glayfan40

No love for the S4 I take it? Should be similarly priced, no?

err

My eye loves the S4
but my heart is affixed to the three pointed star

joshg1001

Doesn't make sense to buy an A4/S4 when its towards its end of life cycle.

MBNUT1

Sounds like their pricing strategy is $30k, $40k, $50K for entry into each line

Germancar1

No offense, but what do you need a drivers assistance package for? People are going to be unable to drive in a few years with all these nannies that do what we should be doing anyways. Just IMO.

M

Germancar1

The 2015 E, not yet.

M

Germancar1

People asking for the 2015 E400 pricing:

E400 Sport/Luxury: $62,350

E400 4-MATIC Sport/Luxury: $64,850


The new E doesn't arrive until the 2017 model year.

I do agree that a C450 is going to be very expensive if sold here.


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joshg1001

^^ did they increase the standard equip on the E400 versus the outgoing E550? How can they make it more expensive than the V8 it replaces?

Germancar1

I believe they did, but I'll have to find the info. I remember a leather or man made leather dash being standard and some other equipment.

M

Germancar1

Correction, here is the info on the E400:

http://www.benzreport.com/2015-e-cla...g-information/


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nyca

Safety, convenience in stop and go traffic. I could probably do without the parktronic given the rear camera.

Germancar1

What did you do before these things came along? LOL.

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MB-JIM

If you want to use that logic, what did you do before air conditioning, power steering, disc power brakes, electric windshield wipers, central locking, great headlights, ABS brakes, power windows, alarm systems, shoulder harnesses, etc.
I understand that many features aren't necessary and we drove cars for many years that didn't have today's features. Let's embrace new things, especially those that make driving safer.

Germancar1

Nah, thats BS because those things have been on cars for years and years now and in a state like Texas you NEED A/C. Something that tells you a car in the next lane and stops the car when you aren't paying attention is just useless junk that makes today's drivers even more lazy and fosters all their terrible driving habits. You're going to compare windshield wipers to something that keeps the car in lane? One you can't do anything about from inside the car (rain) and the other you should be able to do anyways. Ridiculous argument IMO. I have nothing against technology, its great, but is also becoming a crutch for people who are simply clueless behind the wheel. Why pay attention to the road when the car will literally drive itself? Better drivers who are attentive, alert with a clear mind will make driving safer.

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joshg1001

Just because you pay attention doesn't mean you will not make mistakes. Having the technology doesn't mean you will forget everything you know about driving safely. 99% of the time you can be an alert and perfect driver. But for the 1 percent where you miss something, these systems can safe your's or a pedestrians life. I plan on getting the package myself too.

nyca

And to add to that - we are all getting older.

JoeMa

Useless junk?


If you should ever "accidentally" begin to move into another drivers lane (who is in your blind-spot) and Active Lane-Keep Assist prevents an accident, let us know how you feel then. Of course, if you buy your cars without this valuable feature, good luck! The rest of us welcomes a little help in such a case.

Germancar1

Yep I get that, of course everyone makes mistakes, but my point is that with these systems in place people become even less careful because they know they have a safety net. It breeds lazy, distracted drivers. Just a few years ago there were none of these systems and people weren't drifting out of their lane on an epic scale. People still do it even with the systems now because they don't even bother to look, they move over and then wait for a beep to tell them whether or not its safe or not.

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Germancar1

No offense, but you can't turn your head to see if there is a car in your blind spot? This is exactly the mind set I'm talking about. What do you do without this technology? 10 years from now people won't be able to drive without this crap. It breeds poor driving habits and skills is all I'm saying here. If I were trying to bring down the cost of say a C400 I would throw this mess out and get some other more enjoyable options that make the car more appealing instead of a bunch of nannies that try to do what I should be doing in the first place.

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strangebrew

I'm about half with you on your points here. I agree and think that the active assistants are a bit much and create subconscious dependencies on the car to make up for **** poor driving, however I would still love to have the blind spot monitor on my next C. Heck, I don't even have a back up camera right now. When i'm building cars online, usually I skimp pretty hard on the safety and technology options in favor of more infotainment goodies

Glyn M Ruck

Benz is moving toward the fully automated car when & if legislation permits. You either like the idea or you don't. I for one would not have a new Benz without Active Distronic.

But back to the pricing issue. When we started the W205 forum I warned US buyers that prices would have to go up more in line with global pricing or end up with a stripped down car to meet a sticker price.

Benz sales have risen by over 10% in the last year in the US but they cannot keep giving them away. Margins have been wafer thin compared with ROW.

MB-JIM

I have now had the blind spot display and rear views cameras on my 2014 E350 and GLK350. Now, I wouldn't buy another car without those features. Yes, I still look around and check my mirrors but the added information from those two items is well worth having.

MBNUT1

They need to rethink the ipad then. The A3 offers a far more elegant solution. Which is a shame because the W205 is an otherwise beautiful car. Of course this the opinion of a 58 yo who's been around these cars all his life which isn't the target audience.

Tjdehya

Blind spot assist has its purpose... there absolutely no one with significant driving experience that can say they have never looked over their shoulder, checked their mirrors, indicated, and then greeted by a car horn when they tried to change lanes.

It happens... I agree that this technology will foster a whole bunch of drivers who rely heavily upon the technology but the tech was designed to be used as Mercedes calls them "assist"

MBNUT1

"Blind spot assist has its purpose... there absolutely no one with significant driving experience that can say they have never looked over their shoulder, checked their mirrors, indicated, and then greeted by a car horn when they tried to change lanes."

I know I have. Im good with this technology. The lane keeping stuff they can keep