MB-JIM

There are many who think of seat memory as another unnecessary gizmo. That is certainly true for people who don't regularly share their car with someone else. For those of us who do share a car, the inconvenience in manually adjusting the seats, steering and mirrors is a real annoyance. Even my 87 300TD wagon has memory seats.
It's probably unfortunate but once we get used to a convenience, it is very hard to do without. Why not eliminate central locking, power seats, ABS brakes, stability control, xenon lights, intermittent wipers and many other things that we now have? Many of you who don't think seat memory is important might be very upset if certain of the above items were taken away.
Our problem is simply that the "gods" at MBUSA simply feel the C Class cars should be only an "entry level" product and if we want more features we should get the E Class. I just wish I enjoyed driving an
E Class as much as I do the C Class and I would gladly switch back.

PoaMike

+1... thats like a buck fifty right there... I have other things to do, can we keep this posts to a 150 word max lmao. JK very info.

webada

I bet those "gods" still living in the time where memory seats are considered to be a luxury option, you said it right on, even hyundia has them.

PoaMike

^+1 (lets just hope MB reads our forums)

webada

oh, i'm sure someone from MBUSA is reading this and hopefully reporting back... but the deciding powers at MBUSA probably still think only 14 yrs old kids are on the internet....

PoaMike

^+1

maryjcl

Sorry if reading longer posts challenges your reading comprehension.

You know that you could just skip the post if it too long, right? Or is that too difficult to comprehend? Maybe that's why you can't do without memory seats too . . . .

Thanks for reminding me why I don't visit this forum more often. Too many morons.

ayilar

Well, imagine me :-)

I want to, but do not need to, replace my 2002 Passat. The 328 E92 and C350 are two cars I seriously like -- the Bimmer with stick for better handling/more fun when I am out on switchbacks, the Merc for the realities of bad city roads the rest of the time. They both are practical enough and fun enough that I could get either and be happy.

I tried to place an order for a 328 coupe as ED last Summer. Dealer was told that the car delivery date could not be set for when I wanted to pick it up, so I ended up having to pass. After I drove the C300 in late Summer, I decided to wait till the C350 was out. After I drove it, I thought it could be the best compromise for me. If memory seats had been available, I would most likely have placed an order a few months ago for ED delivery this March. But the option is not available, so I am waiting. Mercedes may lose my order, because in the meantime I have learned that Porsche should be coming out with a new Boxster later this year -- and I may just decide to keep the Passat as a beater and get a Box (which is much more fun, if impractical for 24/7 service).

Why are MS a must? (i) I leave my car with a (much shorter) valet every day -- it'd be a pain to reset the seats every day to the exact position I had chosen. (ii) Ditto when I go to the car wash. (iii) I have two positions, one for highway and one for city driving -- both are just right, and I have no intention of fiddling with the settings every time I switch between environments.

No MS, no C, no Merc -- simple as that. I have driven the E, and would buy it if I liked it -- but I don't, and I won't.

PoaMike

....Wow... It was a joke my freind. Why is it that people just love to go on ego trips over the internet? O thats right they can hide behind their screen name And my reading be very very good at least that what my mommy and daddy be tellin me. Of course it could be that my grandmother is an author of over 30 book in over 7 other languages and I have helped with each one? Who know but you know what... your right Im a moron. I was just joking... If I read Sun Tzu some informative post involving the car that I own can’t be to dawning. Relax... Life is to short for all this hostility.



-Mike

mosquad

I think it's all related to production costs.
The C is much cheaper in the US and the packages offered (they don't make sense as someone said; I didn't check if they do), I think they make sense in accounting terms; the cost related to an option includes not only the materials used, but also set-up costs and of course labour. The memory seats probably would've costed them a lot to add, thus, would've led to a ridiculous price for the consumer so was better to not even make it available.
Cost of an option = [variable costs + fixed costs]/expected quantity; the issue here is the fixed costs portion.

For other countries, the prices are high enough to absorb the cost...

That's just a theory... cause I don't see any logic to not make it available to the US as an option.

Uga Uga

Memory package is a £950 (approx USD2,000) option in the UK.

ayilar

List price was USD 600 for driver's side Power & Memory seat/mirrors/wheel when I custom-ordered my 2005 C230k SC.

wmhjr

Well, I would disagree with most - if not all - of what Maryjcl says here. Here is the bottom line:

1) You may think it's ridiculous for the lack of memory seats to eliminate a car from consideration. You would be totally wrong. When you have two people of very different heights driving the car, such an option pretty much becomes mandatory when you're talking about a "luxury" car. If my wife gets out of her van and I try to get in, I can't even sit down to adjust the seats without the memory function. I have to stand outside (very nice when it's raining) and hold the buttons until the seat moves back far enough to even get in the vehicle. Further, because of the slow rate of movement that the MB seats have, it would take a while.

2) You would be equally as wrong about what you're labeling "gizmos". We're not talking about lane change warnings or all around cameras here. We're talking about options which exist in every other MB and have for years. Features which MB pioneered decades ago.

3) This also isn't an issue really about "quality", unless those features have lower "quality" only when used in the US. Because, those features are available everywhere else. As a matter of fact, the quality issue is a very important but separate issue. The way to improve customer sat and reliability is NOT to disable or remove features (such as look down mirrors) in the US. And it's not a production cost issue either. The feature is mechanically there, but simply disabled. That is arrogant.

4) As far as "performance", etc, let's get something straight. The C is no rocket and it's not a sport car. As an example, the G35x is faster, handles better, stops faster, etc. Do I like it? Not really.

There is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for the marketing "strategy" of MB here in the US. Telling somebody they should look for another car is unnecessary. That's what we're doing. And many of us have driven MBs for decades.

omgitselaine

Thank God im just about the same height as the husband so no need for the seat to be moved at all however the guy i dated before meeting my husband was like a foot taller than me so in that case i certainly can see the benefit of memory seats

QQQ

MBUSA Prez was Prez of MB Canada and he brought good options to Canadian lineups... so he thinks US wants less or he hates Americans?

Jon935

kinda switching gears... what about colors for 2009? does MB usually add or subtract a color or two every year? is there any expectation of something new?

same question goes for wheels... i am not a fan of the 4matic sport wheels, i would take the 4matic lux wheels any day... should i expect a slightly different wheel in 2009?

webada

a dealer has told me majestic black (hint of blue hue...)

Beltfed

The fact is, at this point....if you're in the market and can afford to wait for the 09 models. Or maybe at least wait until the 09 changes are announced.

A number of important things could change, down to an engine upgrade in the C350. And obviously a few new features here and there.

Jon935

personally i would like to see a lighter blue, like bmw offers, actually they have two, a medium bright blue, and a really light baby blue, i would love either color

blastit

are there no memory seats for the c350 in the US. The c350 in canada has memory seats. i just confirmed this last night with my dealer.can there really be that much difference between MBUSA and MB-Canada?

if so the only reason i can see MB-Canada giving us more gadgets is to compete with the fact that cheap american cars are flooding the used market.

wmhjr

Memory seats are not available on any US C-Class. Don't know about the pending C63, but not on the C300 luxury or sport, or the C350 sport. Of course, we also can't get the C350 4Matic. Nor the C300 Estate.

kimyoung_k

That makes sense! It could contribute in certain way to prevent the used US C class from going into Canadian market, even for brand new C class being smuggled into Canada.

QQQ

... or C230 and C230 4Matic, or Keyless Go for that matter.

PoaMike

C63 i thought was going to be in the US... hope not that way I dont hate myself everytime I see one then again how will I get thos sexy black housed lights?

QQQ

Any word C300 Estate is coming here?