RE: New C-Class price and spec released

[loudlashadjuster]

Devil2575 said:

Shaoxter said:

pSyCoSiS said:

£27k is a relatively high price for a bog standard enrty level C Class?

Didn't realise thats how these things are now seling for new...

Uhhh inflation?

I'd wager that in real terms is actually quite a bit cheaper than the equivalent Merc back in the early 90s.

Absolutely.

[B10]

stumpage said:

B10 said:

Hope they have a decent range of non-leather fabrics for the interior. Getting annoyed with only being offered dead animal interiors.

Mercedes C Classes have man made Artico leather in which doesn't feel like a dead animal has been within a mile of it.

Indeed. Current C class has 2 Artico colours, this may change as the car goes more upmarket. However there is a trend to only offer leather on 'prestige' cars. All Range Rovers, Jags, 4, 5, 6 & 7 series, E class (except AMG version), S class, TT, A6, A6 etc. Go back 20 years all those could be had with cloth interior. And before someone says that it is a by-product a meat; that is not always the case especially, ironically, if the leather comes from India. India's animal welfare for leather production is terrible. However most people do not give a st about farm animals.

[Beefmeister]

I'm not having a go, but I'm genuinely amazed and surprised to see that someone gives a flying badger bum about leather in a car coming from a cow. Quite refreshing, makes a change from the usual 'Ooh look at me I'm vegan and sooooo into the animals' wearing leather shoes, jacket and watch strap.

[va1o]

Beefmeister said:

Interesting point made on Autocar today, that the new C-Class has a 41-litre fuel tank as standard (in Europe). This helped keep the 'wet' weight down and improve mpg and emissions in the official tests. A 66-litre tank is optional, and is rumoured it'll be standard in the UK.

Absolute farce.

That's a really small fuel tank for a car this size, most supermins are 45 litres

[loudlashadjuster]

It's a real shame Merc are moving towards offering only 4-cyl models in the UK, with a token V6 and of course the AMGs. BMW seem to be keen on keeping a variety of 6-cyl options.

The UK car buying public has a lot to answer for (looks awkwardly at 4-pot C-Class in driveway).

[MogulBoy]

va1o said:

That's a really small fuel tank for a car this size, most supermins are 45 litres

41L at the official (cough!) combined fuel consumption of almost 70mpg gives a 600 mile theoretical range... OK even if the practial range is +/-450miles, I could live with that and could see the arguments for making the tank even smaller as they might have been able to optimise the packaging even further...

[B10]

Beefmeister said:

I'm not having a go, but I'm genuinely amazed and surprised to see that someone gives a flying badger bum about leather in a car coming from a cow. Quite refreshing, makes a change from the usual 'Ooh look at me I'm vegan and sooooo into the animals' wearing leather shoes, jacket and watch strap.

Thanks fair enough. I am vegan, don't buy leather shoes etc. and a Pistonhead.
However It is the lack of choice these days, only poverty spec with non-leather. Not everyone likes leather even if they don't care about the ethics. Used to love the velvet used in the original 7 series for example. Leather can be cold sticky and not much fun in the summer. Experienced that when I had a Morgan with black leather. Getting into it with shorts when it had been sitting in the sun....ouch.

[Wills2]

berlintaxi said:

oilit said:

Have they done the same ?

Not really, on the BMW is seems to flow with the dash, whereas on the Merc it looks like an afterthought.

I think the cabin quality/design of the new f30 series leaves a lot to be desired the new Merc looks streets ahead to my eyes (not sat in one obviously)

The only let down is the ipad style command screen but the rest looks great.

[jimfoz]

loudlashadjuster said:

Absolutely.

The C-Class from 1993 started at £18k and for that you got hand cranked windows all round - this was at the time when cars were a rip off in the UK. To have specced it up to the same equipment level of a standard spec new C-Class today it would have exceeded £27k.

It looks good but I am fed up with Mercedes' obsession with 'Artico' as it is horrible stuff and it is fooling consumers into thinking that it is leather or something more than mere vinyl or plastic. So many used car dealers I have come across have tried to pass this stuff off as 'full leather'.

They should bring back velours

[gck303]

B10 said:

Hope they have a decent range of non-leather fabrics for the interior. Getting annoyed with only being offered dead animal interiors.

I am sure there will be a vinyl option on the base models. Or 'MBTex' or 'Leathertex' or whatever name they give it.

Don't worry, n-one will know it is not leather. Not even the next owner.

Cloth or velour interiors? I think that are long gone.

[Devil2575]

jimfoz said:

loudlashadjuster said:

Absolutely.

The C-Class from 1993 started at £18k and for that you got hand cranked windows all round - this was at the time when cars were a rip off in the UK. To have specced it up to the same equipment level of a standard spec new C-Class today it would have exceeded £27k.

18k in 1993 is 31k in todays money.

So in real terms it's 14% cheaper.

[Kawasicki]

Beefmeister said:

court said:

Is that also why air conditioning is a 'no cost option' on the new F56 Mini Cooper and Cooper D?

Yep. No aircon means less strain on the ancilliaries, means more mpg and less CO2 for the official tests.

It's not just that, they also get to change the calculations/tests depending on the weight of the vehicle.

It's why the actual weight for your bottom spec car is often 100kg more than the official one.

[jonny70]

Dr Interceptor said:

The days of a C180 Classic with manual 'box for £19,990 are long gone. Mind you that came with a tape player!

They are now only £299 well per month ,thats how the vast majority are sold nowadays

[JonnyVTEC]

I love it how they have it with a 41litre tank in Germany to cheat down the NEDC CO2 thanks to less mass, seems there is then a larger tank option. UK gets the 66 litre tank as standard.

[Ari]

jdw1234 said:

Its better than having some hideously outdated Command system when the car is 5 years old though.

I hadn't noticed that the COMAND (not Command) system in my 5 year old Merc was 'hideously outdated', how so?

[Ari]

oilit said:

went past a new s class this week - have to say it doesnt have as much presence rear light wise as the previous model first had. Mercedes needs to fire its rear lights designer - and their marketing guru who thinks that the ipad generation want one stuck on the dash of their car - as said before make the bloody thing retractable or dont bother.

just searched the bmw interior shots and found this :-




Have they done the same ?

Edited by oilit on Wednesday 5th February 07:59

Look at the dash reflections in the screen! Would drive me insane on a bright sunny day!

You'd think manufacturers would have learned by now not to offer anything other than matt black dash tops.

[Ari]

pSyCoSiS said:

£27k is a relatively high price for a bog standard enrty level C Class?

Didn't realise thats how these things are now seling for new...

It's just two grand more than a bog standard cloth seated VW Golf GTI.

[lenny007]

jdw1234 said:

Its better than having some hideously outdated Command system when the car is 5 years old though.

The pace of hardware and software development will usually mean anything installed in cars will be outdated within 2 years or so - it's just the nature of the beast.

What i'm really bemoaning is the poor integration of the screen into the dash - and not just on the Merc but also the BMW. Audi seems to integrate the screen more neatly with the pop up ones and also the one hidden behind the trim panel in the A8 of a few years ago.

Frankly, i think the best integration i've seen so far is the new TT dash but then again, i like clean interiors, not these ones with double bubbles like the previous iteration of BMW interiors with the double bubbles and certainly not the current generation of "someone has left their ipad on your dash" appearance.

It looks like an afterthought.

[skyrover]

Overpriced, like most German stuff

[Nors]

Like a few others, I think it looks out of proportion. Back looks stumpy and a long looking bonnet. Prefer the outgoing model in the looks department by a margin - very handsome car. Not sure of MB's foward design ethos at all!