Six months ago I had 4 quotes on a 37k Genesis for a 36 month lease. The car came to 367 WITH tax and zero cap reduction. There was some lease cash available at that time which may not be curretly but I cant see it being $720 a month right now.

At $367 that car is an absolute steal. And yes the fact that all the E350's without the leather option and P2 have halogen lights and plastic seats is insane. I admit that the plastic seats are very nice and they do weather far better than leather (and clean up much easier) but still in a luxury car you might want to have leather.

I also can't get over that a loaded E350 is over 70k and has a motor that was competitive in 2004.

All that said the build quality alone makes the MB the car to own. Go sit in that Sonata/Genesis and you quickly realize there is a reason it is so cheap. The plastics, the panel fit, the interior construction, leather stitching, and electronics are completely cut rate. It does not make it a bad car but it shows that you get "something" for that 30k extra. Is it really worth 30k extra? No I would not say it is....

When I was looking at a 49k Genesis 4.6 for the heck of it I moved the indicator stalk forward to see how it felt when selecting the high beam lights and the entire plastic shroud around the steering column moved and made a clicking sound. It reminded me of an old Ford Fiesta to be honest.

 

Here is my question: Would you skip a house payment (or any bills for that matter) to pay for MB payment? If the answer is YES, then you are Narcissistic, a showoff, 'egoistic', and you are buying it for the wrong reasons. If it is NO, you are in the right Forum.

Here is another one: How many times you've heard people who are trying to make a comparison say, "Its the Mercedes of ________". Or, the Kitchen Faucet Salesman going, "That Grohe right there is the Mercedes of faucets". Again, you are in the right Forum. You are in the right Car. Its a Mercedes, for crying out loud. Good choice.

 

I've owned Grohes. God, I hope a Mercedes is nothing like a Grohe! Talk about overpriced cheap cr*p! Don't get me started on Grohe.

 

Amen...
What is the point of this discussion??

 

Interesting...

Hyundai continues improving its brand’s strength in 2011 and has earned the No. 1 spot in Brand Keys 2011 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index.
Brand Keys, a New York-based brand, customer loyalty and engagement consultancy, publishes this annually syndicated study which examines customers’ relationships with 528 different brands in 79 categories.
Hyundai ranked the highest brand in the automotive category for the second year in a row.
“Hyundai has been able to best meet customer expectations and has, again, scored the highest levels of loyalty when it comes to the Automotive category, taking the No. 1 spot in our Customer Loyalty Engagement Index,” said Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys Founder and President. “Of course, the true test of loyalty and engagement always shows up in the marketplace, so we weren’t surprised to see their sales are up again over last year. We congratulate them on another win.”

 

Read the article and try to keep up...

 

I don't see that as being so crazy. Also FYI, the S-Class in Europe is standard with Cloth. I find it nice to let people build their cars to get certain amenities, i.e, if someone wants Xenons, they can pay for it, and Leather, etc. Considering what the E-Class offers in quality, interior, build, safety, the respect it commands, the design and craftsmanship thoughtfulness, etc., I think the $49K asking base price, without any of the added tech goodies, is actually quite a bargain.

 

Nobody in their right mind should be doubting Hyundai's value and quality. However, it's a different animal than an M-B. I have a Genesis parked next to my car right now, and it literally looks as "expensive" and as visually Premium as an old Honda Accord next to my E. For some people, that alone is worth the price premium, even with it getting dwarfed in power (and size).

Also, M-B has also been awarded for being the Luxury brand that has the most loyal and continuous customers.

 

Thank, great info. Actually to be honest I quoted Genesis 4.6 with MSRP $42K and got monthly payments as $700+ with $4K down. It is good to know that lease deals look better for Genesis now. However I absolutely agree, when you pay these money you have to be absolutely satisfied with everything you get.
So I am not going even check Hyundai cars when next time do shopping. Just wasting time.

 

I wonder if the Genesis would look visually more "Premium" if it had a fake chrome 3-pointed star emblem on its hood.

 

It looks like "luxury" brands do not lead in customer loyalty - but Lexus is in a 3-way tie for second.

According to J.D. Power and Associates, two automakers have tied for first place in customer retention. You already know that one is Honda, but the second automaker is Ford; both companies managed to retain 62% of their customer base in 2010, an achievement significantly above the industry norm.

Following Ford and Honda are Hyundai, Lexus and Toyota in a three-way tie for the second spot. Kia has shown the most improvement in customer retention, rising from 37% retention in 2009 to 58% retention in 2010.

 

This thread isn't worth the time of day.

By all means, go buy a Hyundai. No one is stopping you.

I do agree with you however, that a Mercedes is engineered, built and designed the same way as the Hyundai...the only difference being the price point. The most utterly ridiculous thing I have heard all year.

 

OMG - YOU DON'T HAVE A CLUE ON WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.



This is the last calorie of energy that I will spend on this.

peace

 

Point is different. Most of readers of this board own W212 and article on MSN just lower value of our cars. Now any Hyundai owner can say, - oh man you drive the crappy Mercedes and paid twice more for it than I did for my beautiful Sonata. I can disagree, however many people who read the article can start think same way, and as result it isn't only moral impact, resale value of W212 may drop.

 

The 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class ranks 1 out of 13 Luxury Large Cars per US News. Also, E Class Recommended by Consumers Guide as a Best Buy.
If you can't tell the difference between a Sonata and an M-B E class, you are in trouble.
BTW, the badge is part of the reason for owning the car. Same as with Lexus, BMW, Audi, Acura, Infiniti, Cadillac, Porsche, et.al.

 

No it doesn't, only if all misguided w212 owners start selling their cars quickly and cheaply to buy Sonata's then theoritcally, w212 prices would be effected. Obviously such a thing would never happen.

 

It practically does (have you seen the blatant M-B failed wannabee grill?).

Has nothing to do that really. Any car enthusiast can appreciate quality in design, and how taut and masterfully crafted sheetmetal speak "Luxury". The Genesis looks bloated, flat, and like a mass manufacturers car in comparison. The E is a mass manufactured car, with the design quality of a top end car.

I'll post the side by pics when I get a chance, so you see what I'm talking about.

Lol. Are you serious with that "you paid more for you Mercedes" comment?

What do you think a Sonata owner would say to a Phantom owner than?

That kind of stuff has been the case forever now.

I can reverse it on myself and say that I look at a Maybach owner and think that he wasted money, because I know the Maybach well enough to believe that the W212 is a (MUCH) nicer, more advanced car.

 

I had a Genesis for a rental car. A 4.6 V8 version. I was extremely impressed with it. It was E550 fast, and, it was really hard to find anything that was cheesy looking. It was much quieter than my E350 Bluetec, maybe the quietest car I have driven. It is actually more S-class sized and has an amazingly good rear seat. I found the suspension to be a bit stiff for my tastes, but the body and chassis felt rock solid. I have heard of these going for as little as 38K pretty much loaded. The Lexicon audio system was superior to the HK system in my MB (at least to my ears). The leather was only single stitched but felt to be of very nice quality with premium feel. Visually, I think the Genesis has every bit of the Luxury presence of an Infinity. From my "rental car test drive", I can honestly say I would not have a problem owning a Genesis. Good car, and I bet Lexus and Infinity are sleeping with one eye open.

 

It actually is almost identical to an Infinite in terms of presence. I kept thinking it was a G37 when I saw it. I like it a LOT more than the Infinite though, all around.

 

I hope nobody every skimps on leather to save money in order to be able to afford a Mercedes. I don't care what people say about MB-TEX. It's a man made product and will NEVER be as nice as all natural leather. It's like comparing a hunting rifle with a black plastic stock to one with a beautifully aged wood stock.

 

And how about Alcantara? Fake Suede. I personally would never base a purchase on leather interior for any reason. There are many man made product that are superior in all ways to leather. I personally like a heavier leather than is offered by Mercedes, and, and a leather that has that fine shoe store aroma. Most of todays leather offerings (Volvo being a major exception) don't actually have that luxurious leather smell that only comes from expensive tanning procedures. The leather of today is not like it was 20 years ago. Ironically either are the man-made products.

 

Perhaps not.If I had ordered from the factory I very probably would have gotten leather.However,I'm completely satisfied with the MB-TEX and quickly noticed that it's far surperior to the artificial leather that BMW offers....that looks and feels really cheap (my "d" had leather).

 

+1000%

 

I'm sorry, but the grainy Leather in the W212 isn't that "rich Leather" that people usually equate with "Leather", and I'm sure most people would be hard pressed to tell a difference. That, and it doesn't give off that "rich Leather scent".

And, "man-made" sounds better than "skinned off of a cows rectum".

I'm not gonna lie and say that I don't like Leather (as gross as the concept of it in actuality is), but I do like true, rich Leather. I.e, what you find in the S-Class when the highest Options box is ticked, the beautiful scent in a Ferrari or Maserati, and even the Optional Nappa Package in the F10.

Difference is, in 20 years, the M-B Tex interior will still look brand new, while those mentioned, will look over 20 years old.

 

I wonder if MB-tex vinyl is being offered in S Class?