A class/CLA 180 Not what it seems

[neil1jnr]

Thought I'd check out what sort of power the A class / CLA 180 was pushing as a friend of mine said his new Mercedes would be quicker than my Fiesta ST. I thought it may well be, I was thinking maybe 200bhp, similar to VAG groups 1.8T engine

Checked a plate out:

CLA180 SPORT
1595cc & 122bhp.

I am genuinely shocked. It has 200cc less than expected and a very pityful power output for a 'premium' car.

The equivilant BMW (116i) has 134bhp and is at least not disguising the fact it is a 1.6L.
The equvilant Ford (Focus Zetec S) has 177bhp from it's 1.6L

Where I live, most people aspire to or buy German because they perceive them to be better in everyway. I realise many buy becuase the badge comes first and they can have plastics in their car that feel a bit better to touch but there is no excuse for such misrepresentation of a car, it is even called a 'sport'!

[neil1jnr]

ED209 said:

Are you sure a 116 is a 1.6 litre? i don't think it is!

Maybe it isn't, to be fair I have just assumed it was, like the Mercedes, another shocker... or not!

EDIT: I just checked and it is a 1.6 turbo, I was comparing brand new cars.

[neil1jnr]

IanCress said:

What makes you think the bottom of the range A Class engine is the equivalent of the mid-range engines from VAG and Ford? Surely the equivalent Focus is the 1.0 Ecoboost with 125bhp. Or are you talking equivalent on price, in which case you can probably get a Focus ST for the same money as an A180 Sport.

Your point makes it even more mind boggling (well in my head anyway).

The bottom range 1L ecoboost Ford engine (125bhp) is more powerful than Mercedes bottom range 1.6L turbo (122bhp), and the Merc is badges as a 'sport'.

I understand the sport and A180 part is all marketing but what a rip off, paying all that cash for a bottom spec engine far worse than rivals.

[neil1jnr]

kambites said:

Very little. I suppose they're an approximate relative indication of the power output of the engine.

I think I am just surprised at how low the power is, especially for a 1.6 turbo.

[neil1jnr]

I know why people buy them, but I just think that for the money, even in the bottom range engine, you should be expecting a little more from Mercedes.

Like I said, I am just surprised that is all, it just shows how marketing a car as 'sport' and to some, being a Mercedes, defaults it as a quick car when it isn't.

Styling is the eye of the beholder but IMO, why pay thousands more for the Merc, when a Focus Zetec S has arguably a better chassis, better engine etc, I think it is crazy how people pay soo much extra just to have that badge and a slightly nicer interior.

[neil1jnr]

xRIEx said:

Brand positioning - if MB sold cars too cheaply then they would become a 'cheap' brand; therefore they aim for a certain price bracket to maintain the image that goes with it. There's no doubt it's a badge/image thing - you drive round in a Merc because you can afford to drive round in a Merc; it's absolutely not a value-for-money purchase.

If anything, the A Class (and BMW's 1 series) have 'devalued' those brands slightly by moving the brand into the cheaper market areas. In reality, (certainly the 1 series) has been a massive commercial success by enabling people with cash to spend buy in to the brand they otherwise couldn't afford or justify. They are people with slightly less cash, but it's cash that BMW/MB/Audi want to end up in their bank accounts - it's certainly working.

Brand strength is huge - Apple may not always have the best performing products in a particular market, but they (usually) charge the highest amount and still end up with the lion's share of the market, because the brand is so powerful.

Great point.

I am just one of those people who just don't get the brand thing. I realise you are right, it works becuase people want that brand and having a base model makes it affordable to them.

I wonder if it is just the UK or all over Europe people are like this. It is surprising how much of them are on the road though, along with the new 218d, they are quite common in Aberdeen.

I wonder how the new 308 stacks up against the Merc, IMO it looks like one of the nicest hatches out at the moment (almost on par with the mk 7 golf).

[neil1jnr]

Or they have a toy that does less than 20mpg when you drive it properly and so want something thats well built, a good drive and cheap to run?
[/quote]

Disagree. If they are saving money for a weekend car you wouldn't be buying a Mercedes, if you required a new cheap car you could tick the boxes with a car costing nearly half the A180 or just buy a cheap old runaround.

[neil1jnr]

Sheepshanks said:

neil1jnr said:

Where I live, most people aspire to or buy German because they perceive them to be better in everyway.

The engine in the CLA180 is from Renault.

Really? Thanks for the ammo to take to my friend (not that I personally find anything wrong with Renault's capability to produce engines, but because it will really wind him up).

[neil1jnr]

braddo said:

neil1jnr said:

Or they have a toy that does less than 20mpg when you drive it properly and so want something thats well built, a good drive and cheap to run?

(ORIGINAL POSTER)

Disagree. If they are saving money for a weekend car you wouldn't be buying a Mercedes, if you required a new cheap car you could tick the boxes with a car costing nearly half the A180 or just buy a cheap old runaround.

(MY POST)

Why would you assume they are saving for the weekend car? Some people want a new, premium car but don't care about outright performance. That might be because they have a £5k or £50k toy in the garage, it really doesn't matter.

Someone mentioned this A180 does 0-60 in a bit over 9 seconds. That is perfectly adquate for the vast majority of motorists. You are looking at this with petrolhead tunnel vision.

(YOUR QUOTE)

Of course I am looking at it through petrolhead tunnel vision, that's my way of thinking. Seriously, if you have £20K, unless badge is the most important factor, there are so much other cars worth having as new over the under-powered Merc.

My original post wasn't about who would buy them, I was just genuinely shocked that Mercedes sell a 1.6L turbo car, where it is badged as a A180/CLA 180, when logically A160 would be more fitting, and is called a 'sport' when there is nothing sporty about it. The reason I checked up on the car was becuase I was told it would be quicker than mine.

I had assumed it was in the region of 180-200bhp, just shocking it's 122bhp and they charge what they do for it. If it had 200bhp I could understand but the rest of the car can't be THAT much better than say a Focus ST with 250bhp for similar money (MY POST)

EDIT: The quotes are all messed up, makes it hard to understand who said what, added brackets at end of each persons post.

Edited by neil1jnr on Monday 15th September 13:25

[neil1jnr]

Wow, I didn't know base spec German cars with French engines had such fans.

Pistonheads, where 'badge', 'premium', 'interiors' and 'holding value' matters.
Come on guys, you don't have to defend it to the hilt, I just find the marketing of these car's and their defenders quite amusing. I know it brings in £££ but come on, 122bhp, you can even have an A/CLA 180 'AMG sport'!

I love proper German metal too but not this sort of tripe from Mercedes, I guess I am a mug for not driving German.

Edited by neil1jnr on Tuesday 16th September 00:17