***My New Car! It's FINALLY here!***

[cawimmer430]

The long wait was worth it. Here she is. She's even more beautiful in person. 

Warning: Horrible poor quality snapshots ahead, some are even blurry! Sorry! 














Some quick driving impressions. Oh, and my dream license plate (M:CW1982) wasn't available, but M:WF1982 is better anyway because WF stands for Wimmer Fotografie, my business! 

I'm taking it easy on the engine for the first 1000 km, but you can feel the eagerness and power of the engine. It's very responsive and there's no noticeable turbo lag. The motor is also very refined. Although I ticked the option of Sporty Exhaust Note, the engine does not sound as aggressive - perhaps I have to wait until I can really hammer it.

Steering feel is lighter and slightly vaguer than in the BMW, but you still receive feedback on what the front wheels are doing.

The brakes on the A180d and A200 AMG Line I experienced were a bit "mushy" and "vague", but thankfully that's not the case here with the A250. They feel the same as in my ex-BMW: responsive, precise and with superb feedback.

The 7-DCT transmission works in the background. You don't hear or feel it. It's that smooth. I have yet to test it on the Autobahn, which will happen tomorrow when I drive it to another city to get the winter wheels and tires mounted.

Start-Stop was pretty smooth in both turning off and starting, but I still disabled the system. I'm not a fan of Start-Stop

MBUX is sweet. I still need to create and login into my account to receive the free updated and improvements. The navigation system is amazing and I didn't even know I had the virtual reality guideline arrows that show you on screen in which exact street you need to turn into! I guess that's part of the Business Package and extended MBUX features.

On the downside, the view out of the rear side windows to check for cyclists and pedestrians when making left or right turns is not as good as in the BMW. I will need to keep that in mind and get used to it quickly.

Another problem was getting into my parking spot. Boy, with my neighbor's fat E-Class parked in its spot next to me squeezing in there was time-consuming. I didn't quite trust the 360-degree parking camera, or at least I still need to develop a feel for it as well as the dimensions of the car. I am sure it's all psychological because I could blindly park the BMW in that spot without issues.

One thing I really dislike, probably out of habit, is that the gas tank filler hole is on the driver's side. On my BMW it was on the right. It's just something I will need to get used to. By the way, the Mercedes dealership really treated me like royalty and filled up my enlarged (66 liter) fuel tank! Sweet!

So overall, I am very happy with the car. Tomorrow I'll be going on a long drive and I'll snap better photos once the winter wheels (Rial M10s) and tires (Continental WinterSport TS860S) are fitted.



Some more snapshots! 




Here is the FIRST TIME I saw her. And I was STUNNED. She looks even better in person than the configurator photos could ever convey! This is the room where new Benz owners get to meet their new ride and get a quick course on how to use the car and its features.



















Left the dealership with 3 km on the odometer, arrived home with 12 km. The digital tachometer is cool, I quickly got used to it.









Some quick snapshots I took in a tunnel in my underground parking garage. Tomorrow those lovely 19" Multi-Spoke AMGs are replaced with 19"RIAL M10 winter wheels and tires. 









The key and fob.







The last photo I took of the BMW. Snapped the photo, then turned around and never looked back - to make the final goodbye less heartbreaking. 





Looking forward to many kilometers and years with this thing!   

[CALL_911]

Congratulations, that thing is seriously a nice car.

You think the BMW will get shipped to Africa or something?

[FoMoJo]

Hey, congratulations man!

It looks great, especially the wheels.

[giant_mtb]

Looks awesome. How does that key function?

[Lebowski]

Nice looker.

[mzziaz]

Congrats!

[Eye of the Tiger]

The whole dash is a ipad screen. Pretty soon the windshield will just be a giant ipad screen. And cars will fly.

[Laconian]

Very nice car, Christian.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Can you just totally customize the instrument layout, and/or watch Netflix?
Oh yeah, nice car dude ... for a taxi

[Xer0]

Congrats!

This thing looks so much better than the sedan we Americans are gonna get.

[SJ_GTI]

Very nice, and I agree it looks better in your "real life" shots than the ones you downloaded from MB's website. 

[MrH]

Congrats!  Looks a lot more spacious compared to your 1-series too.

[cawimmer430]

Congratulations, that thing is seriously a nice car.

You think the BMW will get shipped to Africa or something?

Thank you! I love it already. 

I suspect for now the BMW is either going to remain in Germany, or head east into Eastern Europe. It's just a hunch because the dealership advised me it would be helpful for their used car dealership to have a full TÜV and repair history of the car(s) they sell. I left a my repair/maintenance/TÜV documents in a folder on the passenger seat for them.

Somehow I doubt this information will matter in Africa. 

A few months ago I did see a documentary about old cars in Germany/Europe that eventually land in Africa. This even included cars like a fairly recent Mercedes W211 (2002 to 2009)  and W212 E-Class or severely beat up Hondas, Toyotas, Volkswagens and even Opels. The funny thing is, once these cars arrive in Africa, the locals remove everything they deem unnecessary such as luxury features, catalytic converters etc. I think on current cars this is going to be difficult, since those engines are designed to work with catalytic converters and especially particulate filters.

[cawimmer430]

Hey, congratulations man!

It looks great, especially the wheels.

Thanks! 

I LOVE the wheels. I'm really curious how the 19" Rial M10s will look on it. Gonna find out tomorrow!

BTW, reading the instruction manuals right now - well the ,,short version". 

[cawimmer430]

Looks awesome. How does that key function?

Thanks!

The key is part of the keyless go system, though in my case I didn't specify pure keyless go. I have to physically unlock and lock the car, but once I am inside the car the key can remain in my pocket and I can start the car by depressing the brake pedal and hitting the start button.

A cool feature of the car is that the key, which is powered by a CR-style battery, will warn you when the key battery is low. They did think of everything! I was worried I needed to keep a CR battery in my wallet just in case the key fob battery dies... 

[cawimmer430]

Nice looker.

Congrats!

Very nice car, Christian.

Thanks! 

[cawimmer430]

Can you just totally customize the instrument layout, and/or watch Netflix?
Oh yeah, nice car dude ... for a taxi

Oh yes. Watch the video below and go to 23:00. From about there you can see how the tachometer dials etc. can be customized. And since this is software-based, future updates may provide more themes, styles and customization options. 


www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uwpTboy2zo




I love my taxi! 

[cawimmer430]

Congrats!

This thing looks so much better than the sedan we Americans are gonna get.

Agreed. And I feel the hatchback is more practical. You get more rear head space and a larger, more usable boot.

This is how my A-Class would have looked like in sedan form.










I think the design looks better in hatchback form. The new A-Class Sedan should be the new CLA. Not sure why MB is offering both the A-Class Sedan and a new CLA. They claim there are differences, and I will be interested to hear what these differences and selling points will be.

[cawimmer430]

Very nice, and I agree it looks better in your "real life" shots than the ones you downloaded from MB's website. 

And in person the car looks so much better. Videos and pics don't do it much justice. MB really has a winner with this one. 

In fact I was lucky. Ordered the car end of July, got it now. There's now a 6-month waiting period for the A-Class. This, despite four factories working overtime to churn them out!

Another fun fact the salesman told me today was that the newly designed Mercedes G-Class has a waiting period of... well if you order one today, it will arrive in March. March of 2020. HOLY SHIT. 

[cawimmer430]

Congrats!  Looks a lot more spacious compared to your 1-series too.

Thanks! 


It's indeed roomier inside. The trunk space is slightly shorter (about half a foot) than in the BMW, but it's not such a big deal since the rear seats can easily fold down and create a roomy loading area (this was also possible in the BMW). There's definitely more head room and leg space for rear passengers, and the ,,cardan shaft tunnel hump" is narrower and lower.

The good news is it also drives very nice. Aside from the lighter, slightly vaguer steering, it matches up well to the BMW. I'll know more when I take it on a long trip tomorrow. I'm especially dying to use the high tech adjustable suspension and the different modes (comfort, sport etc.).

[BimmerM3]

There's definitely more head room and leg space for rear passengers

That is very good. I remember when you picked me and some friends up from the train station to go to the Porsche museum. Cramming three of us in that back seat was not comfy hahaha

[FoMoJo]

Remind me, which engine does it have?  A small displacement turbo (twin spool) is the best of both (performance and efficiency) worlds.

[cawimmer430]

That is very good. I remember when you picked me and some friends up from the train station to go to the Porsche museum. Cramming three of us in that back seat was not comfy hahaha

Indeed! I remember that so clearly because I think two of your friends were rather tall, and they were forced to sit in the back. I'm surprised they didn't attempt to bring me infront of an international court for human rights abuses! 

Truth is, if a smaller person were driving the BMW and the driver's seat was closer to the steering wheel, the rear leg and head space issue could be somewhat solved. But when a 6'4" beast of man such as myself is behind the wheel... 

[cawimmer430]

Remind me, which engine does it have?  A small displacement turbo (twin spool) is the best of both (performance and efficiency) worlds.

It's a 2.0 (1991cc) 4-cylinder turbo with 224-horsepower and 350 Nm of torque available at 1800 RPM (the BMW had 143-hp and 190 Nm of torque). 0-100 km/h in 6.2 seconds (factory claim) and a top speed of 250 km/h (factory claim). I've seen some tests of the A250 and two of them maxed it out at 243 and 245 km/h, not quite 250 km/h. When the summer comes I wanna test mine and see if I can reach 155 mph!

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

NICE!!!!

[r0tor]

Congrats

[giant_mtb]

Thanks!

The key is part of the keyless go system, though in my case I didn't specify pure keyless go. I have to physically unlock and lock the car, but once I am inside the car the key can remain in my pocket and I can start the car by depressing the brake pedal and hitting the start button.

A cool feature of the car is that the key, which is powered by a CR-style battery, will warn you when the key battery is low. They did think of everything! I was worried I needed to keep a CR battery in my wallet just in case the key fob battery dies... 

I understand how the fob itself works (I assume it's like any other proximity-key push button starter), but what's the metal stick for...?

[93JC]

That's just a keychain, bruh...

[93JC]

Congrats Wimmer, I hope you enjoy it for a long time to come.

[BimmerM3]

That's just a keychain, bruh...