When I'm unlocking the car with the button, I don't mind pressing it twice. What throws me is that when I open the door and get out, it does not unlock everything. I don't remember seeing this as an option in the display, but I will check further.

Thanks for the response,

Hmm, I didn't ask for anything special, but with my C, whenever you unlock the driver's door, all the other doors and trunk unlock, too (like they do on every German car I've had). So, your car can definately be made to do it, too!

Also, how does one able/disable the speed sensitive volume control?? I didn't see that in the manual. I think mine is disabled, I'd like to try it out!

Thanks!

Larry, when you're in the one-press-of-the-button-unlocks-all-doors mode, all doors including the truck will be unlocked when any door is opened.

I'm not sure if there are other ways for the car to automatically unlock all doors when a door is opened?

Brian, my dealer turned off this feature on my E, perhaps you can call and see if it's available on your C? I bet it is.

I suppose that I'm still not verballizing my complaint properly. I want to open the door, get out, walk away and when I walk back to open the trunk, or the passenger door, I want to merely grab the handle and open it.

The remote key works, and I assume the other lock buttons work, but when I get out and walk away, only the drivers door is left unlocked.

Have a great day,

Larry, I think I understand what you want to achieve but I believe the only way is to turn the universal lock and unlock mode on (by pressing both unlock and lock on your remote for a few seconds, or something like that - check your manual).

Once it's on, all doors will unlock when any door is opened.

Manuals are amazing things. I read the book and I'm supposed to be able to change the mode by holding down the lock button for several seconds. I don't think that will unlock everything when I open the door though.

The weather has turned to rain for a few days, so it will probably be midweek at the earliest before I drive it again. I will try it then.

Thanks,

Larry, try it out. I have the "all unlocked" setting too and whenever I open the driver's door, all doors including the trunk will unlock just like what JS says.

I took my C240 from NorthEast Texas to Fort Smith, Ark. and back today. This trip is about 30 miles of narrow, hilly, winding farm roads, plus about 50 miles of four lane, 75MPH speed limit and most of the rest of the 1805 miles is good winding roads through the Kiamichi Hills.

I used to make this trip about once a week, but have not done it in over a year. I know the roads very well, even though it's been awhile.

The car did even better than I expected. It was comfortable, yet really fun. Through the very narrow and winding farm roads I had the cruise set at sixty all the way except a few times when I had to find a place to pass a truck. This doesn't sound very fast, but you should see the roads. Even on sections of uneven surface, I was able to hold the curves well.

In the hills, there are some really fun turns which are banked reasonably well with a very good surface, I dealt with minimal traffic and was able to really go. I didn't use the cruise control, I just went. On some of the turns marked 35MPH as a recommended speed I went through them in fifth at about 60, I was able to go faster in the sweepers. Even in a climbing, sharp turn, fifth gear would accelerate the car well while the car held the road extremely well. The 55 series tires were much more predicatable than I expected.

I just wanted to share my day with everyone.

Have a great day,

Wait a minute. Have any of you had the pleasure of driving a 300E-24? They are absoloutly beautiful. But one thing is, they arent as smooth or punchy as a standard 300E motor, but get them both on the open road and the 24 valve rips.

Blow the head of a 24 valve and it will cost big time. The simple things in life last. Such as a 300E motor. That whole car itself will remain a classic and i believe one of the best Mercedes to come off the production line from Stuttgart. Thats something the C240, or the whole C class for that matter will never achieve.

1979 450 SEL 6.9
1988 260E
1989 300TE
1999 ML320

Christian,

Are you talking about the 202 or 203 C Class. I'm sure you're right about the 202, but I think the jury will be out awhile regarding the 203. It is, to say the least, a vast improvement over the 202 car.

At this point, I see the 203, overall, as an improvement over the 124 car. The 124 car is great, and the 203 car is a little smaller which maybe makes this an oranges to apples comparison. But, in my book I still see the 203 as superior.

My $0.02,

Larry,

I know it's been a while since I have made the run from Texarkana to Fort Smith via Highway 71, but I sure don't remember that run being 1,805 miles. A typo with the 5 or an omitted decimal point? Maybe I'm just being nit picky tonight .

Nice description of the drive BTW. Do you ever jump off the highway and run up the mountain to the Queen Wilhemena outside of Mena?

__________________
Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

u got me there...u cant really compare them in that way i guess....i didnt think what i said properly, and i admit that....a w124 is diffrent from w202 like comparing apples to oranges...
oopssss

Christian

I think the 124 has much more in common with a 202 than with a 203. Many people feel that a 202 is an updated 124. I'm not sure I agree with that though.

Yes 1805 was definitely my fat fingers on the keyboard. It is about 180 miles from where I live in NE Texas to Fort Smith.

To answer Mike Tangas, yes I've been to Queen Wilhemena a number of times over the years. My wife and I used to go there for our anniversary every year 'til we had bambino's.

Have a great day,

I've had the opportunity to drive a C240 loaner for the past few days while my 300E is in the shop, and it reminded me of this thread from last year. I thought I'd add some observations to Larry's excellent review.

First off, this is a very nice car.

The ride and handling are top-notch. There's a little bit of bump steer in the back, but otherwise the car is very smooth and composed over rough roads. Quiet, less wind noise than the early 124 chassis. A lot less body roll than my 300E, great traction and steering response from the wheel/tire setup. Very solid chassis.

Performance is good. The engine isn't as strong as the 3.0 M103, and I think the C240 weighs a little bit more than the 300E, but it moves smartly in response to accelerator input, and it doesn't feel like the car struggles to keep up with where I want to be. Smooth power output, well balanced (hardly any engine vibration).

Brakes are excellent.

After reading all about how MB has lowered standards (and after sitting in a couple early ML's), I found the interior to be composed of higher quality materials than I expected. The wood trim looks and feels a little plasticky and some of the plastic bits seem to be less robust than in the 300E, but I was impressed with the amount of padded vinyl and fabric in the car. It feels like substantial material, and the leather felt soft (but up to years of abuse and wear).

Despite the fact that the car is noticeably smaller than a W124, there's almost as much passenger room. The cockpit is narrower, but I like the cozy feeling, which is enhanced by the low seating position, high window sills, and dashboard layout. Almost like a coupe. According to the numbers, it looks like there's just as much legroom (F and R), a little less shoulder room, and MORE headroom than my 300E.

For whatever reason, the controls are much better placed than in the other car. The shifter falls into place by my right hand, and I don't feel too far away from the radio or climate controls (unlike my 300E). The steering wheel doesn't telescope (it does go up and down), but it's at the right distance regardless.

Things I don't like about the new car:

-the steering; I would prefer more information about the road surface and better on/off-center feedback from the front wheels.

-electronic throttle; like the above, I'd rather have the feedback and direct throttle control from a mechanical linkage.

-electronic transmission; while it has wonderfully smooth shifts and five gears, it upshifts too early under light throttle, and doesn't downshift readily enough under heavy throttle. The manual function is okay, but not as intuitive or ergonomic as the old manu-matic. Especially given the intelligent shifter placement, I feel like this car really ought to be fitted with a manual transmission.

-the brakes; they stop well, but I wonder if there's some electronic gadgetry involved here. Under light braking, I feel like the braking assist is being modulated (even though the pedal effort doesn't change).

-the mirrors are too small (especially driver's side).

-instrumentation; I would go for a bigger tach, more visible instrument needles, and more indicators (constantly find myself wondering what the engine temp is).

-radio; the bass is boomy, the soundstage isn't very well defined, and there's NO CD PLAYER! Even worse, the cassette player doesn't really accept cassette adapters (like for plugging in a portable audio player), as you can't close the cassette door with the wire sticking out, and if you don't close the cassette door, the radio system beeps every few seconds.

-transmission shifter cover plate has come loose and floats around, attached to the shifter boot but not much else.

----

Anyways, except for the above (none of which are truly deal-breakers), I really like this car. I don't know if I feel like the styling really fits me, but from an owner's perspective, I wouldn't mind having one as a daily driver.

-anthony