What would you replace a 2014 Mercedes C220d Auto (W204) with?

MiketheMechanic

I am looking to replace my wife's 2014 Mercedes C220d Auto Executive SE

We have owned it for for the past 5.5 years and it has been an excellent car.

Likes: 

Powerful but frugal and reliable 2.1L CDI BlueEfficiency Diesel Engine - good MPG even on suburban trips

Very easy and comfortable car to drive - 205/55/16 tyres not expensive to replace

Well appointed leather interior and the W204 is still a good looking car.

Relatively cheap servicing costs - car has needed very little beyond tyres, brakes and oil/filter servicing

Interior and boot is big enough for our family needs.

Good Bluetooth phone system and Entertainment system 

Dislikes:

We only drive it 12k miles a year, so hard to justify another Diesel car as a replacement.

No heated seats or memory seats. The old Volvo S40 that the Mercedes replaced had these, but otherwise the Merc is a superior car in every way.

New car requirements:

My wife wants a hybrid of some sort for the next car.

Doesn't have to be fully electric, but would consider mild hybrid or PHEV

Similar size and spec to the Mercedes

Automatic Gearbox

Reversing camera would nice to have

Realistically, a mild petrol hybrid saloon would be ideal.

Budget of up to 25k euro total. A 2018 or 2019 would be nice  

What would people recommend?

Not too well-versed on newer cars.

Another newer Mercedes C-Class? Is the CLA class a good car? Would it be a step up or down from a straight C-Class?

Are the petrol-engined Mercs of the 2018-2020 era reliable?

I think I read somewhere that Mercedes are using smaller engines from Renault now?

My wife likes Volvos, and would possibly look at a Lexus, BMW or Audi too. 

Suggestions?

MtM

User1998

A CLA is basically an A Class Saloon, and most of them are horrible Renault engined, but if you got a 2.1 it would be similar enough to your older model C Class in terms of comfort, maybe a few features missing like electric seats, but the tech and styling is better in the CLA

I’d recommend looking at a C Class C350e Hybrid. You’d get a 2018 model within budget.

mickdw

The obvious answer is a c350e so a newer model C class that's a plug in hybrid petrol with electric running for about 25km on a charge.

2.0 petrol and about 270 bhp I think and super low tax.

Jury is out on long term battery replacement / Repair costs.

bazz26

CLA is very tight on the inside, boot is small also. It's based on the A Class from the segment below your current C Class.

You could look at an automatic petrol Audi A4, some well speced used ones coming in from Japan now:

https://www.carsireland.ie/3439632

kermitpwee

Lexus IS300h

goochy

lexus ES300H

goochy

Is it a budget of €25k on top of the Merc. trade in

Miscreant

You could also look at a Toyota Camry hybrid if you are in the market for a comfortable hybrid saloon. A friend of mine has one and it is a very nice place to be. He says it is the best car he has ever owned, and he has owned Mercs and BMWs in the past. Prices are in or around your budget for a 2018/2019 model too.

galwaytt

In a not-dissimilar position myself soon I hope. 2015 C-Class 2.1 Estate, and top of my list atmo is a Lexus. Haven't driven a recent one yet, so that needs to be done or I could be back to Square One at that.

[edit] ...actually a colleague of mine at work bought a new Camry and it is actually a very nice car to be in.[/edit]

User1998

Lexus are lovely the drive and super reliable but the interior tends to let them down a bit

MiketheMechanic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121015227#Comment_121015227

Budget of 25k total.

goochy

LEXUS IS300H might be option then

MiketheMechanic

Thanks everyone for your replies. Good to know that the Mercedes CLA might be too small as a replacement.

What are people's opinions on the C350e Hybrid? Is the Mercedes hybrid technology from the 2018-2019 era reliable?

A friend of a friend had one that went very wrong (hybrid battery issue) - just wondering how common this is, or if he was just unlucky.

MtM

goochy

i think lexus / toyota would be best for hybrid reliability - a 2017 is300h should be in your budget - alot more distinctive than the MB also as there are loads of MBs around

Stallingrad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121067189#Comment_121067189

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/motoring/mercedes-benz-e-class-hybrid-6556630

MiketheMechanic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121067717#Comment_121067717

Wow - that's scary. That issue would effectively write off that car.

MtM

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121067689#Comment_121067689

We took an ES300 for a test drive on Saturday. Was very nice, but a little bit...........underwhelming. Nothing actually wrong with it at all mind you, even the colour & trim were good for us. Driving home in the CLS, the CLS felt a bit more...........something. So no sale there yet.

My own C-class estate is still destined to go soon-ish, so not sure what direction to turn atmo, but I was impressed by the new RAV4 Hybrid - even over the Lexus. None available to buy 'til 2024 though.

goochy

could it just be you found a hybrid car a bit dull ? too quiet / uninspiring ?

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121079218#Comment_121079218

1 - Dull would be harsh - if you want 'not dull' I'd be looking at what will replace my 996 Cabrio. Which I am btw.

2 - Too quiet - def not. I like quiet in a car. If I'm honest I thought NVH levels higher than my C-class, but similar to the SO's CLS. This is entirely down to what I call SWTS Syndrome, aka 'Stupid Wheel & Tyre Sizes'. My C-Class on 17"s is a peach.

3 - Uninspiring. Well I wouldn't class either my C-Class or the ES as 'inspiring', so that's a draw tbh. I really liked the RX450 though, but pricing is mental. For real inspiration, see my point #1.

Interestingly, I got a test ride in a new 530e since too - now that was impressive. It was, to me, the promise of a Lexus with the expectation of a Merc. Long term though, German firmware is what I fear for.

The search continues.

goochy

new RX450H is very pricey and is quite low to ground so doesnt look very substantial

MiketheMechanic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121016348#Comment_121016348

@goochy @galwaytt @Stallingrad @bazz26 @User1998 @Miscreant @kermitpwee @mickdw

I just wanted to come back on here with an update.

A few weeks ago, I took my wife to try look at a nice clean 2017 Lexus IS300H at a Toyota dealer.

In short, she hated it. She sat into it and thought "it looked like a rental car from the 1990s".

She reckoned it was a big step down from the interior of the Mercedes she was coming from in terms of interior styling and the controls and infotainment system. She wasn't a fan of the CVT transmission either, though it might just be a matter of getting used to it. She thought it was a bit dull and boring to drive as well. So the Lexus is out of the running.

Given this setback, I'm not sure she'd go for a Camry - it possibly too big/long also. So, we discussed it and though a hybrid would be preferable, the next car CAN be a straight petrol or diesel.

So I suppose the logical choice would be a 2.1L Merc C220 auto - the newer W205 model - with a proper Mercedes (not Renault) engine? Is there a 2.0 Litre petrol Merc? Anything else I should look at?

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122083496#Comment_122083496

Lexus IS and Toyota Camry are the same car so she won’t like it

goochy

Alfa guila

embraer170

Do you have to replace the Mercedes if it meets your needs?

What about a Tesla Model 3? €25,000 should get you a 2021 with not too high mileage. Definitely a buyers market.

bazz26

I cannot imagine the OP's wife liking the Model 3's interior much if she hated the Lexus interior.

bazz26

What about an A4 OP:

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/audi-a4-s-line-2-0-petrol-automatic-high-spec-/36770748

MiketheMechanic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122083721#Comment_122083721

Thanks @bazz26. What are those 2.0 TFSI petrol engines like for reliability? I seem to recall that at least some of the earlier VAG TFSi engines in the likes of older Passats were poor and had various issues. Would these issues have been sorted by 2018?

Also, would there be any issues getting parts or insuring a Japenese imported Audi?

I'm not a VAG follower, did they sell these Audi A4s as petrols here in Ireland in 2018? Or was it all still diesel?

MtM

bazz26

I think that 2.0 tsi engine is a less powerful variant or close relative to the engine found in the likes of a Golf GTi/R etc so the same common problems would probably apply. I think they switched back to a more reliable timing belt from chain on these many years ago but I'm no expert on VAG engines. There is also a less powerful 1.4 tsi engine available which was sold here in many VAG cars. Parts wise I think most of these JDM German cars outside of higher specs are the same as the ones sold in Europe.

MiketheMechanic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122083593#Comment_122083593

Interesting choice. Very scarce in Limerick unfortunately. Are they built with the usual Alfa "reliability"?

goochy

Very scare full stop . That's years out of date just like fiats lack of reliability

goochy

Some for sale up north

MiketheMechanic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122087502#Comment_122087502

We were a Fiat house growing up. Loads of 127s, 128s, Ritmo, Regatta, Unos, Tipo, Brava and Bravos.

Never let us down, to be fair. FIRE engines were gutsy yet frugal and relaible. Spacious and practical cards for the time with a bit of Italian flair.

The Giulia looks lovely in the metal. Worth a look.

MiketheMechanic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122083603#Comment_122083603

Unfortunately, a Tesla would be out of the question. I won't get into the details, but let's just say that my other half would have some ideological differences with the CEO and co-founder of Tesla 😉

I'm not too well up on EVs, but is there anything is there anything thats's not a Tesla for between 25-28k that ticks the boxes in my original post?

MtM

embraer170

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122090331#Comment_122090331

Hard to blame her on the ideological differences. I may need to buy another electric car soon. The obvious one would be another Model 3, but it’s hard to accept the kind of stuff Elon comes out with sometimes.

You might find an VW ID4 in your budget but I’d say it’s unlikely to have the features you are looking for and used to in your Mercedes.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122091215#Comment_122091215

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122090331#Comment_122090331

Not buying a car brand because of your views of the CEO is crazy. You’s both must go out of your way to follow him on social media because I haven’t a clue about any of the stuff he says? Nor do I care.

goochy

i admire Musk , say what you like about him but what he has done with Tesla is amazing for a , new ' company '

SchrodingersCat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122092072#Comment_122092072

Not buying a product or service because of the owners/company is a valid form of protest, especially here in Ireland. Hell, we even invented the term. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Boycott

MiketheMechanic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122091215#Comment_122091215

Like I said, I won't be going down the Tesla rabbit hole on this thread 😀

Getting back on-subject, thanks to @embraer170 for the VW ID4 suggestion. I wouldn't have thought the prices would have fallen down to within our budget. The range on the first edition seems quite low. 400km usable range would probably suffice. Is there a particular month/year or model number that has the improved range?

MtM

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122095232#Comment_122095232

As far as I know there's a 82kWh model and a 52kWh. This one is a bit above your budget but there's probably a bit of bargain room. There's an ID4 thread in the EV subforum where you'll get some more info.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-id-4-mint-id4-pro-150-kw-1st-20-5dr-au/36704923

kevyg

What about a 330e

kevyg

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-3-series-m-sport-shadow-edition-cream-interior/36730145

MiketheMechanic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122107496#Comment_122107496

@kevyg , that's lovely. I'll suggest it to the other half.

bazz26

Just be aware that the boot is very small in those due to the battery, so if you need any sort of useable boot space you will be disappointed.

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122083496#Comment_122083496

There are 3 Mercs in this house, 2 are 2.1D, 1 is an A-Class 1.6D (Renault engine).

The 1.6D was doing 900 miles a week commuting for 6 months, and it has had zero issues in the 3 years we've had it. I had the same engine before in a Mégane GT for over 4 years and equally reliable.

Modern CLA with that 1.6 engine is a nice car.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122250236#Comment_122250236

I had a lovely 161 A Class AMG Premium Plus Auto. Safe to say the 1.5 diesel engine absolutely ruined the car for me. Sounded horrific and had no power. I’ve also owned a 2.1 C Class which had a much nicer engine. Sounds better and had plenty of power.

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122250286#Comment_122250286

If it had 'no power' there's something wrong with it, and it shouldn't be making any 'noise' really: no more than any diesel these days.

Yes, the 2.1 engine is better, more torque. But that's why it's a 2.1……………the newer E-class is down to a 2.0 but that's actually an even smoother engine again.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122255745#Comment_122255745

There was nothing wrong mechanically with it, it just sounds terrible and is gutless. What is it, 100bhp or something? Might be okay if your upgrading from something older or less powerful but not ideal if your coming from something with a decent engine fitted. Even compared to a 2.0 Golf TDI its a massive downgrade in terms of power and refinement.

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122255816#Comment_122255816

It's 115bhp, and should not be 'gutless'. Like I said, maybe there was something wrong with it.

And, comparing any 1.5 to a 2.0 is pointless. A 2.0 will always have more torque (not necessarily more bhp though), but that 1.5 is a more refined engine than the 2.0 in VAG's, particulary in NVH terms.