Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Look the care is probably well intentioned. however the company has clearly extended the features beyond their skillset and the design is dreadful, so things just don't work. Every time I take it out it feels like I have to fight my car. This is my third - I owned a C350e and a C300e before but the new 2025 C350e is nothing like its… Read more

predecessors. The designers have attempted to make the car so sophisticated without thinking things through that a previously wonderful model is one you will regret buying. I've gone from a brand-loyal advocate to a "never again" person who wants my 5-year old trade-in back.

There is no enjoyment with this car - driving/fighting it is a high stress experience in which you have to assume it's about to do something st^pid and that is not what you want.

For example:

1. It's supposed to be a hybrid but it often does not charge because the company remotely sends updates and every time they run they delete all my preferences and resets the vehicle to a factory default ("do not charge the battery"). Might sound like a little annoyance but the controls are so enormously complex that it takes a good half hour to turn charging back on. Not only that but having the vehicle silently reset itself to "default no charge period - 24 hours" is just so st^pid that it illustrates the poor level of design thinking inherent in the model. Worse, it means you leave it on charge and then take out out only to find you may not have the miles you expected because there is no warning that "I decided to stop being a hybrid last night".

2. Aside from charging, other settings just randomly reset. For example recently it just turned off folding the wing mirrors - no warning. It was dangerous and again took a good half hour to fix.

3. Tyres are very expensive and low quality. The first blow out was less than a day after collection. I had to get the vehicle towed as there is no spare. No dealers stock their tyres so I had to buy not one but TWO tyres - one to drive me to a place to get the Mercedes one. It cost well over a thousand dollars and I was left stranded by a road for hours.

4. I've given up attempting to use the radio. It is so hard to turn it on or off that it's a hazard.

5. It has an "answer phone" button. yesterday my phone had an incoming call. the car detected it - ringing was even brought up on the overhead display (and the system speakers) but the "answer" button on the steering wheel did nothing. Instead you need to click through about 5 or 6 screens on the console and even if that *were* possible before the call diverts to voicemail (it isn't) it's hazardous.

6. It randomly slams on the brakes and comes to a stop with sirens blaring as if you have hit a wall. It turns out it has an "emergency brake" that is triggered by all sorts of normal environmental things including a change in the angle of a road. My driveway is not a particularly steep one, but because an angled drive meets a level road, the brakes slam on at the bottom of the drive with screaming sirens designed to leave you shaken for the rest of the trip. It has already left me with a cut head by slamming on the brakes so hard while I was doing a shoulder check I was thrown against the window. It has slammed brakes on for other things too - I don't know what they are but you can be doing 40 and suddenly go from 40 to 0 (with screaming alarms and being thrown against windows) for no obvious reason at all. Fortunately that's less common but it does happen. Probably because the camera mistook something.

7. You literally have to "log in" to the vehicle to use it. There is an (undocumented) setting buried way down inside that lets you tun that off but it's the stupidest setting ever. You want to get in the car and drive it, but no. it wants you to enter your password? Seriously?? Don't ask me how I turned it off - I could never repeat the process but it did take multiple calls and a good hour of hunting.

8. It claims to read speed signs. It doesn't. It's right maybe 70% of the time but is wrong often enough that you just can't assume it's right ever so it's simply a distraction when it starts flashing at you for "speeding" when you aren't or randomly decides that it wants to go at 20kph more than the top speed limit anywhere in the state! Since you simply cannot use it, what's the point of this feature at all??

I could go on...

Frankly the 2025/6 C350e is a poorly designed and unsafe car due to the level of stress it delivers. Don't buy it and wait until they fix its design flaws.

This car done 30 000 km After 80 000 km had to keep spending big money on it Lots of mechanical problems which are very expensive. Mercedes have lost it. They are nice to drive, plenty of power and good fuel efficiency. Hard to get in and out of. Suspension hard for a luxury vehicle. Ball joints , engine mounts , shock absorbers worn at 90 000 km… Read more

Air con under powered. The best thing on this vehicle is the paint job. Replacing number plate globes requires 1.5 hours to dismantle the the booth lid to get to bulbs.

This is Australia not Europe – We purchase this car from new which is C250 bluetech diesel 2.1 motor with twin turbos it's got a lot of giddy up ( a lot,) very impressed with the vehicle the creature comforts are great, servicing can be expensive depending where you have your vehicle service the downside to the vehicle is it runs run Flats tyres which is not suitable for (… Read more

Australian conditions ) they are the worst tyre imaginable you have no spare wheel at all. So if you're on a road trip on a sealed road at the back of Queensland or similar and you have a puncture you need to purchase a air compressor and a can of temporary repair spray , like I had to do and carry them in your vehicle. Also you have to update your roadside assist for extended . Towing to a tyre repair and if they cannot repair it because in some States it is illegal to put a plug in a tyre so you have to order a new tyre and that could take 5 days through to a week depending on your locality just hope you can get a hotel room this is all extra money on your policy. ? If you hit a pothole in the road it feels like the front wheel is coming through the front firewall and it frightened the Dickens out of you. We actually cracked a rear rim and had to replace it at a cost of $615 from Mercedes which took about 7 days to obtain Mercedes didn't want to know me they called it impact I would have thought it would take an awful big impact seening that they are built for Australian conditions ,that's one impact that you would remember .You are very lucky if you get 22000 Ks out of a set of tyres you cannot interchange the tyres from back to front because they are different sizes the camber Lays in on the rear wheeks wearing the tyre on the inside edge there are only two sort of tyres you can put on this vehicle the Mercedes original equipment ( MOE ) are the Eagle F1 and continental all run Flats only and approximately priced at $440 a tyre not happy Jan if you change the rims and tyres you may have an insurance issue if you have an accident because they are not original equipment food for thought regards Mark Wilden

Extraordinary – As a lucky owner of many lovely cars over the years, there's something about the C250 that's totally got under my skin. Purchased 3 months ago, I bought a fully optioned C250 with AMG Line, Command Pack and Vision Pack. The Good It looks extraordinary, from every angle it's designed exquisitely. Interior is also exquisite. AMG seats are… Read more

supremely comfortable even after 3-4 hours driving. Driving position is perfect, there's a feeling of contouring when you get in and start driving. Head-up display, lane keeping assist are excellent on long journeys. Handling is extraordinary up to a point, it's not a WRX, but at all but the most extreme speeds, it's effortless and elegant. Overtaking also effortless and available power will get you in trouble equally effortlessly. The lowered AMG suspension allows you to go around corners fast than most sane people would want to in a non-racing situation. Fuel use is good at an average of 8ishL/100km and this on E10, ignore the 95 Octane recommendation. Burmeister sound system is captivating, from Wagner to Opeth it's divine - especially when you ditch the run-flats...

The Bad The run flat tyres are awful, sounds like the fan on a gym rowing machine - I changed them straight away. AMG Line suspension with the run-flats is pretty bumpy, either don't do the suspension upgrade or get some decent tyres. Voice recognition system is hopeless, I've called pretty much everybody in my contacts list that I didn't want to speak to.

Overall, these are great cars. The Audi A4 and the BMW 3 handle a bit better, but for day to day commuting and enjoyment, they are eminently capable and sooooo beautiful to be in. I simply love getting in the car every morning.

Service costs astronomical – 2019 C200. B service was $1,087 last time!!! Now due for a service but last service was only 5 000 km ago. Contacted dealer to find out options as it would be ridiculous to change oil etc after 5,000km. No reply to date. Run flat tyres are idiotic for Oz. No jack! If you ride on a deflated run flat tyre it has to be replaced = $$$. The owners… Read more

manual is for a LHD car. No service book to manually see when services done. Instead you have to log in to the digital record and see convoluted data. Nice car overall.

Best car I have brought – I Used to drive Holden Commodores most my life and still have vfs Commodores, even girlfriend same, I one day brought her a c200 2015 model, best car I have driven , can't hear any noise ,suspension to handling to braking to comfort is amazing, never had one issue with it definitely do not regret buying this. Girlfriend uses this car on a daily basis and loves it Show details

Great nice exec entry level car – Daily driver and have a small family works well for our needs and used on occasions for long trips and is very comfortable and smooth ride. Great fuel economy and can be easily maintained. A modern classic and probably one of the last lines before the introduction of the new modern tablet like screens (instead of traditional dials and knobs). Show details

Unreliable and inefficient – Too many issues with the car especially the electrical system. Being a 1.8L engine with a supercharger, you would think it would be fuel efficient when driving gently. This wasn’t the case. Often above 12L/ 100km around town. Really was hoping for 9L/100km being a small 1.8L engine. I would recommend forgetting about the Mercedes badge, just buy a… Read more

Toyota Corolla - unless you are happy to constantly replace parts and spend thousands of $ a year in servicing.

Engine issues – I have C 200 Cgi , Car is used for daily commute but engine stall very often and rear seal leak badly cooling pipes is cracked well under 200000 km very disappointed bodywork is also poor clear paint is pealing which is unusual for a brand tag as Mercedes I’m gladly it discontinued the C class  Show details

BETTER CARS AVAILABLE FOR HALF THE PRICE – I bought my first Merc 40 years ago, it was well built, technologically ahead of most other cars and you felt safe in it. I have owned another 6 mercs in the last 37 years and it is patently obvious that as the years roll by the build quality has decreased markedly and the technology is no better than some Korean or Japanese cars. We currently… Read more

have a C250, a nice looking car and nice to drive, but.......The gear selecter lever is where half the rest of the world has the indicators, on a stalk on the right side of the wheel. The Command Nav system is useless, it can only accept the most basic English words and anything slightly complex, it just makes a guess which is usually nowhere close eg " Glanton way" to which it replies " Stanton drive??" it would be funny if you were listening to someone else trying to use it but not when you're trying to find an address, other than that it is clunky and over complicated, which has been widely criticised by motoring journos. Also, you would think that a $100K 2016 model car would have Bluetooth pretty sorted? wrong!! The Bluetooth connects to my phone roughly 75% of the time, and never when you really need it. The emergency braking system is dangerous and can't be adjusted or turned off eg someone walks in front of the car 50 metres up the road, whilst the car would be reasonably close to said person, it would be nowhere near hitting them, the car goes into full emergency braking and you are just there for the ride, if there is a car close behind you you had better hope they are paying attention and have very good brakes, this "feature" has nearly caused many more accidents than it has saved. Servicing at the dealership is fine if you sell a kidney each time, needless to say I have it serviced at a non dealer/specialist for half the dealership cost. Yes it is a good looking car and nice to drive (mostly) but for half the price, provided you are happy to lose the snob factor, you can get same or better technology and up to 7 years warranty (as I right this I think Mercedes have finally gone to 5 years)

Who needs a Hybrid – A rocket ship fantastic acceleration ,very economical getting 4.7ltrx100 great driving experience amazing engine Show details

Great example of euro engineering comfortable and stylish – Use this car daily as well as getting away to the country occasionally, very reliable as with any car just service when due has never let me down very happy Show details

Very nice car to drive. But prepare for higher maintenance cost – Very nice car to drive. Before this I was driving Toyota Camry. Relatively to that car Mercedes Benz c200 with EQ is very nice cat to drive. Great fuel economy. Some cases I am getting 1100Km’s from full tank. Maintenance cost such as tyres can be bit higher than a standard car as it’s using Run flat tyres. Replacing 4 tyres can cost 1100-1700… Read more

AUD, depending on the brand and the Tyre shop. These tyres will give you low Km’s relatively to other standard tyres (15,000- 30,000) Service is normally every 12 months. Service cost can be around 600-1300 AUD. Overall I like the experience of driving this car even though maintenance cost is bit higher.

Truly the best car I have ever owned in 60 years of driving – Truly the best car I have ever owned, of a long series of Mercedes including the C250 CDI coupe which was excellent but difficult for grandparents and dog owners. So I swapped it for this one-owner 4-door sedan. This car is fast, with terrific acceleration thanks to its torquey 2.1 litre diesel. It is amazingly economical at 6.1/100km, superbly… Read more

comfortable with excellent safety, handling and road manners, unbeatable reliability and once a year servicing for my 12,000 kilometres a year. Who could ask for more? No mechanical issues in 54,000 kms.

Luxury is expensive? – Bought my C250 CDI in 2013 as a demonstrator model with practically all options and 4K on the clock. "Car of the year" sounded good and it was for a few years. Lovely car to drive. Now after 7-8 years and only 92,000 km of conservative driving , Mercedes advise that it needs new engine mounts, steering rubbers cracking and engine needs new seals.… Read more

All up around $5000 for repairs. I did not expect such problems to develop in a "luxury" car brand famous for good engineering. What's going to drop off it next?

2015 C250 – I was in the market for a newer car and was looking for an SUV but decided to get a sedan. This was was fully optioned and whilst I am more a BMW fan I went for the merc. I am pretty impressed, it feels great to drive. I actually look forward to driving again and make excuses to take it for a spin. I like the belt tension when I start the car, it… Read more

is like the car is hugging me haha Pros: Feels terrific to drive and the interior is good quality. Safety features - lane departure, active lane guidance etc Great stereo Fuel efficient (diesel) Looks terrififc! Cons: Run flats are terrible Voice recognition or pronunciation Navigation - just use google maps

On the whole, a great commuter or family car.

Suddenly accelerate while driving after take off foot from pedal – When I am driving about 40 or 50 or 60 speed and to slow down I take off my foot from accelerate pedal but suddenly accelerate go up and what could be the problem

Excellent car and safe – I use the car daily and no annual long distance travel. Car service is not often. Cons is expensive for repair. Flip side quality work and service and car is washed before returning to owner. Show details

High maintenance – Lots of problems with sensors. Ignition switch replaced at 50kms and paddle accelerator at 25 kms. Comfortable and excellent driving with good road holding. However, constant stress over reliability issues Show details

Perfect drive – My C200 is a great car, drives reliably and is very comfortable. Can have different modes depending on your preference (eco/comfort/sports). Great for families, fits my baby seat comfortably with room to spare! Show details

Lots of faults – It’s a good car when it works but based on my experience I strongly advise you to stay away. It’s very expensive to fix and a lot has gone wrong for me. I had the previous model before this and it was much more reliable. I would guess that because this is the first of the new line Mercedes couldn’t achieve the same reliability, and that will… Read more

become your problem as they won’t fix things properly.

I have had some things fixed under warranty but the fixes are far from perfect. After having a few tries Mercedes will start telling you the problems are ‘within expected tolerances’, so in other words they expect their cars to be loud and not shift gears properly.

Problems I’ve had:

- The sunroof (which I don’t open much) broke just after the warranty expired, cost to fix is $3000 - the front passenger head rest (which I don’t move much) headrest broke shortly after the sunroof, cost to replace is $1400 and they can’t repair it - the gearbox is glitchy and jerky, Mercedes spent about two weeks trying to fix it including replacing the valve body under warranty. They even said they were consulting with Germany. They did improve things marginally but it’s still glitchy and jerky. In the end Mercedes gave up and started telling me that it’s ‘within expected tolerance’. Don’t expect you’re going to get a smooth ride just because it’s a Mercedes, you won’t. - the camera that picks up road markings has broken recently so the lane control and auto high beam aren’t working. Haven’t gotten a quote for that one yet but I doubt it will be cheap. - the brake discs has become loose a few times. - the rubber door lining had to be fully replaced as it rubbed loudly when driving. The replacement is better but still quite noisy.

A cut-corners car! – This car (C200 Bluetec) was purchased brand new by my mother from Mercedes-Benz Sydney in late 2015, has been used everyday since & has been a major disappointment. The 1.6L Turbo-Diesel is one of the slowest engines i have ever experienced & gets absolutely smoked by my 2007 Honda Accord Euro which was her previous car. Turbo lag is horrendous… Read more

and the noise inside the cabin means that the stereo system has to be turned right up to actually hear the thing. The stop-start system makes things 10 times worse taking ages to wake back up after cutting out the engine.

The vehicle's run-flat tires make the ride a very rough one, every small bump makes a huge noise and shakes you like you've run over a rock. They are also damn expensive costing 300 hard earned dollars per tire every time they need to be repaired & in the nearly 4 years that we've owned the car have had to be replaced three times which is an absolute joke.

The infotainment system is a slow-laggy mess and looks incredibly cheap. So much so that my mother prefers the 2007 Navigation system in the Honda that i drive. The touch pad & swivel wheel combination is so clumsy to use compared to the touchscreen in my car & even the remote touch joystick in my Dad's 2016 Lexus RX450h!

The random issues in the vehicle make you question Merc's slogan of 'The Best or Nothing'. Back door's randomly opening whilst driving, transmission shifter taking three or four goes to actually change from park to drive and so much more!

The lack of features is also a big issue, when your spending close to $70,000 on a sedan you'd expect heated seats, a nice sound system, moon roof, 360 degree camera, some of which my Honda has.

With all this & much more we will never be buying a Merc again. We are currently looking into the Lexus IS or ES as a replacement as we have been so happy with our 2016 RX. Cannot wait to get this hunk of junk out of the garage.

The perfect bangernomics car with real appeal – Great looking traditional Benz, feels small & tight but planted. I bought mine 3yrs ago as a banger having owned a W202 back in Blighty which we took to 214,000 miles. At this age the W203s still on the roads are sorted cars. Electrickery was rife in the early days but if you find one with loads of receipts you can get 8 airbags, esc, rain… Read more

sensors light sensors, auto boot release etc for old Commodore money. The C180 is surely an ideal first car It will have schoolyard or uni cred, but these are safe and not quick. You'll sleep easier when your teenager is out. Like any old Merc engines are bullet proof, the auto boxes are lovely changers and it has that solid feel. Heavy cars so the 9l to 100km is about right. I think mine is unsellable. At 250 000km it's worth a pittance so I will keep running it or trade if I can. If you get a quicker model my tip is this classic shape will go up more than the W204. Base models can be got under 3k so they won't fall further. Easy checks; use an online vin decoder to check your car, get a $2.50 post check and you may get recall history off Benz Australia. Great cars, mine is too slow on motorways but perfect about town.

Super slick drive - luxury you can afford! – We use the car for everyday driving and find it such a pleasure to drive. The steering wheel turns so effortlessly (you won't know what I'm talking about until you experience it), it has mind boggling good fuel economy (for diesel version which we have), and service is required very infrequently compared to many other cars. These cars hold up very well long term without risk of costly repairs. As an everyday luxury car, you can't go past this! Show details

Worst car I've ever owned. And I've had a lot over the years – I came to own this car 6 months ago and I have never been so disappointed in a vehicle. It went well for about three months and since then I have had nothing but issues with it. To make things worse the Mercedes dealership charges a fortune for half pie jobs that achieve very little. In its last episode I took it in for a service (Cost… Read more

about $1000) On the way home it broke down. That's unfortunate I thought, so I had it towed back to the workshop. I decided to have all recommended repairs done to hopefully sort it out for once and for all. I gave clear indication that I didn't want it back unless it was 100% mechanically as I live 40km out of town in a rural area. Therefore I need a vehicle that is completely up to scratch. $2000 later I picked up the car, having had the front suspension repaired, some pulleys and belts replaced and the reason it broke down in the first place diagnosed as wet spark plugs and rectified.

The first thing I noticed immediately after driving away was a horrible rattling in the front suspension. I was not impressed. Being late in the day I decided to continue on home and go back the next day. Bad idea apparently. I got about 25 out if 40km on the way home and it broke down again. Same fault as the first time it broke down - running on three cylinders, then on four but in limp mode and only capable of about 90kph with the engine warning light on. To make matters worse, I performed an oil check and the car needed a litre of oil. This was a mere 150 km after a full service and it only needing a top up once in the previous 15,000km. Needless to say I highly doubt even the oil was correctly refilled during it's service. A litre of oil sorted it and 1200 km on its still fine apparently.

Disgusted at the absolutely second rate and overly expensive work performed by a Mercedes main dealership, I decided to take matters into my own hands and roll up the DIY sleeves to sort the issues myself before I go bankrupt. A set of coil packs later ($39 each off eBay compared to $1500 for four genuine ones) saw it miraculously run on all cylinders and the engine light go off. Then the handbrake jammed on. Again interesting for a car that I have just had serviced and had given instructions to find and fix all faults. A can of CRC and some tinkering freed it up.

Further inspection found a perished vacuum hose. I replaced it for 78cents and fuel economy improved immediately. Given it is under the engine cover right by the spark plugs I am surprised it was not noticed and fixed.

Next on the list is that rattling suspension. Parts have been ordered and another $400 spent.

Overall I am highly unimpressed with what is supposed to be a prestige brand known for reliability and longevity. The vehicle had a relatively low 160,000 km and a complete service history from the same main dealer that I again entrusted it to when I bought it. I am now in the position where I have a car that is basically worthless if it's not running right, and I've invested too much money took just walk away from it.

C180 estate – Bought a 1 owner 2013 complied C180 AMG estate for my wife in mid Sept 2018,@77k it's in pretty good condition usual parking dings & small scratches but was a honest vehicle with a comprehensive service & repair history. As I own & prefer cars with a more sporting ability I didn't expect too much from it but now having driven it for a while in… Read more

both city & country roads found the car to be both comfortable & fairly capable in it's performance & handling .As it's a small capacity engine the turbo is slightly OS I feel in traffic & displays initial (slight) turbo lag,but this is only if a quick take off is required from traffic lights or similar situation.Easily eliminated by slightly loading the turbo & engine prior to take off. After the boost builds the engine & 7spd gearbox responds well & quickly gets to the required speed easily. Obviously on the open road this is not a concern & the car's ability's & good quality materials that are used in the cabin makes a comfortable interior. Driven judiciously the fuel range makes for easy long distance driving.After long term ownership of a very reliable Audi A4t estate I thought I would try another Euro car,ignoring the it's a "Mercedes" hype,like much in life it's not perfect but so far my wife & I are happy with it.

Really bad – This is a belated review as I bought this car in 2007. Based on my experience Mercedes does not deserve a second look. Expensive Yes! Thirsty Yes! Underpowered Yes! And this is after Mercedes supposedly improved on previous C180 being sluggish. Quality Nooo!!! First drivers inside door handle broke off in normal use. Really? $300 to… Read more

repair thank you. Then air handling actuator lever (a little plastic stick to me and you) snapped necessitating removal of dash to fix and $2000 bill. Then car developed parasitic battery drain. Arrgghh! Based on my experience Mercedes and quality do not belong in the same sentence. Car is over-engineered and numerous bizzare small (and large) breakages that are unheard of in any other make of car leave you grossly inconvenienced and breathlessly out of pocket. Do yourself a favour, stay away from Mercedes Benz. Plenty of hype that leaves you short-changed in every way possible.