bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

oldcajun - nice analysis and separating luxury vehicles from luxury brands.

my jeep grand cherokee summit is very luxurious but jeep is not a luxury brand.

Toys4RJill

Tough call, the Mercedes CLA250 will grab more attention, will mean more to other people and will create more emotional reactions than a Ford Fusion. That IMO is the number differentiator when it comes to a luxury brand.

MattyG

I'll give you a personal example. There's a young guy in his mid-20's from my blended family who went to school and does IT engineering. He worked hard and got himself a great paying job. He's been driving a mid-2000's Honda Accord 4 cylinder for about the last four or five years. He likes it but doesn't think it has enough power.

A while back he figured he'd earned an upgrade. And the first car brand he went after was... Mercedes Benz and yes, it was the CLA. He even went as far as heading right to the dealership, pricing one out and test drive all that. He really, really liked it. He would have paid cash for all in. There's no way he's looking at Ford Fusions, or even another Accord. See, that's the power of brand marketing.

Fortunately for him, cooler heads prevailed and told him to wait and not blow his money right now. But I know he's determined to buy a Benz at some point.

SW17LS

And I'd rather have that than most luxury branded SUVs.

Have you seen the 2017 Summit? Huge upgrade, next to say an RX? No contest.

mmarshall

He just might (?) like the Fusion if he actually takes the time to go look at one. I think, in some ways, it was better-done (and better-driving) than the last Lincoln MKZ, its upmarket brother....though I haven't checked out the latest 2017 MKZ with the new facelift this year.

mmarshall

Yep....no arguments there (see my last post just above). The Fusion, IMO, is one of the best products the Ford Division produces....far more impressive, even considering the differences in price and size, than its Fiesta, Focus, and Taurus sedan stablemates.

MattyG

Yes. That's something hasn't been discussed that much. Some buying decisions are irrational and based solely on emotion and what we think others will see in us, for buying that particular car.

He might just do some cross shopping, but the thing is, Ford is Dad's brand. He's a Millenial, dad's a baby boomer. Driving a Ford or a Lincoln is not really this kid's thing. He doesn't care about practicality or interior room or ride for that matter. He's drawn by the visceral look and driving experience of a car that closely resembles the much more upmarket CLS. And in our local market he's really only about $7-8KCAD from a fully loaded awd Fusion vs a CLA awd.

Now I haven't heard what he's done on this front lately but when he was telling me about his thinking, he was really all like smiles and talking like a Merc salesman. He's under 25, you have to remember. I was thinking about that enthusiasm. We've all been there haven't we? Bought the emotional choice vs the better value or the more practical car.

Toys4RJill

I would still argue that it may not be irrational for the buyer to buy his CLA. If what he is after is prestige and a vehicle that has a good brand image, then go for it.

I think a more appropriate comparison for the buyer would something like a loaded Chrysler 200 vs the CLA. I think people do not factor in how much of branding factors into decisions.

Mercedes-Benz can charge whatever the premium is for the CLA vs the competition not because buyers are buying a better car, but because the buyers are purchasing a "perceived" better brand. Whether the CLA is worth the premium compared to a loaded Fusion is really up to that individual buyer. If it were me, I would get the CLA over a Fusion, it just so happens that i think the Mercedes-Benz brand is worth the premium that they often change.

SW17LS

It's not irrational. It's his money, he should get what makes him happy. If he's after that brand image he'd never be happy with a Fusion.

MattyG

Yeah, he's the kid with his hard earned money, so his choice what he wants to do with it. If it was me, I too would be drifting over to the CLA. No, it's no LS or GS but does it need to be?

I'm not dissing the Fusion, because another friend of mine all the way in another country saw the previous versions of this car, rode in it and was so impressed, he still talks about buying one today. That's impressive branding right there for a mainstream brand. I told him. Buy it and you won't be disappointed. But he's a Ford guy and he's an older guy too.

When MB really brought out the CLA they had a target market in mind and they hit it dead-on. They won't sell them in my local market like hotcakes, but they will have an audience for them. The Fusion, Mazda 6, and the Sonata all have the same side profile and they all seem to blend together. The CLA easily stands out from all of these.

mmarshall

Have you ever owned one that was out of warranty......or past the free-service period, if applicable? Of course, that will not be an issue with a brand-new CLA, but the point remains that as they age, many M-B products become true money-pits.

RXSF

I realize it will take time for people's perception to change with MB since the daimler chrysler era, but this idea of high maintenance costs and poor reliability is really not something that should stop a person from buying into the brand. For MB, they do not give any free service except for a 1,000 mile check up. After that, it is a 10K maintenance cycle. I have noticed that it actually comes out even or also cheaper, than say Lexus which even though has 10K oil change cycles, still insist that you go in every 5K miles. Those 5K they dont do much but rotate tires and check fluids, and people get charged a little more than $150.

In addition, as an owner of a 2009 C class out of warranty for 3 years now, I have had no maintenance issues whatsoever with the car. Only now have 8 years has a rattle developed by the rear sunshade. Two months ago, I went into service and they said one of the "O" rings is failing for the engine coolant and so there was signs of leaking around the edge. Not really a big deal, didn't perform the fix at the time since I am planning to sell the vehicle. All things considered, this C class has been more reliable than my 2011 RX450h (granted the RX has been cheaper to maintain since it doesn't have much maintenance needs)

Toys4RJill

The selling point of a Mercedes-Benz is not reliability and low cost of repair.

Toys4RJill

I really don't think this has much influence on general Mercedes consumers.

I noticed the pre-paid maintenance plans are not horribly over-priced for Mercedes-Benz. A C-class comes out to $1599 for four years which gives you four services. That also includes brake fluid changes. That IMO is fully competitive with Lexus or even Toyota. From what I understand new 2016 Lexus and Toyota do not get any oil changed at in between intervals now, the car comes in for service at 5k and 15k and gets everything but the oil changed.

BrownPride

In the spirit of the NFL season, this reminds me a lot of the Joe Flacco debate we always hear. "Is he elite?" is always the question. Well, the guy puts up great numbers and has a great winning %, and is objectively more successful than Manning in the post-season; but why isn't he considered in the same class as Brady, Manning, Rodgers, etc.? On paper he's right there isn't he? Well it comes down to the intangibles. He's good but doesn't have the "it" factor that those other guys do.

Same goes for a say, Camry XLE with more features (including real leather) that your pricier run-of-the-mill Lexus IS does not have! When it comes to luxury, you are not only buying features but are buying into a brand and a lifestyle. If for you, having the same features as a car that's priced $10K higher is "luxury" then that's your choice, I'm not ******* you for it. In fact I'm jealous that you can be happy in life without chasing material items. However, for most people, luxury is more than just X Y and Z on a piece of paper. If that needs explaining to you then you aren't in the target demographic of brands like BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Fairmont, etc. Nothing wrong with that!