Jinzen

I had to post this just to spite the haters (The C400 guy) haha




The S550 (not the S63 AMG as pictured) is definitely on my list of next cars in 3 years or so. Going to wait to see what next gen Panamera (or Mini Panamera) holds.

c4004matic

Yep it sure looks more like the old fart Mercedes Benz.

I would rather have my Mercedes look like this:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z31v67LdhM...LS_AMG_003.jpg


You know exposed radiators were so a 1910's thing

http://uplandporscherepair.com/wp-co...47-224x300.jpg



Usually the guys driving a grilled Mercedes are chauffer's, the owners sit in the back.

Jinzen

I don't know about you but I didn't buy the C Class to be sporty sports car, which it really isn't. Mercedes makes few decent sports car - the AMGs and that's about it.

c4004matic

Ill send you a little cap that way you can look the part better

http://www.hollywoodtoysandcostumes....es/15gc183.jpg

Leslielp

[QUOTE=Jinzen;6241137]I had to post this just to spite the haters (The C400 guy) haha





The S550 (not the S63 AMG as pictured) is definitely on my list of next cars in 3 years or so. Going to wait to see what next gen Panamera (or Mini Panamera) holds.[/QUOTE




Well I think its would be very difficult to figure what was behind you in traffic if you saw those two in your rear view mirror.
My original build was to get the Luxury Grill. Here in Canada its the cheapest option just $200.00 yes two hundred $ and only on the C300. You get the louvered grill and the luxury sports suspension.
Since the C300 does not come with Driver Assist as an option you get those louvered grills.
Like I have said on here, its the only way for the C Class to look like an S Class from the front .
Would be interesting to know if those closed louvers actually give you any mph benefit or deficit?
I ended up with the sport package just to get the car right away. Could not wait until Jan.

c4004matic

They are supposed to confer an aerodynamic benefit and help the engine warmup faster. My guess is they increase MPG by less than 1 mpg and make the car faster by 5 microseconds. Im also sure that they increase repairs by 20% since they are just another movable thing prone to failure. Particularly in cold weather climes where they get coated with ice. Just think of the old hidden headlights and how many of those cars you saw on the road with broken ones. All these motorized subsystems are one of the main reasons lux cars are more problem prone. There simply seems to a be some gadget on the fritz all the time.

I ordered airmatic but Im crossing my fingers in regards of that systems reliability. Hopefully since they have been making it for more than a decade, they have ironed out most of the bugs out.

Sportstick

The entire strategy was an ongoing topic at the domestic car company where I worked before retirement. On one side was the theory that making one fundamental design in different sizes and prices was the best way to build brand identity. MB and BMW were often cited as successful examples over the years. The other side was that individual market segments have varying wants and needs and the car for the segment should have a design which reflects the different buyers. And on the OTHER side (at least three sides to this discussion) was the Design Office who did not want to be constrained in the next program by what they did in the last one, and wanted to keep pushing into the future, so whatever size/segment was up next would get the latest design language thinking. I think that the domestics have more comfort with each segment going its own way, which is why Taurus/Fusion/Focus, Impala/Malibu/Cruze, and Challenger/Avenger/Dart all look much more different within each brand than do C/E*/S Class, A3/A4/A6/A8, and 3/5/7 Series. Pros and cons to both approaches.

(*yes, E is a bit out of sequence at this moment....wait 'til next one falls into line)

gfmohn

("Usually the guys driving a grilled Mercedes are chauff[e]urs, the owners sit in the back." C4004matic, you're describing MB's most important emerging market! Asian C-Class's are about 3 1/4 inches longer, all of it in the back seat.)

In Germany, Mercedes does not have a single stereotype, it has two. The first is the black S-Class, driven by a businessman, coming up behind you on the Autobahn at 180 km/hr (112 mph). C4004matic would be okay with this stereotype. The second stereotype is the 20-year-old 190D holding you up on a Landesstrasse (secondary road) at 70 km/hr (43 mph), even though the speed limit is 100 km/hr (62 mph). It is driven by a retired Beamter (civil servant, including teachers and academics). He is sitting very upright, but he is also very relaxed. He is very relaxed, because everything is right with his Mercedes, his life, and himself. (In Germany, "Beamter" has twice the stuffy image that "bureaucrat" has in the U.S.) He is WEARING A HAT! I can understand why c4004matic would not want to be confused with this kind of driver! (Full disclosure: the second stereotype describes myself, except for the relaxed part and the hat! So part of Mercedes' market includes Americans who appreciate the opportunity offered by the traditional styling to distinguish ourselves from any Mercedes performance image.)

I know that 190D production ended in 1993. So all 190Ds are now more than 20 years old. But the 190D was in production for a very long time, so the stereotype is still the "the 20-year-old 190D." The good news about that stereotype of the 20-year-old Mercedes is that it is a tribute to Mercedes longevity.

The bad news is that for many Germans, obtaining that Mercedes is often a lifetime goal, a proof of final success, that is often not achieved until not long before retirement. So a German's first Mercedes is often his LAST Mercedes. Germany's excellent public transportation system means that most people do not need a car to get to work. The transportation needs of retired Germans are even less. So their cars last forever. So the stereotype of the elderly German driving his elderly (but very well maintained) Mercedes is frequently seen.

c4004matic

I lived in the ol' FRG from 1986-1989, I know precisely what you mean You forgot the American servicemen driving old junker BMW's, but those times are past.

Eilers

I am not at all able to recognize modern Germany from your description. It sounds very West germany to me. -very pre-wall.

The biggest mercedes sellers since the 90's are the family oriented versions, C and E Estate. They are usually replaced after 3-5 years. The last 5 years there has been a huge influx of Mercedes in the A & B Segment. ( A Class and CLA Class) and now in the last years small Crossovers like GLA too. There are a great deal of small Mercedes on the roads now!

The buyers are getting younger for sure, and they do not keep their cars more then a few years. Leasing is also quite common.

gfmohn

You are right; I should have put my last paragraph in the past tense. C4004matic also confirms that the time that I described (based on the testimony of my German wife) is now over. However, stereotypes last a long time, often outliving the historical pattern of behavior on which they were originally based. I was describing the lingering stereotypes of Mercedes drivers and their possible basis in fact, not the present nature of auto ownership in Germany. Some day, the present pattern will be the basis of some new stereotype.
My German wife and I are both elderly, she more so than I. Indeed, she is "very pre-wall." Although she and I visit Germany often, she has not lived there since 1992. Many of her friends and the elderly among her relatives are the sort of retired academics and teachers that I included among the stereotypical drivers of aging 190Ds.

Eilers

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