Luxury vs Sport
05-31-2014, 04:29 PM
#1
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2013 E350 SPORT
Luxury vs Sport
Can someone please answer me this. MB is designated as a Luxury car in my mind. However, I find about 9 out of 10 C Class to be of the Sport edition. Why is that? And also, I see many advertised CPO's claiming to be of the Luxury version, when I've been told the star on ther grill indicates it is of the Sport persuassion. Am I wrong?
05-31-2014, 04:47 PM
#2
MBWorld Fanatic!
Can someone please answer me this. MB is designated as a Luxury car in my mind. However, I find about 9 out of 10 C Class to be of the Sport edition. Why is that? And also, I see many advertised CPO's claiming to be of the Luxury version, when I've been told the star on ther grill indicates it is of the Sport persuassion. Am I wrong?
The 204, even in a "Sport" model, never approached out-BMWing BMW, but at the same time, BMW softened up their current gen 3 Series in an apparent attempt to gain some more mainstream volume. While MB created Sport and Luxury models, BMW created Luxury Line, Sportline, and MSport, furthering the overlap. When a brand loses focus, it usually is a sign of a less than clear brand vision and tactical desperation to find its market.
So, we have two brands based on different brand visions, making tactical moves (poorly planned ones, to my mind), both trying to gain volume. If you subscribe to Automotive News, you will read silly articles about each one boasting about who sold more, as if that impacts customer satisfaction, or even their own profitability - it does not, but they are locked in this "mine's bigger than yours" battle and have made some less than optimal choices.
With the 205, MB has taken a large, although incomplete step to solidify its brand vision. Fundamentally, the car is a mini S Class, which brings focus and clarity to the MB product array. Traditional buyers of all ages will like this car very much. Other than the forced aesthetic treatment, there is nothing "sporty" about it, and early road tests have confirmed this. It's a small luxury car. The leftover concept of dividing into Sport and Luxury, suggesting lack of management vision, will persist for a while, but there has been a trend of negative feedback. Some Sport buyers of both C and E Class have expressed disappointment about ride quality, and to some degree, design cues. I hope that both brands will eventually see the light, realize they are competitors not because they are trying to outdo each other at the same thing, but because they each offer alternatives for buyers with different preferences. Brands and customers do best when brands focus directly on their target market's set of requirements, and not when they try to be the "best of both worlds".
05-31-2014, 07:44 PM
#3
Senior Member
My speculative assessment is that this is the results of living in the jurisdiction of a American subsidiary versus the product vision developed at Stuttgart. The US production is based on the orders submitted by US dealers with significant guidance on content/product mix from MBUSA. As MB has been competing with BMW, they developed a 204 platform which was a bit removed from their primary brand focus of luxury, in an attempt to be more youthful and sporty. If you join MBAdvisors, a MBUSA community website/chatroom, you can read in their surveys that they have an obsession about being perceived as more youthful. They don't understand that folks with inherent psychographic differences carry them through a lifetime....some young folks like more traditional/softer experiences and likely always will, while some other older folks still like enthusiatic performance, and likely always did. The former align with MB, while the latter do not. In an attempt to attract young buyers, they mistakenly think they need to be "sporty" instead of marketing to young buyers with more traditional/less enthusiastic desires. The 204, even in a "Sport" model, never approached out-BMWing BMW, but at the same time, BMW softened up their current gen 3 Series in an apparent attempt to gain some more mainstream volume. While MB created Sport and Luxury models, BMW created Luxury Line, Sportline, and MSport, furthering the overlap. When a brand loses focus, it usually is a sign of a less than clear brand vision and tactical desperation to find its market. So, we have two brands based on different brand visions, making tactical moves (poorly planned ones, to my mind), both trying to gain volume. If you subscribe to Automotive News, you will read silly articles about each one boasting about who sold more, as if that impacts customer satisfaction, or even their own profitability - it does not, but they are locked in this "mine's bigger than yours" battle and have made some less than optimal choices. With the 205, MB has taken a large, although incomplete step to solidify its brand vision. Fundamentally, the car is a mini S Class, which brings focus and clarity to the MB product array. Traditional buyers of all ages will like this car very much. Other than the forced aesthetic treatment, there is nothing "sporty" about it, and early road tests have confirmed this. It's a small luxury car. The leftover concept of dividing into Sport and Luxury, suggesting lack of management vision, will persist for a while, but there has been a trend of negative feedback. Some Sport buyers of both C and E Class have expressed disappointment about ride quality, and to some degree, design cues. I hope that both brands will eventually see the light, realize they are competitors not because they are trying to outdo each other at the same thing, but because they each offer alternatives for buyers with different preferences. Brands and customers do best when brands focus directly on their target market's set of requirements, and not when they try to be the "best of both worlds".
Manny
05-31-2014, 08:22 PM
#4
If it wasn't for the SPORT version, I would have bought another Audi as my daily driver. No interest in the Luxury version. The sport appears to just a bit more understated without all the chrome trim, SUV ride height, and emblem on the hood. MB needed to attract newer customers as their core customer was aging with the brand very year...eventually they'd be Buick looking to reinvent themselves. I think they got it right with the w204 sport.
05-31-2014, 08:25 PM
#5
Senior Member
Sportstik made a lot of good points and I am in full agreement. Regarding your specidfic questions the US versions of the W204 with the star in the grill are the sport versions. It is an easy mod to exchange grills but I don't think itis common. The sport versions are lowered and have slightly different aero pieces. The Luxury has a slightly softer ride, non-staggered tire and wheel sizes, and a different steering wheel among other things.
05-31-2014, 08:36 PM
#6
Senior Member
The luxury version in my opinion is way ugly. MB don't force people to buy either one. People find the sports model more attractive than the luxury. As long as the sport version is selling, they will continue making them. I came from the Audi world and if I didn't buy the sports version I was gonna stick to an S4 as my preferred ride.
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06-01-2014, 12:23 AM
#8
Senior Member
With all my respect due to you, your age has a lot to do with your state of mind. MB is reaching out to younger buyers and as long as that crowd is buying the sports model, they will keep making them. Before I traded in my Audi to get the c300, my mentality was that the MB brand was for older people (my respects), once I started learning more about differences of the 2 models, I had to get the c300 Sport. Is a matter of taste and seems that the taste of the buyer is in the Sport model.
06-01-2014, 02:19 AM
#9
it's not only about the trim (sport vs luxury), but the model as well. c class's seem to be geared toward the younger crowd, e class=middle aged/older (my dad drives one), and s class=executives/millionaires/elite/probably over 60.
just my perception, but looking around the road, this seems to be the trend.
i'm mainly speaking of buyers of new models. when it comes to a 5 to 8 year old benz, this logic goes out the window, as the age bracket goes right out the window with it (read: a youngish someone who bought a used e or s class for $16,000)
just my perception, but looking around the road, this seems to be the trend.
i'm mainly speaking of buyers of new models. when it comes to a 5 to 8 year old benz, this logic goes out the window, as the age bracket goes right out the window with it (read: a youngish someone who bought a used e or s class for $16,000)
06-01-2014, 08:05 AM
#10
MBWorld Fanatic!
With all my respect due to you, your age has a lot to do with your state of mind. MB is reaching out to younger buyers and as long as that crowd is buying the sports model, they will keep making them. Before I traded in my Audi to get the c300, my mentality was that the MB brand was for older people (my respects), once I started learning more about differences of the 2 models, I had to get the c300 Sport. Is a matter of taste and seems that the taste of the buyer is in the Sport model.
A common trap is to base a marketing analysis on the physical age of the buyer instead of the attitudinal set we each carry. There is no such meaningful cohort as the "younger buyer". Across any given age group, and depending on the questionnaire set used, I've seen roughly 10-13 different automotive-based psychographic segments identified. This is as true for folks in their 20s as in their 60s. Some younger buyers have a clear preference for a set of automotive characteristics that you would assume was coming from someone "my age". The reverse it equally true. There are people who, demographically, look just like you, or younger, who want, yes, actually want, a Toyota. The performance and sporty appearance is not appealing to them; the emotional comfort of perceived best quality to make their lives stable, calm, and reliable is their prime motivator. And, yes, these feelings can come from people in their 20s as well as in their 70s. The relevant factor is not age - it's mindset. It requires a wholly different understanding and approach to marketing plans.
The movement from demographics to psychographics in consumer targeting has occurred in the past few decades. When I first started working, it was not uncommon to see a prospect profile solely based on age/gender/income, which still happens today in large part for buying media for advertising purposes (as there is no efficient tool for measuring attitudes of media consumption). However, as marketers realized that there were unexpected findings, the science evolved to create more insightful tools. Perhaps you may have received a questionnaire from a national market research company with a set of questions on a wide variety of attitudes. That data is used to develop psychographic segments, where we find that people of common desires have ages which vary all over the map.
The problem for some companies, such as MBUSA, I suspect, is that they think of "younger buyers" as a monolith, and misconstrue their target market. In doing so, they dilute the brand and happen to bring in people who consider a particular version of one model but are not in synch with the premise of the entire brand. They don't make good lifelong marketing targets. My first MB is likely my last as I decide what model of BMW I will buy next. I was car-shopping at a BMW showroom last week with a friend about 25 years younger, discussing if the new M235i is a true "M car" or not. We like the same things. My wife, however, only two years younger than am I, has fallen in love with the MB brand, and would enjoy any of a number of MB models.
However, I suspect you could be easily swayed if, for example, Audi or BMW came up with something closer to their true brand positions that you found appealing. If you would reject a Luxury model of MB and buy nothing from them if you couldn't get a Sport, you have only a tenuous connection to the essential premise of the brand. That's not good for business from a manufacturer's perspective.
You may recall that Porsche had an advertising slogan, "Nothing Even Comes Close". In any product category, the most successful brands generate that response among customers who have been carefully targeted. Repeat buyers of S Class at MB or BMW fans with repeat purchases of M cars may have that feeling. There is no substitute for what they want. (Think back to "New Coke" vs. Coke Classic when Coca-Cola wanted some of Pepsi's "younger" buyers.) The reason an intense bond with a targeted buyer is the most valuable asset is that new customer acquisition costs far exceed repeat buyer marketing costs. Therefore, developing brand loyalty requires a clear brand position and is laser-focused on a receptive customer target.
For a much more basic example, it's as if you weren't a major fan of vanilla ice-cream and would never buy plain vanilla because you preferred chocolate. But, if someone poured chocolate sauce on vanilla, you were willing to buy in. That doesn't make you a vanilla ice cream fan. However, for the company which primarily makes vanilla ice cream, having to come up with something for you is really a distraction requiring a variety of resources, may alienate their vanilla customer base, and you will eventually notice that someone else is making better real chocolate ice cream anyway, so their efforts only resulted in one or two purchases, not long-term loyalty. Meanwhile, the vanilla fans are less sure they know who makes the best vanilla anymore because they see all these people drizzling differently flavored sauce all over it. No where in this situation is there a correlation to age. It is all about individual preference.
It seems some of this may be dawning on the MB team. From a basic product development viewpoint, the initial tests on the new 2015 C Class suggest that even the so-called "Sport" model performs like a small comfort/refined-oriented luxury car and is not at all "sporty" in its inherent nature. The "book" is becoming even less correctly represented by the "cover".
As to the current Sport take rate, I can tell you from my front-line sales experience that inventory sells, and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. What sells once is replaced with a similar unit. If the dealers ordered/were supplied the reverse mix, they would sell those as well. They are fundamentally there to move metal and not engage in philosophical discussions with prospects on their true preferences. In excess of 95% of customers buy off the lot (or an easy dealer trade), so it becomes a consumer calculation of which existing car satisfies them the most. I know of multiple examples of consumer research where hugely statistically significantly national samples clearly preferred one product/configuration/feature, but the actual sales rate varied dramatically. Why? For a variety of reasons, the production/wholesale ordering went in a different direction, and despite known retail consumer demand, the vehicles were sold in a different configuration. The realization at the corporate level was that the variance from ideal was not large enough to be a deal-breaker on the showroom floor, but we knew the actual outcome was not ideal for the consumer.
So, after this long-winded Sunday morning discourse, the simple bottom line is that age/gender, etc. are not the key discriminators for enlightened marketing operations. It's what's going on inside the consumers' heads. Find the consumer mindset of primary appeal for a brand, and focus all tactics on delighting them first and foremost for the greatest ongoing success.
Last edited by Sportstick; 06-01-2014 at 08:12 AM.
06-01-2014, 08:08 AM
#11
MBWorld Fanatic!
it's not only about the trim (sport vs luxury), but the model as well. c class's seem to be geared toward the younger crowd, e class=middle aged/older (my dad drives one), and s class=executives/millionaires/elite/probably over 60.
just my perception, but looking around the road, this seems to be the trend.
i'm mainly speaking of buyers of new models. when it comes to a 5 to 8 year old benz, this logic goes out the window, as the age bracket goes right out the window with it (read: a youngish someone who bought a used e or s class for $16,000)
just my perception, but looking around the road, this seems to be the trend.
i'm mainly speaking of buyers of new models. when it comes to a 5 to 8 year old benz, this logic goes out the window, as the age bracket goes right out the window with it (read: a youngish someone who bought a used e or s class for $16,000)
06-01-2014, 08:50 AM
#12
Senior Member
I appreciate your point, but for half of that 60 years, I've been doing brand management, product planning, and market research inside the auto industry. A common trap is to base a marketing analysis on the physical age of the buyer instead of the attitudinal set we each carry. There is no such meaningful cohort as the "younger buyer". Across any given age group, and depending on the questionnaire set used, I've seen roughly 10-13 different automotive-based psychographic segments identified. This is as true for folks in their 20s as in their 60s. Some younger buyers have a clear preference for a set of automotive characteristics that you would assume was coming from someone "my age". The reverse it equally true. There are people who, demographically, look just like you, or younger, who want, yes, actually want, a Toyota. The performance and sporty appearance is not appealing to them; the emotional comfort of perceived best quality to make their lives stable, calm, and reliable is their prime motivator. And, yes, these feelings can come from people in their 20s as well as in their 70s. The relevant factor is not age - it's mindset. It requires a wholly different understanding and approach to marketing plans. The movement from demographics to psychographics in consumer targeting has occurred in the past few decades. When I first started working, it was not uncommon to see a prospect profile solely based on age/gender/income, which still happens today in large part for buying media for advertising purposes (as there is no efficient tool for measuring attitudes of media consumption). However, as marketers realized that there were unexpected findings, the science evolved to create more insightful tools. Perhaps you may have received a questionnaire from a national market research company with a set of questions on a wide variety of attitudes. That data is used to develop psychographic segments, where we find that people of common desires have ages which vary all over the map. The problem for some companies, such as MBUSA, I suspect, is that they think of "younger buyers" as a monolith, and misconstrue their target market. In doing so, they dilute the brand and happen to bring in people who consider a particular version of one model but are not in synch with the premise of the entire brand. They don't make good lifelong marketing targets. My first MB is likely my last as I decide what model of BMW I will buy next. I was car-shopping at a BMW showroom last week with a friend about 25 years younger, discussing if the new M235i is a true "M car" or not. We like the same things. My wife, however, only two years younger than am I, has fallen in love with the MB brand, and would enjoy any of a number of MB models. However, I suspect you could be easily swayed if, for example, Audi or BMW came up with something closer to their true brand positions that you found appealing. If you would reject a Luxury model of MB and buy nothing from them if you couldn't get a Sport, you have only a tenuous connection to the essential premise of the brand. That's not good for business from a manufacturer's perspective. You may recall that Porsche had an advertising slogan, "Nothing Even Comes Close". In any product category, the most successful brands generate that response among customers who have been carefully targeted. Repeat buyers of S Class at MB or BMW fans with repeat purchases of M cars may have that feeling. There is no substitute for what they want. (Think back to "New Coke" vs. Coke Classic when Coca-Cola wanted some of Pepsi's "younger" buyers.) The reason an intense bond with a targeted buyer is the most valuable asset is that new customer acquisition costs far exceed repeat buyer marketing costs. Therefore, developing brand loyalty requires a clear brand position and is laser-focused on a receptive customer target. For a much more basic example, it's as if you weren't a major fan of vanilla ice-cream and would never buy plain vanilla because you preferred chocolate. But, if someone poured chocolate sauce on vanilla, you were willing to buy in. That doesn't make you a vanilla ice cream fan. However, for the company which primarily makes vanilla ice cream, having to come up with something for you is really a distraction requiring a variety of resources, may alienate their vanilla customer base, and you will eventually notice that someone else is making better real chocolate ice cream anyway, so their efforts only resulted in one or two purchases, not long-term loyalty. Meanwhile, the vanilla fans are less sure they know who makes the best vanilla anymore because they see all these people drizzling differently flavored sauce all over it. No where in this situation is there a correlation to age. It is all about individual preference. It seems some of this may be dawning on the MB team. From a basic product development viewpoint, the initial tests on the new 2015 C Class suggest that even the so-called "Sport" model performs like a small comfort/refined-oriented luxury car and is not at all "sporty" in its inherent nature. The "book" is becoming even less correctly represented by the "cover". As to the current Sport take rate, I can tell you from my front-line sales experience that inventory sells, and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. What sells once is replaced with a similar unit. If the dealers ordered/were supplied the reverse mix, they would sell those as well. They are fundamentally there to move metal and not engage in philosophical discussions with prospects on their true preferences. In excess of 95% of customers buy off the lot (or an easy dealer trade), so it becomes a consumer calculation of which existing car satisfies them the most. I know of multiple examples of consumer research where hugely statistically significantly national samples clearly preferred one product/configuration/feature, but the actual sales rate varied dramatically. Why? For a variety of reasons, the production/wholesale ordering went in a different direction, and despite known retail consumer demand, the vehicles were sold in a different configuration. The realization at the corporate level was that the variance from ideal was not large enough to be a deal-breaker on the showroom floor, but we knew the actual outcome was not ideal for the consumer. So, after this long-winded Sunday morning discourse, the simple bottom line is that age/gender, etc. are not the key discriminators for enlightened marketing operations. It's what's going on inside the consumers' heads. Find the consumer mindset of primary appeal for a brand, and focus all tactics on delighting them first and foremost for the greatest ongoing success.
Oh I forgot, the sport model looks nicer.
Simple to comprehend. The hood emblem is too "stiff", the much higher suspension is horrific and all the chrome is out. Today's crowd prefer less chrome, black or gunmetal wheels and lower suspension to make their ride look more aggressive. Those are real numbers.
06-01-2014, 10:01 AM
#13
MBWorld Fanatic!
Ok so removing all your finding and factors from the above equation. How can the sport model sells more? How come the average joe driving a sport model doesn't hit 50 (which I just turn 47)?
Oh I forgot, the sport model looks nicer.
Simple to comprehend. The hood emblem is too "stiff", the much higher suspension is horrific and all the chrome is out. Today's crowd prefer less chrome, black or gunmetal wheels and lower suspension to make their ride look more aggressive. Those are real numbers.
Oh I forgot, the sport model looks nicer.
Simple to comprehend. The hood emblem is too "stiff", the much higher suspension is horrific and all the chrome is out. Today's crowd prefer less chrome, black or gunmetal wheels and lower suspension to make their ride look more aggressive. Those are real numbers.
Based on a 2013 national sample database, here is the age breakdown for the C Class (90% of which are Sport, per your comment):
20-29: 3.6%
30-39: 1.8%
40-49: 16.1%
50-59: 34%
60-69: 30.4%
70+ 14.3%
(margin of error +/-6)
By contrast, here is a quite different profile for Audi A4:
20-29: 17.4%
30-39: 24%
40-49: 10.9%
50-59: 19.6%
60-69: 26.1%
70+ 2.2%
(Rounding affects totals of both)
Apparently, there are a lot of older folks driving around in C Class Sport models!
91.8% of the C Class sample answered NO when asked if they have plans to modify their vehicle. People on forums are a self-selected group who live in an automotive "bubble". The opinions of anyone on this forum are extremely non-representative of the MB buyer general population, as we are a group of hyper-involved enthusiasts. The people you describe as "today's crowd" are a fraction of the MB market. The majority of MB owners most likely can't tell the difference in ride height, may not even know what that means, and given the choice, likely prefer more jewelry (chrome) to less. "Nicer" is a relative term. Sport may look "nicer" to you and me, but it would not be difficult to find people with exactly the opposite opinion about Sport vs. Luxury, including a few even here who have said they would not buy a MB without a hood ornament. However, most of those people would also likely never spend any time on a car forum, as this just doesn't matter that much to them. I've listened to them talk about cars in focus groups for decades, and most folks just don't have the interest to find the time to care.
Perhaps the most uncomfortable aspect of the data in this discussion is that your earlier perception that MB has an older demographic is true, but likely because of the other point made that some younger non-performance oriented people who want this kind of comfortable/refined luxury car can't afford to buy them as new. But currently, you're on the young side for this car!
Last edited by Sportstick; 06-01-2014 at 10:08 AM.
06-01-2014, 01:32 PM
#14
Senior Member
Numbers are real. People prefer the sport model to the lux model. Cycle of life. People buy, MB notices demands build more and sell more.
There is no analysis needed to figure this out.
MB is not a brand dedicated to the old and rich anymore as just about anyone (at least where I live in Jersey City makes enough to buy them new or cpo.
There is no analysis needed to figure this out.
MB is not a brand dedicated to the old and rich anymore as just about anyone (at least where I live in Jersey City makes enough to buy them new or cpo.
06-01-2014, 02:20 PM
#15
MBWorld Fanatic!
I've enjoyed the discussion and hope some light was shed on the OP's question. I think we've gone as far as is useful. Have a great day!
06-01-2014, 02:27 PM
#16
Senior Member
Have a great weekend.
Heading to the hospital.
Wife is having a baby tomorrow.
Laterz.
Manny
06-01-2014, 03:15 PM
#17
MBWorld Fanatic!
06-01-2014, 03:25 PM
#18
MBWorld Fanatic!
Can someone please answer me this. MB is designated as a Luxury car in my mind. However, I find about 9 out of 10 C Class to be of the Sport edition. Why is that? And also, I see many advertised CPO's claiming to be of the Luxury version, when I've been told the star on ther grill indicates it is of the Sport persuassion. Am I wrong?
i've seen basic W204's with the star in the grill and with the classic grill, same for the elegance (luxury in the US) pack. only certainty is that avantgarde and AMG (sports in the us) packs never have the classic grill.
06-01-2014, 05:06 PM
#19
Senior Member
I was under 40 when I bought my Luxury model. All my previous cars were VW/Audi, BMW, SAAB, and one Lexus IS. Still have the BMW. I wanted a "traditional" Mercedes Benz. Compliant but responsive, with upright star and classic grill.
I feel that the C Sport has some (and forgive me 90% of buyers!!) cheaper bits on the exterior. Those side skirts and the spoilers I see on many of them are borderline "Corolla S" to me. Which is sad because the W203 sporty models were great a great mix of traditional and Sport (I guess because they didn't have Luxury or Sport trims like W204). The base Sports are not very expensive looking in the wheel department. Moving up to 18" wheels help. The 17" Luxury wheels are nice (of course!).
I've rented C class Sports and my dealer fleet is all black or white Sports with plastic interior trim. I don't notice any difference due to ride height, staggered wheels, or harder suspension, except for a little more suspension travel in the Luxury.
I feel that the C Sport has some (and forgive me 90% of buyers!!) cheaper bits on the exterior. Those side skirts and the spoilers I see on many of them are borderline "Corolla S" to me. Which is sad because the W203 sporty models were great a great mix of traditional and Sport (I guess because they didn't have Luxury or Sport trims like W204). The base Sports are not very expensive looking in the wheel department. Moving up to 18" wheels help. The 17" Luxury wheels are nice (of course!).
I've rented C class Sports and my dealer fleet is all black or white Sports with plastic interior trim. I don't notice any difference due to ride height, staggered wheels, or harder suspension, except for a little more suspension travel in the Luxury.
06-01-2014, 08:14 PM
#20
the w202 still looks the "biggest" to me, even though i asuume it's grown in size with every iteration. very square, very s class (shape and proportion wise), very tank like. just an observation. it's so interesting the 'trends' car makers go through.
06-02-2014, 07:51 AM
#21
They miss the point that they need to attract more buyers who want MB's essential qualities of luxury and refinement from all ages, not try to dilute their brand vision for an undifferentiated swath of young buyers who may or may not be interested in what MB has to offer. And, from the data below, it seems not to have made much of an impact.
Can you pull age demographics to compare c-class in 2007 vs. 2013? It'd be interesting to see if there was much change. But, it's clear....MB skews older. Shifting a brand to a younger audience is difficult and takes time.
06-03-2014, 03:09 PM
#22
I'd love to see how Cadillac's numbers are changing. They have been trying to lose the 'grandpa' car image for awhile now. I figure they and MB are in a similar spot. They both made luxury cars, not really sport sedans and a struggling to change image.
06-05-2014, 09:50 PM
#23
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2013 E350 SPORT
So, as I predicted before this post, I will be in the market for a 2014 C250 Luxury model.
PS As to appealing to younger, less affluent buyers, I think the CLA is a good example of how that will fail MB's long term mktg plans.
All feel free to add additional comments.
06-05-2014, 10:30 PM
#24
Senior Member
Yes it has, thankyou..My conclusion: I've owned a 1977 450SEL and a 2003 E320 and loved the ride and the look of both. My friend just bought a 2012 E350 sport and doesnt like its ride. Nor do I. He is 62, but I doubt that means anything. I was in my late 20's when I owned the 450SEL and 50 when I owned the E320. I just happen to like that nimble but bouncy ride and to your point regardless of my age at either time.
So, as I predicted before this post, I will be in the market for a 2014 C250 Luxury model.
PS As to appealing to younger, less affluent buyers, I think the CLA is a good example of how that will fail MB's long term mktg plans.
All feel free to add additional comments.
So, as I predicted before this post, I will be in the market for a 2014 C250 Luxury model.
PS As to appealing to younger, less affluent buyers, I think the CLA is a good example of how that will fail MB's long term mktg plans.
All feel free to add additional comments.
06-06-2014, 02:21 AM
#25
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2012 C250 Sport
Cadillac and MB, IMHO, aren't in the same position at all.
