RE: All-new CLA is 'cleverest Mercedes ever made'
Discussion
salmanorguk said:
Absolutely hate this recent trend in car design (and product design in general) where the need to 'project' and 'brand' everything is given priority over everything else.
I also genuinely believe this is the result of shows such as 'MTV Cribs' and 'Kardashians' which made viewers think consumerism, excessiveness, and expensive things equal a successful life - products which that (and future) generations can now purchase.
For example, some brands put badges and chrome tat everywhere, or they dilute flagship trim packages, some make their products bigger for no reason, others produce vulgar attention seeking designs, etc etc. (Points I think summed up hideously by the BMW XM)
It all just sucks. And this CLA is no different.
(Rant over
)
Personally I love that both those TV shows you mention exist as I made a lot of money writing music for both of them!I also genuinely believe this is the result of shows such as 'MTV Cribs' and 'Kardashians' which made viewers think consumerism, excessiveness, and expensive things equal a successful life - products which that (and future) generations can now purchase.
For example, some brands put badges and chrome tat everywhere, or they dilute flagship trim packages, some make their products bigger for no reason, others produce vulgar attention seeking designs, etc etc. (Points I think summed up hideously by the BMW XM)
It all just sucks. And this CLA is no different.
(Rant over
)Aside from that, I have no problem with any of the designs (chrome, badges and other markers of success) - the West is dying and the East is fast emerging as the culture that matters. Their taste isn't the same as yours and that's ok; what you call vulgar is seen as desirable in other places.
LuS1fer said:
A 2017 Insignia looks better and that interior is tragically awful. Like looking at a giant phone all day.
Doesn't register any interest, even on a casual scale.
It's for young people. CLA always has been. See this from 2019. The people I see driving CLAs in London seem to be no older than mid 20s. Doesn't register any interest, even on a casual scale.
"The CLA has been key to Mercedes increasing its appeal among more youthful buyers, particularly in the US, where the average CLA customer is 10 years younger than for any of its other models.
In Europe, the average age of a CLA customer is also younger than for any other Mercedes.
Reaching a more youthful market means pitching the CLA at a smartphone-savvy, Netflix-loving, internet-dwelling audience. So, as a result, Mercedes has packed the CLA with plenty of tech."
https://www.autocar.co.uk/opinion/new-cars/how-mer...
sidesauce said:
ersonally I love that both those TV shows you mention exist as I made a lot of money writing music for both of them!
Aside from that, I have no problem with any of the designs (chrome, badges and other markers of success) - the West is dying and the East is fast emerging as the culture that matters. Their taste isn't the same as yours and that's ok; what you call vulgar is seen as desirable in other places.
Ha! The real life Charlie Sheen! I never watched the latter but the former was good.Aside from that, I have no problem with any of the designs (chrome, badges and other markers of success) - the West is dying and the East is fast emerging as the culture that matters. Their taste isn't the same as yours and that's ok; what you call vulgar is seen as desirable in other places.
I agree that everyone has different tastes and opinions, but I personally think this 'we design for the East who like this sort of stuff' has become a bit of a marketing trope and is maybe slightly racist (ie. the East isn't as cultured as the West). Is it instead used by these companies to mask laziness and lack of forward thinking?
For instance, I have family in a few Eastern countries and also have friends who've moved to countries such as Dubai, UAE, etc; they say a lot of nationals, and they themselves, have become bored of this brashness as well; amusingly declaring it a 'tourist thing'.
jgrewal said:
I guess I am in the minority and I like it (I was a fan of the first CLA as it was also based on a concept car)
When is this out in the UK and what will be the pricing?
"As part of a push for parity from Mercedes, the hybrid CLA will be priced on a par with the CLA EV, Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius recently announced. This is thanks to cost savings of some 30% in battery production bringing the EV’s overall price down by around 15%.When is this out in the UK and what will be the pricing?
To that end, pricing is expected to start in the low-to-mid £40,000 range.
The EV will go on sale first, around October, with the hybrid following a few months later."
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/merced...
Article said:
Forget A3 saloons and 2 Series Gran Coupes; this is now rivalling Model 3 Teslas and the like, with the upcoming BMW Neue Klasse saloon firmly on the radar as well.... An entirely newly developed multi-link axle goes in the rear of the CLA - it’s a proper little luxury car now, or so it would seem.
So is this replacing the C Class then?MikeM6 said:
Article said:
Forget A3 saloons and 2 Series Gran Coupes; this is now rivalling Model 3 Teslas and the like, with the upcoming BMW Neue Klasse saloon firmly on the radar as well.... An entirely newly developed multi-link axle goes in the rear of the CLA - it’s a proper little luxury car now, or so it would seem.
So is this replacing the C Class then?https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/merced...
I'm actually very surprised that Mercedes are still ploughing on with the tv screens everywhere in the interior and having virtually no buttons, with this new architecture.
2026 Euro NCap regs mean cars without physical controls for certain features will get marked down. We're slowly starting to see manufacturers do u-turns and go back to physical interior buttons as a result - mercedes seems to have missed that memo!
2026 Euro NCap regs mean cars without physical controls for certain features will get marked down. We're slowly starting to see manufacturers do u-turns and go back to physical interior buttons as a result - mercedes seems to have missed that memo!
At £45k I think Tesla should be very worried personally...
The range and charging speeds are very very impressive which seems to be overlooked in the comments. Near enough a claimed 500 miles probably means a real world 400 mile range without having a stupidly big battery. This feels like a bit step forwards to me.
The range and charging speeds are very very impressive which seems to be overlooked in the comments. Near enough a claimed 500 miles probably means a real world 400 mile range without having a stupidly big battery. This feels like a bit step forwards to me.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff