IS350 F Sport Underpower against Germans?

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03-16-14, 02:29 AM

#76

Slust

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Example of how power isn't everything...

Everyone is gushing over the new C400, mostly because the engine looks freaking awesome (that torque!). This article is no different in that regard and still overall praises the car but it makes no attempt to hide what sport sedan enthusiasts want to know.

First Drive: 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

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With the 2015 C-Class, Mercedes has decided to build a baby S-Class rather than a 3 Series -- or should I say Cadillac ATS -- competitor. The truth is that there are scores more luxury buyers than there are sports sedan enthusiasts.

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The more powerful and heavier C400 is a different story. First of all, the C400 comes standard with all-wheel drive. Couple that to the heavier V-6 powerplant and it’s obvious that the C400’s weight balance is much more nose-heavy than the C250/C300. The handling wasn’t as crisp. The ride was both more wallowing and clunkier than the C250, and the shifts were more sluggish. Still, with four adult, American males inside, everyone was comfortable and you had to stop and look for peccadillos. Despite what some Mercedes engineers later told us, I’m not convinced the particular C400 I drove was a finished product. The transmission could use a remap and the suspension could use a retune, and a few of the early-build gremlins need to be ironed out -- a trunk that doesn’t always close, errant rear seatbelt warnings and air conditioning that refused to blow cold.

You can't compare a 250 to a 350 as that is 100hp difference but you could compare a IS350 to a C400. So ya the engine looks great but after reading that article I wouldn't buy a C400 since my goal is more of a sport sedan than a luxury sedan with a 329HP engine, and I certainly wouldn't buy the first year C400 after reading the problems they mentioned in their First Drive.