[Dr.AD]

Awesome review! Very detailed with lot of good information. And an awesome car too! Congratulations!

Originally Posted by Arnav612

Points to loathe:
-Space saver spare tyre strapped onto the boot floor makes it a gamble between a spare wheel or an extra suitcase.

Welcome to this club :-) I have a 2017 BMW 320d and I have this exact point to say under what I hate in my car. This is a common problem with these sedans.

My C Class wears 225/50 R17 Bridgestone Turanza rubber . Shame that we couldn’t get the 16 inch wheels that would improve ride quality by leaps and bounds.
...

In June 2019 on a dark road on one of the branches of the Western Express Highway, unable to spot a sharp bump and the car sped over it at about 80 kmph, causing a cut on the rim of the RFT. These RFTs really gave us a taste of how much of a pain they were, so fragile and then so expensive to replace. We chose to go with the same Bridgestone Turanza from Saifee Tyres- for which we paid 17,500 INR.

My car has the same 225/50/R17 size, and came with the same Bridgestone Turanza RFTs. I later changed those to Michelin Primacy 3 ZPs (which are also RFTs; ZP = RFT in Michelin speak) and those are way better.

What is more interesting and relevant here, is that those tyres have MOE mark. MOE = Mercedes Original Equipment. Mercedes started using these Michelin ZPs before BMW, although now even BMW uses the same.

In summary, the Michelin ZPs are way better than the Bridgestone Turaznas, are anyways OEM on Mercedes cars by now, and come in the exact same size you mentioned. Next time you change your tyres, I would recommend you try those.

[Aditya]

Exceptional, unbiased & detailed reviews of cars that don't have an official review have started going to our homepage reviews box. It's the ultimate stamp of trust from Team-BHP (as a platform) because lakhs of visitors every month check out reviews from there & make purchase decisions.

Your review has also gone here. Thank you so much for sharing .

[Arnav612]

Originally Posted by GTO

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Reviews section. Thanks for sharing!

Detailed like an Official Review! What a way to start off your Team-BHP innings. Going to our homepage today .

Thank you so so much! An honour to have my first review up there

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Awesome review! Very detailed with lot of good information. And an awesome car too! Congratulations!

Thank you so much !
.

What is more interesting and relevant here, is that those tyres have MOE mark. MOE = Mercedes Original Equipment. Mercedes started using these Michelin ZPs before BMW, although now even BMW uses the same.

In summary, the Michelin ZPs are way better than the Bridgestone Turaznas, are anyways OEM on Mercedes cars by now, and come in the exact same size you mentioned. Next time you change your tyres, I would recommend you try those.

What would be the cost of the set ? Mercedes has surprisingly moved to continentals from bridgestone, maybe because it's more cost effective- each tyre is approx. 5 thousand cheaper than Turanzas.

Originally Posted by Aditya

Exceptional, unbiased & detailed reviews of cars that don't have an official review have started going to our homepage reviews box. It's the ultimate stamp of trust from Team-BHP (as a platform) because lakhs of visitors every month check out reviews from there & make purchase decisions.

Your review has also gone here. Thank you so much for sharing .

Attachment 2166084

Oh goodness! Didn't see such an honour coming in so soon . Thank you so so much, looking forward to contributing much more here.

[Vasanth]

A brilliant review and thread on team bhp to start my day with.
That’s a very detailed review of your C class Mr Arnav
We own a Mercedes CLA 200 CDI - 2016. Now clocked 51,xxx km.
Now you have motivated me to write review on our car.
That could be the lowest mileage car I’ve seen. IMHO, cars like C class are meant for long road trips with no destination in sight.

Well. Yes. Mercedes nails it with their design.

Like you said, indian spec Mercs are lacking way more features.
We too have had few niggles. When I mean ‘few’ it’s only the ABS sensor which goes wrong every year. Have you ever had this problem ?
Indian cars are even lacking Front cooled/heated seats. Seriously?
But the droolworthy design makes me forget all the flaws about it.
Attaching a picture of our CLA :


Keep cruising. (Not revving)
Because Mercedes cars are meant for wafting on the highway with dignity and elegance.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by Arnav612

What would be the cost of the set ? Mercedes has surprisingly moved to continentals from bridgestone, maybe because it's more cost effective- each tyre is approx. 5 thousand cheaper than Turanzas.

I purchased my Michelin P3 ZPs in October 2019, and that time, the cost was about Rs. 16,500 per tyre.

I do not know the current cost or the availability situation. Availability of Michelin tyres is a big challenge at these times. However, I hope (and have heard some encouraging news) that the situation may be sorted out soon and Michelin tyres will be available soon again.

[Arnav612]

Originally Posted by Vasanth

A brilliant review and thread on team bhp to start my day with.
That’s a very detailed review of your C class Mr Arnav
We own a Mercedes CLA 200 CDI - 2016. Now clocked 51,xxx km.
Now you have motivated me to write review on our car.
That could be the lowest mileage car I’ve seen. IMHO, cars like C class are meant for long road trips with no destination in sight.

Well. Yes. Mercedes nails it with their design.

Like you said, indian spec Mercs are lacking way more features.
We too have had few niggles. When I mean ‘few’ it’s only the ABS sensor which goes wrong every year. Have you ever had this problem ?
Indian cars are even lacking Front cooled/heated seats. Seriously?
But the droolworthy design makes me forget all the flaws about it.
Attaching a picture of our CLA :
Attachment 2166131

Keep cruising. (Not revving)
Because Mercedes cars are meant for wafting on the highway with dignity and elegance.

Hey Vasanth, thanks alot. Glad you liked the review, and yes I'll be waiting to read about your CLA too. ABS sensor alert has been reported by dime a dozen owners I know, however touchwood I haven't experienced one yet.

Correct, Indian specs do miss out on alot of features. The only consolation might be that it's to keep prices in control given our crazy taxation system on these products, and you never know what bigger things they'll compromise only to deliver those features while keeping costs in control. Probably, they know their priorities, but yes those features all add to the experience.

The CLA looks like it was made to be in red! That and the black interiors are droolworthy. I've reportedly heard that the Diesel is on the more sluggish side by someone close who took a test drive of the same variant as yours, would like some enlightenment on that.

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

I purchased my Michelin P3 ZPs in October 2019, and that time, the cost was about Rs. 16,500 per tyre.

I do not know the current cost or the availability situation. Availability of Michelin tyres is a big challenge at these times. However, I hope (and have heard some encouraging news) that the situation may be sorted out soon and Michelin tyres will be available soon again.

That's not bad at all. I don't see a tyre replacement coming soon given the low mileage of the car, hopefully by when it's required we'll go for these. Thanks !

[the_real_slager]

Superb review. I own a 2017 W205 C300 petrol coupe and it is amazing to see how well you have covered all the points.

The 2.0L petrol is a gem of an Engine and i love the sport+ mode a lot in the twisties and sometimes even on highways.

One thing i felt about the comfort mode was that it takes a second or two to downshift on aggressive accelerator inputs. Did you notice it too?

Regards,
Kiron

[Arnav612]

Originally Posted by the_real_slager

Superb review. I own a 2017 W205 C300 petrol coupe and it is amazing to see how well you have covered all the points.

The 2.0L petrol is a gem of an Engine and i love the sport+ mode a lot in the twisties and sometimes even on highways.

One thing i felt about the comfort mode was that it takes a second or two to downshift on aggressive accelerator inputs. Did you notice it too?

Regards,
Kiron

Hi Kiron. Glad you liked the review. The C Class Coupe I feel looks the most balanced in dimension unlike the SUV Coupes Merc has been trying off late. Would love to see a few photos of your car !

And yes, as I mentioned in the review, the gearbox does get a little hesitant on kickdown inputs, but that's a fraction. Once it settles in it adapts pretty well.

[the_real_slager]

Originally Posted by Arnav612

Hi Kiron. Glad you liked the review. The C Class Coupe I feel looks the most balanced in dimension unlike the SUV Coupes Merc has been trying off late. Would love to see a few photos of your car !

And yes, as I mentioned in the review, the gearbox does get a little hesitant on kickdown inputs, but that's a fraction. Once it settles in it adapts pretty well.

True that, i really love the profile of the car and it turns heads every time even now. The W205 design is really timeless as per me.

Here are a few pictures of the car.

[Arnav612]

Originally Posted by the_real_slager

True that, i really love the profile of the car and it turns heads every time even now. The W205 design is really timeless as per me.

Here are a few pictures of the car.

Oooh this is HOT! The black wheels are really doing their job ! Wish they had better wheels for the 205 here in India. Pretty sure this has all the bells and whistles, Burmesters, memory seats etc? Also, have you driven the W205 we have here in India? Would love to know the differences even though the engine is the same.

[the_real_slager]

Originally Posted by Arnav612

Oooh this is HOT! The black wheels are really doing their job ! Wish they had better wheels for the 205 here in India. Pretty sure this has all the bells and whistles, Burmesters, memory seats etc? Also, have you driven the W205 we have here in India? Would love to know the differences even though the engine is the same.

No Man, i got her pre-worshipped a while back and the previous owner skimped on the sound system and memory seats . I really miss a good sound system. My other ride is an A3 hatchback with Bose sound system and it is a different level. When i was looking for the car, the 245 hp engine(most important) and the amg line looks blew me away and also it was a low mileage example and hence went for the compromise.

And no, i have not driven any W205s in India but i would love to try and see how same/different it is compared to mine.

Regards,
Kiron

[kamilharis]

Superb review Arnab. One of the best and most detailed review of a Merc on t-bhp.

No car can match Mercedes w.r.t the design and quality of the interiors. W205/V213/W22 series of Mercedes cars still looks modern and elegant. These cars will go down into history matching the legacy of W214 in terms of its timeless design.

Keep us updated with more details of its maintenance and expenses (hope nothing comes ). It will help someone like me who is living with a dream of owning a 3 pointed star.

[aakashk8300]

Super detailed review, Arnav!

Was a superb read, it's so crazy to see how much the W205 grew from the W204 and now the W206 will overtake it!

From one C to another!

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by Arnav612

What would be the cost of the set ? Mercedes has surprisingly moved to continentals from bridgestone, maybe because it's more cost effective- each tyre is approx. 5 thousand cheaper than Turanzas.

Globally, Mercedes is known to source German make Continentals as OEM. Personally, would prefer Michelin/Pirelli over Continental. Although I have observed the ContiSport on my W212 are super silent on tarmac and give a balanced handling/braking; Value for Money I would say.

[sharan181]

Wow, What a detailed review Arnav612! Surprised to see that maintaining a Mercedes is actually affordable enough, who knew, this is sure the reason why I read ownership reviews and I’m really glad to see such a beauty on here.

Also, why Bridgestone turanzas? Why not Michelin’s? Wish they’d given a spare alloy rather than “safety spare” rims.

Cheers bro! Looking forward for more.