[BMWUltimateDriv3r]

Anybody gonna check it out when it gets here?

Also, on a side note, the TLX is also getting rave reviews.

[Cyberdemon]

It is a sweet looking thing, and the interior looks like it's going to easily best every car in the class.

I still hate the floaty Ipad on a stick nav screen when everything else is so nicely integrated, the lack of a MT option, but I wouldn't scorn anyone who went that route.

BMW may need to pick up their LCI game and make the leather wrapped dash standard, although BMW has never been on top of the interior world. My Acura had a more posh interior than the 335 but the 335 makes up for it with a perfect driving position, better seat and Nav system that wasn't from 2002.

[34.50]

I do want to check out the successor to the C63 AMG (probably still retains the 63 moniker), and cross shopping it to the M4. The new C class looks really nice exterior, and it really is a baby S-class (not a bad thing, at least for the C class). The interior is really nice also, except the nav. screen. It would be nice if it retracted into the dash, but it makes the interior look really cheap just being tacked on.

I'm interested to see BMW's response to the C450. I also am curious to see what Audi does with the next gen. S4, and just hope they bring the RS4 back in the US. They have currently nothing that competes with the C63 or M3. They have an RS5, which goes up against the C63 coupe and M4, so I can't imagine it'd be hard for them to bring back the RS4 in the US.

[BMWUltimateDriv3r]

You guys do realize the f30 also has a "tack on" nav screen right?

[ft1330]

It doesn't look too different than the outgoing model. They even kept the same old V6 engine. I don't see how this car will be any different than the old one. Not to say it's a bad car, it's a MB. Depends what you're into.

[ZilberGrau ZHP]

It looks nice - the 4 looks FANTASTIC and will age very sell and look good for a long time

[M3WC]

Originally Posted by ft1330

It doesn't look too different than the outgoing model. They even kept the same old V6 engine. I don't see how this car will be any different than the old one. Not to say it's a bad car, it's a MB. Depends what you're into.

Ummm...the C400 has a new Twin Turbo V6 with 329hp and 354tq. Weights are also across the board nearly identical to the F30 range, in some cases lighter.

The interior is light years better than the last and fit/finish/materials easily best in the segment.

[OC40]

I have a sincere hatred of Mercedes. Give the TLX a go.

[MickAv8r]

Originally Posted by ft1330

It doesn't look too different than the outgoing model.

??? Id say its as different as the F30 is to the E90






I'm definitely gonna check them out when they hit the showrooms. The focus on this car is luxury and it looks like the interior is going to put the F30 to shame. That said I'm not expecting the driving dynamics to even approach BMW's.

It will be a great luxury sedan, but not a sports sedan. I can see the lux line buyers jumping ship for this for sure. Can't wait to see the C63 as well though.

[BMWUltimateDriv3r]

Originally Posted by OC40

I have a sincere hatred of Mercedes. Give the TLX a go.

May I ask why?

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by MickAv8r

??? Id say its as different as the F30 is to the E90






I'm definitely gonna check them out when they hit the showrooms. The focus on this car is luxury and it looks like the interior is going to put the F30 to shame. That said I'm not expecting the driving dynamics to even approach BMW's.

It will be a great luxury sedan, but not a sports sedan. I can see the lux line buyers jumping ship for this for sure. Can't wait to see the C63 as well though.

Bingo. The new C is a mini S Class. Solely luxury. Mercedes is no longer positioning the C to compete with the 3 Series. As I've said previously, Mercedes is moving back to what they were when Lexus first started to compete with them and Lexus is attempting to move more toward trying to compete with BMW. It's kind of an odd situation for both of them.

The interior of the new C is mostly fabulously gorgeous and nothing like what I want the interior of my car to look like.

[chipotle_napkins]

The new C Class just isn't my taste... the rear looks funny and the interior is wrecking my OCD. Just my opinion

[Vegetable]

The new C class wouldn't even be on my radar.. It does seem to posses some of the S class's lines, but it doesn't work as well in the much smaller body style.

[chylld]

I'm sure it'll be a great car, but I'm not interested in the brand. Not at that stage of my life yet

[M3WC]

Autoblog:

One commendable part of the C-Class experience is its Direct Steer system, a speed-sensitive assist design that incorporates a variable ratio depending on steering input. Unlike some other adaptive systems, the C-Class' setup never feels overly synthetic or lacking in feedback. Sure, you can tell that there's something sort of mechanical and unnatural happening, but it's not intrusive. In fact, we'd go so far to say that the C has some of the crispest, most rewarding steering in the class. Anyone who came away disappointed by the electronic power-assisted helm in the BMW 3 Series would do well to try this setup.

[n55x3]

Same AB Article:

"The new C-Class is not a sport sedan but it is an exceptionally sporty luxury sedan when it bares its teeth." Even subtly retuned for US audiences, he speaks the truth. We'll add that as a whole, the 3 Series probably does the sport thing a little better on those rare occasions where it's really hustled, but the C-Class is still plenty of fun on a good road, and it's easily preferable in daily driving. "

I don't think we'll see an C400's putting up better lap times than a properly equipped 335i.

[munch520]

Crappy trans, the rear looks awful, and I hate the interiors appearance, regardless of how plush the materials are.

Yeah, yeah I know our screen sticks up from the dash too, but at least the 3 series flows and has a consistent design to. That screen in the benz looks like it's a sloppy aftermarket addition IMO. It's that bad.

[chylld]

I bought my 4gc as a daily driver, so the article would suggest that the new C is better for me. However:



Sorry. To me, the new C looks like a potato.

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by ft1330

They even kept the same old V6 engine.

No they didn't, it's a brand new twin turbocharged engine.

[RoundelM3]

Nice to see the wannabe brands moving up in the world, but different cars for different tastes. I'm not compelled to crave the latest-and-greatest gadget, preferring brand loyalty over novelty. I'm sure they're great cars for some folks, just not for me. Personally, what sets BMW apart from the rest for me is the inline-6 engine; all the others have V6, which isn't an inherently smooth engine in either 60- or 90-degree iterations. Merc's trans is still way behind current offerings from other manufacturers, and the TLX is, well, another Honda - which is not to denigrate it, but it's not and never will be a BMW.

[S4NoMore]

Originally Posted by BMWUltimateDriv3r

You guys do realize the f30 also has a "tack on" nav screen right?

False.

Look at the C-class interior, then imagine it without the display screen. Everything would look completely normal, because the dash is a simple design and the screen is "tacked on" in front of it, floating in space.

Now think of the F30 interior, and imagine it without the display screen. There would be a big open gap, and the dash would wrap around this empty gap as it flows from the instrument cluster down over the trim before ending up below the passenger vent.

The iDrive display is an integral part of the interior design and the flow of the dashboard in the F30. It can't be removed with a simple redesign of the dash, like with the E90 double bubble vs. straight-shot above the trim.

I think it's a shame that a lot of people call the F30's iDrive screen "tacked on," failing to see the design for what it is.

Oh and as for the exterior - yuck. It's all about the Hofmeister kink the C-class design pales in comparison to the F30.

[chylld]

the f3x nav screen is still tacked on; it just happens to be tacked on to an empty gap. it looks far from built-in, and i've lost count of the number of times i've been asked "does the screen fold away?"

i don't mind it at all tho