MERCEDES CHAT - Sponsored by CHRIS KNOTT INSURANCE Thread starter wemorgan Start date Apr 1, 2013 The 18” wheels ride over the broken up and potholed roads much better than I expected them to. Hardly much worse than the 16” on my Civic. The steering feels nicely weighted, but not too heavy. The steering wheel self-centres quite slowly, which is quite different to other Mercedes I’ve driven. It’s quite nice to be involved throughout the whole steering process. The car takes quick corners with little body roll, but with minimal feel through the steering wheel it would be hard for me to judge the limit, so I doubt I’ll try much harder. The brakes are nice and progressive making it smooth to move in stop-start traffic and also giving confidence when braking from higher speeds. With the roof up the car is every bit the coupe it looks like. There’s minimal wind noise even at motorway speed. However the rear tyre noise at motorway speed becomes more noticeable due to the near silent engine. I suspect there are also quieter options available to the current 245/45/18 Bridgestone Potenza RE050. But relative to previous convertibles the cabin noise is well insulated and a very comfortable place to be. The stereo sounds quite basic but not budget, just inline with entry level Audi and Honda I’ve driven. Roof down there is quite a bit of wind blowing on to my face and down on to my legs. I am 6’2” though and rather annoyingly the fabric wind deflector was not present, which may reduce this affect. The stereo sound quality doesn’t drop off my much, which was impressive. The 250CDI engine is the quietest 4 cylinder diesel on idle I’ve heard so far. At higher revs it gives off a decent diesel noise, but definitely not as nice as a petrol engine would. At motorway speed the engine is very quiet indeed ie. 1400rpm at 60mph. Stop-start makes the engine silent when stationary. The engine is one of the highlights of the car so far. The last automatic I drove was my W208 CLK, so it’s been a while. This 7-sp feels excellent. Smooth, natural and intuitive. After 600 miles I’ve averaged 48mpg (49 mpg indicated). On a long motorway run I average 55mpg. On my daily commute of 80% motorway 20% B-roads I get 50mpg. Along hilly country lanes gives 40mpg. I’d like a bit more when motorway cruising, but it’s near enough for me to be happy. The car has lots of ways of displaying the economy. Only the trip average makes sense to me. The instantaneous average only goes up to 40mpg, which is quite an oversight since this is a +55mpg car. The 1 minute rolling mpg average has a scale up to 80mpg yet never shows over 50mpg despite me averaging 55mpg on the motorway (according to trip average) It has more than enough for UK roads. 204bhp/500Nm offers ample mid-range acceleration. The book says 0-62mph in 6.7s, it feels every bit that, if not more. The interior is simply but nicely layout. The switches look and feel high quality. Buttons, dials and screen interfaces feel logical and well laid out. The seats are nice and low but still gives excellent visibility front and rear, though the steering wheel is slightly offset which distracted slightly at first. The speed and rpm dials look too hot hatch-esque for my taste. I much prefer the W211 style. The seats can be adjusted like most other cars, but even though they are Sport seats there is no lumbar adjustment, pity. Despite this they are still comfortable on long journeys.

There is no full automatic mode for the climate control – you need to manually adjust the fan speed. Boot space with the roof down is still quite decent, though the access hole is restricted allowing only small/medium soft bags to be taken out. Heated seats have made the car a very decent all season convertible. They’re highly recommended. However I’m yet to feel or understand the full benefits of Airscarf. If it’s a cold day I wear a coat with a collar, so I don’t feel the hot air against my neck. If it’s warm enough to not wear a coat I don’t really need Airscarf. Maybe this feature is more about the clothes you choose to wear? It’s not until you wash the car that I realised quite how big it is. The bonnet and doors feel especially large, it’s also quite wide. Despite not selecting the panoramic roof, it has the panoramic roof but with a solid headlining. This should be a nice mod for the 2nd owner. The engine and gearbox are a great combination The performance and economy balance All season usability The style of the interior The low running costs The manual book makes the simple, complex. It also doesn’t state what functions are standard and what’s optional, so you end up reading unnecessary items. The roof only retracts if the boot interior cover is closed. So even if the boot is empty the roof may not retract. You have to get out of the car, open the boot, close the cover, then get back in the car and try again. That doesn’t feel Mercedes like to me. The front bumper fascia is a very fussy design, plus the large Mercedes emblem looks and feels cheap. Rear tyre noise Orb the Impaler Orb the Impaler Orb the Impaler MERCEDES CHAT - Sponsored by CHRIS KNOTT INSURANCE This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Accept Learn more…