My Mercedes W204 is gone and I miss it already! Welcome the new daily!
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- Опубликовано: 7 окт 2024
- For the last few years my S204 Mercedes C250 has been the perfect daily and I was going to keep it until it broke, but the expanding Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) meant it had t go, but what could fill those ideal shoes?
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Unfortunate that you had to sell a perfectly decent car, just shows the whole thing is a total sham. I can't believe your old merc didn't have cruise! New car is smart as, the interior looks a stunning place to be.
Recently bought an Audi A5 with a 7 speed DSG box, couldn't go back to a manual now. It changes gear in a split second and the computer always seems to choose the right gear for the situation. Very impressive.
A manual Merc is the kiss of death on any forecourt.
I wouldn’t entertain ever buying one.
Mercs have lovely auto boxes
a lovely auto is still a poor second. You forget Ive just P/Xd a manual C250 so know exactly what the manual is like, and its fine
Matt, since going auto with my hybrid, I've never looked back. It's the perfect car for heavy traffic where you don't want to be constantly changing gears.
I do lanes more than traffic so it'll be hated more than loved
Thank you for the mention, sir! Interesting that two years after driving my mother's S205, you actually ended up buying one.
I sympathise. Being in Australia these days, I had spent many years putting up with automatics because the only manuals were tin boxes. I had an auto Rover SD1 3500. Then the eldest boy turned 17 and I bought a little manual Ford Laser (Rebadged Mazda 323) because if you learn and pass a test here, you get an auto licence. When I picked that car up, I couldn't believe how much I liked driving it. Left that SD1 for dead for shits and giggles (as they say). Recent autos are efficient - but "where is the fun in that?". At least it isn't an SUV! Good onya.
Hi Matt, nice new ‘wheels’, however going the manual route is becoming increasingly difficult.. the combination of increased auto demand, emissions and reduced manufacturing complexity will result in less power train choice. Not more! Simply put, you’ll be hard pressed to get all the things you want without going for a much older car and then you’re back to the ULEZ problem…. I’ve had countless autos for the last 10 years and I still enjoy a manual… until I get stuck in traffic… stick with it, seems a good car and you can upgrade to CarPlay with the aftermarket.
Totally agree some makes have virtually no manual options such as Toyota
If it was up to me, I wouldnt have gone to a manual after selling my E89 Z4 but swmbo will not drive an auto. The one specification Id insist on is the auto MUST have flappy paddles as these give loads of fun.
Ashame to see the W204 go. A dependable, 100% reliable car is something you get attached to for that reason. Funnily enough older petrols aren't as effective so my father's 20 year old original RS4 is ULEZ compliant which I think is bonkers. Maybe a manual petrol estate that still does good mpg might have still been a decent price and be compliant if such a thing exists.
The ULEZ makes me sick too. I live inside the proposed extended boundaries and I consider myself to live in Essex because it's that rural, it is nothing like central London. I could cross the actual greater London boundary in under 5 mins easy, that's how unlucky I've got with it. My car is only £30 tax and makes very small amounts of co2 but it's not allowed because it's not euro 6. So just getting priced off the roads, crazy to think that during this hard time, it's going to hurt the ordinary people not the stinking rich people who actually could afford to live in London.
those big petrols are thirsty, I found a ULEZ happy Quattroporte but it only did 18MPG!
Absolutely agree with everything said funnily enough my S-Type jag is ulez compliment despite doing 20mpg and having higher emissions than most diesels of the past 15 years just on the virtue its petrol
@@Thanos.m this is just stupid. whoever did this needs to be thrown out of office
@@fritzkuhne2055 we had a chance to vote Sadiq Khan out, but thanks to the muslim voters he got back in
@@curtisj2165 this is also a problem here in germany. the boomers literally gave our country away. now, the folk does not have self-determination anymore. its just a polit- circus, in which different ethnic groups fight for power.
A V70 would be absolutely AMAZING! You can yet a 2016 super low mileage one with all the bells and whistles for under 15k, with a manual gearbox and fancy seats. Food for thought maybe???? Huge Volvo fan and I think it would fit really well with your 740.
Dont tell him its a Mondeo under the shell though.... ;)
Idk, for 15k you're getting into S90/V90 teritory, and while those don't come as manuals, they're far nicer cars than the V70
@@CatBroiler Have to agree with you, that's base model/high miles money for an S90/V90. Has to be some of the best value on a new-ish car.
Would it be ULEZ compliant though?
@@peterriggall8409 Yeah, they're all post 2016 diesels
Also, you can get it to kick down prior to an overtake by holding the right paddle down for a few seconds…. That way you have a bit more control over the gearbox 😉
I think the easiest way to reason with your choice is to remind yourself what the purpose of this car is on the fleet. It's the comfy, no nonsense cruiser. It's the one that, after a long day doing your day job, you can sink back into, will eat up miles with minimal fuss and will let you enjoy the tunes with a cracking system while you do.
If you want a fun, involved drive where you go for a blast to enjoy driving, you have the rest of the Furious fleet for that. Plus, if a car is too capable, you'll be inclined to jump in it more at the expense of the rest of the fleet.
I think you've done a good thing.
My fleet ethos is similar. The modern, predictable Seat Toledo is the worker bee that can be relied on to get me to London and back in a day in comfort with loads of toys and will mile munch with Minimal expense. My Mini is the toy for fun and adventures when time, comfort and actually the need to know you'll get somewhere with out incident are less of a priority
What you described is an E class. The C-class rides stiffer, grumpier and has more road/wind noice than the E class. My fathers W212 E class rides way better than my W205 C250d
I didn't realise they came with wood on the dash, I've only ever seen the piano black plastic and yours looks way better!
ULEZ is nothing to do with air quality and ALL to do with £££
Great video 👍
It is certainly inconsistent. I have a C220 57 reg W204 which is ULEZ compliant, which is essential for me, but newer ones I had checked were not compliant. Mine had no DPF from factory. Odd stuff. I had a 13 reg Audi A1, which had free car tax. There must be a master formula somewhere.
You have made a good choice ! I have just got myself a 2020 C Class coupe. Trust me, you wont regret it ! Such a nice place to be inside ! Enjoy !!
A sad day indeed. I much prefer the looks of your original Merc, a real shame people are being forced to give up perfectly good cars that they love.
I finally relented at the beginning of the month and went for something "modern". PHEV with a DSG box - the Passat GTE. I wasn't sure how I'd get on with it but I have to say I'm really enjoying it. The icing on the cake was the trip down to Cornwall for our hols this week - did the 395 mile journey on a smidge over half a tank - loaded with four people and a boot full of luggage. Impressive.
I understand your love for manual transmissions. All our toys (the e30, e36 and e46 compact) are manuals. In fact I just finished putting in a getrag 6 speed off an E90 325i in my 325ti compact - all that's left is getting the driveshaft shortened and balanced - but our daily drivers are both autos (e39 525d and my wife's '07 730d). While I love driving a manual, when I have lots of stuff to do and lots of km to cover changing gears becomes a chore. And don't even get me started about rush hour and stop and go traffic. Sure, it's not as fun as a manual, but when I have chores to do I don't think about driving - reflex driving is what I do - and an automatic is just more comfortable.
As for the 4x4 thing... In my opinion It's just a waste of fuel... especially on a daily driven sedan/wagon (or estate as you britts call them). I've previously had an F30 325d xdrive and an F31 325d (2wd) - both automatics (ZF 8HP) Despite the F31 (3 series wagon) being larger, it got noticeably better mileage, and had better acceleration. The 4 wheel drive system adds significant weight to a car and robs the engine of torque, and while 4x4 might be required for effective acceleration in cars that make big power, it's more of a nuisance for cars with smaller engines. Another thing is the 325d xdrive tended to understeer a lot when I wanted to drive more aggressively, and it was quite noticeable in the wet.
Don’t be like that. It’s a fantastic car and the automatic is silky quality. Surrounded by all the lovely toys and comfort with very smart respected looks. Think of those of us who have to drive something naff and would be overjoyed at your new car.
I'm not sure he is being ungrateful. Nobody would turn down a nice C Class. As an enthusiast price isn't always an indication of how much you will enjoy it. I personally prefer older stuff, more character. 🙂
@@alextoft9199 I don’t think I said he was ungrateful. I was just trying to point out the positives as he sounds very negative and down at the end of the video. Also pointing out how many people out there would be overjoyed with such s lovely car. I share your sentiment on older cars though. I’m much of the same mind.
I miss the days when I could choose the car I wanted, not the one the maker or the local authority insists I have. Honestly it's a nice car but you have to know your Mercs to tell the differences.
Should've looked at the Skoda Superb 4x4. Huge boot with the estate, 4x4 and manual.
Bet most are DSG most VAG cars are I had to factory special order my T Roc to get a manual 6 speed
@@danielrussell446 in ireland half of them are autos, but you dont have to order new ones! Great cars! Very reliable
Fantastic choice, Matt! One thing: I'd get that mismatched tyre swapped out, different tyres across axles on 4WD cars especially can damage stuff...
They really shouldnt... in an ideal world. I guess its possible though but if everything is as it should, one would think less than 3% difference would be within tolerance. Havent really heard credible stories of mismatched tires being the only factor of broken 4wd much.. Who knows :/
@@GoldenCroc Perhaps a conspiracy spread by the tyre chains.
I made a comment along same lines. I think as long as the tyres are same profile…..and maybe even same amount of wear, it should be ok…..surely. I have seen lots of dead Volvo XC70s with trans. failure and have been told mismatched tyres is reason?????
It does happen I'm afraid. My Kia Sorento had dire warnings about rotating the tyres to keep the tyre wear even. It does knacker the transfer boxes if the rotational speeds get out of kilter.
@@peterriggall8409 But MB just uses a regular center diff what I know... They are made to rotate at different speeds.
I'm glad that there is nothing like this ULEZ thing in my country, or anything to do with that sort of thing either. And that W204 was a nice one too, but here's hoping the new daily of yours does well for you. But as others say, more buttons & more to go wrong. Hopefully that doesn't happen with yours though, but does seem like a nice one as well.
My wife had the use of an S205 C220d on a 64-plate for 8 months or so, AMG premium plus spec like yours, but a lesser power engine. Overall I actually rather liked it. Her one was a 7-speed auto rather than 9. It munched motorway miles with ease, and they were stress free motorway miles. Cruise control and speed limiter were handy on the motorway too. It was easy to drive. However, yeah, it was a bit dull on the twisty roads.
I did like things such as the auto open and closing boot, it was plenty spacious, it was quite economical given the size of the car, I loved the memory seats and the panoramic sunroof, and to be fair the interior is a nice place to be. The reversing camera is a VERY clever little unit that drops down from the tailgate trim when you select reverse, so it doesn't get filthy as you're driving along. I also REALLY liked the Merc eco gauge which takes into account your cornering and braking as well as acceleration, so it's a much better eco tracker than I have on my 2017 Volvo V40 which only seems to monitor the revs you're doing. I always felt an accomplishment when I got all 3 sections fully lit up on the Merc 😁
On the flip side, electronic handbrake (BOO!), keyless entry (which gave us regular problems on the one we had), it had a crap collision avoidance system which once slammed on the brakes at 70MPH on the motorway for no reason whatsoever, and the speed limiter is a hard limiter in the Merc - once you hit your set limit, that's it, even if you have the pedal to the metal. In my V40 it's what I'd call a soft limiter, if you're foot to the floor, it lets you go over the limit, which is handy for overtaking.
An S205 was high on my list when I got my V40, I looked at a manual C220d in AMG premium plus spec, it was a lovely car. What put me off in the end was servicing costs - the price of a fuel filter specifically 😳 Also, in truth, I didn't need such a large car - the wife has a SEAT Altea XL which gets used for family trips where we need the luggage space.
Last thing though... Only 95,000 miles on your 5 year old car? My 5 year old V40 has smashed past 155,000 miles in the last week 😂
Could be worse, could have bought a CVT. I've found that most modern automatics adapt to your style of driving after a few weeks. I'd also have a good fiddle with all the modes to find the one the suits your driving the most. You can also adapt your driving to it's habits, learn how much throttle it takes before it kicks down, etc. A W205 is on the list of cars to replace my F30 320i so a full review would be greatly appreciated :).
F30 gearbox is much better then the w205.
In 2016 I was visiting from Australia, and my hire car was upgraded to a W205 C200D ,so a 1.6td RWD . My daily was a manual at the time. The W205 had the fancy sound and airmatic. Drove to Pembroke and back and around South Wales, around 900 miles in all. This was an ideal car for the trip. It had the 7 speed auto. The auto , like many recent cars, doesn't like to move the car, unless you put it in sport or use the paddles. I agree the paddles are not nearly as good as a gearlever! The suspension definitely tightens up in sport, helpful on Welsh lanes! Heading back east on the M4, suspension in comfort, engine in top gear was very pleasant. The traffic as we approached Heathrow was much more tolerable with the auto.
I'm afraid that autos are going to become more and more common, as the cars computers need control of everything for minimum emissions and maximum nanny state oops , safety. Many companies require 5 star safety and, here in Australia at least, the electronic aids required to meet 2022 ANCAP 5 star ratings mean it is very difficult for a manual car to pass at this level, even if the protection in a crash is exemplary.
What is going to happen to all the non ULEZ cars! Off to Africa, perhaps?
I’ve been in a similar position, but mine is a VW Golf mk7.5 estate with the 2.0 tdi and dsg box. Same reason as you, wanted for space for family and travelling. Thankfully I am nor at the mercy of ULEZ yet. I’m not an auto person, manuals are just better for me. VW do not make a manual with the 2.0 diesel and GT spec. I’ve had it 2 years now and it does the job very well indeed. The car would undoubtedly give me more driving pleasure with a manual box though.
I've had a W213 E Class for the last 5 1/2 years or so. When I bought it I asked why there was no front fog light option and the dealer just advised that the LED headlights meant that it was less of an issue than with incandescent bulbs. I have to say that having driven in fog more than once he was largely right - the spread of the light seems to work very effectively, not quite as wide as with fog lights but certainly well enough.
The 9 speed auto is a peach - if the kickdown isn't as quick as you expect (which it is for the vast majority of the time) flick it into Sport!
Correct, if your E-Class has the full MB Multibeam LED headlights there's no front fog light switch. The cameras do their work. Data from the cameras detect rain, snow, fog etc as well as relative speed and adjust the LED beam pattern accordingly.
@@kelvynmoore4882 That sounds like a bigger future electrical failure than with the Alfa's self leveling headlights.
@@markwright3161 I would have to agree. With all this super tech in car systems, I'd hate to be the 4/5 owner down the line when they need repairing or replacing.
Stick with it Matt. We all get buyer's remorse. Great spec and to have a sunroof is a joy - still miss my 1991 230TE sunroof. 12 months ago I bought a manual C220d wagon (pre facelift 2018) - it took me months to like it... you'd hate the SE "executive" spec - awful halogens, 17" wheels, the clutch is heavy and seems to go on forever, I forget to apply the electric parking break, so when I get out to open a gate, the car is occassionally rolling down the road. The fuel tank is 41 litres, no spare wheel, no jack.... BUT ..... it has the sunglass holder, rear camera, and when set to "sport" the gearbox does rev matching, when changing down. Didn't expect that. I like it. Coming from a 2002 E320cdi avant-garde wagon (with proper auto stick that you can "thump" left or right to change gear) this thing rolls like the 230TE around corners. Whether my left leg can hold up for the next 10 years, who knows, maybe the hand break will get me first. hah... 10,000 mile average mpg 52.5. 6th gear is 1700 revs at 70mph. AD Blue still 50% full. Bought GardX tyre guard - the tin says the tyre can be cleaned and repaired after a puncture. Merc dealer said it was pukka.
Matt - if you want to feel good about that 9 speed transmission, come over to me and experience the unbridled joy of the 722.6 box. Yours will feel so quick after that. Of course, my gearbox IS mated to a m113k v8, and that more than covers the gearbox’s inadequacies.
Edit: if that thing has adaptive cruise, you’ll love it after the few initial buttock clenching moments as you learn to trust the system.
Edit 2: learn to left foot brake. Then you have two pedals, two paddles and four contact points. Easy to trail brake into bends whilst staying on boost, and change gears at any moment. I learned that … on a mazda6 2.2D 175 auto. Great car, you should have tried one.
sadly not got adaptive cruise, or Ive not found it! I like that system, weird at first great but soon great. I was keen on the Mazda, especially in that red, I might still go back to one
@@furiousdriving I think the mazda will need that extra bit of TLC but minus the plastics , a lovely car x
Hang on there’s no need to left foot brake, it’s not a BTCC car!
@@davewright7512 I've left foot braked for the best part of 30 yrs .... 😉
@@furiousdriving soul red is a great colour personally I prefer the merc the drive mode is worth looking out I had the same with a 9 speed in a GLA200d
Crazy that you've had to sell a perfectly good car.
The new Merc is your daily driver, your family wagon, your work car., it's a luxury car that gets you from a to b, relax and enjoy it for what it is. And when you want to drive something more fun, you have the Tomcat, the Mini, the Vi and the Alfa.
I went auto 6 years ago and would not go back to manual on a daily driver, I think autos are perfect for driving with the amount of vehicles on our roads these days
A few years ago I bought a 2015 26k mile Toyota Auris Hybrid Estate. Love the colour in blue. The £0 road tax and its reliable and cheap to run. Thing is my 1996 Volvo 940 auto estate with 206,000 miles puts a smile on my face. Especially when using kickdown at the lights. The Toyota is a good everyday A to B car. Hope your Merc serves your family well. I enjoy your Vids. James.
You do the same as me!! 960 owner, those old Volvos are much quicker than people give them credit for
I sympathise. I went from a manual Audi A5 to an automatic A6. Both three litre oil burners, the A5 with 240bhp and the A6 with 340bhp. The A5 was engaging, responsive, involving, whereas the A6 was bland and soulless. I too deeply regretted the change.
I would look at it this way Matt. You have plenty of other cars with a manual gearbox maybe you should relax and let the car drive you! it is a beautiful car!
I love the 9 speed auto on my E Class. 70 mph at 1250 rpm and over 60 mpg. It's quick and relaxing apart from the 19 inch low profile wheels which can spoil the ride at times.
Same, and if you want quicker pick up just flick into Sport mode. Agree with the wheels, I've also had to have a crack welded on one of the rears which I understand is a fairly common thing with 19" upwards MB and BMW wheels and potholes!
Daimler Benz automatics are legendary I’ve worked on a few older ones and found the new 9 speed nice to drive
In my humble opinion you have not made a mistake. I had an identical car for 18 months and there’s not a day goes by that I don’t miss it (currently driving a diesel C Max). I’d happily swap😂😂
15 years ago, I wanted to get exchange my Ford Focus 1.8 TDCI Y reg car for a used Honda Civic. Both my Focus and the secondhand Civic I was going for where manual cars. However, before I could test drive the secondhand Civic it had been sold. The garage asked if I would be interested in buying brand new instead, to which I said yes. The Mk8 Honda Civic I test drove was semi-automatic. Yes, it had the push paddles on the steering wheel and no clutch where i could change the gears myself, but it also had the automatic mode where if my left leg was hurting or my left arm was hurting I could still drive my car. Well, I ended up buying a brand new Honda Civic 1.8 I-VTEC EX with the semi automatic gear box and have actually enjoyed my driving over the last 15 years in it as it gives me the choice of how I want to drive the car. Admittedly, most of the time I have put it into automatic mode. But the car is pretty quick on the pickup of speed even in auto mode and it will quite happily do 35mpg.
I have the same auto box in my 2020 Vito tourer also with the flappy things , I love the Cruise control set at 65mph on motorways as it brakes if going down a hill . I did really miss my manual box at first as thought I was in a go cart but after some drives in to the city & long trips it’s grown on me .
Give it a month and a couple of thousand miles and you will A get used to it and B wonder why you didn't get an auto a long time ago 😉
I know it's a big pain when your hand gets forced into making a move but what you have there is a car that will look after you and your family for years to come,and at the end of the day after a long shoot it's a very nice place to be,so you deserve it Matt enjoy the thing it's what it's for .
Also replacing my W204 220CDI estate car this summer and I don't really want to. It has 73000 miles and in very good order. A lovely car. I didn't want to go for anything that exceeded the £40k road tax threshold but wanted something with 2litres below the bonnet. Since I don't do many miles these days went for petrol. I would love to keep the old Benz if I can park three cars at home without having to shuffle them to take one out of the drive.
I'm quite happy with automatics.
Sorry you miss the old one so much, hopefully you'll come to terms with the auto. It should be easier on those long trips. Love the wet patch worry!
I've actually just picked up a 08 C200 Kompressor. One owner and only 97k miles on the clock, but she's a thirsty thing with the 5 speed auto 27-36mpg, my first automatic as well but it is built like a tank, not a single squeak or rattle in the interior and the original mats are still in perfect condition.
Other than the tan interior and broken headrests, I've actually fallen in love with it, now it just needs a head unit upgrade so I can have Android Auto and a rear view camera. If anyone on here has any suggestions they would be appreciated.
You will get use to to it mate.. especially in heavy traffic there Fantastic.. once l changed to an automatic for a daily.. l will never go back to a stick.. All my classics are stick .. so l have my fun there..
Aww, loved the 204. Lovely 205 though. The auto will make you really want to keep the Alfa and vi on the road now, so small win 😂
Talk about having no cruise control. I have to drive about in this hot weather with my windows up just so everyone else thinks I have air con.
Stick with it. The first time you get caught in traffic you will appreciate the auto. Look at the M25 yesterday. Would have been a nightmare in a manual. For fun driving you have the fleet including the Mini which is fun to drive.
I was in that, yesterday, and have been in similar before and it honestly doesn't bother me
@@furiousdriving you must have a better clutch foot that me because I get awful cramp if in prolonged stop start traffic that’s why I really like my 3 series auto
It's a beauty for sure ,don't forget to service that auto gear box as much advised by high peak autos. Try and enjoy the merc.
Awesome, I was sad at first, but I'm glad it was replaced by another Benz!
Lovely car, you will get used to the auto, will make your driving more relaxed. Manuals are for sports cars, when your working or long journeys autos are best.
Use the paddles or dynamic modes to improve the response.
PCPs are just like bank loans, call up get a settlement figure.
Air quality is bad in cities, people die of cancer, lung disease, asthma, so this is why we have to have ULEZ, because people won't do the right thing on their own.
Good choice and a very nice spec. you have there, especially with the nicer 19” wheels. A few years ago I was looking for something to replace a VW Arteon, I’d settled for a C Class estate, exactly what you have. Apart from, I was very picky with the spec., I wanted adaptive cruise and the 360° camera, it was impossible to find one as I’d be looking at Premium Plus with options on top. They just didn’t seem to exist. In the end, it was either starship mileage or they were incredibly expensive. I ended up going for a 4 month old ex-demo Volvo V90 that was roughly the same cost as a 3 year old C Class. No brainer really.
Driven auto mercs for the last 20 years, cant see myself driving a different make. I would not drive a manual if you paid me. Luckily , I live in the country so no Ulez crap for me. It's a complete sham as other posters state. Own a GLC, lovely car, agree the modes I never use, just leave it in comfort. Have a 250 and not as pokey a C class 250, but decent enough. Also have a 911 with the pdk gearbox, again, super to drive, unlike the Merc, I drive it mostly in manual mode, but for the Merc, no need , the auto selection is so good.
That's a great update, although the other one was a reliable partner for years! Interior is really beautiful, same for the front and side profile, but the rear is not my taste. The S204 has a nicer rear in my opinion. This sounds weird: I never liked picking up my new car, always felt a bit down when my old car was traded in. Always hope it got a good home. The new car ''bonding'' always take a couple of months. Last time a bought another car was 14 years ago. I totally lost interest in new cars. But this one is a stunner, have fun and enjoy it Matt! (even though it's a automatic)
The interior and front 'face' are the best bits, I always thought the saloons of these look a bit like a slug from the rear!
Its worse changing cars when the old one was so good, its like rehoming a pet.
Its not grown on me much yet, apart from the sound system, thats good
Manuals are very rare. I had the saloon 220cdi AMG..........but couldn’t get along with a manual box. I sold it for a BMW 320d touring shadow edition with the ZF gearbox. Absolutely sublime car............I do have an 09 S204 with the autobox as a daily hack and it’s a great all rounder!
Weirdly enough, my wife used to feel sick on my S203.
That’s a great car you got there, lovely machine!
It’s a difficult one , finding that happy medium of love this car but does it make make me smile when I go to work ?? do I look forward to driving it ?. It does not matter if a car costs £500 or 50 k as-long as it puts a smile on your face then you have got the jackpot . Ultimately we can’t take it With us , see how you get on for while then if you feel like selling it then why not , life is to short. Try not to dwell on it to much as it will drive you mad, it’s a lovely car anyhow , you work hard Matt enjoy ☺️ try not to over think it and time will tell☝️
Here in the states, my MB dealer tech says only a "fool" would buy a newer MB withOUT an extended warranty! I trust him as he works on them everyday! Only the Lexus/Infinity is considered a reliable luxury car with the same amenities of a MB. Sadly, MB has had reliability problems since the 90s!
PS I'm happy for you. You deserve the new car. Hope you have a "good" one!
I still love driving our 2006 C220 diesel Avantgarde. I still love the way it looks. I like the sound of the engine. It's good character, but it's really smooth and refined at the same time. I like your new addition but like you say. A bit too modern and not involving maybe? Interesting to see how you get on.
Modern cars with LED headlights tend to be all weather so they don't need foglights anymore.
I think you are being slightly picky about it being an Auto, everything is becoming auto now so it's something you'll have to accept on modern stuff, most of it is pretty decent to drive, especially on something you just want to munch the miles in. Accept it and embrace it.
And you are correct the ULEZ thing is killing Diesels, as its not only London it's affecting, most other major cities are following suit.
An older left field alternative would have been a 1998-2005 Saab 9-5 estate. Cavernous interior and the petrol version is still ULEZ compliant.
Some of the P2 generation Volvos are ULEZ exempt too I'm pretty sure.
I think it's the 2.4 non turbo ones, but there may be others.
I did consider somethings like that, but they are much worse MPG and parts can sometimes be hard to find on the dead brands
they are, but non turbos are so slow!
@@furiousdriving I think you made the best choice I am biased to Mercedes’ as used to work on them
The truly bizarre thing is in Canada the Standard transmission vehicles tend to be the wallflowers at the dealers, waiting for someone who likes to not be bored to come along. Since the chip shortage, this has changed, but not much. I used to see used Toyota's with stick shifts priced thousands less that autoboxes....
The autobox was often a $1,500 or even $2,000 optional extra, which explains the price difference. I would not have any new automatic. They will not last because the torque converter lock up is meant to slip. Lucky to see 120,000 miles out of one. The AW-70 in my Volvo is at 616,000 km and still works like new.
Hi Matt, I think only time will tell. Give it a few months and see, I hope you will get used to it as that is a beautiful car. My current ride and the one before it is an auto because I specifically wanted that. I have a 16 mile each way commute, about 10 miles motorway and the rest stop/start bumper-to-bumper, on and off the clutch, neutral, 1st, 2nd, rinse and repeat. In the end I'd had enough. Now, driving an auto is a dream by comparison. But to each their own. As I said, a lovely motor, I really hope you get to like it. Good luck!
PS. The first half of the video looks like deleted scenes from Duel, with that artic you overtook following you! 😀
Hi Matt such a lovely car I don’t know now but back in the day the Daimler Benz autos were fantastic and so easy to drive and the manual gearbox cars were not popular when I was a technician most were automatic you didn’t see many manuals and I would suspect there are far many auto cars still about given the class Mercedes used to do 4 matic on the 124 with auto
At the end of the day try it and see how you get on but my wife is like you I was looking at a golf estate and she couldn’t get on with DSG so had a mk8 hatch manual I am fine with it but she felt out of control a bit
Lovely car, and agree with @Lee Smith on the element of “sham” - don’t worry about the automatic issue - you’ll get used to her soon enough, and you’ve always got the Classics to go back to for some “shift action” !
Use the paddle shifters when you want some control over shift delays - they aren't going to replace a manual though, or get a BMW because they have quicker thinking auto boxes, or put the car in sport mode if it has one.
Would have one being an AMG edition
My current two cars are "unwanted automatics", too - the auto-boxes came as part of the (used) parcel.
You get used to it... and I'm glad to find out in my holiday rentals: even after years of driving automatics, you don't un-learn manual.
Just why were you so fond of 4WD?
It adds considerable cost and weight to the car and I wasn't aware you were suffering of any traction problems with the RWD car...
As an Aussie I have very little idea what “ulez” is. I get it’s some sort of restriction in major cities. We don’t have anything here like that ………….. yet. Could you explain it more for your international audience.
Autos take all the fun out of driving but in a merc it will be more relaxing. Think of it being more like the crown vic, long distance waft. It’s better in heavy traffic and it doesn’t matter on freeways. You’ll learn how to use the gears to fang it about on “b” roads.
Give it a chance. It’s a merc after all.
Ultra Low Emission Zone - cameras watch all the cars moving in the zone and if your car doesn't meet the emissions limits you have to log on and pay the toll for being there, they send a fine.
It works fine, very smooth and al that but the weird feeling as it moves off is..weird.. and just so un-involving its very dull
@@furiousdriving sounds very “1984”.
I’d prefer manual but slush boxes get the job done.
You'll adapt to the flappy paddle gearbox for the fast on demand gear changes when you want them. We have a new car through motability (SEAT Arona FR Sport) with a DSG gearbox and it took a while to get used to, but I now wouldn't change it for anything. I can have lazy driving days or I can have a real sports driving experience. DSG gearboxes are slowly becoming the standard (unless you go EV) because of how much they change the economy of modern engines.
Oh hey, I have a S205 too, fairly similar to yours. Though mine is a C350e (2l petrol + plug-in hybrid) in the lesser sport trim, has adaptive cruise with automatic lanekeeping (kind of, it works but not particularly well), air suspension (standard for C350e), a past owner has fitted the "diamond" grille from the C43 AMG which I like quite a lot, and standard real leather (in black sadly, would've prefered a lighter shade).
Being a 65 reg and being a hybrid, it's road tax exempt too, which is nice. It was basically the best specced plug-in car available at the lowest price (it was one of the cheapest C350es in the UK at the time), as being a car with 140k miles on the clock, it scared off most buyers. But it was a company car that spent most of its life on the motorway, so electric range is pretty much still as new (10-18 miles, heavily dependent on weather and driving style), and it's enough to get me from work and back. And because I have solar pannels fitted to my house (that was the reason why I went for a plug-in car), I can commute for free in the summer.
You can find VW Golf GTEs and Passat GTEs as well for less money, but I didn't really want such a heavy car with only a 1.4.
Let's just say... the S205 isn't an exciting car to drive for me. The completely dead steering and auto box (a 7 speed in the 350e, which in my experience is far better than the 9GTronic that was in a W213 E220D my dad owned a while ago) don't make for an involving driving experience, even when you crank the stiffness of the air suspension. Yes, it's fast (0-60 is
Perhaps the gearbox could be tuned. If you can't use a stick, might as well purge the whole gearbox from your mind when driving. But if it's sluggish and conspicuous you can't do that.
You should be able to delete past owners settings and configure settings covering gearbox and lots of paremeters
Surely that spec of car was a showroom/demo or even maybe a press car? Put the gearbox in sport or the equivalent to make it more responsive
Just don’t get the dislike of automatic box, manual is great in a 911 or an older M3 no modern executive car should be manual strikes me as poverty spec when it is hardly anyone wants a manual W205, just my thoughts oh and my 2017 C200 is auto 😁
every road is fun with a manual, never stuck waiting for a dull witted auto to decide to change.
I used to run a top of the range 03 Honda accord tourer and that was ulez compliant! You should've gone for something like that and kept the other Merc!
The W204/S204 is an amazing car. 2011 S204 Estate Wagon and the car is like new 12 years later. The best car I’ve owned.
Old Mother Bungle lives in London, Ulez means the only vehicle I can drive in for free is my 1979 Transit. I don't need an estate so looking around and putting my evil head on, I have decided my next car will be a mid 70's Rolls Royce, oh 15 mpg is about what I get in the camper, But I can pick a Rolls up that needs paint and body work for less than I paid for the camper and the insurance (I got a quote is under £190 a year fully comp for me) Tax free Mot Exempt.
So if you see a 70's shadow in Matt Black with Dayglo wheels (Got to upset the purists ) driven by a 6 5 bloke with a Mohawk, Wave at me 😁
When I was looking for my current daily, a MY 2011 V70, I had a very hard time finding one that had a manual gearbox. Most of them are automatics. Also, the very last of the V70 have diesel engines which have oil consumption problems so the Merc may have been more sensible than you thought.
Merc is better with an Auto box .Modern autos are in a different league to 30/40 years ago
@@LOTPOR0402 in my opinion Daimler Benz have always led the way with their auto box and I have worked on the older ones I have driven a 9 speed in a GLA200d and found it easy to use like Matt i drive a manual every day so I put it manual mode and used paddles
That ULEZ situation is very weird: your 2010 C-Class isn't compliant, but my lovely 2008 Fiat Grande Punto Eleganza 1.4 8v is... As is my best mates 2006 Alfa Romeo Brera 2.4 JTDm!!!
I can completely understand where you're coming from with regards to the automatic. I've only ever had a go in an automatic once, (my Grandads 2012 Volvo V70 2.4 D5 auto,) and it wasn't too bad for that short distance, however, as modest as my Fiat is, I always appreciate the clutch pedal and gearstick: driving a manual really is an absolute joy!
I have a similar car in the fantastic brilliant blue - I much prefer it to the W204. You have got fog lights. The matrix headlamps reconfigure themselves when you press the button - same as when you switch to LH/RH driving. You don't need separate units. I love the 9 speed auto. The "E" mode isn't a waste of time as well as changing the shift point in enables the coasting mode in I think the top 3 gears. The "D" goes green when it is active. The dark open grain wood is lovely but it is a very easy swap for the centre console and I actually prefer the brushed stainless steel on the doors. For various reasons I went back to petrol and I'm happy enough with even the smaller engine - people warned me it was "slow" at 0-60 in 8.4 seconds but it's enough. What I do miss is a spare wheel because your tyre choices are limited by the gunk in a can solution. The luggage compartment under the cover is also only 480 litres so is smaller than you think. I like the Artico more than actual leather. I'm thinking about retrimming my P6 in the same stuff - we have scary similar taste in cars but I'd take the Chevy impala SS over the crown Vic.. (sorry).
I like Gliding mode, nice way to save fuel! I did hunt for the wood trim on ebay, its about £500 for the set. Ive seen W205 spare wheels on eBay but not investigated if that actually fit!
RE the Autobox. My dad has the same year and model as yours. Take it to a dealer and get the Engine and Gearbox software updates done so its fully up to date. My dad said the gearbox is much better now on the new software compared to how it was on factory software.
Vw passat or audi a6 would of been nice also i dont really understand why you would buy an automatic if you didnt want one . Just wouldnt feel like a upgrade really just a newer version of the old car think a passat or v70 would of been better but thats me
I live within the M25 in West London. I accidentally strayed in to the existing ULEZ zone the other day, and received an £80 fine. Now there is talk about extending the area to where I live. I have 2 classic cars and an economical diesel, none of which comply. Which means I will need to get rid of these and buy an old cheap less economical petrol car which does comply with ULEZ. It makes no sense! Couple this with the current price of fuel (virtually £2.00/litre), this is yet another major financial squeeze. I don’t know how people are still affording to live.
I miss my W204, 250,000 miles from new in it. Amazing car.
The amazing w204 face lift Estate. It's the only car i have owned Twice as i just Brought it Back after i sold it 5 years ago and it's a Manual .
I sold my W204 and regretted it ever since. Fabulous cars, mine was a petrol and the last of the 1.8 Supercharged models.
I can so much understand your reservations about the auto gearbox. I didn't buy cars that ticked all the other boxes, just because they had an automatic gearbox. Seems there are less and less people who get the appeal of a manual.
I'm very curious how you will like the new Merc in the longer run. It's a stunningly nice car! Although such a shame you had to sell the old one. Those emission zones only induce a lot of waste.
Finding a recent manual Merc is very difficult as are 'special' orders. You will get used to the auto, most people do not live in areas with country lanes, they live in a town, drive on an A road to the Motorway, drive up or down it and come off into a city so the auto is ideal. Even more so in Germany where even rural roads bear no resemblance to English country lanes and are mostly unsalted in winter the AWD being almost a necessity (winter tyres mandatory). The application of the power more gentle with an auto, less wheelspin on a slippy surface. You might have guessed that single figure 0 - 60 times are irrelevant for me, 15 - 20 seconds is quick enough. Waft away from the lights.
Hi Matt
Odd the 2 small round interior lights under the rear view mirror when driving keep flashing on and off- did you spot that? Watch the first few mins on the drive.
Hope all is well. I think for the longer trips you have to do this will save your overall well being and you have some manuals to use when not working.
Lee
This ulez is almost criminal, the awful hopeless mayor London doesn’t care, they just want to price us all off the road, if we all go electric (assuming there’s enough grid capacity to charge up , and lithium) I wonder where they’ll get their cash cow from? It’s a catastrophe this forcing good cars off the road.
As someone who suffers from severe asthma the ULEZ is making my life much less stressful
Come on, the right to breath clean air is surely more important?
The ULEZ project was started by our current PM when he was a Mayor. Regardless of the political colour, the motorist is already in for a bumpy ride… and things will only get worse.
Cars don’t belong in cities. It’s a 20th century idea that blighted everything. More advanced countries are moving away from those old ways quickly, the best already have.
@@cold5319 Its doubtful it affects you asthma. Especially since there is no fixed value of emissions. If it really does ( I doubt it), you are one of a very unlucky few.
"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need..." 😄
Argh! An automatic!? As an American it’s very difficult to keep owning manual transmission cars - they are rare here - but in nearly 50 years of driving I’m proud to say I’ve never owned an automatic.
Give the car a chance !!
To be converse, I regret buying a 6 speed diesel manual rather than the equivalent 6 speed auto. I was very very tempted with the auto, because with the electronic handbrake it was point and go, and with Sport mode it was like two cars in one. I decided on the manual because it was zero road tax as opposed to £30 per year for the auto, and, even at the moment, I can afford £2.50 per month.
The idiot electric hand brake would make me run far, far away. A rotten idea. A safety feature should not run through the computer.
Here in the states the manual option is just about non existent in a car of that type. We purchased a "new" 2017 Kia Optima EX with all of the toys a year ago off of lease. Only had 23,000 miles. The thing is, manual is not even available on the Optima series, even the SX Turbo is a DSG. I think you will eventually grow to like it if not love it. As I drive with my heated and cooled seats, heated steering wheel, panoramic sun roof, apple car play, memory seats....etc, I "appreciate" it of not love it.
Nice car Matt but a travesty to have to sell the w204. I suspect you won’t have it for too long. I had the C200 petrol fully specced version of the W205 - absolutely beautiful to sit in, competent, smooth and reliable however it was dull to drive and I felt that it had far too many electric aids which in the end I found annoying. I’ve gone back to a W204 just because I prefer the styling and think it’s better built. As for ULEZ - ill thought through strategy.
I’ve got an automatic W204 facelift and I’m so pleased with the automatic, I had completely had enough of driving 35K a year with a manual box. The flappy paddle semi-manual mode provides the control and manual interaction when I want it (the throttle response is more immediate and that mode is better for pulling off of roundabouts). The sport mode has a more instant response and makes the engine feel more “torquier” / responsive / faster (just be smooth and “squeeze” the throttle, don’t stab at it). The economic E mode is effortless to drive, suits my driving style (yes, only preference would be that it dropped down the gears sooner, to avoid the lag). In any mode though, you’ll accelerate faster than manual box cars because of the quick efficient change (which I find makes a positive difference to making progress on roundabout heavy A roads). If you do a lot of miles, stick with it and then see who you feel. Save the manual box fun for the weekend driver.
That lag in E mode is dangerous. Period. In an emergency, there is no time to change modes, nor to be dealing with a computer that thinks last month's driving has any influence about right now. Worst idea going. That and engines with no torque low down.
@Michael Tutty I understand what you mean, that split second when you need the torque, it’s not there. But, after 100K of miles, I wouldn’t call it dangerous - with driving that is safe and observant with forward planning. If there is a situation with lots of traffic and the lag could be an issue, that upcoming situation would be observed and the gearbox mode changed to suit the conditions, plenty of time in advance.
Leather. Heated electric memory seats. Cruise with speed limiter. Adaptive lights. Sunglasses holder. Premium sound system with integrated bluetooth and built in hard drive. Cheap tax. Massive boot. Lots of space for the family. Dual climate control with ice cold AC. 45-55MPG (60+ on a long cruise). Bulletproof engine.
Should have bought a Skoda Superb mate. Mine is on 196k miles and going strong.
I have had a number of W205s after my W204. I have been really happy them. My current one is a C300de. With 700nm of torque, it's hugely entertaining. Relentless torque. You're more than welcome to do a review on it as the drivetrain is pure wizardry!
Wow bet that flies
@@danielrussell446 it does, it's quite incredible. Same torque as a C63S. In Sport+ mode it employs maximum energy from both power sources (a 220hp turbo diesel and a 100hp electric motor. Instant torque and then torque-fill throughout the entire rev range. Off the line it's quicker than most things and will happily keep up with a Model 3.
Sorry to hear you had to sell the trusty old Merc, new one does look nice though! Agree with the PCP especially in these times! Having the same thing with my Alfa 159 diesel and driving in Brum, luckily I avoid driving through the centre if possible but it's really a waste of good cars and picking on the poor folks who can't upgrade!
Good, if you can’t afford it then don’t. Enough cars on the road as it is.
@@Blackmamba12345 Well I actually use my ULEZ compliant vehicle so I'm fine for funds - it's all good in the hood (of my ULEZ car). The issue here is that people who do need a car for work, struggling already with the cost of living and who do some of the hardest and most underappreciated jobs can't always just say, jeez oh well, that's me out of the game... Perhaps they can use the cheap trains (strike action) or trams that have been out of action for over a year! Maybe a troll road... Oh I mean toll road pricing system! Anyway, loved your work in Home Alone!
Very interesting as I have a final edition 2014 S204 250 AMG Premium Plus Auto, recently had a C205 2020 C220d loan car with the 9 speed and found it a dream. Your new car is a fabulous spec, over look the gearbox and treat the car as a work tool 😉
I had to switch to an auto Mercedes a while back due to my health meaning I couldn't drive a manual any more, and I despised it to begin with but I'd happily buy another auto Merc now for a daily driver. Also, if it's anything like mine, might be worth doing a gearbox adaptation reset to clear the previous owner's driving style out of the system, improved mine immensely.
Transmissions should not learn. They should respond to the input right now. Floor the throttle, get up and fly. Now. Not wait while the 60,000 ton truck runs over you.
I've seen so many cars come up for sale recently due to ULEZ though many were older than your Mercedes.
At least you have plenty of Manual cars left so it's not like you are bound to only auto from this point on.
The cabin certainly looks like a nice place to be when covering big miles.
I thought Back in February When My Micras Gearbox Gave up the Ghost, And couldn't sorce another one. I sadly Sold the Micra for Scrap. After Dearly Loving that Little Car and having it For 8 and a Half years. I felt Absolutely Miserable about Matters.
However It's Replacement A Lovely Low Mileage Rover 45 Impression S3 from 2003. My 1st drive Home with it, Don't Get me Wrong, I liked the Car and Everything, However I felt a Similar Kind of Way that You had on this Video, If a BMW Slams into the Back of it Big wow I was thinking.
It was all because I thought Before I Get too Attached to it and all that Jargon.
4 weeks with the Rover, Inlet Manifold Started to present Problems. Oh the Joy's.
Now that's been Sorted. At the Moment. I am Rather Enjoying My Rover 45. It will Never be what the Micra was, However one big thing I never really Picked up on Between the two, That is I feel far Safer In the Rover than I ever Did in the Micra. More so given the sheer Size of Cars today.
It's pretty comfortable too I don't seem to Ache As much in the Rover as I did in the Micra. Though Common Micra thing. The Foam in the Seat does Break down and go all weird After a Time.
at the Moment I hope to Have this Rover for Some time.
Already Been to Birmingham in it and it's CAZ Free. Something the Micra wouldn't of been Strangely.
Your Mercedes (New One) Is a Really Nice place to be. However I do agree also about Autos. I just happen to Own an Auto and Everyday? I couldn't do it.