How comfortable is the W204 c-class?
Discussion
As per title. How comfortable is the 2007-2015 C Class Merc.
Not driven one before but driven lots of E-class mercs.
I've noticed with the E Class that whilst very muted and damped it has that jittery feeling you get with 18-inch rims and steam roller tyres despite their best efforts to mask it.
Is the C Class better or worse with it being smaller and potentially less luxurious?
Not driven one before but driven lots of E-class mercs.
I've noticed with the E Class that whilst very muted and damped it has that jittery feeling you get with 18-inch rims and steam roller tyres despite their best efforts to mask it.
Is the C Class better or worse with it being smaller and potentially less luxurious?
The facelifted cars with adaptive dampers rode quite well. I tried an early car and didn't find it as good as my W203, particularly at low speed. Ended up buying one of the last coupes (2015) and, despite there being lots of things I didn't like about it, the ride wasn't one of them. A good combination of comfort and body control.
Guess it all depends on what comfort level you want from it.
Mines the sport coupe. 18” inch wheels with the lowered and sports suspension. Cars probably slightly heavier with the the 3.5 V6 engine. Not as heavy as the C63.
I think it rides well, handles well, very compliant and not crashy at all.
It’s firm, but I do prefer a firm compliant ride.
Definitely no where near as firm as my sons ep3 on his yellow coil over kit lol !
Mines the sport coupe. 18” inch wheels with the lowered and sports suspension. Cars probably slightly heavier with the the 3.5 V6 engine. Not as heavy as the C63.
I think it rides well, handles well, very compliant and not crashy at all.
It’s firm, but I do prefer a firm compliant ride.
Definitely no where near as firm as my sons ep3 on his yellow coil over kit lol !
PDP76 said:
Guess it all depends on what comfort level you want from it.
Mines the sport coupe. 18” inch wheels with the lowered and sports suspension. Cars probably slightly heavier with the the 3.5 V6 engine. Not as heavy as the C63.
I think it rides well, handles well, very compliant and not crashy at all.
It’s firm, but I do prefer a firm compliant ride.
Definitely no where near as firm as my sons ep3 on his yellow coil over kit lol !
Is it factory suspension and factory 18"s or aftermarket? And is yours the aforementioned facelift version or the earlier 2007-onwards? Mines the sport coupe. 18” inch wheels with the lowered and sports suspension. Cars probably slightly heavier with the the 3.5 V6 engine. Not as heavy as the C63.
I think it rides well, handles well, very compliant and not crashy at all.
It’s firm, but I do prefer a firm compliant ride.
Definitely no where near as firm as my sons ep3 on his yellow coil over kit lol !
PDP76 said:
Guess it all depends on what comfort level you want from it.
Mines the sport coupe. 18” inch wheels with the lowered and sports suspension. Cars probably slightly heavier with the the 3.5 V6 engine. Not as heavy as the C63.
I think it rides well, handles well, very compliant and not crashy at all.
It’s firm, but I do prefer a firm compliant ride.
Definitely no where near as firm as my sons ep3 on his yellow coil over kit lol !
Do you feel EVERY single little mark in the road? one thing I hate about my C63Mines the sport coupe. 18” inch wheels with the lowered and sports suspension. Cars probably slightly heavier with the the 3.5 V6 engine. Not as heavy as the C63.
I think it rides well, handles well, very compliant and not crashy at all.
It’s firm, but I do prefer a firm compliant ride.
Definitely no where near as firm as my sons ep3 on his yellow coil over kit lol !
EC123 said:
PDP76 said:
Guess it all depends on what comfort level you want from it.
Mines the sport coupe. 18” inch wheels with the lowered and sports suspension. Cars probably slightly heavier with the the 3.5 V6 engine. Not as heavy as the C63.
I think it rides well, handles well, very compliant and not crashy at all.
It’s firm, but I do prefer a firm compliant ride.
Definitely no where near as firm as my sons ep3 on his yellow coil over kit lol !
Do you feel EVERY single little mark in the road? one thing I hate about my C63Mines the sport coupe. 18” inch wheels with the lowered and sports suspension. Cars probably slightly heavier with the the 3.5 V6 engine. Not as heavy as the C63.
I think it rides well, handles well, very compliant and not crashy at all.
It’s firm, but I do prefer a firm compliant ride.
Definitely no where near as firm as my sons ep3 on his yellow coil over kit lol !
I have a 2013 C220cdi Coupe - AMG Sport Plus trim level which, on 18's, is probably the hardest ride they do in the non AMG variant of the body?
That said, it is very comfortable indeed. The coupe has great seats which suit me very well, everything is in the right place such as the armrest and steering/pedal position.
It is a little bumpy but its only marginally worse than a similar age 320d SE I had with 18" Runflats.
It's actually more comfortable for me than my E60 530d M Sport on 18" Runflats too. It's certainly the most comfortable car I've had on a long journey - I think for me due to the seats, which the saloon and estate don't have.
I keep threatening to sell mine but for the value there is nothing I would replace it with worth having and I'm looking at spending 2.5-3x its value to upgrade to say an E class coupe that is 6 years newer.
Its on 89,500 miles now and the only things I know it has had done outside consumables are wheel bearings, an ABS sensor, some bushes and the common fault of the steering lock getting stuck. It's been very reliable too.
That said, it is very comfortable indeed. The coupe has great seats which suit me very well, everything is in the right place such as the armrest and steering/pedal position.
It is a little bumpy but its only marginally worse than a similar age 320d SE I had with 18" Runflats.
It's actually more comfortable for me than my E60 530d M Sport on 18" Runflats too. It's certainly the most comfortable car I've had on a long journey - I think for me due to the seats, which the saloon and estate don't have.
I keep threatening to sell mine but for the value there is nothing I would replace it with worth having and I'm looking at spending 2.5-3x its value to upgrade to say an E class coupe that is 6 years newer.
Its on 89,500 miles now and the only things I know it has had done outside consumables are wheel bearings, an ABS sensor, some bushes and the common fault of the steering lock getting stuck. It's been very reliable too.
I ran a 1999 W202 at the same as the 2006 W203 (sport coupe/hatchback). The W203 was tauter and had better body control than W202, whilst still retaining a similar level of comfort. I tried an early (2010?) W204 and found there was a definite degradation of ride quality compared to the W203. The 2015 W204 resolved the earlier W204's comfort problem and also improved body control (but only when needed).
niva441 said:
I ran a 1999 W202 at the same as the 2006 W203 (sport coupe/hatchback). The W203 was tauter and had better body control than W202, whilst still retaining a similar level of comfort. I tried an early (2010?) W204 and found there was a definite degradation of ride quality compared to the W203. The 2015 W204 resolved the earlier W204's comfort problem and also improved body control (but only when needed).
The facelift was 2012/2013 if I recall - Coupes are only available in facelift and started in 2012. They are very easy to tell apart - headlights and taillights are totally different.The pre facelift is a far more dated car, the in car entertainment, dashboard, and interior generally for one but primarily it has a very lazy 5 speed auto. The 7 speed isn't perfect but it's far more engaging and economical.
joropug said:
niva441 said:
I ran a 1999 W202 at the same as the 2006 W203 (sport coupe/hatchback). The W203 was tauter and had better body control than W202, whilst still retaining a similar level of comfort. I tried an early (2010?) W204 and found there was a definite degradation of ride quality compared to the W203. The 2015 W204 resolved the earlier W204's comfort problem and also improved body control (but only when needed).
The facelift was 2012/2013 if I recall - Coupes are only available in facelift and started in 2012. They are very easy to tell apart - headlights and taillights are totally different.The pre facelift is a far more dated car, the in car entertainment, dashboard, and interior generally for one but primarily it has a very lazy 5 speed auto. The 7 speed isn't perfect but it's far more engaging and economical.
joropug said:
I have a 2013 C220cdi Coupe - AMG Sport Plus trim level which, on 18's, is probably the hardest ride they do in the non AMG variant of the body?
That said, it is very comfortable indeed. The coupe has great seats which suit me very well, everything is in the right place such as the armrest and steering/pedal position.
It is a little bumpy but its only marginally worse than a similar age 320d SE I had with 18" Runflats.
It's actually more comfortable for me than my E60 530d M Sport on 18" Runflats too. It's certainly the most comfortable car I've had on a long journey - I think for me due to the seats, which the saloon and estate don't have.
I keep threatening to sell mine but for the value there is nothing I would replace it with worth having and I'm looking at spending 2.5-3x its value to upgrade to say an E class coupe that is 6 years newer.
Its on 89,500 miles now and the only things I know it has had done outside consumables are wheel bearings, an ABS sensor, some bushes and the common fault of the steering lock getting stuck. It's been very reliable too.
That's showroom condition - Bravo That said, it is very comfortable indeed. The coupe has great seats which suit me very well, everything is in the right place such as the armrest and steering/pedal position.
It is a little bumpy but its only marginally worse than a similar age 320d SE I had with 18" Runflats.
It's actually more comfortable for me than my E60 530d M Sport on 18" Runflats too. It's certainly the most comfortable car I've had on a long journey - I think for me due to the seats, which the saloon and estate don't have.
I keep threatening to sell mine but for the value there is nothing I would replace it with worth having and I'm looking at spending 2.5-3x its value to upgrade to say an E class coupe that is 6 years newer.
Its on 89,500 miles now and the only things I know it has had done outside consumables are wheel bearings, an ABS sensor, some bushes and the common fault of the steering lock getting stuck. It's been very reliable too.
Panamax said:
My advice? Avoid the "sport" models because the ride is too firm. Much more civilised car on the standard suspension and smaller diameter rims.
Great value.
Must be sublime as I don't find the AMG Sport Plus springs or 18" wheels a bother at all! Great value.
My FIL had a 2014 estate on 17" wheels, that did ride very nicely actually but never sat in them back to back to compare.
I remember 90s cars which used to crash and the whole dashboard would thump and clatter every time. I've been buying e-class non-stop for a long while now so it's not something I worry about any more but whenever I'm thinking of deviating from the well trodden path it is something I think about. Mid-to-late naughties German cars generally seem okay, the ones I've driven.
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