I live in Southern California and I drive quite a bit and am very observant of different types of vehicles. Especially, ones that I plan on purchasing.


I wonder if people "get" the new C class. I've only seen maybe 4 or 5 on the road for the last 2 months which is really unheard of here in Southern California, especially in Orange County because you see every type of car. Heck, I see more 911's than the new C class.


So, my questions is, are they really selling? I'm guessing not because I don't think people "get" it yet. What do you think? With the new CLA, the C class gets a bump up. Plus, with the new high quality interior, it looks even better.


Personally, the new CLA looks too odd to me. From the rear, its tiny and the tires look pencil thin.




The new C300 could easily fetch 50k and the new C400 could easily fetch 60k so I think with this bump, it has put a lot of people out of the market. Plus, I think a lot of people lease and the rates aren't good. Thoughts?

 

I drive a fair amount as well, and come to think of it I don't think I've seen a single one here in San Diego, which is strange. Not sure what dealer availability is currently.

 

I've yet to see one here in Vegas either. I think releasing the new C in "4matic" only and the price bump are primarily responsible for the luke warm response. I believe MB has accomplished what they wanted...they've introduced an MB to folks who thought that it was out of their price range (CLA)...and they've stepped up the previous entry model...it was the CLA that bought me into the dealership...but it was the new C that sold me.

 

One reason I got the new C300 because it's not going to be as common as the old C Class, which was an entry level car.

Now there is a GLA, CLA, and GLK below the C Class so I don't feel like I'm getting the cheap Benz anymore.

It's a better car than the E Class (albeit a little smaller) until the E Class gets a new generation, and looks more like an S-Class (and behaves like a sized down one).

Haven't seen ANY C-Class except mine here in Boston area, every time I think I see one it ends up being an S-Class or an E-Class (depending on front or rear), which is awesome.

 

Oh give it time, they'll be as common as the previous C-Class was.

I think the initial response was lukewarm as others have said, but dealers here seem to be moving them now.

We really won't know until after all the W204 models are gone from all dealer inventory and only the W205 is being sold. That might take until Dec or January.

Also when the RWD C300 arrives sales should pick up because of the lower price (2K I think) and less resistance from buyers in Florida, California, Texas and the like not wanting 4Matic.

M

 

Considering dealers are digging into their holdback by as much as 2% to try to move C300s around here, I'd say there's a good chance they're not selling all too well :< Or at least not nearly as well as MB expected.

 

Yes here in LA i've been amazed by how few I see on the road. When the new Range Rovers are released you'll see 30 of them within days. I've only seen two new C's on the road and neither was a loaded up 400. When I went to the dealer they had 40+ of them on the lot and I was the only one rummaging around through them while the 10 GLAs they had on the lot had people crawling all over them.

 

I saw my first CLA today, it looked pretty darned good. It didn't waft any Im cheap smell behind it either.
I have yet to see a new C class in my neck of the woods WI, but Mercedes are not very common here anyway. The occasional old fart or old fartness in an S class. And, of course the other guys at the hospital that must have the latest AMG when a new one comes out

 

Its going to take a few humiliated bimmer drivers for the C400 to earn its cred. Like it or not Mercedes is still early in the process of shedding its old man or snob car image. In general, except for very few cars no one can buy, Mercedes has not been considered a hot car to lust for. I think the c400 is a very strong step in the right direction, not only is it beautiful it also has the specs to draw in sport sedan fans that make less than a million bucks a year.

 

So my thoughts are....
The car just came out in the USA/Canada! The people on this forum are the hardcore ones that were preordering the cars before we had even test driven them or knew how much they would cost. The general market is going to be a little more cautious and rightly so for a new production year. ....I have friends who are "car people" and they had no idea what a c400 was...they thought I meant c350. People are not even aware there is a new model out.....and how would they? Nobody watches commercials anymore. Those who preordered the car are only now receiving their orders. I started this process back in June and I got my car last week.
Also, the costs have gone up a class. For the people that actually knew the car would be coming out, many were not prepared to pay the kind of prices that they would have to pay for a well optioned car. Dealers have filled their inventories with barebones models, with your choice of white, black, or white, with black interior. Most people are not going to settle for something they don't want when they are spending that kind of money. The 4matic issue.....personally I don't understand why so many people are opposed to 4matic....but apparently less traction and less control is a desirable feature? Or is it that people want the ability to do burnouts? Not sure. Even Lambos have all wheel drive these days. Its just physics...when you have that much power and torque, its better to maximize the contact of rubber to the road..I wonder if people on the Audi forums complain about the cars all having quattro. Anyways....there are a lot of people that are waiting for non 4matic versions.....
I don't mind if there aren't much of them on the road. It makes mine even more special and exclusive

 

4Matic doesn't do anything for dry road performance in a non-AMG Mercedes so why pay 2K more for it when you don't need it? In certain states it makes no sense and it would bring the price down by about 2K. 241hp and 329hp don't need AWD, you talk like those are big numbers lol.

I totally agree that a bare bones 40K C-Class is a no go and no dealer should stock them like that. That crowd is buying CLAs now. It does appear that the loaded C's are going much faster than the bare ones around here.

M

 

Now I'm just speculating...but in terms of their manufacturing process it will cost them a lot more to set up to make both 4matic and non 4matic versions. 4matic then becomes the common denominator for all markets. The added cost of having to produce 2 versions would likely reduce the effective 2k savings you describe since they would have to recover that expense.

 

You dont know awd is always the right answer till you own one and you figure out your never going back to anything else. Its a must if you live in snow country and good to have anywhere it ever rains. Ill never buy a non AWD car again.

 

I don't know about Mercedes' cost but the 2K savings is real for the customer:

C300 RWD: $38,400
C300 4MATIC: $40,400

IMO that 2K would be better spent on a package for those in states like Texas, Florida and California where 4Matic isn't needed.

M

 

It all depends on where you live and what you have to deal with. In snow country I agree, but other locations AWD is certainly not always the answer.

I own both AWD and RWD cars.

M

 

I tend to agree that location, along with driving preference makes all the difference between AWD and RWD. Here in San Diego, along with my preference for a "push" feeling, RWD is king. Mind you I also had an Audi A4 Quattro and it was fine, but somewhat sedate in driving dynamics. Let's agree that it's subjective.

All that said, the early 4Matic W204's has issues with the integrated front differential failing early and being integrated in the transmission, the whole tranny had to be replaced. I hope that is no longer the case with the W205's.

 

I've had AWD for my own car, and won't do it again. My W204 was rear wheel drive and handled five Michigan winters just fine on Blizzaks, and had better dynamics the rest of the year. I see no reason for on-the-road cars on generally level terrain to need AWD to start/maintain forward motion, which does little to nothing for braking/steering on snow/ice. In hilly country, it can be helpful to have power at all four tires in the winter, as long as they have winter tires to make good use of the power distribution. But, AWD has too many disadvantages for me (cost/maintenance/repair/increased understeer/decreased steering feel/decreased performance and fuel economy.) We couldn't find an E Class without 4MATIC, so we took an outstanding deal on the one my wife still drives. (MSRP $57...sold for $44k in late 2008)

 

Admittedly I have no experience in driving regularly in a snow/rain prevalent location. For those I know that do, a good set of winter tires such as Blizzaks make all the difference, irrespective of which axel(s) move the car.

 

I don't see new c class cars but I see a new m4 all over the place ... It's like they're giving them away

 

Well, with all due respect I don't see the W205 as changing the perception of Merc...I say this as a 20+ year BMW owner who's strongly considering the C class as my next car.

IMO Merc steered clear of developing a 335 or 435 fighter and went back to what it does best - build a luxury sedan with some strands of sport in it..

Smart move on their part with the C class imo...Do what they do best - luxury and a damn nice cruiser, not a canyon carver.

 

True, but any AWD with four good snows will easily outperform any RWD or FWD car with equivalent tires when it comes to plowing through snow or getting up hills. Braking and steering are totally tire dependent, but powering all four wheels is a big advantage driving on snow and ice. This is based on personal experience with RWD, FWD, and AWD cars, with winter rubber, over many years of severe winter driving.

 

That's what the c450 will be... Amg lite to compete with the '35i series .... Benz knows sport too, thanks to amg...

 

To answer the OP's question, the inventory of W205 is very low amongst the 4 Vancouver MB dealers. This suggests very strong demand.

 

at the end of the day, I was told the W205 isn't moving because of sticker shock. W204 owners are moving up from $400-$500/month payments to well over $700+.

 

People are starting to realize this is "not" an entry MB...so their expectations $$ wise will need to adjust. I don't think you'll see these in abundance like the previous C...which will soon be surpassed by the CLA.