Short history
Having owned the 1.8 Exec Auto & the 2.4 Tip (A4's), & being exceedingly happy with them, I "upgraded" to the 2.4 Multi. I bought “blind” – did not test drive & paid the price! Couldn’t get used to the lag on pull-away – on my 2.4 it was sometimes downright dangerous when scooting quickly across a busy intersection. I just did not feel safe.

I changed to a BMW 325 step, and all performance issues were much improved – in fact I really can’t fault it. But the interior was positively archaic compared to the Audi’s I had, long-term I did not enjoy the car & so I sold it & lost money again. I'm a sucker for punishment!

Now I've changed cars again, and am getting my Merc C320 tomorrow. Avante Garde, Sports kit, Bi-xenon; Parktronic & Comand DVD Nav.

Having owned a couple of Audi's myself, and still loving the brand (but not prepared to wait for 3 Litre or higher DSG in A-4 shape)I feel I am not overstepping my bounds to post some of my findings in this thread.

* There will be NO photo's
* There will be NO throwing "wild-card comments" in anyone else's thread re Merc vs Audi (not from me anyhow)
* ... and there will be NO other thread on Merc (from me).

It's really not my intention to p!!$$ anyone off ...

Hoping this is in order!

BUT THIS IS AN AUDI FORUM ...............
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Excuse me, I just had to !!!
NO offence intended

I think you should have waited as mMerc is launching C350 with 200KW
big improvement over C320

RGDS

A80-Denis

I for one would like to know from a non bais point how the merc compares to the audi's you have owned...

but that is just me..

I agree with Gregg!

Audi A3 1.8T
ex "BroSpeed" RXi

Denis, the C350 was announced (I think) only a week or two ago, while I had to place my order for the C320 about two months in advance.

Do to certain reasons I can't really cancel at this stage ...

But yeah, you're right - the C350 engine should be a helluva upgrade over the 3.2 which, I believe is a solid performer, is not necessarily one of the very best.

Maybe the next one ..? (If I like this one ...)

Getting the car in a few hours time.

Thanks for your positive response, chaps. I'll still turn around to look at Audi's going past!

Good luck Paul as far as I am concerned any constructive non bias comments are welcome hell the Sport kit on these facelifted C class Mercs is very very appealing. All the best mate.

ive been told that the new C-class is being launched middle of next year though.

the new s-class is being launched this year.

i reckon even though the C320 is a nice car, u gonna loose with the new shape being launched next year.

just my 2c.

cheers for now.
Bryce

Yeah but than all models have a facelift / improvement / new engine / new series every 2 years or so and if it was for fear of that we should not be buying new cars at all.....The strange thing is that a 2 year old A class Merc despite the new model launched is still only 20-25 k down on new list price not bad I recon my A4 Multitronic is down 50k since I bought it 2 years ago.

Thanks Vesco for saying exactly what I have always been thinking. With that kind of logic (and that applies to cellphones, cars, computers etc) no one will ever buy anything, we'll always be waiting for the next upgrade/facelift.

I agree that in certain cases there is a case for waiting maybe a month or so if there is a new model coming out, but most of the time it doesn't make much sense...

Initial impressions, very favourable though I'd rather spend some more time before I comment in too much detail.

A few observations so far:-

* Quality/finishes of a very high standard. Up till now, I couldn't find a single thing wrong with the car.
* The "getting in-and-out of car; kicking-door-lower-side-panel-effect (Sorry - best way I can describe it!). The type of materials used in the Merc here is practical and I can foresee lots of getting-in; getting-out, with - at most, scuff marks from shoes. As I recall, on my 2.4 Multi, the kick-door effect caused the very thin leather to literally TEAR within a few weeks of owning the car! IMHO the quality of finish in the Merc is better than the last Audi I had (but the 2.4 1999 Tip was fine, in this regard).
* I took the Sports Option, and I must say this works especially well with the Avante Garde finish. The car has a lot of sporty appeal, yet refrain from that “elbow-out-of-the-window” look – it still looks elegant rather than flashy.
* Although you can clearly feel the effect of the lowered sports suspension on the road (i.e. bumps you drive over are easier to “feel”) it is not too much so, that one might have the feeling that you’ve traded a lot of comfort – the ride is still extremely comfortable though obviously not quite as comfortable as I suppose a standard suspension would have been. For a measly R12500, you cannot NOT take this option! It really is amazing value.

Anyhow, I’ll update you chaps (on this ONE thread only!) now & again. For now, I’m one very happy camper. Amongst other, I’m also a teacher. I got the car in the morning, and just happened to drive into the school premises breaktime (really, hey! That was not on purpose!!!). Anyhow, it was a very nice feeling to see all those young faces staring after the car in the rear view mirror. LOL boys will still be boys, I suppose (and I’m not referring to the schoolkids here …)

Hey Paul,
nice to hear you are happy with your new car.
All the best in future and who said that teachers driveing new C320's were badly paid Kidding

Thanks, Vesco

Teachers ARE badly paid ... it's the moonlighting that pays for the Merc!

Something else I feel I should say at this stage:- I can honestly say that, driving this Merc, I do not feel that I've "compromised" in any way. Look, I loved (and still do) the Audi brand, but not in a "all or nothing" kind of way.

Roadholding, performance and quality is absolutely excellent.

I'm just trying to figure out whether the Comand DVD Sat Nav option automatically gives me cell-phone connectivity via bluetooth. Bluetooth is supported, but I don't know what level of functionality (if any) I can get this way.

Oh yes! And it looks as though I'll be able to plug in a iPOD mp3 player into the Aux input in the glovebox dept - apparently, with the radio input set to AUX, you can actually see the titles displayed on the LCD screen ... if this indeed works, it'll be damn nice!

A few things I'm still getting used to, or which I don't like that much:-
* The foot-pedal type of handbrake takes some getting used to - I'm not too fond of this implementation!
* You have to look at an angle into the rear-view mirror to see the parktronic indications at the back. Maybe, if the mirror was a bit bigger, or could cover a wider area (ie the whole of the rear mirror as well as the few cm's above where the parktronic indicator is located) - maybe then it will work a bit better. Anyway, I've been told that the parktronic is "fantastic" & I don't think so; although maybe I should just get used to it 1st!
* Although the car has excellent road-manners; corners very well, accelerates very well etc, the car still "feel" somewhat on the heavy side. I cannot recall the 2.4 Tip A4 being better in this regard (don't think so); but the BMW 325 certainly did feel better in this area. (subjectively).
* Maybe because the car is heavy, if you park steeply downhill & you have to reverse, the engine without revving it does not hold the car still - it'll move forward unless you apply a fair bit of pressure on the petrol pedal. So now you have to juggle the foot-type handbrake in order not to let the car move forward - this takes getting used to and I feel certain both the Audi and the BMW I used to own did not handle in this way. Though once again, these are my subjective feelings.

I find it interesting that people suffer from huge lag on the multitronic and wonder if this is not software related or a common problem or related to the engine size.

I have an A4 cab 3.0l multitron and really don't find the lag to be a problem.

My other car is an RS2 Avant manual, and to be frank it has way more lag (because of the large turbo) and take offs can be equally heart-stopping unless you rev the car quite hard before lifting off the clutch (in which case it behaves completely differently and launches like a rocket).

Although I have never found it necessary, what you can do with the multitronic (eg. on hill starts) is to plant your left foot on the brake and right one on the accelerator and accelerate gently whilst lifting off the brake. This will cause the same effect as accelerating harder on a manual when lifting off the clutch... ie, faster take-off.

Interesting idea re the multi, however the issue with mine is that if I try this the computer overrides me by limiting revs and disengaging the transmission (feels like a jackrabbit effect, even though you're not moving forward). It's not even as if this is a full throttle start, gentle throttle does it too. Pity that such an advanced transmission gives basic, niggly issues like this, the rest of the car is great!

Chaps, this will probably be my "second to last" post on this thread RE this topic.

I've lived with my C320 for more than two weeks now. I haven't done any long distance travelling yet - I plan that for March, and will then post my last response RE the C320.

Fair to compare to my previous Audis? A4 2.4 Tip and A4 2.4 Multi:-

As far as ride quality is concerned:-
I'd say yes - here they should/could be considered to be in the same class, that is - fair to compare. And the Merc (with sports kit) is just better, in my personal opinion.

As far as interior is concerned:
I'd say yes - fair to compare. And, Merc is better quality here. Especially the side bottom door trimmings (my A4 Multi's leather was torn within two weeks of me owning it).

Outer appearances
On par, as far as I'm concerned. Hey, no - maybe I still prefer the Audi here - though please take a look at the facelift Merc with sports kit - it is a beautiful car in it's own right.

Performance
Not fair to compare 2.4 vs 3.2 litre. I'm VERY happy with the performance but I've never driven a 3 Litre Audi so I wouldn't know. But I have to say the C320's Auto box is extremely smooth & responsive.

Summary:
In my humble opinion, right now the Merc is the best option, if I have to choose between facelift Merc and B6 Audi. Quality is better; Ride quality is better; Trade-in values are better.

I'm not saying the above in a "stick-my-tongue-out" way! I still think the Audi is a beautiful car. But right now I'm driving the Merc and I can tell you okes that my allover positve experience of the car is higher than what I've had with Audi. Sorry but that's the truth.

Am not trying to rattle anyone's cage here - bottom line is: for me, right now, Merc rules.

As promised, I'll just add one more post to this thread (except if a response to someone else's post.

plcomp, I am really glad you like your car but I think for fairness sake, you need to drive a B7 3.2 (or even a B6 3.0 quattro), a 330i or a Volvo S40 T5 to be sure you bought the right car. As you said it is not really fair comparing a 3.2 litre Merc to a 2.4 litre Audi. And then there is that little human error that we always prefer the car we drive

Gandalf, the B7 3.2, to my knowledge, is only being released now, while I ordered the C320 two months ago. Also, it'll have to be specifically the B7 A4 3.2L DSG, because I'd want Auto and don't like Multi.

At the time of me buying/ordering the Merc the closest Audi equivalent was the 3 Litre Quattro, because that was the only Tip still available in A4. I did consider it, but decided against it because I thought (still do) that the Merc offers more long-term value, especially where t/in is concerned. Also, the memory of my 2.4 Multi, which door-panel leather tore after a few kicks, was still fresh in my mind. I find the Merc's trim to be of a higher quality.

The B7 is almost a brand new design - far more than just a facelift, while the C320 has been around for a number of years. The mid-life facelift was subtle and truly just a facelift - in the case of the Audi I think almost all the panels in the car was changed (as I recall from one article).

So all things considered, I think it was a reasonably fair comparison, except where performance is concerned (2.4 vs 3.2).

But, Gandalf, I hear what you're saying: we all like the cars we drive - and I have now found a new "loyalty"; of course I'll be somewhat subjective.

Bottom line is: At a HUGE financial cost, I have now driven them ALL brand new: Audi (x3 of them); BMW (x1 325 Step) and now the Merc. Due to certain reasons I HAVE to keep this one for a year minimum ... But right now, based on my experience of the above cars, I'd probably buy a Merc again.

Thanks for your input - and plse enjoy your car(s)! The Audi remains a beautiful car no matter what I say.

Hey Paul,
don't forget you post in the Audi Forum therefor correct your last line to ""...Audi remains the best car no matter what..."
only kidding glad to see you like your new car and yes what's with the plastics in the B6 A4 cabin the things just peel off after a year or so....hell small price to pay for driving the Vorsprung durch Technic ;-)perhaps after the DSG and the new 40/60 Quattro drive the engineers will spend some Euros on the quality of plastics / trim.

Hi all

Finally had the opportunity to test the Merc on the open road to CT.

All I can say is: I am very happy, road holding excellent, performance excellent, quality excellent

I really have absolutely no idea of how this car will measure up to the latest Audi's. But it will have to be a 3 or 3.2 Litre A4 DSG to be worthwhile comparing, IMHO because I don't like Multi.

Will I buy Merc again? Yes - definately. But I would also buy Audi again. (Tip or DSG).

Bottom line is: The Merc, in latest C-class shape, is very definately not the "old-man's car" of yesteryear any more. It is a car well worth considering, and could very well for many buyers be a better choice (depending on what you want)

And - enjoy your cars! Audi remains a formidable car!