TangoRed

SW15LS has addressed all the points I was going to make, but as an additional mention I must point out that Mercedes doesn't upholster the back of the seat as a matter of principle. This is not something the Camry has over the C-class as some sort of lavish spending on Toyota's part. It's not upholstered on the S-class either:

SW17LS

And a rigid seatback is actually more expensive than simply continuing the upholstered seat around the back. That's why Lexus vehicles have seatbacks similar to what you see in the MB vs the Camry.

autopal

The poster lose all credibility in my eyes, the moment he mentioned the Camry. In terms of quality materials and fit and finish, the Fusion, Sonata, and a lesser extent the Accord, are all ahead of the Camry. Styling is always subjective, and we all have our biases, but to suggest the Camry interior is a better quality than the new C class is ridiculous.

mmarshall

Welcome to CL.....I see you are a almost brand-new poster.

I basically agree with you that one generally cannot compare a Camry interior to that of a C-Class. But that does not mean that the origional poster's credibility has to be questioned. Mattters like this are often subjective, and he (or she) may genuinely prefer the Camry interior. And, if nothing else, the Camry's sales-numbers show that a lot of people feel that, with the Camry, they are at least getting their money's worth.

And, as far the present Camry interior is concerned, I think many posters will agree that the last-generation one (2006-2011) was far worse, with cheap flimsy plastic and wobbly controls. Toyota made a deliberate attempt to improve the interiors in the most recent ones.

rxonmymind

This was the point I'm trying to make. That Mercedes aside from the leather wrapped dash is all HARD computer type plastic. In the years to come my concern would be the ridgitity of such materials over time and how they would stand up to everyday pounding & vibration. I already had a sneak peak at that when new as it was already vibrating somewhere in the dash.
The Camry also has it's faults as the dash is not wrapped(except above the speedometer) and has been left with approximately 30%-40% of the same hard plastic on the dash as the Mercedes in addition to the center console & cup holder area. Aside from the aesthetics the PERCENTAGE of plastic in that Mercedes I believe equals the Camry. Perhaps I should not have said its better than but the dazzle of checkered speedometers, fake carbon and red stitching didn't sway me. It felt cheap.

I understand it. I'm just not swayed by Armani suits vs JOS arguments. Many here take offense in comparing a $60k vehicle interior to that of a $26k car. But HARD plastic is just that. Hard. Walk over to your computer keyboard. How is that different than mine? I bet you it's HARD plastic.

Now leave the Camry aside and I encourage you to sit in the Avalon then get back to me. Very low percentage of plastic in that car vs the Mercedes C450AMG. I promise

SW17LS

There wasn't that sort of hard plastic in the C Classes I've sat in, and none of them felt cheap. None of the reviews of the car have panned the interior as cheap either.

I've sat in many Avalons, that car is full of hard plastic, fake wood...

As for computer keyboards. Mine is metal because its a Mac. Like I said, I know and appreciate quality

rxonmymind

Fair enough. But having driven and sat in both and about 5 other models in recent weeks (not the others you speak of) I can tell you as a PERCENTAGE that Mercedes has equal to or more than the Camry. HARD plastic below the dash all the way down to the belly button of the glove compartment.
So perhaps I erred in saying it was better but I felt no noticeable difference in material quality as a percentage compared to the Camry. Having something blacked out with red stitching, checkered speedometer and a few other doesn't sway me when FEELING the dash & material.
If I was blind folded and you told me to feel the interior of the 450AMG I'd have been herd pressed to tell you it's a $60k car. Impossible actually.

rxonmymind

Baaah, you got me on that one.Well played. Dam it not a metal keyboard in sight.
"Hooooney! I want a metal keyboard for Christmas!"...

Not in the other C classes I've sat in either.
Perhaps were talking past each other and they've changed the formula or had to in dropping that beautiful engine & brakes. Curious what do you call fake wood? Laminate? Is there a company that uses solid wood for their interiors? Usually most will glue real wold over either plastic or aluminum.Some who see wokd peeling in a Mercedes and see plastic underneath it assume they got fake wood. That's not the case. It's laminated. But REAL SOLID wood? Who?

SW17LS

By fake wood I mean plastic with an imitation wood grain. Nobody uses solid wood because it's too heavy and cracks. The wood in a Mercedes, Lexus, Rolls Royce, whatever is a laminate bonded to a plastic base.

What's in the Avalon is not even a laminate, it's just imitation wood grain.

Like I said, the C450 is a $60,000 car but at its core it's a $38,000 car. The GS is built to a higher standard, as is an E Class because they start higher in price. You have to look at the interior with that in mind.

The vast majority of C Classes that sell are not $60,000 C450s

autopal

Lets put this in perspective. The C450 competes with the BMW 3 series, Lexus IS, Cadillac ATS, etc. Which one of these cars interior is superior to the C class? I'm not a big fan of the exterior design of the new C class (very subjective, I know, and I just bought a C450 a week ago) but I think the C class have the best interior in its class, and it's not even close. The auto journalist everywhere seems to agree. The Camry is a very popular family sedan, but I still can't see how any rational person would compare the Camry's interior to the C class. Are you saying then that the Camry's interior is as good as the Lexus IS? Or is the IS interior better than the C class?

Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

Most German cars have more practical spartan interiors than cars of the same "class" from other countries.

LexBob2

C&D named the C Class as having the best car interior under $60k in a recent write up. They said:

"Fine stitching, buffed metal, and lovely paneling are the price of entry in the $30,000 to $60,000 luxury segment; the $39,325 Mercedes-Benz C-class vaults itself above its pricing peers with astonishing functional and aesthetic details."

mmarshall

Agreed. The (present) Avalon interior, IMO, quality-wise, is worse than the present Camry's. It looks plush on the surface (as much, if not more so, than its ES350 brother). But underneath the surface glitz, you have some VERY thin plastic parts. The glove box door, for example, feels as thin as cardboard, the flimsy latch barely holds it shut, and the heated-seat twirl-*****, on the center console, wobble so bad they feel like they will come off in your hands. But, to be fair, it sits on top of an excellent drivetrain and paint job..

Yeah, I've also got a MacBook Air. Love it. The case looks and feels more like aluminum than plastic. But it should have quality materials, though, for the price.....I paid more than $1000 for mine....just like for my previous Sony.

Back to the thread-topic C450, rxonmymind, since you are complaining about its so-called "plastic" interior, did you notice if it had hard-plastic sun-visors? (I sat in one some time ago, but forgot the details). That is an area where a number of automakers have been cutting costs...though in some cases, it is done with hard but thick, durable good-quality plastic, like on the 3Gen Subaru Impreza.

SW17LS

The case looks and feels more like aluminum than plastic because it is aluminum, not plastic.

mmarshall

Yeah, that's what I suspected. Anyhow, no matter what kind of case it has, an excellent PC underneath. Well pleased with it.

To some extent, you could also say that about the C450...and the whole C-class. Even if some don't like the interior, it's an excellent car underneath.....Consumer Reports agrees.