2019 S205 C43 Estate - Long term reviews
Discussion
Good evening all. I've returned to these shores after a multi year hiatus to pick the Merc beard's brains on these. I've read through plenty of "just picked up my C43" threads but curious as to some long term reviews from members.
For reference, The car I'm looking at is 2019 with the Performance Exhaust, Premium Package and 19" wheels. It's MB Approved Used with the usual benefits.
I've owned a bit of an eclectic mix of performance cars over the years (bio includes some of the older ones - shall update at some stage) from the refined to very raw and the C43 seems to slip nicely into the middle of those two categories. I've driven multiple C63s over the years and while they are a hoot I don't think I could live with one daily, nor do I think I could be bothered with the C63 tax on parts. This potential purchase will be my sole car for the forseeable.
Many thanks.
For reference, The car I'm looking at is 2019 with the Performance Exhaust, Premium Package and 19" wheels. It's MB Approved Used with the usual benefits.
I've owned a bit of an eclectic mix of performance cars over the years (bio includes some of the older ones - shall update at some stage) from the refined to very raw and the C43 seems to slip nicely into the middle of those two categories. I've driven multiple C63s over the years and while they are a hoot I don't think I could live with one daily, nor do I think I could be bothered with the C63 tax on parts. This potential purchase will be my sole car for the forseeable.
Many thanks.
Had mine for 4 years, from new, and I'm a fan. I wanted something comfortable, practical and quick and it's been all those things. Apart from 4 new tyres it's needed nothing spending on it and I've had no niggles or rattles to report either.
Fuel consumption has been better than I expected - around 29mpg.
Clearly driving it isn't as much of an event as a C63 would be, plus I have a "fun" car for when I want some extra excitement. But for covering ground quickly, especially when conditions aren't great, I think the C43 is very hard to beat.
No plans to replace it any time soon.
Fuel consumption has been better than I expected - around 29mpg.
Clearly driving it isn't as much of an event as a C63 would be, plus I have a "fun" car for when I want some extra excitement. But for covering ground quickly, especially when conditions aren't great, I think the C43 is very hard to beat.
No plans to replace it any time soon.
NoTreadLeft said:
Had mine for 4 years, from new, and I'm a fan. I wanted something comfortable, practical and quick and it's been all those things. Apart from 4 new tyres it's needed nothing spending on it and I've had no niggles or rattles to report either.
Fuel consumption has been better than I expected - around 29mpg.
Clearly driving it isn't as much of an event as a C63 would be, plus I have a "fun" car for when I want some extra excitement. But for covering ground quickly, especially when conditions aren't great, I think the C43 is very hard to beat.
No plans to replace it any time soon.
Excellent thank you. You echo exactly my reasoning to go for it over the C63 - I've had plenty of RWD but living in a semi rural area I need something that I can use 365 days out of the year regardless of weather.Fuel consumption has been better than I expected - around 29mpg.
Clearly driving it isn't as much of an event as a C63 would be, plus I have a "fun" car for when I want some extra excitement. But for covering ground quickly, especially when conditions aren't great, I think the C43 is very hard to beat.
No plans to replace it any time soon.
I'll get a thread up soon - ended up with a 2019 with all the options I was after. Picking it up in a few days hopefully.
Art0ir said:
Excellent thank you. You echo exactly my reasoning to go for it over the C63 - I've had plenty of RWD but living in a semi rural area I need something that I can use 365 days out of the year regardless of weather.
I'll get a thread up soon - ended up with a 2019 with all the options I was after. Picking it up in a few days hopefully.
Look forward to hearing about it. Hope you enjoy it as much as we have ours.I'll get a thread up soon - ended up with a 2019 with all the options I was after. Picking it up in a few days hopefully.
I ran one for almost 2 years, it was just under a year old 10k up when I bought, and I traded it in back in March at 33 months old for a new BMW M135i. Mine was a Premium Plus with Sports Exhaust in Mojave Silver. I wasn't actively looking to swap it, I actually noticed the M135i sitting in my dealer's show room as I was speccing up my new X5, but doing so on almost a whim probably tells you that I wasn't in a longterm love affair with my C43, far from it, and thoughts of getting rid of it were not too far from my mind at that point. To put some of my comments into context, my C43 wagon was one of 4 cars I run, the others being an R8 V10+, an X5 M50d (soon to be new M50i) and a cheap Skoda Rapid that I keep elsewhere. My usage patterns ranged from daily driver through doing 600 miles in a day.
Starting off with some good points, the cabin is pretty smart, nicely trimmed, contrasting belts and stiching are nice, though the piano black plastic trim is a bit naff. In Premium Plus spec with the pan roof, full surround view for parking, LCD dash, burmeister sound, adaptive LCD lights and it could be a pretty nice place to spend time. That's apart from the seats - despite being (very) multi-way adjustable I just found it impossible to get comfortable, and 200+ miles in a day I'd be acheing. My wife found the same, so not just me. The Navigation system is also pretty bad, definitely showing its age.
Engine and drivetrain - mine was a 2019 model, and I think earlier cars have more character, but the engine was a bit of a letdown honestly. Yes there's a bit of burble and pop on the over run, and it's a smooth engine, but doesn't feel that characterful and sporty, and the limiter cuts in at about 6k. That said it's plenty fast enough for spirited road use and making decent progress. The gearbox is generally smooth, other than in Sport+ on light throttle settings (e.g navigating roundabouts with traffic) - occasionally it can be full blown kangaroo in temperament in these circumstances. Brakes are more than up to the job, no complaints here, though I never took it on a track.
Regarding handling and ride comfort, this is one of my biggest bugbears - this is simply not a good or precise handling car. And that's not just compared to my R8, but my X5 (despite carrying about 500 kg more) was a much better steer. One of my regular drives is London to Isle of Skye, and on the A roads north of Glasgow through Crianlarich, Fort William and up to Kyle of Lochalsh and across Skye, and it's just out of its depth. Vague steering, wallowy handling, little sense of being planted, and little confidence imparted to the driver, particularly in the wet. I replaced the tyres with new MOE Pirelli P-Zero PZ4's all around - they helped a little, but couldn't disguise the flawed underpinnings.
In terms of reliability and running costs, I think I averaged somewhere just above mid-20's mpg. I always ran it on super unleaded. It would get about 30mpg average on a decent run such as London-Skye. The car was mostly reliable. I had a gearbox malfunction error once when crawling in traffic - off and on again and it went away, dealer could not diagnose. And an issue with the dash backlight/bightness. Compared to my other cars present and recent which have been totally fault-free from memory, this is not a great record. I've only had good experiences with the MB dealers I've dealt with, put it through 2 services, probably £800 in total IIRC. Only other expenses were the tyres and a couple of new brake pads.
Reflecting on when I bought the C43, it was a toss-up between this and a BMW M340i. I bought it in lockdown, so test drives were not a thing, so got it largely on the back of reviews. No particular regrets - it was the first Merc I owned and it's always good to try something new - but I'm glad to have another BMW as my runaround. Heresy in this forum no doubt, but even the little M135i runs rings around the C43 in terms of fun behind the wheel, and the cabin/tech is way more modern too.
Final verdict - would I buy another, definitely not. It's not a terrible car by any means, but there are too many key gaps in the repertoire of a vehicle in this segment.
Starting off with some good points, the cabin is pretty smart, nicely trimmed, contrasting belts and stiching are nice, though the piano black plastic trim is a bit naff. In Premium Plus spec with the pan roof, full surround view for parking, LCD dash, burmeister sound, adaptive LCD lights and it could be a pretty nice place to spend time. That's apart from the seats - despite being (very) multi-way adjustable I just found it impossible to get comfortable, and 200+ miles in a day I'd be acheing. My wife found the same, so not just me. The Navigation system is also pretty bad, definitely showing its age.
Engine and drivetrain - mine was a 2019 model, and I think earlier cars have more character, but the engine was a bit of a letdown honestly. Yes there's a bit of burble and pop on the over run, and it's a smooth engine, but doesn't feel that characterful and sporty, and the limiter cuts in at about 6k. That said it's plenty fast enough for spirited road use and making decent progress. The gearbox is generally smooth, other than in Sport+ on light throttle settings (e.g navigating roundabouts with traffic) - occasionally it can be full blown kangaroo in temperament in these circumstances. Brakes are more than up to the job, no complaints here, though I never took it on a track.
Regarding handling and ride comfort, this is one of my biggest bugbears - this is simply not a good or precise handling car. And that's not just compared to my R8, but my X5 (despite carrying about 500 kg more) was a much better steer. One of my regular drives is London to Isle of Skye, and on the A roads north of Glasgow through Crianlarich, Fort William and up to Kyle of Lochalsh and across Skye, and it's just out of its depth. Vague steering, wallowy handling, little sense of being planted, and little confidence imparted to the driver, particularly in the wet. I replaced the tyres with new MOE Pirelli P-Zero PZ4's all around - they helped a little, but couldn't disguise the flawed underpinnings.
In terms of reliability and running costs, I think I averaged somewhere just above mid-20's mpg. I always ran it on super unleaded. It would get about 30mpg average on a decent run such as London-Skye. The car was mostly reliable. I had a gearbox malfunction error once when crawling in traffic - off and on again and it went away, dealer could not diagnose. And an issue with the dash backlight/bightness. Compared to my other cars present and recent which have been totally fault-free from memory, this is not a great record. I've only had good experiences with the MB dealers I've dealt with, put it through 2 services, probably £800 in total IIRC. Only other expenses were the tyres and a couple of new brake pads.
Reflecting on when I bought the C43, it was a toss-up between this and a BMW M340i. I bought it in lockdown, so test drives were not a thing, so got it largely on the back of reviews. No particular regrets - it was the first Merc I owned and it's always good to try something new - but I'm glad to have another BMW as my runaround. Heresy in this forum no doubt, but even the little M135i runs rings around the C43 in terms of fun behind the wheel, and the cabin/tech is way more modern too.
Final verdict - would I buy another, definitely not. It's not a terrible car by any means, but there are too many key gaps in the repertoire of a vehicle in this segment.
Edited by Hedgeman on Monday 2nd May 22:26
Edited by Hedgeman on Monday 2nd May 22:29
Hedgeman said:
I ran one for almost 2 years, it was just under a year old 10k up when I bought, and I traded it in back in March at 33 months old for a new BMW M135i. Mine was a Premium Plus with Sports Exhaust in Mojave Silver. I wasn't actively looking to swap it, I actually noticed the M135i sitting in my dealer's show room as I was speccing up my new X5, but doing so on almost a whim probably tells you that I wasn't in a longterm love affair with my C43, far from it, and thoughts of getting rid of it were not too far from my mind at that point. To put some of my comments into context, my C43 wagon was one of 4 cars I run, the others being an R8 V10+, an X5 M50d (soon to be new M50i) and a cheap Skoda Rapid that I keep elsewhere. My usage patterns ranged from daily driver through doing 600 miles in a day.
Starting off with some good points, the cabin is pretty smart, nicely trimmed, contrasting belts and stiching are nice, though the piano black plastic trim is a bit naff. In Premium Plus spec with the pan roof, full surround view for parking, LCD dash, burmeister sound, adaptive LCD lights and it could be a pretty nice place to spend time. That's apart from the seats - despite being (very) multi-way adjustable I just found it impossible to get comfortable, and 200+ miles in a day I'd be acheing. My wife found the same, so not just me. The Navigation system is also pretty bad, definitely showing its age.
Engine and drivetrain - mine was a 2019 model, and I think earlier cars have more character, but the engine was a bit of a letdown honestly. Yes there's a bit of burble and pop on the over run, and it's a smooth engine, but doesn't feel that characterful and sporty, and the limiter cuts in at about 6k. That said it's plenty fast enough for spirited road use and making decent progress. The gearbox is generally smooth, other than in Sport+ on light throttle settings (e.g navigating roundabouts with traffic) - occasionally it can be full blown kangaroo in temperament in these circumstances. Brakes are more than up to the job, no complaints here, though I never took it on a track.
Regarding handling and ride comfort, this is one of my biggest bugbears - this is simply not a good or precise handling car. And that's not just compared to my R8, but my X5 (despite carrying about 500 kg more) was a much better steer. One of my regular drives is London to Isle of Skye, and on the A roads north of Glasgow through Crianlarich, Fort William and up to Kyle of Lochalsh and across Skye, and it's just out of its depth. Vague steering, wallowy handling, little sense of being planted, and little confidence imparted to the driver, particularly in the wet. I replaced the tyres with new MOE Pirelli P-Zero PZ4's all around - they helped a little, but couldn't disguise the flawed underpinnings.
In terms of reliability and running costs, I think I averaged somewhere just above mid-20's mpg. I always ran it on super unleaded. It would get about 30mpg average on a decent run such as London-Skye. The car was mostly reliable. I had a gearbox malfunction error once when crawling in traffic - off and on again and it went away, dealer could not diagnose. And an issue with the dash backlight/bightness. Compared to my other cars present and recent which have been totally fault-free from memory, this is not a great record. I've only had good experiences with the MB dealers I've dealt with, put it through 2 services, probably £800 in total IIRC. Only other expenses were the tyres and a couple of new brake pads.
Reflecting on when I bought the C43, it was a toss-up between this and a BMW M340i. I bought it in lockdown, so test drives were not a thing, so got it largely on the back of reviews. No particular regrets - it was the first Merc I owned and it's always good to try something new - but I'm glad to have another BMW as my runaround. Heresy in this forum no doubt, but even the little M135i runs rings around the C43 in terms of fun behind the wheel, and the cabin/tech is way more modern too.
Final verdict - would I buy another, definitely not. It's not a terrible car by any means, but there are too many key gaps in the repertoire of a vehicle in this segment.
Appreciate the honest review Hedgeman! I actually looked at the M340i as it's a good bit cheaper but I can't get over how bland the new BMW interiors are. I've had a number of BMWs and it seems a step backwards from the E39s/E46s I've owned and that's saying something. Even my old 28 year old 8 series interior was more inspriring. Starting off with some good points, the cabin is pretty smart, nicely trimmed, contrasting belts and stiching are nice, though the piano black plastic trim is a bit naff. In Premium Plus spec with the pan roof, full surround view for parking, LCD dash, burmeister sound, adaptive LCD lights and it could be a pretty nice place to spend time. That's apart from the seats - despite being (very) multi-way adjustable I just found it impossible to get comfortable, and 200+ miles in a day I'd be acheing. My wife found the same, so not just me. The Navigation system is also pretty bad, definitely showing its age.
Engine and drivetrain - mine was a 2019 model, and I think earlier cars have more character, but the engine was a bit of a letdown honestly. Yes there's a bit of burble and pop on the over run, and it's a smooth engine, but doesn't feel that characterful and sporty, and the limiter cuts in at about 6k. That said it's plenty fast enough for spirited road use and making decent progress. The gearbox is generally smooth, other than in Sport+ on light throttle settings (e.g navigating roundabouts with traffic) - occasionally it can be full blown kangaroo in temperament in these circumstances. Brakes are more than up to the job, no complaints here, though I never took it on a track.
Regarding handling and ride comfort, this is one of my biggest bugbears - this is simply not a good or precise handling car. And that's not just compared to my R8, but my X5 (despite carrying about 500 kg more) was a much better steer. One of my regular drives is London to Isle of Skye, and on the A roads north of Glasgow through Crianlarich, Fort William and up to Kyle of Lochalsh and across Skye, and it's just out of its depth. Vague steering, wallowy handling, little sense of being planted, and little confidence imparted to the driver, particularly in the wet. I replaced the tyres with new MOE Pirelli P-Zero PZ4's all around - they helped a little, but couldn't disguise the flawed underpinnings.
In terms of reliability and running costs, I think I averaged somewhere just above mid-20's mpg. I always ran it on super unleaded. It would get about 30mpg average on a decent run such as London-Skye. The car was mostly reliable. I had a gearbox malfunction error once when crawling in traffic - off and on again and it went away, dealer could not diagnose. And an issue with the dash backlight/bightness. Compared to my other cars present and recent which have been totally fault-free from memory, this is not a great record. I've only had good experiences with the MB dealers I've dealt with, put it through 2 services, probably £800 in total IIRC. Only other expenses were the tyres and a couple of new brake pads.
Reflecting on when I bought the C43, it was a toss-up between this and a BMW M340i. I bought it in lockdown, so test drives were not a thing, so got it largely on the back of reviews. No particular regrets - it was the first Merc I owned and it's always good to try something new - but I'm glad to have another BMW as my runaround. Heresy in this forum no doubt, but even the little M135i runs rings around the C43 in terms of fun behind the wheel, and the cabin/tech is way more modern too.
Final verdict - would I buy another, definitely not. It's not a terrible car by any means, but there are too many key gaps in the repertoire of a vehicle in this segment.
If the M3 Touring was a thing I'd definitely consider but the Mercedes interior just seems so far ahead, in the last generation at least. I opted for one with the Black wood trim as I know from driving other C classes the Piano Black is a complete disaster.
Hedgeman said:
I ran one for almost 2 years, it was just under a year old 10k up when I bought, and I traded it in back in March at 33 months old for a new BMW M135i. Mine was a Premium Plus with Sports Exhaust in Mojave Silver. I wasn't actively looking to swap it, I actually noticed the M135i sitting in my dealer's show room as I was speccing up my new X5, but doing so on almost a whim probably tells you that I wasn't in a longterm love affair with my C43, far from it, and thoughts of getting rid of it were not too far from my mind at that point. To put some of my comments into context, my C43 wagon was one of 4 cars I run, the others being an R8 V10+, an X5 M50d (soon to be new M50i) and a cheap Skoda Rapid that I keep elsewhere. My usage patterns ranged from daily driver through doing 600 miles in a day.
Starting off with some good points, the cabin is pretty smart, nicely trimmed, contrasting belts and stiching are nice, though the piano black plastic trim is a bit naff. In Premium Plus spec with the pan roof, full surround view for parking, LCD dash, burmeister sound, adaptive LCD lights and it could be a pretty nice place to spend time. That's apart from the seats - despite being (very) multi-way adjustable I just found it impossible to get comfortable, and 200+ miles in a day I'd be acheing. My wife found the same, so not just me. The Navigation system is also pretty bad, definitely showing its age.
Engine and drivetrain - mine was a 2019 model, and I think earlier cars have more character, but the engine was a bit of a letdown honestly. Yes there's a bit of burble and pop on the over run, and it's a smooth engine, but doesn't feel that characterful and sporty, and the limiter cuts in at about 6k. That said it's plenty fast enough for spirited road use and making decent progress. The gearbox is generally smooth, other than in Sport+ on light throttle settings (e.g navigating roundabouts with traffic) - occasionally it can be full blown kangaroo in temperament in these circumstances. Brakes are more than up to the job, no complaints here, though I never took it on a track.
Regarding handling and ride comfort, this is one of my biggest bugbears - this is simply not a good or precise handling car. And that's not just compared to my R8, but my X5 (despite carrying about 500 kg more) was a much better steer. One of my regular drives is London to Isle of Skye, and on the A roads north of Glasgow through Crianlarich, Fort William and up to Kyle of Lochalsh and across Skye, and it's just out of its depth. Vague steering, wallowy handling, little sense of being planted, and little confidence imparted to the driver, particularly in the wet. I replaced the tyres with new MOE Pirelli P-Zero PZ4's all around - they helped a little, but couldn't disguise the flawed underpinnings.
In terms of reliability and running costs, I think I averaged somewhere just above mid-20's mpg. I always ran it on super unleaded. It would get about 30mpg average on a decent run such as London-Skye. The car was mostly reliable. I had a gearbox malfunction error once when crawling in traffic - off and on again and it went away, dealer could not diagnose. And an issue with the dash backlight/bightness. Compared to my other cars present and recent which have been totally fault-free from memory, this is not a great record. I've only had good experiences with the MB dealers I've dealt with, put it through 2 services, probably £800 in total IIRC. Only other expenses were the tyres and a couple of new brake pads.
Reflecting on when I bought the C43, it was a toss-up between this and a BMW M340i. I bought it in lockdown, so test drives were not a thing, so got it largely on the back of reviews. No particular regrets - it was the first Merc I owned and it's always good to try something new - but I'm glad to have another BMW as my runaround. Heresy in this forum no doubt, but even the little M135i runs rings around the C43 in terms of fun behind the wheel, and the cabin/tech is way more modern too.
Final verdict - would I buy another, definitely not. It's not a terrible car by any means, but there are too many key gaps in the repertoire of a vehicle in this segment.
Interesting - I think it very much depends on what you are looking for from the car. I wasn’t really looking for fun & feedback in a car of this class (I have a 911 for that). For me this car is more about doing 200 miles quickly and in comfort, with a load of gear in the back, without feeling knackered when I get out at the other end. It’s not a car I’d drive at 9/10ths on a B road, although opportunities for that are pretty limited at my end of the country.Starting off with some good points, the cabin is pretty smart, nicely trimmed, contrasting belts and stiching are nice, though the piano black plastic trim is a bit naff. In Premium Plus spec with the pan roof, full surround view for parking, LCD dash, burmeister sound, adaptive LCD lights and it could be a pretty nice place to spend time. That's apart from the seats - despite being (very) multi-way adjustable I just found it impossible to get comfortable, and 200+ miles in a day I'd be acheing. My wife found the same, so not just me. The Navigation system is also pretty bad, definitely showing its age.
Engine and drivetrain - mine was a 2019 model, and I think earlier cars have more character, but the engine was a bit of a letdown honestly. Yes there's a bit of burble and pop on the over run, and it's a smooth engine, but doesn't feel that characterful and sporty, and the limiter cuts in at about 6k. That said it's plenty fast enough for spirited road use and making decent progress. The gearbox is generally smooth, other than in Sport+ on light throttle settings (e.g navigating roundabouts with traffic) - occasionally it can be full blown kangaroo in temperament in these circumstances. Brakes are more than up to the job, no complaints here, though I never took it on a track.
Regarding handling and ride comfort, this is one of my biggest bugbears - this is simply not a good or precise handling car. And that's not just compared to my R8, but my X5 (despite carrying about 500 kg more) was a much better steer. One of my regular drives is London to Isle of Skye, and on the A roads north of Glasgow through Crianlarich, Fort William and up to Kyle of Lochalsh and across Skye, and it's just out of its depth. Vague steering, wallowy handling, little sense of being planted, and little confidence imparted to the driver, particularly in the wet. I replaced the tyres with new MOE Pirelli P-Zero PZ4's all around - they helped a little, but couldn't disguise the flawed underpinnings.
In terms of reliability and running costs, I think I averaged somewhere just above mid-20's mpg. I always ran it on super unleaded. It would get about 30mpg average on a decent run such as London-Skye. The car was mostly reliable. I had a gearbox malfunction error once when crawling in traffic - off and on again and it went away, dealer could not diagnose. And an issue with the dash backlight/bightness. Compared to my other cars present and recent which have been totally fault-free from memory, this is not a great record. I've only had good experiences with the MB dealers I've dealt with, put it through 2 services, probably £800 in total IIRC. Only other expenses were the tyres and a couple of new brake pads.
Reflecting on when I bought the C43, it was a toss-up between this and a BMW M340i. I bought it in lockdown, so test drives were not a thing, so got it largely on the back of reviews. No particular regrets - it was the first Merc I owned and it's always good to try something new - but I'm glad to have another BMW as my runaround. Heresy in this forum no doubt, but even the little M135i runs rings around the C43 in terms of fun behind the wheel, and the cabin/tech is way more modern too.
Final verdict - would I buy another, definitely not. It's not a terrible car by any means, but there are too many key gaps in the repertoire of a vehicle in this segment.
Definitely agree about the nav system by the way, although I only ever use CarPlay in mine so not really an issue.
Art0ir said:
Appreciate the honest review Hedgeman! I actually looked at the M340i as it's a good bit cheaper but I can't get over how bland the new BMW interiors are. I've had a number of BMWs and it seems a step backwards from the E39s/E46s I've owned and that's saying something. Even my old 28 year old 8 series interior was more inspriring.
If the M3 Touring was a thing I'd definitely consider but the Mercedes interior just seems so far ahead, in the last generation at least. I opted for one with the Black wood trim as I know from driving other C classes the Piano Black is a complete disaster.
I agree with you re the interior of the Merc having more style and flair, that was a point that attracted me initially. The ergonomics and quality of the tech are not up to iDrive standard though. Maybe not an issue if you use Apple or Android Auto.If the M3 Touring was a thing I'd definitely consider but the Mercedes interior just seems so far ahead, in the last generation at least. I opted for one with the Black wood trim as I know from driving other C classes the Piano Black is a complete disaster.
NoTreadLeft said:
Interesting - I think it very much depends on what you are looking for from the car. I wasn’t really looking for fun & feedback in a car of this class (I have a 911 for that). For me this car is more about doing 200 miles quickly and in comfort, with a load of gear in the back, without feeling knackered when I get out at the other end. It’s not a car I’d drive at 9/10ths on a B road, although opportunities for that are pretty limited at my end of the country.
Definitely agree about the nav system by the way, although I only ever use CarPlay in mine so not really an issue.
From my experience the inadequacies of the chassis go beyond just lack of fun and feedback. They actively get in the way of making safe and rapid progress on a long journey, and then getting out the other end without feeling knackered. That a diesel SUV weighing about 2200kg can feel way more secure and planted and allow better progress on roads like the A82 and A87 is not a good look.Definitely agree about the nav system by the way, although I only ever use CarPlay in mine so not really an issue.
I was looking at the C43 as a replacement for my 340i estate.
I ended up going C63, and it’s absolutely brilliant, so maybe worth a look. It does depend what you’re after, I don’t have a 2nd fun car at my disposal so wanted something to do it all and it certainly ticks that box.
Driving dynamics and feel are night and day compared to my BMW, but then it has all the benefits of being a fully fledged AMG so you would expect that.
It’s an absolute hoot on track, can be docile on the road, but there’s still fun to be had short shifting and making the V8 work.
I don’t find RWD a problem in the wet/icy conditions, comfort mode does a good job of suppressing the throttle response. Don’t get me wrong, you’re not going to push on the in the wet like an RS but I don’t mind that - I rarely find myself driving for enjoyment in those conditions.
I ended up going C63, and it’s absolutely brilliant, so maybe worth a look. It does depend what you’re after, I don’t have a 2nd fun car at my disposal so wanted something to do it all and it certainly ticks that box.
Driving dynamics and feel are night and day compared to my BMW, but then it has all the benefits of being a fully fledged AMG so you would expect that.
It’s an absolute hoot on track, can be docile on the road, but there’s still fun to be had short shifting and making the V8 work.
I don’t find RWD a problem in the wet/icy conditions, comfort mode does a good job of suppressing the throttle response. Don’t get me wrong, you’re not going to push on the in the wet like an RS but I don’t mind that - I rarely find myself driving for enjoyment in those conditions.
Edited by JAMSXR on Wednesday 4th May 20:11
I think there's certainly an argument to me made for going for the C63. You can pick up one for similar money and only a year or two older at the moment it seems.
But taking everything into consideration, the C43 edges it for myself personally. I can certainly see how for others the C63 makes the most sense!
The 2019 I was looking for has fallen through. Sadly some English dealers are still baffled at the idea of Northern Ireland being the UK and have six different excuses not to invoice to invoice to an NI address it seems. So I've opted for a 2020 with ever so slightly better spec which I'll hopefully collect next Friday.
But taking everything into consideration, the C43 edges it for myself personally. I can certainly see how for others the C63 makes the most sense!
The 2019 I was looking for has fallen through. Sadly some English dealers are still baffled at the idea of Northern Ireland being the UK and have six different excuses not to invoice to invoice to an NI address it seems. So I've opted for a 2020 with ever so slightly better spec which I'll hopefully collect next Friday.
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