[four.bytes]

Hi, did you enquire/research around the annual maintenance cost over the years. I'm asking because I'm thinking of buying one 7-8 yr old c-class (still very sceptical as the new one is something that I won't be able to own comfortably finance wise).

[RajeevMD]

Congrats on your new car @TheGearBox on your new car mate ! wishing you the best of happy motoring !
I happen to own a C200 W205 AMG 2020 model as well albeit not in India though. The car is quite popular in my region due to the tax benefits of the 1.5 engine. As you said, it has enough performance for a daily driver who doesn't throw it around as much. The engine tends to be quite noisy compared to the 2.0 C200 but otherwise there is no sign for anyone to suspect its a 1.5 under the hood. Shame that Mercedes India discontinued this new age powertrain and reverted back to its old school motor.
On the subject of the plain jane wheels though, I'm sure the 17" offer ample comfort for your dad. I still am questioning if it was wise for me to spec my car with 19" wheels with run flats and AMG sport suspension

P.S. as you mentioned, the EQ boost motor gives that extra power and torque only in sport & sport+ modes, while in comfort it aides long start/stop periods and when in ECO it aides glide mode ( coasting on battery power ) along with the extended start/stop function.

[Puneet0051]

Originally Posted by TheGearBox

If you drive a lot and require getting your car serviced more than once in a year, then the Compact Plus will pay for itself.

Yes!

And how much is that, don't know how much drive per year warrants that. Post Corona it will be 15k per year.. Let's see!

[RajeevSharma]

Congratulations on dream come true purchase. It is a great car and your review does full justice to it.

[Mahesh1977]

Hello,

Congratulations on getting this great machine!!
No words to articulate how beautiful the blue sedan looks!

I m also seriously contemplating between buying x1 and C200 and hence the below question.

While the BS6 C200 is different, I wanted to understand your experience on the ground clearance, is it enough or us there any occasional touching of the underbelly?

Thanks & Regards.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Mahesh1977

Hello,

While the BS6 C200 is different, I wanted to understand your experience on the ground clearance, is it enough or us there any occasional touching of the underbelly?

Thanks & Regards.

The ground clearance of our C220d has been near perfect with maybe 1-2 scrapes in the city but over bigger bumps cannot be as careless as you would be with the X1.

[akash.1318]

I was 2 days away from booking a C200 Progressive(newly introduced F/L with all Digital Cluster, Wireless charging and many more) in July, 2019. Mine too started off with the CLA & GLA, but on the day ended up putting in a booking for the C300D AMG-Line(with ZERO discounts on offer and tentative delivery date of around November-December.) The G20, 330i launch made me re-consider the whole Petrol vs Diesel evaluation again. All the factors adding up finally ended up with the 330i M Sport within a week of its launch.
My test drive experience with the C200 was as straightforward as it can get. Butter smooth engine with butter smooth transmission. You struggle to even notice the gear shifting with normal, linear driving. You have simply picked up what was the Best-In-Class back then (maybe the 2020 launch of 330i base variant has reignited the whole debate/price point).
Also, have/would you consider upgrading the front grill to the AMG-Line one? Would definitely look sharp.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by akash.1318

You have simply picked up what was the Best-In-Class back then(maybe the 2020 launch of 330i base variant has reignited the whole debate/price point).

Truth be told, a Mercedes buyer will not end up with a BMW.

A 330i buyer seeks a good driving machine and performance + handling often take precedent over other features.

Even with the more modern interiors & better ride and handling package - it still doesn't have the charm of the Mercedes.

The interiors, the design, etc. all shout luxury and are aimed at appeasing a different market requirement.

[Entsurgeon]

Heartiest congratulations on the C.
Would like to know more about what exactly does EQ does. Does it provide assist only or can it work as sole power mill (in say, B2B traffic?).

[TheGearBox]

Originally Posted by four.bytes

I'm thinking of buying one 7-8 yr old c-class

I would be apprehensive of buying an 8 year old Merc (or any German)
At that age, you could see major parts replacements and some big bills.

Originally Posted by RajeevMD

Congrats on your new car @TheGearBox on your new car mate ! wishing you the best of happy motoring !

Thanks

Originally Posted by RajeevMD

I still am questioning if it was wise for me to spec my car with 19" wheels with run flats and AMG sport suspension

Strict no-no for Indian roads! And my comment on the wheels was limited to the design, not the size. Yes, the 17's are very comfortable.

Originally Posted by Puneet0051

And how much is that, don't know how much drive per year warrants that. Post Corona it will be 15k per year..

If you are doing 15k km a year, then your car will require one servicing per year. In this case, the Compact Plus may work out to be more expensive. How many years/km package did you opt for?

Originally Posted by RajeevSharma

Congratulations on dream come true purchase. It is a great car and your review does full justice to it.

Thank you so much

Originally Posted by Mahesh1977

Congratulations on getting this great machine!!
No words to articulate how beautiful the blue sedan looks!

Thank you

Originally Posted by Mahesh1977

I wanted to understand your experience on the ground clearance

Originally Posted by lamborghini

The ground clearance of our C220d has been near perfect with maybe 1-2 scrapes in the city but over bigger bumps cannot be as careless as you would be with the X1.

I think lamborghini has summed it up nicely. Also attaching a quote of my own from the review:

Originally Posted by TheGearBox

The Jetta had a bad ground clearance problem. The underbody would scrape over most speed breakers, which does not seem to be an issue in the C. We deliberately tested this during the test drive by going over a particular speed breaker which the Jetta never failed to kiss. The Merc passed with flying colors.

Originally Posted by akash.1318

You have simply picked up what was the Best-In-Class back then(maybe the 2020 launch of 330i base variant has reignited the whole debate/price point).

Thanks. I really don't know what the outcome would have been if the G20 had been around back then. All's well that ends well, I suppose.

Originally Posted by akash.1318

Also, have/would you consider upgrading the front grill to the AMG-Line one? Would definitely look sharp.

Mods are a strict NO in this household

Originally Posted by Entsurgeon

Heartiest congratulations on C.
Would like to know more about what exactly does EQ does. Does it provide assist only or can it work as sole power mill ( in say, B2B traffic?).

Thank you.

The EQ Boost is basically a mild hybrid system. It provides extra power when required. In B2B traffic, if you have the Auto Start-Stop activated, the engine shuts off when you are stationary and the EQ Boost powers all the auxiliary systems such as lights, music, air conditioning, etc.

You cannot drive a mild hybrid in pure electric form. It can be driven on pure petrol power or a combination of petrol and electric power.

[Puneet0051]

Originally Posted by TheGearBox

If you are doing 15k km a year, then your car will require one servicing per year. In this case, the Compact Plus may work out to be more expensive. How many years/km package did you opt for?

I took 5 years/100k package. So when do you think it makes sense to buy the Compact Plus package? It was more from Peace of mind that I took it. I want to keep my car for long but the stupid Delhi Diesel car rule of 10 year means I would to sell it much before else the depreciation will be too high.

[TheGearBox]

Assume your average service cost to be Rs 30-35k (or whatever your cost is. I am taking a higher number since yours is a diesel)
If your annual running is 15k km, you will end up doing 75 k in 5 years and you will be servicing your car 5 times during this period.

So that means your total cost of servicing over 5 years will be:

35,000*5= Rs 1,75,000

This is an approximate figure and the actual number may be higher, but if you paid less than this amount for the Compact Plus package, then it will definitely make economical sense in the long run.

Also, if you end up selling the car before it is 5 years old, then the next buyer can take advantage of the Compact Plus and save on his servicing bills for a year or two. So whether the first owner saves money on servicing or not, the second owner definitely does.

[RajeevMD]

@TheGearBox may I ask if your car came with any specific fuel recommendation? Does it perform well with the normal 91RON regular petrol or do you need higher RON petrol? Here the company strictly recommends 95RON petrol which is further reiterated by a fuel warning on the filler lid.

[Puneet0051]

Originally Posted by TheGearBox

Assume your average service cost to be Rs 30-35k (or whatever your cost is. I am taking a higher number since yours is a diesel)
If your annual running is 15k km, you will end up doing 75 k in 5 years and you will be servicing your car 5 times during this period.

So that means your total cost of servicing over 5 years will be:

35,000*5= Rs 1,75,000

This is an approximate figure and the actual number may be higher, but if you paid less than this amount for the Compact Plus package, then it will definitely make economical sense in the long run.

Buddy i beg to differ on this one, with this calculation even a 20k run per year which for 5 years of 100k would turn out to be expensive. There is more to it which you forgot, F&R brake pads and discs, wipers (they alone cost 12k a pair). And i am sure 3rd/4th servicing would be above a Lac. I cannot warrant that somebody who owns can confirm.

I have heard from folks on forum that BMW package makes sense for running above 15k so Merc service being even on higher side should even make more sense.

Let's see

[TheGearBox]

Originally Posted by RajeevMD

@TheGearBox may I ask if your car came with any specific fuel recommendation ?

The owner's manual specifies use of minimum 91RON fuel. No explicit instructions were given with regards to the fuel type by the dealer. We have been filling up with regular fuel and there have been no issues.
As for performance, I have not tried to check how it performs flat out, so I cannot comment on that. But for regular driving, it runs fine.

Originally Posted by Puneet0051

I have heard from folks on forum that BMW package makes sense for running above 15k so Merc service being even on higher side should even make more sense.

Many manufacturers give an estimate of service costs on their websites. But that is not true of the Big 3. A Google search will get you an estimate given by some third party at most, or you will find a link which will take you to the company's service package page. So it really is a black box.

You're right, I did not factor in the cost of brake pads. In that case the cost of the service package cost may not differ from regular servicing by much.
It really comes down to your usage. But the final sentence in my previous reply still stands.