Opinion on Merc c class

Yourmama

I'm looking to change car soon. It's difficult to find something we both like but seems Merc C class is something we could agree on. I never owned Merc in my life before and I know next to nothing about them. All I hear is the legendary Merc reliability is a thing of the past. Currently driving hybrid and would love to stay in the hybrid world so C350, year 2017/2018 id be looking for. Any opinions on that? Is there something particular I should have a closer look on when buying? They all seem to be identicaly equipped on carzone.

bazz26

They are a nicely finished car especially on the inside. But the Mercedes infotainment system is very counter intuitive imo and feels very dated. Also Mercedes like other premium brands can be very expensive to maintain repair if something goes wrong so you need to be prepared for that. If reliability is your main priority then you should probably look at the Lexus IS300h also.

Yourmama

Thanks for that. Is300h is what I'm driving now i love the car but hate the infotainment. My biggest issue at the moment is boot, so looking to get estate this time.

kirving

Looking at a C350e estate at the moment myself too, having just sold my E. Infotainment on the old model was arguably better, but the new system isn't bad.

Well worth your while going to the UK, as PHEV's currently have discounted VRT.

Check out the Passat GTE too.

danoriordan1402

Same here actually, looking at a 2018 Estate as well - keeping an eye on the UK as choice might be improving with a few more coming off PCP

Yourmama

What will you do with your current car then? Im offered 11k+ for current car at trade in. With UK import I'd be left with two cars and the old one impossible to sell privately.

kirving

Why is the old car impossible to sell privately?

After selling my own, I rented a car for a week to take pressure off and get around while I sort something else. Not too expensive.

Yourmama

Ok, the last time I tried it I had an extra car in drive for 11 months and ended up taking a big hit to get rid of it. It was a big engine in old tax system though, so maybe that's why

Stallingrad

After reading about the e350 owner in the Uk that faced a £12,000 bill for new battery just out of warranty I'd do your research, and make sure you have a good warranty.*

*read in a UK car mag, can't find a link.

Yourmama

I'm also wondering, this is turbo engine. Obviously with hybrid, petrol would be kicking in and out all the time. Turbo must have a difficult life there...or I'm missing something?

kirving

Can't really disagree on the warranty, for a Merc in general.

They are expensive to fix, but a €12k headline bill is completely extraordinary for any car, just as the €15k bill an X5 owner recently got on boards.

The hybrid battery, albeit much smaller on my E300, was flawless. Given that hybrid battery faults pose a real fire risk, safety (quality) control is paramount, so they tend to be very reliable.

Ironically, the one problem I did have was a metal bolt in the engine that was over torqued at the factory. I mean the basics of metal yeild strength were refined in this 1800's after steam engine explosions, but nevertheless it failed in 2019 and cost close to €2k in labour.


The car will manage the temperature of the turbo to ensure that it's within it's design range. On my car, the engine sometimes would keep running when you would expect it to stop, and the boost pressure was electronically controlled. The hybrid system power can reduce the requirement for the turbo too, and the ECU manages that as necessary.