QQQ

Comparing Canadian spec vs. US spec:

First of all, all US std equipment is std in Canada.

1. Heated seats std in Canada, P1 in US. Canada scores.
2. Auto dimming mirrors std in Canada, P1 in US. Canada scores.
3. Rain sensor std in Canada, P1 in US. Canada scores.
4. Split folding rear seats std in Canada, P2 option in US. Canada scores.
5. Bi-Xenon std in Canada, P2 in US. Canada scores.
6. 3-zone Thermotronic std in C350, N/A in US. Canada scores.
7. Keyless Go optional in Canada, N/A in US. Canada scores.
8. Canadian laws require aluminum beams in front/rear bumpers that withstand impact up to 8 km/h, US DOT scrapped the law in the 90's so if the car hits something the bumper breaks and potentially hood / trunk buckles causing costly repairs. Canada scores.
9. Pano-roof optional in US, N/A for C300 in Canada. US scores.
10. C300 Sport cheaper than C300 Luxury in US, same price in Canada. US scores.
11. 4-Matic available for C300 and C350 in Canada, only C300 in US. Canada scores.
12. Memory seats std for C350 and optional C300, N/A in US. Canada scores.

Final score: Canada 10, US 2

Boom vang

looking at the content and pricing it on line, it is a lot more car for $41,000 than the old on was. For $41,890 you get a sport package, sunroom, Bix, power folding mirrors, heated seats, metalic paint and bunch of other stuff. Makes the 3 series over priced and under contented

e1000

whoa. looks like i might have to take a trip up to Canada to get another C350. #7 is the biggie for me.

berenyi

Few things....

1) along with auto-dim, the power folding is std in Canada...score 0.5
2) the C300 luxury in the US is more expensive than sport because it only comes with auto tranny (and wood trim vs. aluminum)....lose 1
3) CD changer and h/k are both std. on Canada C350...score 2 more

so it's really like 12.5 to 1 ;-)

QQQ

On a fair point, in Canada C300 Sport only comes with auto tranny, whereas C300 Luxo is manual std. It should be the other way round to make sense.

Carz

I priced out the car I want on the Canadian website and converted it to US dollars - did I do something wrong or are the MB's in Canada way more expensive than US? Example: 2008 C350 with metallic paint, Command, premium pkg and freight = $57,685 CAD or $54,801 USA?????

I had this idea I could buy it in Canada to get all the options they have available but it doesn't seem to be worth it.

QQQ

You are right, but in C$ terms the car is not more expensive than the old car. Just because US$ has weakened so much against C$ and Euro it is expensive in US$ terms, but C$ holds par with Euro. A fully loaded C350 is 41K euro.

Back in 2001 when W203 was launched 1 US$ = ~1.42 C$. Assuming same rate today C$57,685 is US$40,623.

MBUSA has to keep the car competitive so cannot raise the US price to compensate for FX loss. For a C350 base price US$37K converts to 27K euro.

If Germany gets 41K euro for a Canadian car sold and 27K for US, it is understandable US cars don't come with memory seats or keyless go.

Carz

Thanks for your reply QQQ. Now I see why you guys are getting all the options and we are not.

Dema

I do not believe that memory seats and keyless go cost so much. Actual cost for manufacturer won't go over few hundreds.

QQQ

Of course that is not the reason... in any case those are options they can charge whatever customers are willing to pay... but that does speak to why the US models are decontented.

QQQ

You are exactly right. BMW has a problem... Big one.

berenyi

Nope....C300 base and sport package both start with manual....only C350 and 4MATIC forces you into auto

MBTex

I understand the reasoning behind offering more standards in certain currencies than others, but the very least they could do is offer the extra features at extra cost to match what everyone is paying in Euro's.

I personally believe that they have hyped this car so much that they know they will get plenty of buyers this year (like me), but can then introduce these new features in the coming years to refeul the hype. I don't doubt that this year's base prices will be the least expensive for th W204 (sedan) in the US.

QQQ

I do think MBUSA will bring those options in 2009.

QQQ

bump

kunz

Totally true. I did side by side price comparos with relatively same-equipped cars (C300Lux vs 328i) on mbusa and bmwusa, and the bmw was consistantly $800-1200 more expensive. I then tried configuring the C350 vs 335i, and the bimmer turned out to be $3000 more expensive! I dont think the extra 32 hp is worth that much more.

Kar don

Not quite you forgot number 13.

13. You live in Canada. US Scores so big it took Canada's score and then some.

US 22, Canada -10.

Another thing is that your MSRP is significantly higher than ours.

berenyi

...that's only cuz your dollar's so weak right now.

QQQ

Back when W203 was launched US and Canadian MSRP were quite similar. Since then US waged 2 wars and dollar weakens hence the decontent in W204 to keep MSRP same.