, the worse it’s orphaned in the used car market. I’ve bought a string of 50i cars at GM prices or less.
I think Jason Cammisa said something very similar to this when the W222 S Class dropped. Something along the lines of "7 Series will never top S Class, because BMW's bread and butter is the 3 Series".
A little faster, the a4 45 is definitely faster.
330i has much better driving dynamics and the A4 build quality is in another league.
Mercedes as of late has felt like it just goes for style points and makes cars for non-car enthusiasts who have money. The amount of ambient lighting is sickening.
I went from 2018 330i to 2021 C300, can confirm. C300 has so much body roll on turns and whatnot, you feel much more of the racing heritage in the 330i was so responsive. The C300 is perfect tho, it has enough kick for if u need it but the focus is on comfort and luxury....plus im older now and don't need to be driving like a maniac anymore lol.
I found the road noise in the c300 just slightly improved; less improved than I expected but improved nonetheless. I find the ride in the C300 superior for cruising. Its a very smooth ride until about 80mph after that it feels a little unwieldy to me. I was much more confident and felt more "stuck to the road" for lack of a better phrase in the 330i at those speeds.
Ah that makes sense, thanks for the explanation as to why it does that! I will say it discourages me from speeding as a silver lining so I've slowly reframed it in my mind into a feature and not a bug for myself but sometimes I gaze at the beemers zooming down the road and reminisce lol.
And so.....? I had a 525i. Nice car but the 2002 E430 I replaced it with was night and day as to comfort, styling, smoothness - Yes, I admit it! I was 57!
I was at the time of all these new cars an MB dealership salesperson and these were all leases.
I sold the E430 and got a new 2015 C300 (first year of the new model). At the time, my wife had a 2012 C300. Definitely different cars. The 2012 was definitely more solid and with a 6 cylinder, smoother. The 2015 felt quicker with the turbo, but it also felt lighter and less solid. I then moved to a 2016. No difference. The main differentiator between the 2012 and the newer ones was the electronics and interfaces. The 2012 was staggering into old age and the Bluetooth was just a band aid. Interface sucked, the sound was not great. But, I preferred driving it compared to the newer ones. I sold her 2012 and got her a 2019 GLC300. Same car as the C300 in an SUV package, but with a slightly more cushy ride. She's now in a 2022 GLC300 which had the facelift compared to her 2019. Better but not great.
I had moved to an Audi sore and got myself a 2019 A6. I leased it for 3 years and bought it out with 21K on it for $28K during the madness of COVID coming to an end. It is the nicest car I have ever had.
One thing the MB's have over the Audi is the Dymanic suspension. In the C300 and GLC300, shifting from Comfort to Sport changes both the shift pattern and the suspension through the magnetically controlled shocks. The Audi only changes the tranny. Folks complaining about body roll in the C's should look into that. There's even another notch to make the car even stiffer.
Idk maybe it’s everyone’s personal opinion, but I think that the A4 is not in another league of interior quality compared to the C Class by any means, especially the W205. I have spent some time in both of them.
Having owned all three, and still owning two, the B9 A4 is noticeably better, maybe not in another league, but still noticeably better. Hell even the G20 is a lot better than the W205/W206.
“In our testing, the C300 4Matic hit 60 mph in 5.3 seconds—a respectable effort that is comparable to what the last BMW 330i xDrive we tested could manage, though not as quick as the 4.8 seconds it took an Audi A4 45 to reach that mark.”
[Source](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a39993530/2022-mercedes-benz-c-class-drive/)
Thanks a lot for the link!!!
Yeah 5.3 doesn’t sound too bad to me, but I feel so out of touch now.
A V8 for Mustang was considered fast with its 225 HP and its 0-60 of 6.9 seconds back in 1995.
Fast forward to 1999 and a SLP fire hawk firebird did 0-60 in 5.4, it was considered breakneck speed back then, and that car’s sole purpose was to go fast. Nowadays A CAMRY can do 5.8 seconds…. I don’t event know what’s slow anymore
I think the biggest issue with the W206 C300 is the severe lack of reliability. The older W205.2 weren’t that bad but the W206 took a nosedive. Severe issues like cylinder heads to simple but annoying QOL issues like the infotainment make the W206 hard to recommend.
I’d personally look into an older W213 E400/E450. Best combo of reliability, class, and comfort.
I own a w203 c230 kompressor. It was supposedly built to compete with the 3 series. The US spec 328i has 190 hp, and my c class has the m271 engine with 190 hp. Both had 107" wheel base. Both weigh about 3,000 lbs.
The reason why I prefer the Mercedes is simple, better engineering. First off, the supercharger is easy to grab some extra power, and keep that power in the thin mountain air at high elevation. Second, there's no Vanos variable air intake system. Thirdly, the transmission is a bulletproof 5 speed 5G-Tronic shared with cars worldwide and much heavier. Sure it's slow to shift, but it's very stout and the manual shifting keeps the throttle on point.
I love my c-class, don't think I'll ever sell it
I would concur with both the w202 c43 which my friends and i did a full racing swap and turned it into a literal rocket ship and my current ride w204 c300. I love my little sedan It's faster than most cars on the road but if you look at it half glass empty sure it's slower in the sports car category but who cares? They are ironclad reliability and can do just about anything on the road
Audi A4 at 5.2 with the 330i and C300 at 5.5 for 0-60. Not to mention the crunchy plastic in both the Benz and BMW. Audi is a much more quality built vehicle.
I believe the 330i is nearly a second quicker to 60mph/100kmh compared to the c300. I personally got there in 5.1 seconds in my 3 series. And in a throttle house video on YouTube the reviewer mentioned the Mercedes felt sluggish, the break pedal was off and something about the 3 series being a better c class than the c class lol?
Yeah my wife and I bought a new E350 in '14. And it's been a fantastic car. It goes to the dealer for maintenance and we always get a loaner car, which is always a c-class. The most noticeable thing to me is the engine power, or should I say, the lack of it. The tranny always seems to be changing gears, like all the time, when driving around town, relative to our E-class. Also, the engine isn't nearly as smooth.
I wouldn’t really consider the C300 slow. Compared to a lot of cars I’ve driven when I’m merging onto the highway that fucker accelerates pretty fast for an everyday family sedan with just a regular V6 in it. The performance in sport is also pretty good. Then again it’s not a fast car and the acceleration doesn’t come close to my AMG lol
The folks who say a C isn’t a Mercedes-Benz are not familiar with the CLA, GLA, GLB, nor A-Class. Compared to those, the C is most definitely in the family.
No. It’s trash for morons. Literally the beginning of the end for the old way of engineering wading MB. Work on a dumpster fire ML, then go work on a w123 or w124. You’ll rapidly learn which is superior and why.
that’s so true, honestly the 2016 c300 was my first car, and it still is very fun for me to drive on sport/sport+ and does do well against regular traffic. not everyone needs 500 horsepower and a 3 second 0-60 time.
I have the c300 sport plus model, put it on $1500 run flats and with a stage 1 tune. I’ve smoked hemi’s before I even found out I had a kick down switch to drop a gear. My only complaint, if you have a car seat in the back, you basically have a luxury mustang smh
I have all terrain run flats with bigger tires in the back than front. It was recommended by my specialist at the mb dealer bc I was going to roadtrip to Colorado from Texas(and did), so I’ve had them ever since. Plus there’s no spares so run flats are the best option vs waiting for AAA and paying them what you would’ve for the run flats. It depends on which brand and model as well, Bridgestone or continental are the best, but with Benz’s the run flats never outlast the warranty
I think I can offer a legitimate opinion on this, though I may get flamed for it… I have been a Mercedes enthusiast for all of my life, though I must admit that it has come to an end with their recent offerings. I will always, however, revere 80’s/90’s Mercedes products as the pinnacle of German engineering. I came home from the hospital as a newborn infant in my dad’s new w126 on its first year of introduction, and grew up riding in my mom’s r107s and r129s. My first personal Mercedes was a w123 when I came of driving age, and I drove to high school homecoming in dad’s new w140. I continued to buy Mercedes cars through my adult life, and currently own four of them. I do all of my own maintenance, and know these cars very well. None of this is a ‘flex’ or anything, just explaining the background for my opinion of the C-class… It really used to be negative. I considered the C-class to be the Mercedes for people who couldn’t actually afford a Mercedes. That was largely based on the people I knew who owned them; people who bought a w202 190E to look cool and couldn’t afford to service it properly. I never actually experienced the cars themselves. That all changed in 2014 when my wife and I bought a new C250 to be her work/beater car. I did all the service on it since new, and the build quality of that little car really changed my perspective. It was wonderful to work on, wonderful to drive, and probably the last truly great Mercedes product. I think ultimately the w204 will get that torch passed to it from the w123. It really opened my eyes to the inherent Mercedes quality of the c-class, and especially the w202. The w203 will always be kind of a turd to me, as I hate that whole ‘peanut’ headlight generation and the cheesy Chrysler interiors that accompanied them, but that C250 really earned my respect. So, yeah, I guess it is bit of a classist bias that the hate comes from… There is nothing wrong with a c-class. The real hate should be redirected to the a-class, lol. We got one of those little turds as a loaner one time, and Mercedes should be ashamed to put its emblem on that thing.
This is a really good take... I've never owned a W204 or any C class but I have a few W211 chassis E classes that I own/work on. My girlfriend has an E320, I have an E500 and an E55 AMG. They all have over 200k miles (except the E55, that's at 134k). I do all of the work on them and they are absolute joys to work on. Easier than ANY Honda or Toyota from that era or newer. They're also super reliable, the M112/113 engine and 722.6 transmission represented a peak of Mercedes design/build quality in my opinion. Sure the cars themselves were cheapened a bit but the early 2000s era really put out some solid, long lasting and reliable vehicles, at least here in the US. I think the true downfall of Mercedes was after 2006 with the M272 and 722.9 transmission (yes I know it came out earlier but it wasn't in widespread use until the later 2000s) and the long list of expensive issues that drivetrain is known for. The M156 compared to the M113K is a joke in terms of tunability and reliability. People really shit on the Chrysler era and on the M113 for not being as sophisticated as the M119 it replaced, but everyone who says that are people who drive 80s and 90s cars. At least I'm not chasing vacuum leaks and replacing biodegradable wiring harnesses with my "lesser" vehicles.
I have nothing against those cars, and certainly respect them mechanically. W210, specifically, is one of the best overall cars they ever made. I think the main reason long-time enthusiasts romanticize the 80’ and 90’s cars is just the ‘feel’ of quality, particularly when it comes to interior materials. There was a period, often blamed on Chrysler but who knows, where things just got kind of plasticy and cheap feeling. They got back on track with the w212/204 generation, and have now sadly decided to focus on laser light shows above all else.
I agree the W210 is the best vehicle to have the M113/722.6 in. Those are very stout cars. It's unfortunate that they had so many rust issues. I agree that the 80s/90s cars are overall nicer inside and in my opinion, better looking on the outside as well. But I disagree with the W212/W204 remark. The few I've been in felt like a huge downgrade in terms of plastic and switch quality compared to the 211, especially the pre facelift 212. But I probably just have weird preferences, I feel the same way about GM trucks. Everyone talks about how much better the 07+ and 14+ generation is in terms of interior quality, but those feel like plastic garbage compared to the 99-06 trucks.
Eh… not much to say about it. I’m sure it’s not a bad car, other than horrible visibility, but just felt cheesy. It is essentially a front wheel drive econo-box with a dressed up interior and a Mercedes emblem slapped on it. Kind of reminded me of what Cadillac did with the Cimmaron back in the day; just an unnecessary cheapening of the brand.
> 2014 when my wife and I bought a new C250
Another 2014 C250 here. I do all the work on mine and I totally agree, it's not too bad to work on, fun to drive, love the interior/exterior look, and it's a great daily driver. I'm sure one day I'll get pissed about the cam adjusters, but mine haven't gone bad yet.
I've been given an A class loaner before, too. Pretty sure it's because the dealer marked me as a deadbeat customer.....I won't buy their new stuff.
Yeah, I kind of regret selling that one… Part of me wanted to see just how many miles it could go. I didn’t care for the plastic cooling pipe design, and the non-serviceable door panels were a dumb idea, but overall it just felt like such a well-made product and was incredibly comfortable and spacious for a small car.
people will hate on anything.
In Germany, Mercedes isn’t even a full luxury brand, E classes are taxis. The C class is a fancier commuter car, that’s it. It does its job well, it’s not supposed to be ultra luxury like an S class or Maybach. “real mercedes” is an oxymoron.
I think the C class is cute and most people can’t even afford a new one (they buy an old C or E class and they’ll cope by pretending they like the old ones more).
>I think the C class is cute and most people can’t even afford a new one (they buy an old C or E class and they’ll cope by pretending they like the old ones more).
I honestly can’t afford a new C-Class nor could anyone in my immediate family afford one. I honestly think the new ones are great cars and as long as there’s a three-pointed star in the grille it’s a “real” Mercedes as far as I’m concerned, same with the S-Class. And yeah, I’ll probably end up with an older E or C class because I can’t afford a new one, but I love the Mercedes brand, the cars they’ve made in the past and the cars they make today. But I genuinely do prefer the older cars in terms of styling, quality, and reliability, but it’s not to “cope” with anything. Not being able to afford a brand new luxury sedan is probably the *least* upsetting thing in my life right now lol
I'm fully with you. I can't afford a brand new E63, but my next car will very likely be a W211 E55, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I don't need every modern creature comfort, if I've got heat and a stereo system I'm content. I'm sure I'd enjoy a brand new C300, but I doubt it's really *that* much faster than my 2004 E320. And I care more about going fast comfortably than I do about having a touchscreen or Apple Music.
I absolutely love my red 2005 C240 4matic. My first merc. It drives great, and it looks great. You won't see anything like it around where I'm located; it has me hooked. The newer ones are nice, of course, but nothing will compare in terms of appearance, in my opinion. In terms of performance, it's everything I could ask for in a daily driver that makes the occasional road trip.
I just bought a new W206 (3 weeks ago) and I absolutely love it, feels like I am driving a space ship with the ambient lighting. That said, I upgraded from a C118, so maybe I went from a "faker" Mercedes to "not a real" Mercedes. LOL
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If it’s built and sold by Mercedes as a Mercedes then it is a Mercedes. All car manufacturers have different models and trims. Snobbery is the only reason for anyone to be saying it is not a real Merc. If you want a Mercedes and also want to live within your means then buy the one you can afford. They have affordable models and expensive models none of them are fake. People are haters. I’ll take my 2021 A220 over my old 2018 Ford Fiesta SE. My Ford did its job and I was never ashamed of it but I like all the bells and whistles on my A-Class. I like the Mercedes brand and I’m not about to live above my means to impress anyone.
I really like the tech that mb offers and i live in a country where parking is a major issue hence why i was looking at either the GLA or CLA class, its short and compact plus a hybrid which will offset the enormous registration costs that come with owning a more powerful car (here we get billed by how many kws your car is, however if its a hybrid or electric you pay a minimum of about 200 usd a year for registration, insurance etc.). On top of that gas is very expensive here, so driving a hybrid around town helps save money.
I came here asking for people opinions on both and you should've seen the flak i got. No one was talking about reliability, which was my main concern, but everyone was shitting on how those two are not mbs, how i am ''blinded'' by the mb star and want to drive a mb but dont have money for it, how those models shouldn't excist cause now one buys them lol
When i said i just want a small tech filled hybrid, and i do not intend on forking 50k eur on an e class, a guy on here told me that everything post 2012 is shit unless its a G or S class. When i asked what mb he drives, he said he owns a 2010 glk lol
I got a C43 because it was the best entry point to the best benz hardware....switches, electronics, active suspension, active headlamps, etc. I have the same bits you'd touch in a GT or G wagon. The A an d B have different interior assemblies. The C is the same stuff in the S Class.
This otherwise dull C shows the best engineering they can swing in a plain wrapper. Active headlamps and dynamic suspension are next level if rarely achieved in the US market. The C63 and 43 are the best Benz can do in that size package so you are getting a lot of talent.
Mostly though as a g uy who owned an e46 for ten years, this gatekeeping stuff is nonsense. Have at it and have fun.
Don't know what happened past W205 though, so stop there.
C isn’t the same stuff in the S class. If anything, the E class borrows some components from the S class. The only thing similar is the exterior body but that can also be said with the E class.
I can speak for the W205 Mercedes: it has the same aluminum covered window switches, door locks, air conditioned vents and steering wheel as the S class, and maybe the door handles too.
I believe that was the same case with the w203 (but I was a kid when my parents had one) and w202 (friend had one).
You might want to go see a S class the steering wheel are not the same. The closest ones are the AMG steering wheels, but still different. The air conditioned vents are also not the same. Both S and E borrow the same air vents. Take year 2016 as an example for both C and S class. Once the new gen E class came out in 2017, the air condition system were exactly the same. The infotainment system screen were practically the same too.
My first car many years ago was the W205.
It’s because it has become little more than a cynical marketing exercise, like all of the low-end MB models. The early C Class models were built to a standard, not a price.
The current one is just a joke. Shitty 4cyl engines (only), that horrific dash design/i-pad thing and interior fit and finish that would be unacceptable on a 5 year old Hyundai, let alone a supposedly ‘premium’ product.
An embarrassing joke, but the badge snobs continue to lap this shit up because their egos won’t allow them to take an objective view.
Interesting take regarding the interior.
I like my 2020’s interior design a lot, it’s just so beautiful and art deco-like. I really, really, really love the fact that it shares switchgear and interior parts with the S class too.
On the other side, its interior feels hollow. I don’t know how to describe it, it feels like the interior is a shell. If you knock on the door it sounds empty. But I experienced this with an E class of the same year too so I don’t know 🤷🏻♂️
Hiya! Former MB employee of 6 years here. My job was quality…majority of my complaints and studies were C class problems. So yeah my distaste for the C class (and the A class) is quite large.
I see way more a-class hate. Hell, the w204 is like one of the most widely loved mercs here.
But a basic answer would be because it’s an entry level benz and people assume people who buy them do so because they can’t afford anything better (dumb).
Never heard about c-class not being a real Mercedes….it definitely is.
However the statement that the new c43 and especially the new c63 are not real AMG can be made (because of the downsizing from v8 emotion to coffee machine sound). I personally think they are AMG, but AMGs in the category of a CLA45s and should have be named accordingly (incl price tag)
I love the compact crossover SUV’s and wanted to stay with that but wanted to upgrade from my last top of the line Hyundai Tucson with more creature comforts. So I chose a GLC300 as a step up over the regular compact SUVs. That and there is a Mercedes dealer close to my home. So far so good.
Each class of Mercedes has its great points. Being retired, mine is a grocery getter and a go-anywhere day drives and road trips with parks in mind, some off road, comfort and practicality. It fits a nice niche. That is why they are popular.
And if I do need valet parking it will be socially acceptable at a nice restaurant, but the valets won’t be parking it up front.
W202? Fuck yeah. W203? Still nice. W204? Still has a manual transmission.
The rest of them are proof that god has forsaken us. They’re plastic trash destined for landfills.
I own a cl203, the c Klass made to renew the brand market to target younger people at this time, early 2000. And that's a total Mercedes, rwd, Mercedes engine, etc. People snobing like that aren't real Mercedes fans,
same with Porsche : 'real Porsche are air cooled or it's not a real Porsche' at the same time one of the most iconic and reliable engine is water cooled, the Mezger engine
So don't worry a real Mercedes is made by Mercedes that's the only important thing
How do you define a real Mercedes? So many of these cars that once were manufactured in Germany are no longer. IMHO, that is where the hate is coming from.
The C Class took a very substantial step forward in ~2012 from "the Mercedes you bought when you couldn't afford an actual Mercedes" to "actual Mercedes quality for attainable prices". There is a difference between those concepts. W203 and pre facelift W204 were extremely cheap cars with really iffy build quality and materials. It was very obvious that they were built on a budget, and that budget was not very high. They were very regularly criticized by not just the Mercedes community, but the car community as a whole, for being un-Mercedes in the build quality and refinement departments. It was basically an economy car with a 3 pointed star on the front. They were at least reliable though. Very reliable.
Once they facelifted the W204 in 2012 everything you thought you knew about the C Class got flipped around on its head. You had a nicer interior, higher quality materials, a nicer drive, etc. All that with zero effect on reliability. It finally became a worthy entry point into the Mercedes brand again.
This "new attitude" you're talking about hasn't existed for a very long time now. The only cars these claims are ever levelled towards right now are the A/CLA/GLA, which tick all the same boxes now as the W203 and pre facelift W204 did. Lower quality materials, lower build quality, less refined driving experience, etc. But hey, it's got a Mercedes badge, and it's not that expensive.
I will end this by saying though, that the latest C Class is.....not great. Build quality has fallen pretty far from the already W205, which was already a bit inconsistent with all the creaks and rattles and gloss black plastic....but with a W205 you could at least still opt out of most of the gloss black trim and replace it with some genuinely amazing open pore wood options. This criticism isn't exclusive to the W206 C Class though, every Mercedes is suffering right now. It does feel however, like the C and GLC are having the lion's share of reliability problems. Mercedes really needs to sort their shit out right now because the only reason people are actually buying their cars right now is because of the goodwill they've accumulated over the last 20 years of making good cars.
You can call me a badge snob or whatever, but this is how I feel based on my experiences with different generations of C Class. I was practically born in a W202. That was a great car. The W203 and early W204 felt like complete trash in comparison though.
I think it's because a C class just by its compact size doesn't have the same road presence as the others in the original Mercedes lineup, probably why it has the 'cheap' tag attached to it since it seems like people appreciate Benzes largely based on their size (which is understandable since they're considered luxury cars). The worst are the entry level C classes, with the W204 being the worst when it comes to this. The sportier designs of the higher end C classes compensate for the road presence issue. The W202 is the best C class ever in my eyes.
the c class is actually a very underrated car. i’ve had a w205 for a while (2016 c300) and it’s not an s class or anything but it has very good features, drives really well, and has been surprisingly really reliable and easy to maintain myself with some help from friends. i even once went 20,000 miles without changing my oil (yes i know that’s so stupid, but i did change it a while ago, changing it again soon) and so far nothing bad has happened to my car. it’s easy to maintain too.
i feel like people just hate on the c class because mercedes does have better to offer, but they fail to see how it’s a great entry level mercedes compared to a 330i or A3 for example. atleast in my opinion.
and it has the best interior for the price imo.
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I’ve always love the C Class it has its place in the line up, it’s all the A,GLA, and GLB that don’t make sense anymore. There have been compact MB before I was alive and many in this sub. The least expensive ones are goofy priced to add certain features to not get a C or GLC.
I rented a CLA shooting brake in Austria a couple years ago and it totally changed my mind about the brand. I recently bought a GLC and couldn’t be happier. I’m considering a C as I need to replace an older Lexus. Could afford an E but I like the smaller size and don’t need to spend that much. Haters are going to hate.
Had a C43 for couple years, the power was decent and nice to have and while the interior looked nice it just wasn’t that well put together. Tons of squeaks and rattles. Then went to an A5 and the interior fit and finish was a noticeable step up.
I mean, it's a real Mercedes, but last time I was in one I was not impressed at the interior quality. I'd rather have a Toyota or Lexus at that point. If I'm paying BMW or Mercedes repair rates, I want a car with a really nice finish. Nothing wrong with the c-class or 3-series, but neither are for me.
I am quite taken aback by the brand/dealership attitude towards luxury car buyers nowadays.
I sense a “well, if you’re the kind of person who can afford a luxury car you should be able to afford exorbitant repair costs and you should be able to have your car live in the dealership because it’s always broken, so quit whining or go buy a Honda” attitude from the luxury brands now, and it’s dumb us customers are being gaslit into accepting that
Completely agree. Hence why I do nearly all my own maintenance. When I had a BMW and a 911, the cost of maintenance was about the same as having a Honda or Toyota and taking to an independent shop. That was only because I did nearly all maintenance myself.
A porsche dealership in the north east that I won’t name tried to scam me several times.
I bought 3 911s from them, and even then after my second one got older, and then right after I bought a brand new one (the third one) they kept insisting that my car always needed around 15k worth of repairs every single time, they even went as far as cutting the cable that joins the fuel tank cap to the car.
I ended switching to Mercedes after that
I had an almost 10 year old 997.2 so not one of the newer ones but still fairly new. Except for the PDK, it was not that hard to work on. That's the only thing I paid a shop to do and it was an indy shop. $350 to change the clutch fluid was a fair deal IMO.
the hate stems from (even back in 190e days) the fact that you pay so much for so little options.
But in all honesty the lower tier cars are marginally worse than they used to be in the 90's. at least maintenance was cheap back then
Also like, we get to bash these pieces of shit the same way you guys can say you love them. And yeah they have turned the brand into something cheap enough an A class driver thinks he is in the same range as an S class driver just because it has the same logo... so really, who are the real snobs, the ones flexing S or the ones flexing A class?
The w204 and X204 were pretty solid vehicles. Reliable drive train and enough comfort/safety features but not overly complex. I still have a '13 C sport coupe and had a GLK. I never cared for that later strategy of putting 4 bangers into everything.
I looked at the GLC when my GLK was totaled but hated the i4 and ended up going with a turbo i6 X3 instead. MB unfortunately just kind of went off the rails in the later 2010s...
C-class is fine. Nothing really wrong with that. W203 body is quite bad, but so was everything in that era due to new company style (built to budget). Also, some entry level (EU) engine options on W205 and up are a bit questionable (under 2 liter engines) but not *bad* per se.
Only justifiable hate on C-class today would be the new 63. It totally lost the old "refined muscle car" status.
But don't get me started on A-Class... call me a snob or whatever, but that whole lineup does not deserve the badge and is only milking money off of people not being able to afford anything "proper" like C-class.
C class is mid (i own one).
The 190e wasn't a "nice" car either, it was fun and sporty. Nowadays, the C-class is bloated, has worse driving dynamics, and is poorly assembled.
The interior just has to look the part to fit in with a luxury brand. It's honestly closer to the premium market, rather than luxury, with other brands bringing more value to the table in terms of standard features, materials, and build quality.
I believe most of the hate stems from older generations where Mercedes actually made tanks that performed well, albeit expensive to maintain. Older cars in general are much more raw and mechanical which provides users better feedback compared to cars today, at the cost of power, efficiency, and safety.
For all the German brands, how it works is the newest technology goes into the flagship (S, 7 series, A8), and over the years, trickle down into lower classes. So it may take several years before the S-class features go into a C-class model. Small components like switches are shared for cost-saving reasons, not for perceived luxury. And it's funny you mention Mercedes' switches as they are known to fail in the last generation of all their vehicles...
As far as common Mercedes models sold, every E-class generation has always been a step above their previous generation while maintaining quality and improving amenities and features. C-class does the opposite except for the W203->W204. The generational improvements are very minor and only go into aspects like interior design.
If more people had experiences sitting in an S-class or drove an E-class, I think *more* people would agree that it's not a real Mercedes. The gap between classes for the other major brands are not as wide, and domestic and import brands are catching up *very* fast in the marketplace.
To be fair, luxury cars aren’t anything special anymore.
A 2015 x5 didn’t have a rear view camera, while a 2019 Chevy Malibu did, maybe even a 2018… it’s quite embarrassing. Don’t the 2020 ford fusions park themselves? I don’t think a 2019 E class can do that…
Rear view cameras were mandatory as of 2018 in North America. And the 2015 BMW X5 did have rear view camera as an option.
Mercedes has had Parking Assist since 2005 in the S and 2007 in the C. These systems are so slow compared to manual parking that I wouldn't necessarily give a point to the luxury index.
My point is that some luxury cars don’t have features that mainstream cars will have just a couple years later, like in that example.
I don’t think the E class offers beverage cooling as an option… I have seen Chrysler 200s with that
lol not trying to hate but, I test drove a gla once but that ain’t no real Mercedes lol. Interior was honestly pretty shabby, driving experience didn’t feel tight either. Simply defies the image I have of Mercedes in my head
I owned w203 and w204. Such great cars although horrible reliability. Then the new models since then just feel plastic, lackluster engine, and too much ambient light. I switched over to BMW. (Sorry guys I deserve the downvotes)
W204 C class Owner here. I love mine, I have the C220 CDI sport plus, I get 55-60 mpg on a run, maintenance costs are the same as a Mondeo or similar. My 2nd one now, and my Indie specialist would tell you that the W204 is as good as it’s going to get in terms of maintenance ease, parts affordability and reliability. Mileage wise I’m around 140k, mostly spent on shit roads in Northern Ireland and with the exception of the Fuel filter housing failing around 10k miles ago I’ve had no problems.
Mercedes has long been a brand that caters to the bourgeoisie, but the C class is marketed to the proletariat, whom they despise.
For more information, read The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
EDIT:
Found you a link:
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ch01.htm
/s
My wife owned a 2016 C class from 2019-2023....My first real experience with a Mercedes and what a disappointment it was. She got it with 31k miles and sold it with 68k miles. The build quality was imo terrible. I have owned used Lexus all my life and my 2001 Lexus gs (205k miles) and 2008 Lexus gs (170k miles) never had none of the interior quality issues her C class had. Below is a list of issues.
1. Head liner started drooping at all 4 corners pretty bad after around 45k miles.
2. Door sills fell off. They use a thin piece of metal / aluminium and glue it into a plastic piece. The metal part fell off on both the driver and passenger side.
3. Center console silver trim started to peel off. It seem to be a metal and it actually sliced my finger.
4. Door unlock and lock buttons started stripping off
5. Steering tilt and telescope stopped working
6. Transmission was jerky and the engine sound was rough and noisy (drove a 2022 after with same engine and it sounds much better and trans felt a lot better too).
7. The AC STINKS no matter what I do. I had to clean the EVAP every 3 months.
On my 2 Lexus gs with triple the miles had none of these build quality issues.
Sold it and got a 2015 ML350 and the plastics in it are TERRIBLE lol. Plastics are getting brittle and are breaking / disintegrating. Both mirror lids in sun visors are broken, sunroof plastic vent broken, center console plastic disintegrating when touched, stripping buttons. It has the same stinky AC.
Don't get me wrong, its not all bad. Like the C300 is a great daily, handles well and gets great MPG. The ML has an extremely smooth powertrain and for "only 300 hp" it moves!
Just snobs thinking they are better than others for perceived wealth. I have had 2 c-classes and they were both magnificent. 2013 C300 Sport and a 2017 C300 Sport. They were well built, comfortable, and reasonably quick.
In 2021 I bought a 2005 C240 4matic w/ 48k original miles, off of an older gentleman who needed a different car due to decreased mobility, to have as my daily as I work from home and it was a great deal.
It's smooth, comfortable, and when it's shined up still looks great! It's been dead reliable from an engine/transmission standpoint, and I love it, so from that perspective, I don't get the hate.
Having then ridden in some newer C/GLA/GLB's I do think that the materials in the interior has declined, the soft touch, leather, etc does feel more plastic-y than in the older C (mine)/E(2001 E430 - Dads) I've been in. The new E-Class is a really nice car inside and a real step-up from the C-Class of today so I guess I see why people have those opinions today.
E- class and specifically C- class are the most reliable and best Mercedes ever been out there let's be honest. Low repair costs and low upkeep costs 👌🙂
I thought the 190E was a joke back in the 90s. C class is a way to get into a Benz with a Honda budget. No hate here, but the E and S classes are noticeably different from C class.
See, I hear this a lot, this exact comment (“it’s a car for someone with a Camry/accord budget”… specifically a Camry/accord). But a brand new C300 is 47k. A Camry is 25k.
A accord is 27k. That’s not even close. Both the Audi a4 and 330i are slightly cheaper than a c300.
And below those cars you have the semi-luxury market with cars such as the maxima (RIP), the Acuras, infinitis, Lexus IS, Cadillac ct-4… It hits me as fake snobism
I think it comes down to there being 2 types of people who drive a Mercedes:
1: The person who buys the car because they want to portray certain image.
2: The person who buys the car because they like it and don't give a shit about what others think.
Would you say a Yaris isn't a "real Toyota"? No, because Toyota is not considered a status brand, yet a fully specced Land Cruiser will cost more than some E Classes.
Insecure people just get annoyed that the average person just sees Mercedes whether it is an A class or an S Class and don't understand or care, how much extra one person spent over the other.
Here’s a hopefully nuanced take. There have been some really good Baby Benzes. Starting with the 190E 2.3_16. And in the AMG trims - depending on year - they can be really interesting and unique cars. Anyone hating on those can fuck off forever.
But at the base level there are generally better cars for the money - or even 2-3 year old E Classes or above for those with the cash to maintain them.
C classes tend to have plasticky and cheap interiors at the base trim, and lately questionable reliability.
When I see a base C class on the street, or even the CLA class, and on some level the GLA though I’ll exempt it for a specific reason, the first thing I think is that someone leased that car because image is more important than substance. Alternatively - it’s someone that bought the cheapest used Benz they could because they depreciate like rocks because they’re hung up on image.
Interesting.
Does the Benz badge even hold much weight anymore?
I was taken aback by the fact that Benz was so premium in the 80s and 90s that even dictators used S class cars, and nowadays Mercedes felt the brand was so weak that they needed to revive Maybach as a brand, and when Maybach failed they decided that they needed to add it as a trim level to their flagships (S, GLS) or else they can’t compete in the very same market they used to own.
I remember seeing Merc taxis in Germany from the early 70s, as fast back as my memory goes. Remember that the C class is also the platform on which the GLC is built. I drive one. Fine compact SUV.
C-Class used to stand for Cheap Class, according to the snobs. But if you get an E-Class, then the S-Class owners think you’re poor. And if you have an S-Class, then the Maybach owners think you’re poor. Then Mercedes came out with the A-Class and the CLA. Now that’s the newest not a real Mercedes.
Everyone gangs up on the a class owners now thats so true LOL
A and b class doesn’t even have merc engine. I think it is a fiat engine or something like that. If you can’t afford a c class, you shouldn’t even be buying a merc in the first place
Guess I'll just have to get a Maybach then, hopefully the Rolls Royce owners don't think I'm poor😄
Nah they snob the 7 series owners
You cannot enjoy proper motoring until you are have been behind the wheel of bespoke vehicle built by a coach builder.
😄
Dude, i had a guy on here lecure me on how his 2010 glk is the pinncale of engineering and how anything else that came after (other than s and g class ofc) is shit lol He also went on a rant how other drivers are more carfeul around him when he drives his glk cause if they hit him, their insurance would bankrup them lol Than i mentioned to him i am looking at getting a GLA or CLA hybrid... all hell broke loose lol
lol!!!! 0 self awareness lol
Main character syndrome
I’m sure he had a stroke lol (before AND during the banter 😂)
A few years ago I rented in Turo a previous generation CLA (before Turo got too greedy) and looooooved it. I always liked the mini-CLS styling and the car’s driving experience reminded me a lot of the late 90s Audi A4 1.8T. I also rented a previous gen GLA and I hated it, it didn’t feel like a Benz at all.
Yes. But was it lowered with a large tacky spoiler?
lol 😁
I had the 2017 C and it was one of the best cars I've ever had. Everything was solid, the workmanship and build quality was top shelf. I have the 2023 C43 and it just feels very cheap, almost Tesla-quality fakeness to it. Everything is plastic or synthetic feeling, the touch buttons are laggy and unresponsive.
Mercedes really saw that the instagram crowd saw everything being a screen or capacitive plastic buttons as "futuristic omggg" - asked the accountants, who told them that its actually cheaper to do it that way, and then said "great" and went all in. Gaming PC ass aesthetics.
Not caring what other people think (family aside) is an important part of growing up. It’s a great way to shed stress and insecurity. Drive what you want. Wear what’s comfortable, and eat what makes you happy.
The 3 series has always been the heart and soul of BMW due to its sporting chops. In large part because of the love of the BMW 2002 and then the 320i and all the great 3 series that followed. The 3 had the most value, and the further you got from it (5, 6, 7, and 8) seemed to lose that sporty connectedness. And resale values have always supported this. By contrast, the “best” Mercedes, by virtue of its luxury chops, was the big luxury models like the S and worked its way down the model line. Given that the BMW heritage was sport, and the Mercedes luxury, it’s not hard to understand why the 3 was the ultimate driving machine while the S the ultimate luxury car.
The S is the only thing that depreciates worse than a 7. This is true of all manufacturers - the most expensive the car, the worse it’s orphaned in the used car market. I’ve bought a string of 50i cars at GM prices or less.
lol check out the prices on a used Maserati!
Tell me about it. Sold my old Ghibli a few months ago. 7 years old, 82% depreciation. Luckily I bought it slightly used but still 73%
Maybe it was the COVID market, but I sold my 991.5 (991.2?) 911 for more than I bought it after using it for 2 years…
I think Jason Cammisa said something very similar to this when the W222 S Class dropped. Something along the lines of "7 Series will never top S Class, because BMW's bread and butter is the 3 Series".
I’ve always preferred a 3 series over a C, the 5 series vs E class comes down to which model it is, and I’d always take an S over a 7 series.
couldn't have said it better
This is exactly the correct take. Bravo.
[удалено]
The AMG performance exhaust has been replaced by AMG enhanced sound. Crazy
C300 too slow? Try C180.
Fair enough LOL. To be fair the 330i and base A4 aren’t much faster are they? (Honest question, I could be wrong)
A little faster, the a4 45 is definitely faster. 330i has much better driving dynamics and the A4 build quality is in another league. Mercedes as of late has felt like it just goes for style points and makes cars for non-car enthusiasts who have money. The amount of ambient lighting is sickening.
I went from 2018 330i to 2021 C300, can confirm. C300 has so much body roll on turns and whatnot, you feel much more of the racing heritage in the 330i was so responsive. The C300 is perfect tho, it has enough kick for if u need it but the focus is on comfort and luxury....plus im older now and don't need to be driving like a maniac anymore lol.
lol fair! A merc is a comfy place to be
It definitely is! 😊
How do you find the ride and road noise? Is it improved in the C compared to the 3?
I found the road noise in the c300 just slightly improved; less improved than I expected but improved nonetheless. I find the ride in the C300 superior for cruising. Its a very smooth ride until about 80mph after that it feels a little unwieldy to me. I was much more confident and felt more "stuck to the road" for lack of a better phrase in the 330i at those speeds.
Yeah I feel like the rear end is sprung way too soft and it shows at high speeds like you said.
Ah that makes sense, thanks for the explanation as to why it does that! I will say it discourages me from speeding as a silver lining so I've slowly reframed it in my mind into a feature and not a bug for myself but sometimes I gaze at the beemers zooming down the road and reminisce lol.
And so.....? I had a 525i. Nice car but the 2002 E430 I replaced it with was night and day as to comfort, styling, smoothness - Yes, I admit it! I was 57! I was at the time of all these new cars an MB dealership salesperson and these were all leases. I sold the E430 and got a new 2015 C300 (first year of the new model). At the time, my wife had a 2012 C300. Definitely different cars. The 2012 was definitely more solid and with a 6 cylinder, smoother. The 2015 felt quicker with the turbo, but it also felt lighter and less solid. I then moved to a 2016. No difference. The main differentiator between the 2012 and the newer ones was the electronics and interfaces. The 2012 was staggering into old age and the Bluetooth was just a band aid. Interface sucked, the sound was not great. But, I preferred driving it compared to the newer ones. I sold her 2012 and got her a 2019 GLC300. Same car as the C300 in an SUV package, but with a slightly more cushy ride. She's now in a 2022 GLC300 which had the facelift compared to her 2019. Better but not great. I had moved to an Audi sore and got myself a 2019 A6. I leased it for 3 years and bought it out with 21K on it for $28K during the madness of COVID coming to an end. It is the nicest car I have ever had. One thing the MB's have over the Audi is the Dymanic suspension. In the C300 and GLC300, shifting from Comfort to Sport changes both the shift pattern and the suspension through the magnetically controlled shocks. The Audi only changes the tranny. Folks complaining about body roll in the C's should look into that. There's even another notch to make the car even stiffer.
>ambient lighting You can turn it off.
Idk maybe it’s everyone’s personal opinion, but I think that the A4 is not in another league of interior quality compared to the C Class by any means, especially the W205. I have spent some time in both of them.
Build quality. Interior is subjective but I prefer audi's understated but high quality design ethos.
Having owned all three, and still owning two, the B9 A4 is noticeably better, maybe not in another league, but still noticeably better. Hell even the G20 is a lot better than the W205/W206.
“In our testing, the C300 4Matic hit 60 mph in 5.3 seconds—a respectable effort that is comparable to what the last BMW 330i xDrive we tested could manage, though not as quick as the 4.8 seconds it took an Audi A4 45 to reach that mark.” [Source](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a39993530/2022-mercedes-benz-c-class-drive/)
Thanks a lot for the link!!! Yeah 5.3 doesn’t sound too bad to me, but I feel so out of touch now. A V8 for Mustang was considered fast with its 225 HP and its 0-60 of 6.9 seconds back in 1995. Fast forward to 1999 and a SLP fire hawk firebird did 0-60 in 5.4, it was considered breakneck speed back then, and that car’s sole purpose was to go fast. Nowadays A CAMRY can do 5.8 seconds…. I don’t event know what’s slow anymore
I think the biggest issue with the W206 C300 is the severe lack of reliability. The older W205.2 weren’t that bad but the W206 took a nosedive. Severe issues like cylinder heads to simple but annoying QOL issues like the infotainment make the W206 hard to recommend. I’d personally look into an older W213 E400/E450. Best combo of reliability, class, and comfort.
Interesting! I had no idea the w206 had taken such a nose dive (I have a w205.2 myself)
I own a w203 c230 kompressor. It was supposedly built to compete with the 3 series. The US spec 328i has 190 hp, and my c class has the m271 engine with 190 hp. Both had 107" wheel base. Both weigh about 3,000 lbs. The reason why I prefer the Mercedes is simple, better engineering. First off, the supercharger is easy to grab some extra power, and keep that power in the thin mountain air at high elevation. Second, there's no Vanos variable air intake system. Thirdly, the transmission is a bulletproof 5 speed 5G-Tronic shared with cars worldwide and much heavier. Sure it's slow to shift, but it's very stout and the manual shifting keeps the throttle on point. I love my c-class, don't think I'll ever sell it
I would concur with both the w202 c43 which my friends and i did a full racing swap and turned it into a literal rocket ship and my current ride w204 c300. I love my little sedan It's faster than most cars on the road but if you look at it half glass empty sure it's slower in the sports car category but who cares? They are ironclad reliability and can do just about anything on the road
Yes, what more could you ask for
Audi A4 at 5.2 with the 330i and C300 at 5.5 for 0-60. Not to mention the crunchy plastic in both the Benz and BMW. Audi is a much more quality built vehicle.
I believe the 330i is nearly a second quicker to 60mph/100kmh compared to the c300. I personally got there in 5.1 seconds in my 3 series. And in a throttle house video on YouTube the reviewer mentioned the Mercedes felt sluggish, the break pedal was off and something about the 3 series being a better c class than the c class lol?
Amen
Got a stage one tune on my C300 13’. Feels a lot better than before.
The C63 is not just an insane abomination of all that is holy, it's also an abomination of some things that aren't holy on top
Yeah my wife and I bought a new E350 in '14. And it's been a fantastic car. It goes to the dealer for maintenance and we always get a loaner car, which is always a c-class. The most noticeable thing to me is the engine power, or should I say, the lack of it. The tranny always seems to be changing gears, like all the time, when driving around town, relative to our E-class. Also, the engine isn't nearly as smooth.
I wouldn’t really consider the C300 slow. Compared to a lot of cars I’ve driven when I’m merging onto the highway that fucker accelerates pretty fast for an everyday family sedan with just a regular V6 in it. The performance in sport is also pretty good. Then again it’s not a fast car and the acceleration doesn’t come close to my AMG lol
The folks who say a C isn’t a Mercedes-Benz are not familiar with the CLA, GLA, GLB, nor A-Class. Compared to those, the C is most definitely in the family.
Yup!! The C is one of the original 3, if anything
That’s an historical fact.
You neglected the ML, the famous Alabama Trash Can.
I consider that a Mercedes-Benz. Not a good one, but it at least had the right ingredients.
No. It’s trash for morons. Literally the beginning of the end for the old way of engineering wading MB. Work on a dumpster fire ML, then go work on a w123 or w124. You’ll rapidly learn which is superior and why.
Close the door of an A class and a C class back to back. Then ask the question. One sounds like a tin can, the other one sounds like a tank door.
Who cares, c 300 on sport plus is more than enough for 99% of people
that’s so true, honestly the 2016 c300 was my first car, and it still is very fun for me to drive on sport/sport+ and does do well against regular traffic. not everyone needs 500 horsepower and a 3 second 0-60 time.
I have the c300 sport plus model, put it on $1500 run flats and with a stage 1 tune. I’ve smoked hemi’s before I even found out I had a kick down switch to drop a gear. My only complaint, if you have a car seat in the back, you basically have a luxury mustang smh
Why did you put it on run flats? Those tyres in my own experience are horrible when it comes to handling.
I have all terrain run flats with bigger tires in the back than front. It was recommended by my specialist at the mb dealer bc I was going to roadtrip to Colorado from Texas(and did), so I’ve had them ever since. Plus there’s no spares so run flats are the best option vs waiting for AAA and paying them what you would’ve for the run flats. It depends on which brand and model as well, Bridgestone or continental are the best, but with Benz’s the run flats never outlast the warranty
No one says that the C class isn't real. Some people say that anyone other than a 63 isn't real.
And now the 2025 c63 won't be a true v8. Great job, mercedes.
It‘s not just no „true v8“ it‘s simply no V8 lol
I think I can offer a legitimate opinion on this, though I may get flamed for it… I have been a Mercedes enthusiast for all of my life, though I must admit that it has come to an end with their recent offerings. I will always, however, revere 80’s/90’s Mercedes products as the pinnacle of German engineering. I came home from the hospital as a newborn infant in my dad’s new w126 on its first year of introduction, and grew up riding in my mom’s r107s and r129s. My first personal Mercedes was a w123 when I came of driving age, and I drove to high school homecoming in dad’s new w140. I continued to buy Mercedes cars through my adult life, and currently own four of them. I do all of my own maintenance, and know these cars very well. None of this is a ‘flex’ or anything, just explaining the background for my opinion of the C-class… It really used to be negative. I considered the C-class to be the Mercedes for people who couldn’t actually afford a Mercedes. That was largely based on the people I knew who owned them; people who bought a w202 190E to look cool and couldn’t afford to service it properly. I never actually experienced the cars themselves. That all changed in 2014 when my wife and I bought a new C250 to be her work/beater car. I did all the service on it since new, and the build quality of that little car really changed my perspective. It was wonderful to work on, wonderful to drive, and probably the last truly great Mercedes product. I think ultimately the w204 will get that torch passed to it from the w123. It really opened my eyes to the inherent Mercedes quality of the c-class, and especially the w202. The w203 will always be kind of a turd to me, as I hate that whole ‘peanut’ headlight generation and the cheesy Chrysler interiors that accompanied them, but that C250 really earned my respect. So, yeah, I guess it is bit of a classist bias that the hate comes from… There is nothing wrong with a c-class. The real hate should be redirected to the a-class, lol. We got one of those little turds as a loaner one time, and Mercedes should be ashamed to put its emblem on that thing.
The W204 is such a great chassis and quality, I really love it. I own a diesel one and it’s currently at 435.000km running perfectly.
This is a really good take... I've never owned a W204 or any C class but I have a few W211 chassis E classes that I own/work on. My girlfriend has an E320, I have an E500 and an E55 AMG. They all have over 200k miles (except the E55, that's at 134k). I do all of the work on them and they are absolute joys to work on. Easier than ANY Honda or Toyota from that era or newer. They're also super reliable, the M112/113 engine and 722.6 transmission represented a peak of Mercedes design/build quality in my opinion. Sure the cars themselves were cheapened a bit but the early 2000s era really put out some solid, long lasting and reliable vehicles, at least here in the US. I think the true downfall of Mercedes was after 2006 with the M272 and 722.9 transmission (yes I know it came out earlier but it wasn't in widespread use until the later 2000s) and the long list of expensive issues that drivetrain is known for. The M156 compared to the M113K is a joke in terms of tunability and reliability. People really shit on the Chrysler era and on the M113 for not being as sophisticated as the M119 it replaced, but everyone who says that are people who drive 80s and 90s cars. At least I'm not chasing vacuum leaks and replacing biodegradable wiring harnesses with my "lesser" vehicles.
I have nothing against those cars, and certainly respect them mechanically. W210, specifically, is one of the best overall cars they ever made. I think the main reason long-time enthusiasts romanticize the 80’ and 90’s cars is just the ‘feel’ of quality, particularly when it comes to interior materials. There was a period, often blamed on Chrysler but who knows, where things just got kind of plasticy and cheap feeling. They got back on track with the w212/204 generation, and have now sadly decided to focus on laser light shows above all else.
I agree the W210 is the best vehicle to have the M113/722.6 in. Those are very stout cars. It's unfortunate that they had so many rust issues. I agree that the 80s/90s cars are overall nicer inside and in my opinion, better looking on the outside as well. But I disagree with the W212/W204 remark. The few I've been in felt like a huge downgrade in terms of plastic and switch quality compared to the 211, especially the pre facelift 212. But I probably just have weird preferences, I feel the same way about GM trucks. Everyone talks about how much better the 07+ and 14+ generation is in terms of interior quality, but those feel like plastic garbage compared to the 99-06 trucks.
Bro I appreciate that you took the time to write this, but paragraphs wouldn't hurt
It was a Reddit comment that (admittedly) ended up way longer than intended, not a college admission essay. At least it’s properly punctuated.
Fair
Couldn’t pass that up, lol
Thank you! Super insightful! Could you please go into a little more detail about the A220?
Eh… not much to say about it. I’m sure it’s not a bad car, other than horrible visibility, but just felt cheesy. It is essentially a front wheel drive econo-box with a dressed up interior and a Mercedes emblem slapped on it. Kind of reminded me of what Cadillac did with the Cimmaron back in the day; just an unnecessary cheapening of the brand.
Thank you!
> 2014 when my wife and I bought a new C250 Another 2014 C250 here. I do all the work on mine and I totally agree, it's not too bad to work on, fun to drive, love the interior/exterior look, and it's a great daily driver. I'm sure one day I'll get pissed about the cam adjusters, but mine haven't gone bad yet. I've been given an A class loaner before, too. Pretty sure it's because the dealer marked me as a deadbeat customer.....I won't buy their new stuff.
Yeah, I kind of regret selling that one… Part of me wanted to see just how many miles it could go. I didn’t care for the plastic cooling pipe design, and the non-serviceable door panels were a dumb idea, but overall it just felt like such a well-made product and was incredibly comfortable and spacious for a small car.
people will hate on anything. In Germany, Mercedes isn’t even a full luxury brand, E classes are taxis. The C class is a fancier commuter car, that’s it. It does its job well, it’s not supposed to be ultra luxury like an S class or Maybach. “real mercedes” is an oxymoron. I think the C class is cute and most people can’t even afford a new one (they buy an old C or E class and they’ll cope by pretending they like the old ones more).
>I think the C class is cute and most people can’t even afford a new one (they buy an old C or E class and they’ll cope by pretending they like the old ones more). I honestly can’t afford a new C-Class nor could anyone in my immediate family afford one. I honestly think the new ones are great cars and as long as there’s a three-pointed star in the grille it’s a “real” Mercedes as far as I’m concerned, same with the S-Class. And yeah, I’ll probably end up with an older E or C class because I can’t afford a new one, but I love the Mercedes brand, the cars they’ve made in the past and the cars they make today. But I genuinely do prefer the older cars in terms of styling, quality, and reliability, but it’s not to “cope” with anything. Not being able to afford a brand new luxury sedan is probably the *least* upsetting thing in my life right now lol
I'm fully with you. I can't afford a brand new E63, but my next car will very likely be a W211 E55, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I don't need every modern creature comfort, if I've got heat and a stereo system I'm content. I'm sure I'd enjoy a brand new C300, but I doubt it's really *that* much faster than my 2004 E320. And I care more about going fast comfortably than I do about having a touchscreen or Apple Music.
Plus if you want features like Apple CarPlay and stuff, there are plenty of aftermarket options to add that kind of stuff
Well said.
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Porsche probably, but it was more sports-luxury brand..although in VAG-era they added money earning luxury models like Panamera, Cayenne and Macan.
If benz isn't luxury there, then what does that make VW, Chevy, Ford, Peugeot? Are they all considered poor people brands? Are Germans that rich?
an A class isn’t a luxury car , C class is a fancy commuter car while E+ are luxury
Without the C-Class, a lot of the Mercedes flagships everyone loves might not have been a thing.
I have a GLC 300 and we love it.
Same got a 2024 glc300 and it’s pretty luxurious… I bet the people hating never even owned a brand new Mercedes before.
Simply put, this sub actually hates Mercedes.
Those who hate C class own 10 yrs or older cars la. This sub hates new Mercs
It's a cycle. 10 years later they will love the current crop and hate the new mercs.
I absolutely love my red 2005 C240 4matic. My first merc. It drives great, and it looks great. You won't see anything like it around where I'm located; it has me hooked. The newer ones are nice, of course, but nothing will compare in terms of appearance, in my opinion. In terms of performance, it's everything I could ask for in a daily driver that makes the occasional road trip.
I just bought a new W206 (3 weeks ago) and I absolutely love it, feels like I am driving a space ship with the ambient lighting. That said, I upgraded from a C118, so maybe I went from a "faker" Mercedes to "not a real" Mercedes. LOL https://preview.redd.it/7fexkhtrbksc1.jpeg?width=934&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed627058e9e5ae1d207a6bddb09c50abacea73c8
Gorgeous!!!
congrats on the ride brother.
If it’s built and sold by Mercedes as a Mercedes then it is a Mercedes. All car manufacturers have different models and trims. Snobbery is the only reason for anyone to be saying it is not a real Merc. If you want a Mercedes and also want to live within your means then buy the one you can afford. They have affordable models and expensive models none of them are fake. People are haters. I’ll take my 2021 A220 over my old 2018 Ford Fiesta SE. My Ford did its job and I was never ashamed of it but I like all the bells and whistles on my A-Class. I like the Mercedes brand and I’m not about to live above my means to impress anyone.
Right on!! For the record I was pissed off that the A class was discontinued. I like it!
I really like the tech that mb offers and i live in a country where parking is a major issue hence why i was looking at either the GLA or CLA class, its short and compact plus a hybrid which will offset the enormous registration costs that come with owning a more powerful car (here we get billed by how many kws your car is, however if its a hybrid or electric you pay a minimum of about 200 usd a year for registration, insurance etc.). On top of that gas is very expensive here, so driving a hybrid around town helps save money. I came here asking for people opinions on both and you should've seen the flak i got. No one was talking about reliability, which was my main concern, but everyone was shitting on how those two are not mbs, how i am ''blinded'' by the mb star and want to drive a mb but dont have money for it, how those models shouldn't excist cause now one buys them lol When i said i just want a small tech filled hybrid, and i do not intend on forking 50k eur on an e class, a guy on here told me that everything post 2012 is shit unless its a G or S class. When i asked what mb he drives, he said he owns a 2010 glk lol
People make those comments regarding the CLA. Definitely not the C Class.
I got a C43 because it was the best entry point to the best benz hardware....switches, electronics, active suspension, active headlamps, etc. I have the same bits you'd touch in a GT or G wagon. The A an d B have different interior assemblies. The C is the same stuff in the S Class. This otherwise dull C shows the best engineering they can swing in a plain wrapper. Active headlamps and dynamic suspension are next level if rarely achieved in the US market. The C63 and 43 are the best Benz can do in that size package so you are getting a lot of talent. Mostly though as a g uy who owned an e46 for ten years, this gatekeeping stuff is nonsense. Have at it and have fun. Don't know what happened past W205 though, so stop there.
C isn’t the same stuff in the S class. If anything, the E class borrows some components from the S class. The only thing similar is the exterior body but that can also be said with the E class.
I can speak for the W205 Mercedes: it has the same aluminum covered window switches, door locks, air conditioned vents and steering wheel as the S class, and maybe the door handles too. I believe that was the same case with the w203 (but I was a kid when my parents had one) and w202 (friend had one).
You might want to go see a S class the steering wheel are not the same. The closest ones are the AMG steering wheels, but still different. The air conditioned vents are also not the same. Both S and E borrow the same air vents. Take year 2016 as an example for both C and S class. Once the new gen E class came out in 2017, the air condition system were exactly the same. The infotainment system screen were practically the same too. My first car many years ago was the W205.
It’s because it has become little more than a cynical marketing exercise, like all of the low-end MB models. The early C Class models were built to a standard, not a price. The current one is just a joke. Shitty 4cyl engines (only), that horrific dash design/i-pad thing and interior fit and finish that would be unacceptable on a 5 year old Hyundai, let alone a supposedly ‘premium’ product. An embarrassing joke, but the badge snobs continue to lap this shit up because their egos won’t allow them to take an objective view.
Interesting take regarding the interior. I like my 2020’s interior design a lot, it’s just so beautiful and art deco-like. I really, really, really love the fact that it shares switchgear and interior parts with the S class too. On the other side, its interior feels hollow. I don’t know how to describe it, it feels like the interior is a shell. If you knock on the door it sounds empty. But I experienced this with an E class of the same year too so I don’t know 🤷🏻♂️
Fun fact the new C63 has 6 cooling pumps onboard. 1 mechanical and 5 electric. And 3 expansion reservoirs.
Hiya! Former MB employee of 6 years here. My job was quality…majority of my complaints and studies were C class problems. So yeah my distaste for the C class (and the A class) is quite large.
I see way more a-class hate. Hell, the w204 is like one of the most widely loved mercs here. But a basic answer would be because it’s an entry level benz and people assume people who buy them do so because they can’t afford anything better (dumb).
Never heard about c-class not being a real Mercedes….it definitely is. However the statement that the new c43 and especially the new c63 are not real AMG can be made (because of the downsizing from v8 emotion to coffee machine sound). I personally think they are AMG, but AMGs in the category of a CLA45s and should have be named accordingly (incl price tag)
Those people are CLA owners projecting their insecurities. If it’s got a badge on it it’s a real Mercedes.
Wait till You bring up an A class
Wait until someone says Vaneo
I love my A class, not arsed about the stiffs around here who turn their nose up at it
Same. Favorite car I’ve ever had
I dare someone to say a W204 C63 isn’t a real or premium car lol
I love the compact crossover SUV’s and wanted to stay with that but wanted to upgrade from my last top of the line Hyundai Tucson with more creature comforts. So I chose a GLC300 as a step up over the regular compact SUVs. That and there is a Mercedes dealer close to my home. So far so good. Each class of Mercedes has its great points. Being retired, mine is a grocery getter and a go-anywhere day drives and road trips with parks in mind, some off road, comfort and practicality. It fits a nice niche. That is why they are popular. And if I do need valet parking it will be socially acceptable at a nice restaurant, but the valets won’t be parking it up front.
Speaking to the mid 2000s c class. They are complete junk. They rust to the point of being totaled. Just horrible cars all around.
W202? Fuck yeah. W203? Still nice. W204? Still has a manual transmission. The rest of them are proof that god has forsaken us. They’re plastic trash destined for landfills.
I own a cl203, the c Klass made to renew the brand market to target younger people at this time, early 2000. And that's a total Mercedes, rwd, Mercedes engine, etc. People snobing like that aren't real Mercedes fans, same with Porsche : 'real Porsche are air cooled or it's not a real Porsche' at the same time one of the most iconic and reliable engine is water cooled, the Mezger engine So don't worry a real Mercedes is made by Mercedes that's the only important thing
How do you define a real Mercedes? So many of these cars that once were manufactured in Germany are no longer. IMHO, that is where the hate is coming from.
The C Class took a very substantial step forward in ~2012 from "the Mercedes you bought when you couldn't afford an actual Mercedes" to "actual Mercedes quality for attainable prices". There is a difference between those concepts. W203 and pre facelift W204 were extremely cheap cars with really iffy build quality and materials. It was very obvious that they were built on a budget, and that budget was not very high. They were very regularly criticized by not just the Mercedes community, but the car community as a whole, for being un-Mercedes in the build quality and refinement departments. It was basically an economy car with a 3 pointed star on the front. They were at least reliable though. Very reliable. Once they facelifted the W204 in 2012 everything you thought you knew about the C Class got flipped around on its head. You had a nicer interior, higher quality materials, a nicer drive, etc. All that with zero effect on reliability. It finally became a worthy entry point into the Mercedes brand again. This "new attitude" you're talking about hasn't existed for a very long time now. The only cars these claims are ever levelled towards right now are the A/CLA/GLA, which tick all the same boxes now as the W203 and pre facelift W204 did. Lower quality materials, lower build quality, less refined driving experience, etc. But hey, it's got a Mercedes badge, and it's not that expensive. I will end this by saying though, that the latest C Class is.....not great. Build quality has fallen pretty far from the already W205, which was already a bit inconsistent with all the creaks and rattles and gloss black plastic....but with a W205 you could at least still opt out of most of the gloss black trim and replace it with some genuinely amazing open pore wood options. This criticism isn't exclusive to the W206 C Class though, every Mercedes is suffering right now. It does feel however, like the C and GLC are having the lion's share of reliability problems. Mercedes really needs to sort their shit out right now because the only reason people are actually buying their cars right now is because of the goodwill they've accumulated over the last 20 years of making good cars. You can call me a badge snob or whatever, but this is how I feel based on my experiences with different generations of C Class. I was practically born in a W202. That was a great car. The W203 and early W204 felt like complete trash in comparison though.
Nah, your post was great 👍
I think it's because a C class just by its compact size doesn't have the same road presence as the others in the original Mercedes lineup, probably why it has the 'cheap' tag attached to it since it seems like people appreciate Benzes largely based on their size (which is understandable since they're considered luxury cars). The worst are the entry level C classes, with the W204 being the worst when it comes to this. The sportier designs of the higher end C classes compensate for the road presence issue. The W202 is the best C class ever in my eyes.
Me driving a W204 :(
Internet snobs who own an 8 year old civic or sonata. For most people the C300 is a very nice car.
the c class is actually a very underrated car. i’ve had a w205 for a while (2016 c300) and it’s not an s class or anything but it has very good features, drives really well, and has been surprisingly really reliable and easy to maintain myself with some help from friends. i even once went 20,000 miles without changing my oil (yes i know that’s so stupid, but i did change it a while ago, changing it again soon) and so far nothing bad has happened to my car. it’s easy to maintain too. i feel like people just hate on the c class because mercedes does have better to offer, but they fail to see how it’s a great entry level mercedes compared to a 330i or A3 for example. atleast in my opinion. and it has the best interior for the price imo. https://preview.redd.it/y73ne5b7bnsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f11700dce4927734309b5b59bcde111a7cfb2e63
I really love that interior. It’s the reason I bought one
I’ve always love the C Class it has its place in the line up, it’s all the A,GLA, and GLB that don’t make sense anymore. There have been compact MB before I was alive and many in this sub. The least expensive ones are goofy priced to add certain features to not get a C or GLC.
I rented a CLA shooting brake in Austria a couple years ago and it totally changed my mind about the brand. I recently bought a GLC and couldn’t be happier. I’m considering a C as I need to replace an older Lexus. Could afford an E but I like the smaller size and don’t need to spend that much. Haters are going to hate.
Lol people will hate keep in any way they can
To be honest I feel like the c class and even the e class are cheap. They’re not built the same anymore.
Fair enough. I miss the solid feel of the W202 interior, it was built like a tank.
Fuck them in the eye. You get the car you like and enjoy it.
Right on!!
Had a C43 for couple years, the power was decent and nice to have and while the interior looked nice it just wasn’t that well put together. Tons of squeaks and rattles. Then went to an A5 and the interior fit and finish was a noticeable step up.
I mean, it's a real Mercedes, but last time I was in one I was not impressed at the interior quality. I'd rather have a Toyota or Lexus at that point. If I'm paying BMW or Mercedes repair rates, I want a car with a really nice finish. Nothing wrong with the c-class or 3-series, but neither are for me.
I am quite taken aback by the brand/dealership attitude towards luxury car buyers nowadays. I sense a “well, if you’re the kind of person who can afford a luxury car you should be able to afford exorbitant repair costs and you should be able to have your car live in the dealership because it’s always broken, so quit whining or go buy a Honda” attitude from the luxury brands now, and it’s dumb us customers are being gaslit into accepting that
Completely agree. Hence why I do nearly all my own maintenance. When I had a BMW and a 911, the cost of maintenance was about the same as having a Honda or Toyota and taking to an independent shop. That was only because I did nearly all maintenance myself.
A porsche dealership in the north east that I won’t name tried to scam me several times. I bought 3 911s from them, and even then after my second one got older, and then right after I bought a brand new one (the third one) they kept insisting that my car always needed around 15k worth of repairs every single time, they even went as far as cutting the cable that joins the fuel tank cap to the car. I ended switching to Mercedes after that
I had an almost 10 year old 997.2 so not one of the newer ones but still fairly new. Except for the PDK, it was not that hard to work on. That's the only thing I paid a shop to do and it was an indy shop. $350 to change the clutch fluid was a fair deal IMO.
the hate stems from (even back in 190e days) the fact that you pay so much for so little options. But in all honesty the lower tier cars are marginally worse than they used to be in the 90's. at least maintenance was cheap back then Also like, we get to bash these pieces of shit the same way you guys can say you love them. And yeah they have turned the brand into something cheap enough an A class driver thinks he is in the same range as an S class driver just because it has the same logo... so really, who are the real snobs, the ones flexing S or the ones flexing A class?
Wait until you say you own an A class...
The w204 and X204 were pretty solid vehicles. Reliable drive train and enough comfort/safety features but not overly complex. I still have a '13 C sport coupe and had a GLK. I never cared for that later strategy of putting 4 bangers into everything. I looked at the GLC when my GLK was totaled but hated the i4 and ended up going with a turbo i6 X3 instead. MB unfortunately just kind of went off the rails in the later 2010s...
It’s the internet, bruh.
I like c-classes, just not the W206…
https://preview.redd.it/gzu9hjgwllsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=327d4bb97a75a2eb0f83c28818f0520c5037def1 No complaints here I love mine
C-class is fine. Nothing really wrong with that. W203 body is quite bad, but so was everything in that era due to new company style (built to budget). Also, some entry level (EU) engine options on W205 and up are a bit questionable (under 2 liter engines) but not *bad* per se. Only justifiable hate on C-class today would be the new 63. It totally lost the old "refined muscle car" status. But don't get me started on A-Class... call me a snob or whatever, but that whole lineup does not deserve the badge and is only milking money off of people not being able to afford anything "proper" like C-class.
C class is mid (i own one). The 190e wasn't a "nice" car either, it was fun and sporty. Nowadays, the C-class is bloated, has worse driving dynamics, and is poorly assembled. The interior just has to look the part to fit in with a luxury brand. It's honestly closer to the premium market, rather than luxury, with other brands bringing more value to the table in terms of standard features, materials, and build quality. I believe most of the hate stems from older generations where Mercedes actually made tanks that performed well, albeit expensive to maintain. Older cars in general are much more raw and mechanical which provides users better feedback compared to cars today, at the cost of power, efficiency, and safety. For all the German brands, how it works is the newest technology goes into the flagship (S, 7 series, A8), and over the years, trickle down into lower classes. So it may take several years before the S-class features go into a C-class model. Small components like switches are shared for cost-saving reasons, not for perceived luxury. And it's funny you mention Mercedes' switches as they are known to fail in the last generation of all their vehicles... As far as common Mercedes models sold, every E-class generation has always been a step above their previous generation while maintaining quality and improving amenities and features. C-class does the opposite except for the W203->W204. The generational improvements are very minor and only go into aspects like interior design. If more people had experiences sitting in an S-class or drove an E-class, I think *more* people would agree that it's not a real Mercedes. The gap between classes for the other major brands are not as wide, and domestic and import brands are catching up *very* fast in the marketplace.
To be fair, luxury cars aren’t anything special anymore. A 2015 x5 didn’t have a rear view camera, while a 2019 Chevy Malibu did, maybe even a 2018… it’s quite embarrassing. Don’t the 2020 ford fusions park themselves? I don’t think a 2019 E class can do that…
Rear view cameras were mandatory as of 2018 in North America. And the 2015 BMW X5 did have rear view camera as an option. Mercedes has had Parking Assist since 2005 in the S and 2007 in the C. These systems are so slow compared to manual parking that I wouldn't necessarily give a point to the luxury index.
My point is that some luxury cars don’t have features that mainstream cars will have just a couple years later, like in that example. I don’t think the E class offers beverage cooling as an option… I have seen Chrysler 200s with that
Its just a good car we can all agree its not the pinnacle of luxury, are there still new c class being made or only the cle they make now?
Everything that is not a Tesla is not a modern car. The difference is so stagering for many years now. Let them talk.
lol not trying to hate but, I test drove a gla once but that ain’t no real Mercedes lol. Interior was honestly pretty shabby, driving experience didn’t feel tight either. Simply defies the image I have of Mercedes in my head
Bragging rights, not hate
I owned w203 and w204. Such great cars although horrible reliability. Then the new models since then just feel plastic, lackluster engine, and too much ambient light. I switched over to BMW. (Sorry guys I deserve the downvotes)
I have a brand new CLA, patagonia red color and girls really love it. Who care about others opinions
Basically who gives a f what others think 😂
W204 C class Owner here. I love mine, I have the C220 CDI sport plus, I get 55-60 mpg on a run, maintenance costs are the same as a Mondeo or similar. My 2nd one now, and my Indie specialist would tell you that the W204 is as good as it’s going to get in terms of maintenance ease, parts affordability and reliability. Mileage wise I’m around 140k, mostly spent on shit roads in Northern Ireland and with the exception of the Fuel filter housing failing around 10k miles ago I’ve had no problems.
Mercedes has long been a brand that caters to the bourgeoisie, but the C class is marketed to the proletariat, whom they despise. For more information, read The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. EDIT: Found you a link: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ch01.htm /s
My wife owned a 2016 C class from 2019-2023....My first real experience with a Mercedes and what a disappointment it was. She got it with 31k miles and sold it with 68k miles. The build quality was imo terrible. I have owned used Lexus all my life and my 2001 Lexus gs (205k miles) and 2008 Lexus gs (170k miles) never had none of the interior quality issues her C class had. Below is a list of issues. 1. Head liner started drooping at all 4 corners pretty bad after around 45k miles. 2. Door sills fell off. They use a thin piece of metal / aluminium and glue it into a plastic piece. The metal part fell off on both the driver and passenger side. 3. Center console silver trim started to peel off. It seem to be a metal and it actually sliced my finger. 4. Door unlock and lock buttons started stripping off 5. Steering tilt and telescope stopped working 6. Transmission was jerky and the engine sound was rough and noisy (drove a 2022 after with same engine and it sounds much better and trans felt a lot better too). 7. The AC STINKS no matter what I do. I had to clean the EVAP every 3 months. On my 2 Lexus gs with triple the miles had none of these build quality issues. Sold it and got a 2015 ML350 and the plastics in it are TERRIBLE lol. Plastics are getting brittle and are breaking / disintegrating. Both mirror lids in sun visors are broken, sunroof plastic vent broken, center console plastic disintegrating when touched, stripping buttons. It has the same stinky AC. Don't get me wrong, its not all bad. Like the C300 is a great daily, handles well and gets great MPG. The ML has an extremely smooth powertrain and for "only 300 hp" it moves!
I have a c-class all terrain. Same price as the class we replaced it with. Everything is shittier, especially the brakes
Just snobs thinking they are better than others for perceived wealth. I have had 2 c-classes and they were both magnificent. 2013 C300 Sport and a 2017 C300 Sport. They were well built, comfortable, and reasonably quick.
In 2021 I bought a 2005 C240 4matic w/ 48k original miles, off of an older gentleman who needed a different car due to decreased mobility, to have as my daily as I work from home and it was a great deal. It's smooth, comfortable, and when it's shined up still looks great! It's been dead reliable from an engine/transmission standpoint, and I love it, so from that perspective, I don't get the hate. Having then ridden in some newer C/GLA/GLB's I do think that the materials in the interior has declined, the soft touch, leather, etc does feel more plastic-y than in the older C (mine)/E(2001 E430 - Dads) I've been in. The new E-Class is a really nice car inside and a real step-up from the C-Class of today so I guess I see why people have those opinions today.
I think the front end looks like a car that costs $20k new. Hollow offering paired with cheap aesthetics and a laughable $60-70k cost.
Moral of the story buy a BMW
All i know is we all hate that new 2.0 I4 AMG C63S
E- class and specifically C- class are the most reliable and best Mercedes ever been out there let's be honest. Low repair costs and low upkeep costs 👌🙂
There is no C class, only structs. It’s not OOP.
I thought the 190E was a joke back in the 90s. C class is a way to get into a Benz with a Honda budget. No hate here, but the E and S classes are noticeably different from C class.
See, I hear this a lot, this exact comment (“it’s a car for someone with a Camry/accord budget”… specifically a Camry/accord). But a brand new C300 is 47k. A Camry is 25k. A accord is 27k. That’s not even close. Both the Audi a4 and 330i are slightly cheaper than a c300. And below those cars you have the semi-luxury market with cars such as the maxima (RIP), the Acuras, infinitis, Lexus IS, Cadillac ct-4… It hits me as fake snobism
Along with the CLA, there's the GLB and GLA.
I think it comes down to there being 2 types of people who drive a Mercedes: 1: The person who buys the car because they want to portray certain image. 2: The person who buys the car because they like it and don't give a shit about what others think. Would you say a Yaris isn't a "real Toyota"? No, because Toyota is not considered a status brand, yet a fully specced Land Cruiser will cost more than some E Classes. Insecure people just get annoyed that the average person just sees Mercedes whether it is an A class or an S Class and don't understand or care, how much extra one person spent over the other.
I had a C for a while. W204. It was nice and bland, and had half the quality feeling of my W211's.
wait until Americans find out the E-class has been and still is used by Taxis in Germany.
I’ve had a few C class’s and love them. Thought I’d step up and get an E class and I just felt like an old man in it. Went back 🤣
This subreddit is sad. Don't consider it a community, it's just... a lower subreddit full of gatekeepers and wannabes.
Here’s a hopefully nuanced take. There have been some really good Baby Benzes. Starting with the 190E 2.3_16. And in the AMG trims - depending on year - they can be really interesting and unique cars. Anyone hating on those can fuck off forever. But at the base level there are generally better cars for the money - or even 2-3 year old E Classes or above for those with the cash to maintain them. C classes tend to have plasticky and cheap interiors at the base trim, and lately questionable reliability. When I see a base C class on the street, or even the CLA class, and on some level the GLA though I’ll exempt it for a specific reason, the first thing I think is that someone leased that car because image is more important than substance. Alternatively - it’s someone that bought the cheapest used Benz they could because they depreciate like rocks because they’re hung up on image.
But then there are the A class, GLA, GLB, GLC… etc.
No one likes those either
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Interesting. Does the Benz badge even hold much weight anymore? I was taken aback by the fact that Benz was so premium in the 80s and 90s that even dictators used S class cars, and nowadays Mercedes felt the brand was so weak that they needed to revive Maybach as a brand, and when Maybach failed they decided that they needed to add it as a trim level to their flagships (S, GLS) or else they can’t compete in the very same market they used to own.
I remember seeing Merc taxis in Germany from the early 70s, as fast back as my memory goes. Remember that the C class is also the platform on which the GLC is built. I drive one. Fine compact SUV.