[Vinay23]

Dad and I test drove the C200 last week as a potential replacement to our MY15 Jetta DSG.

Here are my observations based on a long-ish drive on the C200.

Exteriors:

• Looks classy. Mercedes has knocked it out of the park with this generation’s design. It looks better proportioned compared to the last generation.
• I feel the car looks best in the Cavansite Blue shade.
• The slim tail lamps are easily my favourite part of the exterior.
• Mercedes could’ve done better with the alloy design- it’s not the best choice for this car.
• Dad echoed the observation from the official review about the lower section of the front bumper- he felt that this was the worst part of the car’s design and to quote him- “such a cheap looking design does not belong on a car like this”. It didn’t really bother me though.

Interiors:

• The cushioning on the seats are very good, the ones on the front especially are excellent.
• The Indicator stalks were too thin for my liking.
• The horn pad is hard to reach and it requires quite a lot of effort to press it.
• The pedal area was way too cramped. The absence of a dead pedal only made matters worse.
• The amount of space on the back seat really surprised me. I had quite a lot of legroom left even after the passenger (probably 5’10”) adjusted the seat to their height- and that's saying something when it comes from someone who’s 6’2”. Definitely a big step up from the last generation- in which I hurt my head, back and my knee while egressing from the car.
• Dad felt that the A-Pillar and ORVM was blocking his view of the outside. Again, this didn’t bother me.
• The boot space was smaller than expected. The Jetta’s boot is much bigger.

Tech:

• I initially hated the idea of having an iPad like screen for the infotainment HU, but then I was pleasantly surprised when I had a look at it in person- it wasn’t half bad. For those who feel the same way I did about the screen, do check it out in person. Using it is still a major distraction while driving, though- especially the controls for the aircon.
• The infotainment cluster looked cluttered with information- took me a while to wrap my head around it.
• The touch controls on the steering were alright. I was able to navigate through the infotainment screen fairly intuitively and I was warming up to it with time.
• Not a fan of the other controls which are touch based- the seat and sunroof controls, for example. I would have much preferred tactile buttons.
• One feature that I liked most is the Auto seat adjust- which gave me a near perfect seating position. The feature is a boon for those who absolutely need to have the perfect seating position.
• The burmester sound system was underwhelming to say the least. Not something I expected to see in a car that costs as much as it does.

Drive:

• The ride quality is top notch. The car simply glides over roads.
• The chassis’ high speed stability is commendable.
• The turning radius felt lower than the Jetta’s. Taking U-turns was effortless.
• Steering is light during low speeds but it doesn’t weigh up very well with speed- it didn't feel confidence inspiring somehow.
• Engine refinement at lower rpms is excellent. Gets a bit boomy post 3.5k, which I don’t really mind.
• The engine has more grunt than expected for a 1.5L unit, but it is best suited for sedate drivers for use in the city and the occasional drive on the highways.
• The engine-transmission combo is definitely tuned for comfort, and it shows. Overtakes require a bit more planning than usual.
• The gear shifts are seamless. Coming from the DSG on the Jetta, the gearbox takes a while to shift down the cogs and get going, but once it does, it picks up speed fairly quickly.
• I felt that the ISG didn't contribute much to acceleration during low speeds and I was able to notice some lag.

Summary:

The sole reason why we even considered the C in the first place is the Mercedes brand. Dad's been a big fan of the W205 generation and we thought we’ll bite the bullet this time around.

Why the C200, you ask? We really don’t want to buy another diesel, especially when manufacturers are moving to petrols in a big way. Secondly, as much as the Jetta’s diesel engine clatter is masked incredibly well inside the cabin, I prefer the refinement of petrol engines. Besides, the Jetta's clocked only 10k kms in the last two years- our requirements don't mandate a diesel.

Long story short, I don’t think the C200 is for us. Especially not at that price point when it barely feels like an upgrade to the Jetta, and in some ways, it’s a downgrade. If this test drive experience has taught me anything, it’s that I don’t appreciate the Jetta enough for what it offers. Looks like we’ll be holding on to it a bit longer than I anticipated.


Cheers

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Vinay23

Summary:

The sole reason why we even considered the C in the first place is the Mercedes brand. Dad's been a big fan of the W205 generation and we thought we’ll bite the bullet this time around.

Why the C200, you ask? We really don’t want to buy another diesel, especially when manufacturers are moving to petrols in a big way. Secondly, as much as the Jetta’s diesel engine clatter is masked incredibly well inside the cabin, I prefer the refinement of petrol engines. Besides, the Jetta's clocked only 10k kms in the last two years- our requirements don't mandate a diesel.

Long story short, I don’t think the C200 is for us. Especially not at that price point when it barely feels like an upgrade to the Jetta, and in some ways, it’s a downgrade. If this test drive experience has taught me anything, it’s that I don’t appreciate the Jetta enough for what it offers. Looks like we’ll be holding on to it a bit longer than I anticipated.
Cheers

Your observations on the C including the relative value to the Jetta are perfectly understandable.

I’d really encourage you to give the petrol BMW 3 series a try as well. Whether in the regular 3 series guise or the Li variant. That petrol engine will feel a proper notch above the Mercedes experience and will feel like a definite upgrade over the diesel Jetta, as competent as that VW is in its own right.

While the boot will still be well shy of what the Jetta delivers, it is still distinctly more usable than the C class (the latter plonks the spare in the boot directly while the 3 series neatly tucks it in the wheel well leaving a more usable flat boot.

If you can stretch to the Li version you’ll get better and more practical ground clearance as well as a properly luxurious back seat experience. I believe the C class petrol should sit between the 330i and 330Li on price so both variants are worth considering.

[techbro]

Exactly. This is what I felt as well. I test drove the C220D and came out so unimpressed. I felt my diesel Tuscon drives better and is more confidence-inspiring. The interiors are a big selling point for Merc but the back seats are a big letdown with no under-thigh support. Only if BMW had not plastered the interiors with cheap quality plastics everywhere then there would be no competition between new C class and the 330i

[Vinay23]

Originally Posted by Axe77

I’d really encourage you to give the petrol BMW 3 series a try as well. Whether in the regular 3 series guise or the Li variant. That petrol engine will feel a proper notch above the Mercedes experience and will feel like a definite upgrade over the diesel Jetta, as competent as that VW is in its own right.

If you can stretch to the Li version you’ll get better and more practical ground clearance as well as a properly luxurious back seat experience. I believe the C class petrol should sit between the 330i and 330Li on price so both variants are worth considering.

I completely agree with you. I'm sure the 330i/Li is a much better value proposition than what the C will ever be. If it were upto me, we'd have booked the 330Li by now.

The biggest hurdle here would be convincing dad to even consider the other brands as a viable alternative. Such is the brand loyalty that Mercedes has.

Mercedes, I'm not a fan of what you've done with the marketing that's been making people like my dad believe your brand's the only true luxury brand out there

Jokes aside, we'll be checking out the BMW's as soon as I wear him down with the idea. I've also been thinking of checking out the A6 and Q5.

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by Vinay23

Jokes aside, we'll be checking out the BMW's as soon as I wear him down with the idea. I've also been thinking of checking out the A6 and Q5.

Haggle hard and you can get yourself an A6 for the same price as a C-Class!

[Akmal]

In a conversation between friends, one of them (not me) shared her perspective on Mercedes C, E and S class target customers. Let me share that point of view and you can make of it as you will.
Mercedes may have designed C class for customer age groups between 20-40 where the front seats are the best seats in the car. The gizmos and comfort are focused on the front half of the cabin built on the assumption that owners are drivers in this category. Rear seats exist for functional purposes. Rear seat is for his/her children with booster seats or child seat.

Then there is E class, for ages between 40-60, where the focus has been front seats as well however, the rear seats are more comfortable than the C class with more space, probably because in this target age group, owners have teenage/adolescent children (read longer legs). Drive dynamics start to lean more on comfort.

In the S class, the boss is 60+ years old and is in the back seat. Chauffeur driven around town, hence, focus is on rear seats. He/she gets a button that he can press to push the front seat further to expand the legroom from acres to hectares. Except the drive, pretty much everything can be controlled from the rear seat. If he/she chooses to be the driver, there is enough and more power to satisfy most appetites.

Now, this was not a ageist conversation, but rather one in which we were trying to rationalize why a sedan from the best in the business (arguably), priced at upsides of 50L not offer thigh support in rear seats!? This theory from my friend was hotly debated with exceptions possible in every scenario, but there is a valid point of view that some here may agree with.
Sharing here since most observations in this review align in some ways as to why the OP came back unimpressed with C class for his dad. (would you consider a 3-5 years old pre-owned E class instead?)

[techbro]

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

Haggle hard and you can get yourself an A6 for the same price as a C-Class!

Really? What's the best ex showroom price one can expect on an A6 by end of this year?