Vs BMW F10 5-series vs. Mercedes W212 E-Class (photo comparison)

[klier]

The W204 C class is the best MB design in like 20 years imo. With the right package, color and wheels, it's just mindblowing on the outside.
The interior is severely lacking though. So much plastic, so little wood, such an ugly pop up screen. It's just poorly designed imo. The quality is ok, but that's it for me. I like the style of the new E class much better!

BTW, little OT, but here's a chop I made some time ago of what could be the interior of the facelift C class W204. It's a mix of the current C and GLK:

Orginal:

Chop:

 

[coolraoul]

Agree every word. Exterior's perfect, interior's lacking.
The FL interior is said to be inspired by the GLK. Probably the upper dash will change and will get similar wood treatment, and a fixed screen.

 

[MBhmjs220]

the second photo is way better looking than the first one!
but i think that would be a little ''too much'' for a facelift, don't you think?

 

[Leech]

well as far as we know they anounced "radical" interior changes so that is not really "too much"

 

[K-A]

I think they'll do something dramatic for the interior. I just hope it's not simply a popping smoke situation with more wood and bling, to make one feel its more upscale, but also improvements in the refinement of materials, etc.

I always said, if the W212 looked exactly like a W204 but bigger and even improved (Re: same idea with the W211 and W203, they look identical but the 211 bigger and a bit sharper/more refined), I'd be all over it.

 

[cawimmer430]

I really don't see what the big deal is about the W204 interior. It's not cheap by any means. The visual build quality appears to be extremely high (small panels gaps) and the materials are more than appropriate. So the cabin looks a bit boring and bland - so what? That doesn't mean the interior is cheap. There is a big difference between cheap and bland/boring.

In fact, I think people should stop smashing and whining about the C-Class interior and examine the overrated interiors of the competition. All interiors in this class are good - but some are over- and some are underrated. I think the C-Class interior is often underrated because people give it a quick glance without examining the detail - and the W204 interior has some amazing attention to detail. Hell, I've heard people make idiotic comments like "My grandfathers Lexus LS460 is so much more comfortable than an S-Class! When we like drove from New York to Los Angeles we never like got out once because the seats were so comfy! But when I sat in an S-Class in a dealership for 20 seconds I already knew this was such an uncomfortable car. Even my IS250 is more comfortable!" <-- This comment actually exists on Youtube, except I exaggerated with NY to LA.

Anyway, the number one spot for overrated interiors goes to Lexus, in this case the IS. The IS interior has never impressed me. I mean it's a good cabin but in no way is it as good as people make it out to be. Here's why. It's a plastic fest inside - just like the C-Class, A4, 3er, G etc. Lexus uses shiny silver plastic and immediately everyone orgasms by going "Oooooh, ahhhh!" Is silver plastic more HQ than matte black plastic? It's still plastic, just differently colored. Second, the attention to detail in the IS interior is lacking. You have an extremely busy center dashboard with good attention to detail but the inside of the doors are virtually naked: they seem to have been taken from a different car. It doesn't match with the center console. Thus, the design harmony, IMO, is ruined. Third, the IS interior is not clean - it doesn't flow harmoniously like other interiors in this class. I personally hate this interior from a design point of view and I find the materials to be nothing special that warrant it being labeled as "superior or better" than its rivals.

In second place we have the Audi A4. For the most part I have nothing against the A4 interior. My only complaint is that this interior is also overrated. I find the A4 and W204 C-Class interiors to be almost like twins. Both seem well-made with extremely small panel gaps and both are often seen with the same dark gray, almost uninspired plastic dashboard color. The A4 only has an extra chrome strip here and there and a slab of wood here or there. Are you telling me that those little strips of chrome and wood make the A4 "expensive" while the W204 is "cheap" because it lacks this? Huh? The A4 interior is a bit more flashy than the W204, that's all.

The addition of wood to the C-Class interior might actually be a bad move. After viewing Klier's chop, it just doesn't look right. I think the interior is currently fine as it is. What needs to be done is to add little chrome strips here and there, just like in the A4, because those little additions will really bring out the flashy side of the W204 cabin - without making it too flashy IMO.

 

[Osnabrueck]

Sorry ol buddy but the W204's interior is horrifyingly cheap. The glovebox feels like it came off a Daewoo, the buttons feel anemic, the ambience is low-rent.

After I drove one I couldn't wait to get back into my Honda Accord EX-L - which felt refined and rock-solid by contrast.

Audi interiors aren't overrated. They're best-in-class without exception.

 

[Merc1]

IMO the C-Class interior is put together well, but with cheaper materials than what a Benz should have. If you all can see what I'm saying.

The W204 is a much more solid car than the W203 ever was from a build quality point of view, but the post-facelift W203 had a softer ambience and more inviting aura about its cabin.

The W204 goes back to the asture Benz feel of years ago, but it makes the mistake of not having the right materials.

Years ago the W124, W201 and W126 had the same asture, bare feel to them, but they felt expensive at the same time. Sure their leather was harder and the wood of a straighter, less-pretty grain, but no one doubted their interior build or material quality.

Not sure if Mercedes-Benz can re-capture the spirits of those cars. Afterall they switched the soft-touch, cozy feeling interiors because of all the competition and the complaints from people who wanted softer interiors because of their experiences in Lexuses and other then new luxury cars.

The W220 was just as radical a shift in interior design/ambience from the W140 as the W212 is from the W211 and the W204 is from the W203. Same thing only in reverse, back to asture.

The thing is I think they could "fix" this by swapping out the plastics, because the design is fine. Part of this is just plain cost-cutting too.

Its an iffy situation because I'm sure there a lot of old-school Benz buyers that like these new interiors, but a lot of folks that don't remember, have no experience with the older cars, or simply came to know luxury cars via Lexus/Cadillac etc. won't like or grasp what is going on here.

A plastics swap would do it I think and some more expressive detailing. More wood in the W204, particularly on the passenger side of the dash would be nice. Plastic is good, but only when its good plastic.


M

 

[K-A]

I really don't see what the big deal is about the W204 interior. It's not cheap by any means. The visual build quality appears to be extremely high (small panels gaps) and the materials are more than appropriate. So the cabin looks a bit boring and bland - so what? That doesn't mean the interior is cheap. There is a big difference between cheap and bland/boring.

In fact, I think people should stop smashing and whining about the C-Class interior and examine the overrated interiors of the competition. All interiors in this class are good - but some are over- and some are underrated. I think the C-Class interior is often underrated because people give it a quick glance without examining the detail - and the W204 interior has some amazing attention to detail. Hell, I've heard people make idiotic comments like "My grandfathers Lexus LS460 is so much more comfortable than an S-Class! When we like drove from New York to Los Angeles we never like got out once because the seats were so comfy! But when I sat in an S-Class in a dealership for 20 seconds I already knew this was such an uncomfortable car. Even my IS250 is more comfortable!" <-- This comment actually exists on Youtube, except I exaggerated with NY to LA.

Anyway, the number one spot for overrated interiors goes to Lexus, in this case the IS. The IS interior has never impressed me. I mean it's a good cabin but in no way is it as good as people make it out to be. Here's why. It's a plastic fest inside - just like the C-Class, A4, 3er, G etc. Lexus uses shiny silver plastic and immediately everyone orgasms by going "Oooooh, ahhhh!" Is silver plastic more HQ than matte black plastic? It's still plastic, just differently colored. Second, the attention to detail in the IS interior is lacking. You have an extremely busy center dashboard with good attention to detail but the inside of the doors are virtually naked: they seem to have been taken from a different car. It doesn't match with the center console. Thus, the design harmony, IMO, is ruined. Third, the IS interior is not clean - it doesn't flow harmoniously like other interiors in this class. I personally hate this interior from a design point of view and I find the materials to be nothing special that warrant it being labeled as "superior or better" than its rivals.

In second place we have the Audi A4. For the most part I have nothing against the A4 interior. My only complaint is that this interior is also overrated. I find the A4 and W204 C-Class interiors to be almost like twins. Both seem well-made with extremely small panel gaps and both are often seen with the same dark gray, almost uninspired plastic dashboard color. The A4 only has an extra chrome strip here and there and a slab of wood here or there. Are you telling me that those little strips of chrome and wood make the A4 "expensive" while the W204 is "cheap" because it lacks this? Huh? The A4 interior is a bit more flashy than the W204, that's all.

The addition of wood to the C-Class interior might actually be a bad move. After viewing Klier's chop, it just doesn't look right. I think the interior is currently fine as it is. What needs to be done is to add little chrome strips here and there, just like in the A4, because those little additions will really bring out the flashy side of the W204 cabin - without making it too flashy IMO.

I just can't agree. The A4's interior first off blows the C-Classes away in feeling of quality, and nice ambiance, and I'm not even talking about design.

I wonder where you feel the attention to detail is good on the W204? Just out of curiosity, not criticizing, to each there own.

Getting back into my W211 after a W204 is literally, no exaggeration, like getting into a Bentley to me, i.e like my car feels like a Bentley's interior afterward.

I've driven, and analyzed the W204's interior endlessly it seems, and it feels like a bad joke by M-B. Design wise, and especially, materials wise.

Merc1 is right, it is going for the old "brute/austere" German Benz feel, but to me, I see through it, all the way toward the easy-out cost cutting they did. The 126/124, etc. indeed did feel strong, hard, and such, however it still felt EXPENSIVE, and the materials had attention to detail, and they still felt elegant. Right now, with all the plastic (and not expensive plastic) with the W204, and to a degree, the W212, they're bringing back that austere feeling a bit, but without the elegant details, and feeling of quality in some of the materials.

 

[cawimmer430]

Sorry ol buddy but the W204's interior is horrifyingly cheap. The glovebox feels like it came off a Daewoo, the buttons feel anemic, the ambience is low-rent.

Oh please.

Audi interiors aren't overrated. They're best-in-class without exception.

They're overrated. I already said that I have nothing against Audi interiors, but are they really that good that they are above all else? I think not. Good interior, but completely overrated too.

 

[K-A]

sorry ol buddy but the w204's interior is horrifyingly cheap. The glovebox feels like it came off a daewoo, the buttons feel anemic, the ambience is low-rent.

+1111111

 

[cawimmer430]

The W204 goes back to the asture Benz feel of years ago, but it makes the mistake of not having the right materials.

Years ago the W124, W201 and W126 had the same asture, bare feel to them, but they felt expensive at the same time. Sure their leather was harder and the wood of a straighter, less-pretty grain, but no one doubted their interior build or material quality.

I am a big fan of old-school Mercedes but I do not see how a W201 interior can be rated as "more high quality" than a W201. The only thing going for the W201, aside from build quality, was the traditional Benz interior feel and appearance which probably accounted for a lot. The plastics on the other hand used in the W201 appear cheap in this day and age. If you ask me, the W204 plastics are of a much higher quality in appearance and feel than the plastics used in past Mercedes'.

Plastic is good, but only when its good plastic.

Which the W204 has IMO. It would be interesting to find out what the chemical composition of the W204 and say Audi A4 interior plastics are. Because from my personal comparison tests based on visual appearance and feel (arguably terrible means of judging quality) I would wager that they're both more or less the same (maybe even from the same supplier). So why then does the A4 get the go-through while the W204 is criticized?

 

[cawimmer430]

I just can't agree. The A4's interior first off blows the C-Classes away in feeling of quality, and nice ambiance, and I'm not even talking about design.

The feeling of quality and the ambiance are all subjective. Guess what? Some people like the more austere ambiance of the C-Class because maybe it's more in line with their conservative character, views, expectations etc.

I wonder where you feel the attention to detail is good on the W204? Just out of curiosity, not criticizing, to each there own.

Attention to detail? Right here. All these design elements flow with the rest of the interior in my opinion. This flow is lacking on some competitor models, namely the Lexus IS and BMW 3er for example. A4 is fine IMO.

Getting back into my W211 after a W204 is literally, no exaggeration, like getting into a Bentley to me, i.e like my car feels like a Bentley's interior afterward.

After driving numerous W204s and getting into my families W211 I didn't feel in any way that the W204 interior was bad. Less flashy, more boring, but cheap? No way in hell.

Most reviews praise the interior. Most owners even praise the interior (check the Internet). Guess that proves that most people don't have a problem with this interior. It's high quality, but a bit bland or austere, but not cheap.

 

[Sunny]

That is exactly the trim of the car I sat in. The silver painted plastic is horrible. It sort of looks okay in that pic, but in real life it is down right horrible, and I am not even picky when it comes plastic quality. I posted a real life pic few pages back.

 

[Potential]

I don't see what the W204 C Class has to do with the 5 Series vs. E Class. Open up a new thread and debate this elsewhere, please

 

[K-A]

Well, of course in those pics they make the materials look nice.

In real life, all those materials are not high quality to me in any way, aside from being durable. The silver is all painted, "tinny" if you tap it, the door panels, all sticky, rubbery-plastic (to me that is i.e cheap, in a refinement/luxury sense). Next time you're in a 204, knock on the dash, if sounds like hell.

I guess to each their own, but to me, the 204's interior is far below passable for what I'd expect. I'm sure if owners of the C-Class are coming from lower end cars they'd assume it's a good interior, or like that austere approach, but I just can't figure out how anyone who's sat in other Benzes, W203 F.L included, can find it in any way high quality IN a luxury/refinement/elegance sense, personally.

 

[coolraoul]

I think the W204 is extremely well-built and feels very strong.

I find the alu parts to be quite nice, especially on the dloors where it is veritable alu AFAIK and not plastic. At least it feels that way, and I know that on the ML for instance it is true aluminium because I've seen the piece unmounted.

The first problem is the plastic used for the main part of the dash. It is strong, but too hard, too rough, too shiny. A bit oily in its aspect even. It truly doesn't look expensive at all.
I know it's a very expensive plastic, because extremely eco-friendly in the way it is made, but still it looks quite cheap. That is a major weakpoint.

Second problem is the design.

To begin with, it doesn't look Mercedes at all. Where did you last see a "funky" center console in an MB? Where did you last see such an upper dash? You got it: never.
In fact, when I see that interior, one brand comes to my mind: Opel.

And then there is that obvious lack of any decorative elements. No trim whatsoever on the whole dash, c'mon what the hell? Especially with a big slab of plastic on the center to hide that repulsive screen? Oh yes, there is that ridiculously tiny chrome strip above the glovebox... Great...

Now I have to say that the interior doesn't look that bad IRL, when you seat in it. But it is clearly inferior to the interior of the 3er, despite its age.


Let me look at the A4 now: I find it the least attractive in the segment. The quality is appaling for the price. Cheapest grey-colored plastic, uneven gaps everywhere, VW-parts here and there;
And the design is, excuse me, nothing but a bling-bling mess. Lots of trim, but no harmony whatsoever.

Buttons are randomly spread all over the dash and center console, some of them round some of them squarish just next to each other, many elements just put here with no flow with the rest...

Sure, it looks expensive at first glance, but for me it's clearly all show no go. Better give me the austere but high-quality C-Class interior over that.

The 3er has a noice interior on the other hand. Starting to age; but since the FL, quality improved, and the design while heavy is nice and expensive.

 

[Zafiro]

You guys and your interiors Lets not forget its thread about F10 and W212.

 

[klier]

^ Too late. The C class has taken over!

 

[cawimmer430]

In real life, all those materials are not high quality to me in any way, aside from being durable. The silver is all painted, "tinny" if you tap it, the door panels, all sticky, rubbery-plastic (to me that is i.e cheap, in a refinement/luxury sense). Next time you're in a 204, knock on the dash, if sounds like hell.

I've done that. The surrounding dashboard "plastic" feels soft and leathery and not like plastic at all. To me it feels and looks like a high quality material.

I've honestly got no problem with the interior materials used for the W204. The cabin just looks boring and austere but it is definitely not cheap.