Sportstick

You will not get consensus on that, and dedicated threads have covered this topic extensively! I want the MBTex..."real ***" of a cow has no "luxury" appeal to me, and it requires more maintenance and wears out more quickly...not a very "luxurious" outcome!! We looked for MBTex in our E Class as well, and that car stickered for $57k.

Acapulco Bill

Sorry, 4maticbenz & other. This whole thread is moot. I am not even going to bother with looking at the 2012. The interior copied the new CLS anyway.

Lets look at the 2014 C class, published by a German magazine. Now THATs my next car.

Hmmm... Nope its not. Check out the 2014 E (last picture). THATS MY NEXT CAR!!!!

4maticbenz

You may be right, the Tex does seem to hold up well, just for the money I think leather would be nice, it is what everyone else uses as far as I know, I do not know much about the Tex except my friends laugh at me for it, ( Good friends, lol!) Isnt it basically vinyl??? I didnt even know they offered it in an E class, though it was just the "lowly" C, lol!

4maticbenz

Hyundai Genesis


2010 S600


Does anyone else think Hyundai should be sued for stealing Mercedes styling??? LMAO!!!

Sportstick

"Vinyl" is a generic term for a range of materials. MBTex is highly engineered for the purpose, and I know of few folks who are not delighted with its performance, unless they have "status" issues with it not being cow. BMW does the same thing, but they call it "leatherette"...I just checked their 3 series web site. I will bet your friends did not know what your seats were made from until you told them...some leather seats in other manufacturers (Asian, US) don't feel or look any better than MBTex, although granted, it doesn't feel/smell like Rolls Royce Connolly hides (if you like that sort of thing).

4maticbenz

S Class


Genesis


WTF!!!

4maticbenz

Good call, Sportstick, I feel better now about my Tex, thanks for the info!

K-A

I enjoy the Tex as well. It's the best Vinyl you will find on the market, bar none, period. BMW's is terrible compared to it, for example. Not only will it last forever, looking new, with no maintenance, but you'd be very hard pressed to tell a difference. When I bought my E, I had a Leather optioned one right next to it, and the difference in feel and even smell was so minimal. As well, I feel better about not sitting on Cow ***. Now, when talking the Nappa and higher leathers featured as high Options for S-Classes, some AMG's, and BMW's, etc., I start reconsidering big time. Those feel immediately noticeably plush, and smell amazing. However, those softer Leathers will look old and tired fast, and require some upkeep, whilst M-B Tex continues to look like new.

SCguy08

Yes. I will agree with SportStick on the Tex issue. Coming from two vehicles with "real, actual" leather, my MB Tex looks the same with almost 30'000 miles as it did with 3'000. I'll admit, my seats could be a bit more comfy, but I will not complain about the texture.

RLE

You and the magazine testers are referring to the black Tex interiors. Particularly with the base radio. Just screams "cheap."

But I will bet the first thing that gets changed on the W212 is it's face. That lower bumper cover sticks out way too far, almost like an ape's lower lip.

RLE

Well, that red 2014 C350 is MY next one. Maybe not red next time. You may as well add the CLC also as shown in the newest Auto motor und Sport. Just out.

That new bumper on the E (if it comes true) puts the grille right out front so SHE with the cell phone and little SUV with the spare on the back can back into it & destroy it.

Acapulco Bill

@RLE: Maybe the 3.5L engine will be unavailable by then. For 2012 the compression has been increased to 12.2:1, and HP up to just over 300. However this is just a stop-gap patch as both BMW and Audi offer vehicle more powerful and more efficient.
The real winner for a 2012 W204 so far is the C250 with the 200 HP, 229 torque (!!!) 1.8L twin turbo. Maybe a redesigned 3.2L engine would produce 350 HP, one would be surprised that a 350 would still be available in 2014, red though it be.

C300Kid

Honestly, I respect MBs decision to kill the manual. If you're a true driving enthusiast there are far better options out there than a Mercedes C-Class, and MB knows this. It's just not an overly sporty car.

I would've liked to see a DSG/SMG/PDK type tranny though, especially considering the coupe is pretty sexy and may appeal to the enthusiast crowd more than the current model. It is going to have paddle shifters though, right?

jctevere

If you think that's bad - look at the new Hyundai Equus (The apparant Hyundai version of the S-class)... They stole the headlights from the 2011 s-class. The interior from the s-class and the side profile rear arch lines from the e-class...

It looks almost like and s-class.

Also - I LOVE my MB-tex... Would get it again even if it were more expensive than leather.

Sportstick

I am not looking for a "sporty" car (that word has styling-driven pretender connotations for me, although you may have meant it differently)...I want a sports sedan, likely such as the new 3 series coming. I compromise full sports car enjoyment for the realities of day to day life, which was the raison d'etre for the creation of the sports sedan segment waaay back with BMW 1600s. Today, the MB is superior in many ways to competition, and with some tire/chassis work, the manual version is even more enjoyable for an enthusiast. But, several of us will be leaving the brand for the sake of a transmission, as an SLK is essentially useless.

jctevere

I guess its nearly impossible to retrofit a manual transmission right? haha

Peabody

Show me a Japanese car designer that doesn't steal pretty much everything. As far as the rest of the thread conversation goes, I'm pretty sure it's been discussed that the twin-turbo versions are set for no sooner than the 2014 models. I'm pretty disappointed to see they ditched the metal 3-spoke wheel for the 4-spoke design. I really think the 4-spoke design just looks so old fashioned in comparison. As a whole, I do like the new updates though, I'm definitely jealous about the new 350 engine, I wonder how well it will get tuned? With the new bank angle I'm sure they can get more RPM out of the engine which always translates into more HP.

C300Kid

I meant sporty in regards to driving dynamics, not styling. As much as I do love my car as a daily driver, it's not the kind of car that entices the enthusiast side of me to come out regularly. A mediocre manual gearbox doesn't transform the personality of the car into something that it's not. I chose it because I do like the bit of added sportiness it brings, but I could've lived with the automatic in this car.

Based on what I've read in your posts, don't you think you'd be far better served by a BMW?..thats what MB thinks..hence their decision to drop the stick.

C300Kid

Are you talking about the steering wheel? The sport still has a 3 spoke, the luxury still has a 4 spoke..like always.

Sportstick

I agree with much of what you said, but still regret the bottom line as MB is superior for other aspects, such as overall quality, which I prize highly, and which would have kept my dollars going in their direction. BMW is MB's most direct competitor, so the strategy to target within the more youthful C segment for the lesser enthusiastic German sport/luxury sedan drivers seems suboptimal. However, it is sadly consistent with their current strategy for larger models as well...note their advertising showing absent-minded, distracted drivers being saved by their E or S Class's technology. On their Advisors owners online community, they are now asking about a tv spot for the C Class freshening, and the one feature they highlight for the spot.....the drowsy driver alert. This is heading to becoming the (mentally) old folks/disengaged driver brand. And, Audi advertising shows they have noticed as well!

But, I think something else also may be afoot here. Although each additional powertrain family certification costs money, it is relatively minor and easily offset with a small volume of sales. However, if the plants are facilitized for a certain number of powertrain combinations, the investment to increase that can be significant. With the advent of a North American 4 cylinder twin turbo, it is possible that something had to go, and looking around, the current rate of 3 liter manuals in the U.S. was the low runner which was sacrificed first. So, what MBUSA is trying to position as a market-driven action may in fact be their best effort to cloak an unwillingness to invest for additional powertrain complexity.

golfster

I see the resemblance right there! Both round, both black, both with silver trim. Clearly a copy of design.

C300Kid

This could be the case. I guess we'll never really know why the decision was made. There's a possibility I'll stick with MB, as I agree the quality is top notch. I'll give the new coupe a look when it comes time to trade. I don't know if they've tweaked the steering/suspension at all for the coupe, but I hope it rides a bit sportier (more BMW-like) than the sedan. That alone would more than make up for the lack of a manual for me.

begone

Just FYI, I purchased my 08 C350 only 6 weeks ago. Even when I knew the updated version was coming down the road. But I usually buy CPO's anyway. It was between the C350, 335i, G37, and A4. I went with the C350, cause even after 40k miles this car was TIGHT. Maybe it was the person who owned it last - but I've never been in a tighter 40k mile car. It was a good sign, and much better than anything else I drove.

I'm jealous about the New Interior and new Direct Injection Engine, but that will only make the pre-2012/2013 C63's that much more affordable for me to UPGRADE!!! Just give me a good looking quick car and I'll sit on a wooden bench with a tractor sized steering wheel.