RE: Alfa Romeo Stelvio QF vs. Mercedes-AMG C63 S

[anonymous-user]

C.MW said:

Up until last decade, if I remember correctly, cars from luxury brands (whether it be a Merc or something non-German) were defined by the simplicity, elegance and restraint in their design. And oh do I miss those days. I'd normally prefer a performance estate over an SUV any day but I can't shake away the impression that the Merc is just trying too hard especially with its interior. Those blingy bits laid everywhere possible would be sure to cause a headache after a long day at work. And what is with the ambient lighting reminiscent of a cheesy night club's? I never thought I'd say this but the Alfa's Mazda-esque interior looks better, at least it's simpler and more restrained in comparison though the material used could be improved.

There isn’t a picture of the Merc showing any “cheesy night club” ambient lighting.

Is this proof of peak cut and pasted cliche bingo ?

[C.MW]

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Up until last decade, if I remember correctly, cars from luxury brands (whether it be a Merc or something non-German) were defined by the simplicity, elegance and restraint in their design. And oh do I miss those days. I'd normally prefer a performance estate over an SUV any day but I can't shake away the impression that the Merc is just trying too hard especially with its interior. Those blingy bits laid everywhere possible would be sure to cause a headache after a long day at work. And what is with the ambient lighting reminiscent of a cheesy night club's? I never thought I'd say this but the Alfa's Mazda-esque interior looks better, at least it's simpler and more restrained in comparison though the material used could be improved.

There isn’t a picture of the Merc showing any “cheesy night club” ambient lighting.

Is this proof of peak cut and pasted cliche bingo ?

There is no picture but I've had a good look at one of these and it does come with it. Sorry if you haven't yet and you might find it difficult to afford one but viewing one, in case you're not aware, is free;-)

[anonymous-user]

C.MW said:

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Up until last decade, if I remember correctly, cars from luxury brands (whether it be a Merc or something non-German) were defined by the simplicity, elegance and restraint in their design. And oh do I miss those days. I'd normally prefer a performance estate over an SUV any day but I can't shake away the impression that the Merc is just trying too hard especially with its interior. Those blingy bits laid everywhere possible would be sure to cause a headache after a long day at work. And what is with the ambient lighting reminiscent of a cheesy night club's? I never thought I'd say this but the Alfa's Mazda-esque interior looks better, at least it's simpler and more restrained in comparison though the material used could be improved.

There isn’t a picture of the Merc showing any “cheesy night club” ambient lighting.

Is this proof of peak cut and pasted cliche bingo ?

There is no picture but I've had a good look at one of these and it does come with it. Sorry if you haven't yet and you might find it difficult to afford one but viewing one, in case you're not aware, is free;-)

Right so the fact that you can turn it off as evidenced by these pictures seems to have passed you by ?

[simonbamg]

GLC63 SUV for me

[RoknRollBachelor]

'The Mercedes has a better driving position'? Come on, everybody knows that they always have an offset driving position because Germans love to have the pedals so far to the right. I haven't driven the Alfa yet but Mercedes (and BMW) always place the brake pedal where the throttle pedal should be. It's awful.

[C.MW]

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Up until last decade, if I remember correctly, cars from luxury brands (whether it be a Merc or something non-German) were defined by the simplicity, elegance and restraint in their design. And oh do I miss those days. I'd normally prefer a performance estate over an SUV any day but I can't shake away the impression that the Merc is just trying too hard especially with its interior. Those blingy bits laid everywhere possible would be sure to cause a headache after a long day at work. And what is with the ambient lighting reminiscent of a cheesy night club's? I never thought I'd say this but the Alfa's Mazda-esque interior looks better, at least it's simpler and more restrained in comparison though the material used could be improved.

There isn’t a picture of the Merc showing any “cheesy night club” ambient lighting.

Is this proof of peak cut and pasted cliche bingo ?

There is no picture but I've had a good look at one of these and it does come with it. Sorry if you haven't yet and you might find it difficult to afford one but viewing one, in case you're not aware, is free;-)

Right so the fact that you can turn it off as evidenced by these pictures seems to have passed you by ?

I don't need it, on or off. I need it 'out' along with the weight, complexity and cost associated with such a gimmick.

[Griffgrog]

Max_Torque said:

My commute is 16 miles of B road, and yes, i can often touch 120 or more mph without trying that hard on the straighter bits....... (modern cars ARE fast, in case you haven't noticed)

Edited by Max_Torque on Saturday 23 March 19:36

120mph on B roads !!!!!!!

[anonymous-user]

C.MW said:

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Up until last decade, if I remember correctly, cars from luxury brands (whether it be a Merc or something non-German) were defined by the simplicity, elegance and restraint in their design. And oh do I miss those days. I'd normally prefer a performance estate over an SUV any day but I can't shake away the impression that the Merc is just trying too hard especially with its interior. Those blingy bits laid everywhere possible would be sure to cause a headache after a long day at work. And what is with the ambient lighting reminiscent of a cheesy night club's? I never thought I'd say this but the Alfa's Mazda-esque interior looks better, at least it's simpler and more restrained in comparison though the material used could be improved.

There isn’t a picture of the Merc showing any “cheesy night club” ambient lighting.

Is this proof of peak cut and pasted cliche bingo ?

There is no picture but I've had a good look at one of these and it does come with it. Sorry if you haven't yet and you might find it difficult to afford one but viewing one, in case you're not aware, is free;-)

Right so the fact that you can turn it off as evidenced by these pictures seems to have passed you by ?

I don't need it, on or off. I need it 'out' along with the weight, complexity and cost associated with such a gimmick.

I imagine removal of a few fibre optics would make all the difference to one’s prowess as a driving God, make the car notably cheaper to buy and demonstrably improve relatability.

The kids get in mine and set it to turn alternately pink and blue. You’d love it.

Funny thing is knowing that my car has interior lighting which can be made to change colour has never once in any way dimmed my enjoyment of it.

I’m clearly not a purist.

Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 24th March 09:54

[DoubleD]

C.MW said:

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Up until last decade, if I remember correctly, cars from luxury brands (whether it be a Merc or something non-German) were defined by the simplicity, elegance and restraint in their design. And oh do I miss those days. I'd normally prefer a performance estate over an SUV any day but I can't shake away the impression that the Merc is just trying too hard especially with its interior. Those blingy bits laid everywhere possible would be sure to cause a headache after a long day at work. And what is with the ambient lighting reminiscent of a cheesy night club's? I never thought I'd say this but the Alfa's Mazda-esque interior looks better, at least it's simpler and more restrained in comparison though the material used could be improved.

There isn’t a picture of the Merc showing any “cheesy night club” ambient lighting.

Is this proof of peak cut and pasted cliche bingo ?

There is no picture but I've had a good look at one of these and it does come with it. Sorry if you haven't yet and you might find it difficult to afford one but viewing one, in case you're not aware, is free;-)

Right so the fact that you can turn it off as evidenced by these pictures seems to have passed you by ?

I don't need it, on or off. I need it 'out' along with the weight, complexity and cost associated with such a gimmick.

How much does it weigh and cost?

[C.MW]

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Up until last decade, if I remember correctly, cars from luxury brands (whether it be a Merc or something non-German) were defined by the simplicity, elegance and restraint in their design. And oh do I miss those days. I'd normally prefer a performance estate over an SUV any day but I can't shake away the impression that the Merc is just trying too hard especially with its interior. Those blingy bits laid everywhere possible would be sure to cause a headache after a long day at work. And what is with the ambient lighting reminiscent of a cheesy night club's? I never thought I'd say this but the Alfa's Mazda-esque interior looks better, at least it's simpler and more restrained in comparison though the material used could be improved.

There isn’t a picture of the Merc showing any “cheesy night club” ambient lighting.

Is this proof of peak cut and pasted cliche bingo ?

There is no picture but I've had a good look at one of these and it does come with it. Sorry if you haven't yet and you might find it difficult to afford one but viewing one, in case you're not aware, is free;-)

Right so the fact that you can turn it off as evidenced by these pictures seems to have passed you by ?

I don't need it, on or off. I need it 'out' along with the weight, complexity and cost associated with such a gimmick.

I imagine removal of a few fibre optics would make all the difference to one’s prowess as a driving God, make the car notably cheaper to buy and demonstrably improve relatability.

The kids get in mine and turn set it to turn alternately pink and blue. You’d love it.

Funny thing is knowing that my car has interior lighting which can be made to change colour has never once in any way dimmed my enjoyment of it.

I’m clearly not a purist.

I don't have kids so no one here to love it and actually it distracts me from driving. There was a function called 'night panel' on Saab models that essentially dimmed or completely turned off lights around the driver's vision so they could better focus on the road ahead. It seems I'm not alone there.

Just wait until a tiny part of the light goes dull and try to have your dealer fix it (under warranty or not). You'll see it's not as simple as you want to believe and only then understand why there was a guy on PH that didn't want any complexity added for something as trivial as pink lighting in your footwell.

[anonymous-user]

Griffgrog said:

120mph on B roads !!!!!!!

When you've 500bhp+ to play with it takes very little time to reach those speeds. I'm not condoning it as good practice, however passing a couple of cars and a lorry at WOT from 50mph could easily see you over that kind of speed by the time you completed the manoeuvre.

An M3 with 450hp will go from standstill to 100mph in less than 9 seconds.

All these cars are fking quick!

[anonymous-user]

C.MW said:

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Brooking10 said:

C.MW said:

Up until last decade, if I remember correctly, cars from luxury brands (whether it be a Merc or something non-German) were defined by the simplicity, elegance and restraint in their design. And oh do I miss those days. I'd normally prefer a performance estate over an SUV any day but I can't shake away the impression that the Merc is just trying too hard especially with its interior. Those blingy bits laid everywhere possible would be sure to cause a headache after a long day at work. And what is with the ambient lighting reminiscent of a cheesy night club's? I never thought I'd say this but the Alfa's Mazda-esque interior looks better, at least it's simpler and more restrained in comparison though the material used could be improved.

There isn’t a picture of the Merc showing any “cheesy night club” ambient lighting.

Is this proof of peak cut and pasted cliche bingo ?

There is no picture but I've had a good look at one of these and it does come with it. Sorry if you haven't yet and you might find it difficult to afford one but viewing one, in case you're not aware, is free;-)

Right so the fact that you can turn it off as evidenced by these pictures seems to have passed you by ?

I don't need it, on or off. I need it 'out' along with the weight, complexity and cost associated with such a gimmick.

I imagine removal of a few fibre optics would make all the difference to one’s prowess as a driving God, make the car notably cheaper to buy and demonstrably improve relatability.

The kids get in mine and turn set it to turn alternately pink and blue. You’d love it.

Funny thing is knowing that my car has interior lighting which can be made to change colour has never once in any way dimmed my enjoyment of it.

I’m clearly not a purist.

I don't have kids so no one here to love it and actually it distracts me from driving. There was a function called 'night panel' on Saab models that essentially dimmed or completely turned off lights around the driver's vision so they could better focus on the road ahead. It seems I'm not alone there.

Just wait until a tiny part of the light goes dull and try to have your dealer fix it (under warranty or not). You'll see it's not as simple as you want to believe and only then understand why there was a guy on PH that didn't want any complexity added for something as trivial as pink lighting in your footwell.

I remember night panel well, had it on both of my Saabs.

I’m going to struggle to sleep peacefully now for fear of worrying about the dealer trip you allude to

Just remember as regards the Merc lighting.

You,

Can.

Turn.

It.

Off.

[Jim on the hill]

What a weird story, Dan Trent wrote this who has a Forester STI which was the first sporty SUV. Clearly that answers his opinion of a sporty SUV or estate.

[DonkeyApple]

C.MW said:

Up until last decade, if I remember correctly, cars from luxury brands (whether it be a Merc or something non-German) were defined by the simplicity, elegance and restraint in their design. And oh do I miss those days. I'd normally prefer a performance estate over an SUV any day but I can't shake away the impression that the Merc is just trying too hard especially with its interior. Those blingy bits laid everywhere possible would be sure to cause a headache after a long day at work. And what is with the ambient lighting reminiscent of a cheesy night club's? I never thought I'd say this but the Alfa's Mazda-esque interior looks better, at least it's simpler and more restrained in comparison though the material used could be improved.

The world has gone fully Big Brother/Love Island/Katie Price chic. Actual quality or style has far less value in contrast to benefits bling.

This is fine, the world can go in whatever direction it wishes, other fashions will always eventually come back around (usually driven by economic changes) and there are always niches to cater those who aren’t currently or ever in line with the majority. Besides, we will be able to look back on an era of everyone brankrupting themselves to look like Pete Burns like we look back today on mullets.

But I can’t help noticing that it is becoming harder and harder in the automotive world to find a product that is practical, fast and elegant.

With the Mercedes I genuinely don’t understand the aesthetic value of a large TV screen sticking out the front of the dashboard. This is something that has gone hugely over my head. I can only assume that to the majority of potential customers it has value. I don’t get it. To me it’s some kind of huge advert for the van and minicab side of their business. A bolt on bit of kit for processing customer orders or something.

Likewise the cars with thousands of buttons. I remember the button and LED craze of the 80s. Everything cheap and tacky had to have as many buttons and lights as possible. The likes of Dixon’s were lit up like a gypsy wedding party. While sat quietly in a corner of other stores were stereo systems that eschewed the Japanese craze for tiny buttons and LEDs and seemed very elegant and stylish. I think it was an early Panamera that I went to look at and simply lost interest over the idea of paying £100k to sit in front of a Grundig stack from the early 90s.

The most quiet and elegant interiors I’ve noticed recently are in Volvos but as far as Inam aware there are no high performance products.

The C63 is an incredibly appealing car, to me much more so than the Alfa, but it’s an awful place to sit unless it is relation to earning from or paying money to Uber.

[Clivey]

Brooking10 said:

Is it difficult coming up with silly things like that first couple of sentences or do they just come naturally?

It's not difficult to wind-up certain kinds of people, or make observations.

But still; how many under 40s do you think buy Stelvio QVs?

[garystoybox]

janesmith1950 said:

Griffgrog said:

120mph on B roads !!!!!!!

When you've 500bhp+ to play with it takes very little time to reach those speeds. I'm not condoning it as good practice, however passing a couple of cars and a lorry at WOT from 50mph could easily see you over that kind of speed by the time you completed the manoeuvre.

An M3 with 450hp will go from standstill to 100mph in less than 9 seconds.

All these cars are fking quick!

Anybody bragging about regularly hitting 120 mph on B roads is either a fantasist or an idiot.... most likely both. Keep it for the track fool.

[anonymous-user]

Clivey said:

Brooking10 said:

Is it difficult coming up with silly things like that first couple of sentences or do they just come naturally?

It's not difficult to wind-up certain kinds of people, or make observations.

But still; how many under 40s do you think buy Stelvio QVs?

You’re probably right on the age demographic but I doubt dodgy backs and a desire to look cool are primary amongst the decision making criteria

[Barga]

janesmith1950 said:

Griffgrog said:

120mph on B roads !!!!!!!

When you've 500bhp+ to play with it takes very little time to reach those speeds. I'm not condoning it as good practice, however passing a couple of cars and a lorry at WOT from 50mph could easily see you over that kind of speed by the time you completed the manoeuvre.

An M3 with 450hp will go from standstill to 100mph in less than 9 seconds.

All these cars are fking quick!

And in THE fastest car on the road,the fabled 335d and a driving god at the helm.

[anonymous-user]

DonkeyApple said:

The world has gone fully Big Brother/Love Island/Katie Price chic. Actual quality or style has far less value in contrast to benefits bling.

This is fine, the world can go in whatever direction it wishes, other fashions will always eventually come back around (usually driven by economic changes) and there are always niches to cater those who aren’t currently or ever in line with the majority. Besides, we will be able to look back on an era of everyone brankrupting themselves to look like Pete Burns like we look back today on mullets.

But I can’t help noticing that it is becoming harder and harder in the automotive world to find a product that is practical, fast and elegant.

With the Mercedes I genuinely don’t understand the aesthetic value of a large TV screen sticking out the front of the dashboard. This is something that has gone hugely over my head. I can only assume that to the majority of potential customers it has value. I don’t get it. To me it’s some kind of huge advert for the van and minicab side of their business. A bolt on bit of kit for processing customer orders or something.

Likewise the cars with thousands of buttons. I remember the button and LED craze of the 80s. Everything cheap and tacky had to have as many buttons and lights as possible. The likes of Dixon’s were lit up like a gypsy wedding party. While sat quietly in a corner of other stores were stereo systems that eschewed the Japanese craze for tiny buttons and LEDs and seemed very elegant and stylish. I think it was an early Panamera that I went to look at and simply lost interest over the idea of paying £100k to sit in front of a Grundig stack from the early 90s.

The most quiet and elegant interiors I’ve noticed recently are in Volvos but as far as Inam aware there are no high performance products.

The C63 is an incredibly appealing car, to me much more so than the Alfa, but it’s an awful place to sit unless it is relation to earning from or paying money to Uber.

Simple answer on the C Class dash tablet, it’s cheaper to manufacture than a single piece integrated dash.

The C platform is a bit of an outlier in the current Merc range as most models now have a single piece dash with twin flush screens built in under a long binnacle begins a single piece of glass.

I had thought they might reengineer the C Class to follow suit but it seems it was probably too expensive to build a new dash/cockpit architecture for a facelift as opposed to a ground up new model.

[Gandahar]

DonkeyApple said:

You’ve really got to be travelling at very silly speeds on a public highway to surpass the big advantage of that extra forward vision that a high performance SUV gives. Being able to see further, over fewer obstacles opens up a lot more safe overtaking opportunities than in a similar footprint car of similar performance that is a couple of feet lower.

Is that what enjoying a car has become, being able to see further so having more room to overtake?



I'd rather have a low car that handled well and an alarm clock that goes off at 6am on a Sunday morning.

If you were in Devon last summer you would often see that extra forward vision being used at 2mph as two large SUV's tried to squeeze past each other whilst holding up other traffic......

Bugger off to Which Car Magazine forum . I think they have a caravan towing supplement this month

Edited by Gandahar on Sunday 24th March 14:24