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Mercedes' new mission is how quickly can they dilute their brand. Mercedes used to rival Rolls Royce & Bentley back in the 80's/90's. Now, that thought is almost laughable.
I do not think MB rivalled RR or Bentley in those days. I mean, S-Class always competes with BMW 7-series and Jaguar XJ (back then in the 70's and 80's) and Audi (in recent years). Now, MB is setting up Maybach to compete with RR and Bentley as the typical S-Class is not positioned in that market segment.
It is hard to generalize the entire MB brand name as it has so many classes nowadays. It has diversified so much. Their mission must be to lead in every single segment (eg S-Class be the leader in the high end luxury sedans, Maybach be the leader in the super high end, C-Class be the leader in the small luxury segment...etc) This diversification surely dilute the brand name ''Mercedes'' as far as prestige and exclusivity are concerned as there are now a bunch of A and B class on the road. But this diversification also brings in profits which is what MB is going after all.
But this diversification also brings in profits which is what MB is going after all.
Yep, and this is important, especially considering MB was in the red and not profitable in the 90’s before the Daimler-Chrysler Merger. The company was spending far too much money on engineering costs making the cars much more expensive than the competition which was offering similar features and ramping up their game. The W140 is rumored to have cost $1B in late 80’s money for development costs, and the arrival of the Lexus LS which offered most of what the S did at a fraction of a cost had reset the market. In addition to an economic recession and changing market values, MB wouldn’t survive based on 80/90’s values and business practices.
Yep, and this is important, especially considering MB was in the red and not profitable in the 90’s before the Daimler-Chrysler Merger. The company was spending far too much money on engineering costs making the cars much more expensive than the competition which was offering similar features and ramping up their game. The W140 is rumored to have cost $1B in late 80’s money for development costs, and the arrival of the Lexus LS which offered most of what the S did at a fraction of a cost had reset the market. In addition to an economic recession and changing market values, MB wouldn’t survive based on 80/90’s values and business practices.
Very much to the point.
W140 was much over-engineered. Back then, the S-class was engineered like no other car in the world. All the decisions were made by the engineers.
Regarding all those new tech of the W223, I bet many are not the idea of the engineers but are of the marketing people.
(Personally, I consider the W126 as the 'best' S-class of all time.)
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by Sean._.S
Mercedes' new mission is how quickly can they dilute their brand. Mercedes used to rival Rolls Royce & Bentley back in the 80's/90's. Now, that thought is almost laughable.
Well, I don’t know. I had a brand new 1987 Corniche Convertible, at the same time I also had a brand new 1986 560SL and a brand new 1987 560SEC. The Rolls was an absolute piece of junk. The MB’s were truly wonderful for the time.
The white Rolls had paint on the black, rubber seals. When I inquired about it, I was told that the final coat of paint was applied after the car was fully assembled. Huh? Pushed ever so slightly, all sorts of “burning” odors filled the cabin. The brakes faded after only two or three harder stops. The Connolly Hides started cracking within weeks of taking delivery, even though the car was almost never left in the sun and always garaged. The chrome on the radiator surround was thin and “blotchy.” Let go of the shoulder belt and you got a nice gash in the wood trim. I was very fortunate that I found a buyer within a year of buying the car and ended up getting most of my money back. Honestly, the car was lovely to look at, but it drove like a piece of junk.
As far as I am concerned, the top line MB’s didn’t “rival” Rolls-Royce, they stood head & shoulders over them in the 1980’s.
Well, I don’t know. I had a brand new 1987 Corniche Convertible, at the same time I also had a brand new 1986 560SL and a brand new 1987 560SEC. The Rolls was an absolute piece of junk. The MB’s were truly wonderful for the time.
The white Rolls had paint on the black, rubber seals. When I inquired about it, I was told that the final coat of paint was applied after the car was fully assembled. Huh? Pushed ever so slightly, all sorts of “burning” odors filled the cabin. The brakes faded after only two or three harder stops. The Connolly Hides started cracking within weeks of taking delivery, even though the car was almost never left in the sun and always garaged. The chrome on the radiator surround was thin and “blotchy.” Let go of the shoulder belt and you got a nice gash in the wood trim. I was very fortunate that I found a buyer within a year of buying the car and ended up getting most of my money back. Honestly, the car was lovely to look at, but it drove like a piece of junk.
As far as I am concerned, the top line MB’s didn’t “rival” Rolls-Royce, they stood head & shoulders over them in the 1980’s.
RR was/is considered super luxury not because of its quality but of its exclusivity. They were ''hand-made'' (thus explaining the poor construction quality of many parts) with a low production volume and, therefore, exclusivity. It is better now but their engineering still lags behind MB in some ways. For example, a modern day (ca. 2016) Ghost still floats like a boat, when compared not to a Maybach but to a S-class (W222), IMHO.
Maybe this is not a good analogy but it is like comparing a PP or Rolex with a Casio. A Rolex costs much more but it cannot keep time as accurate as a cheap digital Casio. The extra money of a Rolex gets you exclusivity.
The days of "exclusivity" for the most part are gone. My 2016 Bentley Continental GT shared the platform with a VW Phaeton. The new Bentley shares it with the Panamera. The RR Ghost shares with a BMW 7 series. Even Ferraris have components in common with Chrysler/Fiat. Most of the "exclusive" name plates are owned by the bigger companies. Gives them the budget for RandD and sharing components out of the same parts bins. I think it comes down to what's important for the purchaser. For my daily driver the priorities are comfort, a little bit of performance and a car thats understated and "reasonable value" for what Im getting.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by Streamliner
This was my response:
Thank you for your response, but I do not believe you are correct.
Here is a screen shot from the 2022 S Class Dealer Ordering Guide. It says that 436 is "Front Comfort Headrests." It doesn't say anything about "Active Multi-Contour Seats,” which are Option No. 432.
The dealer told me that the "Missing Standard 436" were the little, loose pillows that attach to the headrest, but my car came with the pillows. So, WHAT are "Front Comfort Headrests???"
I received this reply today from MBUSA:
Appreciate your patience while this was reviewed.
The 436 code is only pertaining to the front comfort headrests which would have allowed for the headrest to adjust by height and fore/aft adjustments...not the pillows which were with the vehicle at purchase.
The 436 code is only pertaining to the front comfort headrests which would have allowed for the headrest to adjust by height and fore/aft adjustments...not the pillows which were with the vehicle at purchase.
I'm still puzzled. Pillows do not just come with the vehicle, they are an option and they don't explain above which options are needed.
The description of 436 seems correct but the pillows (436) only come if the car is equipped with 432, active multicontour seats. Perhaps a chicken and an egg problem but the pillows would come (from the factory) with and only with active multicontour seats.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by Diesel Benz
I'm still puzzled. Pillows do not just come with the vehicle, they are an option and they don't explain above which options are needed.
The description of 436 seems correct but the pillows (436) only come if the car is equipped with 432, active multicontour seats. Perhaps a chicken and an egg problem but the pillows would come (from the factory) with and only with active multicontour seats.
Whatever the final, truthful, detailed explanation is, it just goes to show how even a company like MB can so amazingly screw up something as simple as listing what a car has and does not have on the build sheet and/or window sticker. The number of people at MBUSA
and their dealers who have bought into the explanation that the $100.00 credit is for PILLOWS is astonishing and very disappointing.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by konigstiger
So your headrests do not adjust as depicted in OM (post14)?
No, they don’t. That depiction appears to be from a W222. Mine do not have any manual adjustments, as far as I can tell. That said, the headrests in my car DO adjust up & down and fore & aft, electrically, using the haptic seat control on the door. So, I ask again, WHAT did I get a $100.00 credit for? The pillows are there, the headrests adjust, so WHAT am I missing?
As I have said, I'm 99% sure the credit is for the pillows, and it just happens that your car eneded up getting delivered with them despite the lack of them from the factory. Maybe the dealership put them in.
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