[alpinewhite3]

So my mom got a loaner today and it turned out to be a brand new C230 with the sport package. So naturally having a 330i and having never even considered the C class i took it out for a spin. First off, i would never purchase a red car. Its SO flashy, everyone stares. I can't imagine flying down the highway at 85 in a red car.

Driving impressions: SLOW, god this thing is dog slow. I timed it to 60 and wasnt too surprised when i could only manage 8.9-9.1 seconds. When you finally do reach 80-90 mph (feels like a decade)it's surprisingly taut and solid. (must be a German thing) Ignoring that fact, it actually drove quite well. Not as good as my standard suspension 330i but still pretty fun overall. Steering was tight and precise, car was pretty agile but when you REALLY push it, it gets kind of squirmish. I dont have the same confidence going into a turn as i would in the 330i. Overall though i was still impressed. It reminded me of a G35. The brakes were horrible! Is it me or does the 330i have the strongest brakes you could possibly put on a car? Every other car i drive feels like it has terrible brakes after i drive the 330i.

Interior: ehh blah, not really impressive. Cheap aluminum and materials were so/so. I expected better from mercedes. Seats were more comfortable than my seats though but that was prob b/c they were the sport seats. I regret not getting sport package. Little info display in dash gives much more information than ours does. It even has digital speed read out which i wish we had. Climate/audio controls typical mercedes-more complicated than a space shuttle.

Overall not bad at all, I never did like mercedes because the steering on their cars was always too mushy for me. Thats why i never even bothered to drive the C class. I had never driven a sport package before but wow-world of difference-I mean it still wasnt as good as a 3 series with standard susp. but it was surprisingly close. Good combo of luxury and sport. i can only imagine what a C350 sport must be like. Should of test drove it. Now im kinda upset. Is the driving difference and feel between the standard 330i and 330 sport as big of a gap as ive noticed between c class's suspension offerings? I always thought bmw made their standard cars really sporty enough and the sport package just added a little bit extra. Now im concerned and i feel like im missing out.

[David328M-Sport]

My wife has the C180 Kompressor (supercharged) with timber interior trim. Very nice luxury car, the supercharger helps the car along.

The E90 brakes are among the very best systems available, a big selling point of the car, prior to its release.

[bavarian19]

While I dont need a car with tons of HP, the A4 and C class that use the turbo 1.8T (and I guess the new 2.0T) just feel terribly slow. I dont get how those car manufacturers sell cars that can price up to 40k (MB even higher), and have what seems like lawnmower engines in them...

The 325 is light and responsive... Why cant either of those auto manufacturer's offer something better even if it is their lowest model???

[canucklion]

the 2.0T is pretty tunable, chip it and you get mad increases in hp and tq, but yeah, outta the box, they're nothing to write home about.

Hey agent, does your mom own a Benz, hence the Benz loaner?

[Nikki]

It's so outdated looking and if you ever drive one in a stick you'll want to kill yourself. And I agree with you about the e90 brakes, you have to be careful not to jam them even if you're trying to stop real fast because the person behind you will plow into you.

[Jay_328]

Just one question, why didn't you test drive a 330 SP before you bought your car? My first Bimmer had SP, second one did not. I learned my lesson so you bet your a$$ my current one has it. People buy the non-sport for their own personal reasons, but I'd never buy another BMW without SP. That's just me!

[Gearcraft]

i dont know about the new ones but i drove my friend's sister's old C-230 and it felt like a tin can. i think it has about the same age as my mom's 98 S-320 which is smooth. i also noticed that there's so many buttons on that C-230's dash while the S-320's controls are so simple and almost a no-brainer.

my neighbor's relative has a new C-class with 18" wheels and huge brakes with perforated rotors which really look nice. so i sont really get why the brakes arent as powerful as i think it should be. or do they have different brakes for each variation of C-class?

[alpinewhite3]

Originally Posted by canucklion

the 2.0T is pretty tunable, chip it and you get mad increases in hp and tq, but yeah, outta the box, they're nothing to write home about.

Hey agent, does your mom own a Benz, hence the Benz loaner?

hey, yeah she has that new ml350...9,000 miles and the electronic malfunctions have begun...She actually left the X5 for it b/c the X5 was a nightmare...so many engine problems.

[alpinewhite3]

Originally Posted by Jay_325Ci

Just one question, why didn't you test drive a 330 SP before you bought your car? My first Bimmer had SP, second one did not. I learned my lesson so you bet your a$$ my current one has it. People buy the non-sport for their own personal reasons, but I'd never buy another BMW without SP. That's just me!

See, I really never even thank twice about sport package until i came to this forum. Before this i had the e46 non sport but i was never on any forums or anything. I loved how that car drove, it was perfect. I had always associated sport package w/ really stiff, bumpy suspension, uncomfortable for passengers, ( i drive in nyc a lot) hassle of changing tires after 15k, and absolutely being undrivable in snow. My e46 with all seasons was absolutely fine in the snow. And i figured it would drive only a bit better so it wouldnt be worth it. So i ordered the e90 w/out and i came to this board and started reading about the wonders of the "sport package" but then it was too late, so i stopped thinkin about it. Now, after driving the C class sport and seeing how much better the car becomes, if the 3 series sport adds that much extra to the driving experience over standard susp, im totally willing to overlook all those negatives. Oh well its a lease and next time ill definately drive the sport before i make my decision.

[blke90man]

Originally Posted by agent0986

Interior: ehh blah, not really impressive. Cheap aluminum and materials were so/so. I expected better from mercedes.

It's funny the difference between BMW and Mercedes. It seems as though BMW makes it's bread and butter the 3-series while Merc focuses much more on their bigger, more expensive models...at least as far as quality goes.

[3s-a-charm]

BMW = Sport/Luxury
Mercedes = Luxury/Sport

[just4kickz]

i think in general, both mercedes and bmw have gone down in quality... i mean in the past they used to put alot of precision and styling into things we wouldn't even look twice at... but these days i guess its all about being cost-effective.

[Hammerfang]

haha that cars from rallye, i used to work there over the summers, i didn't think they gave MB loaners to BMW customers, too bad it was an 06 C230 with the 2.5 liter v-6, the 03-05 C230s had the 1.8 liter I-4s and had decent pick-up

[firstkill]

The C class also has MUCH more sound deading than the 3 series. Its a quieter car. For sure doesnt handle as well as a 3 series though.

Coming out of a C class, i really miss the mbz dealer. The dealers in my area offer more perks so if you have to go the dealer its much more comfortable.

C class will be changed this year or next, so its an out going model..... no need to compare it with a 3 series.


`fk

[Pretender]

I haven't seen any better brake than the BMW so far in my driving experiences. Maybe Porsche is the one, but I didn't have chance to try.

[akhbhaat]

Given that few of you have any real track experience, I ought to point out that there's nothing special about the BMW brakes. Some of their brake setups (like that found on the E46 M3) are, in relative terms, actually quite bad.

[Haiko]

Originally Posted by blke90man

It's funny the difference between BMW and Mercedes. It seems as though BMW makes it's bread and butter the 3-series while Merc focuses much more on their bigger, more expensive models...at least as far as quality goes.

I must say...My parents bought the new 2000 S-class when it first came out in 1999, it just turned 6, and we have had no major problems with it at all, however it does have only about 55K miles on it.

[gIzzE]

Originally Posted by David325Australia

The E90 brakes are among the very best systems available, a big selling point of the car, prior to its release.

Is that really the case? I had a 330d touring as a loaner the other day as I was considering getting one and than getting it remapped, and the brakes were terrible compared with my 535d Sport.
I reckon the stopping distance was around 50% more, Jamming them on at 80mph in my car and you feel like you stop in a matter of a couple of seconds, these seemed to take twice as long. I commented on them when I got back as I thought there may have been a problem, but the dealer said that is they way they are.

I am amazed you think they are so good?

[cntlaw]

Originally Posted by agent0986

So my mom got a loaner today and it turned out to be a brand new C230 with the sport package. So naturally having a 330i and having never even considered the C class i took it out for a spin. First off, i would never purchase a red car. Its SO flashy, everyone stares. I can't imagine flying down the highway at 85 in a red car.

Driving impressions: SLOW, god this thing is dog slow. I timed it to 60 and wasnt too surprised when i could only manage 8.9-9.1 seconds. When you finally do reach 80-90 mph (feels like a decade)it's surprisingly taut and solid. (must be a German thing) Ignoring that fact, it actually drove quite well. Not as good as my standard suspension 330i but still pretty fun overall. Steering was tight and precise, car was pretty agile but when you REALLY push it, it gets kind of squirmish. I dont have the same confidence going into a turn as i would in the 330i. Overall though i was still impressed. It reminded me of a G35. The brakes were horrible! Is it me or does the 330i have the strongest brakes you could possibly put on a car? Every other car i drive feels like it has terrible brakes after i drive the 330i.

Interior: ehh blah, not really impressive. Cheap aluminum and materials were so/so. I expected better from mercedes. Seats were more comfortable than my seats though but that was prob b/c they were the sport seats. I regret not getting sport package. Little info display in dash gives much more information than ours does. It even has digital speed read out which i wish we had. Climate/audio controls typical mercedes-more complicated than a space shuttle.

Overall not bad at all, I never did like mercedes because the steering on their cars was always too mushy for me. Thats why i never even bothered to drive the C class. I had never driven a sport package before but wow-world of difference-I mean it still wasnt as good as a 3 series with standard susp. but it was surprisingly close. Good combo of luxury and sport. i can only imagine what a C350 sport must be like. Should of test drove it. Now im kinda upset. Is the driving difference and feel between the standard 330i and 330 sport as big of a gap as ive noticed between c class's suspension offerings? I always thought bmw made their standard cars really sporty enough and the sport package just added a little bit extra. Now im concerned and i feel like im missing out.

Thank you to provide a real life experience of a E90 owner's debut experience of the W203.

You are correct about the new C-class steering which is firm and precise because Direct Control tuning is incorporated.

Based on reviews, the 230 V6 performance data is not as good as the 230 Kompressor; I have driven a 165hp C200K and I would not think a C230 V6 200hp with 7G-tronic tranny is slow. This may be due to it is brand new and under breakin?

About 'seatings comfortness', it has got nothing to do with whether the Benz has sports seats or not. It is 100% nothing to do with the seats. It will take BMW another 500 years to be able to build a car which can be more comfortable than a Mercedes. I think our sore asses agree with that.

[bavarian19]

Originally Posted by canucklion

the 2.0T is pretty tunable, chip it and you get mad increases in hp and tq, but yeah, outta the box, they're nothing to write home about.

Hey agent, does your mom own a Benz, hence the Benz loaner?

So you have to go aftermarket to get any power out of your 40k car? thats pathetic...

[Punamo]

Good write up on the C230. Don't worry about the sport package, the suspension is too different from standard ones. For me it's really about the style 162 wheels, the sport steering, and the seats (holds body slightly better).

[JOYRIIDE1113]

Originally Posted by akhbhaat

Given that few of you have any real track experience, I ought to point out that there's nothing special about the BMW brakes. Some of their brake setups (like that found on the E46 M3) are, in relative terms, actually quite bad.

People here are making comparisons to day-to-day driving. Not track. Many things that work excellent for regular peppy, spirited, hard driving, do not work good on track. Try running regular street tires at the track and see how they last? You gotta run track tires.

The braking aspect people are speaking of is from 80mph-0mph one or two time, where they actually work very very good. Try the same thing in track condition where you tend to brake harder and more often and you experience a ton of brake fade.

I would like to hear which cars, bone stock, come with good brakes suitable for track use?

The M3 you mention is not a out-a-tha-box track car. Although the M3 CSL is quite close. It a car made for quick highway jumps, spirited mountain drives, and peppy city driving.