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General Car Conversation 2024 - part 1

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Old Jul 6, 2024 | 08:29 AM
  #5371  
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
AMG is a marque that is supposed to mean a car has high performance modification and improvements that set it at a different level than an ordinary Mercedes. My S580 has the AMG appearance package which is just sportier bumpers and wheels and body cladding, it doesn't have any performance improvements. Putting the AMG badge on an ordinary Mercedes dilutes the brand.

THIS is an AMG S Class:


Dude. That car is insanely rad.
Old Jul 6, 2024 | 11:25 AM
  #5372  
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I think the S63 looks very good with the MB emblem on the front
Old Jul 6, 2024 | 12:22 PM
  #5373  
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It just doesn’t look like an S Class to me without the hood ornament. Should be an option to have it either way.
Old Jul 6, 2024 | 12:59 PM
  #5374  
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
It just doesn’t look like an S Class to me without the hood ornament. Should be an option to have it either way.
Yep. `100%
Old Jul 6, 2024 | 01:04 PM
  #5375  
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
It just doesn’t look like an S Class to me without the hood ornament. Should be an option to have it either way.
should have both to show it's bad *** ness.
Old Jul 6, 2024 | 02:04 PM
  #5376  
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Originally Posted by bitkahuna
should have both to show it's bad *** ness.
Haha! You can install both! Every Mercedes can have the hood ornament you just swap the flat star for the standing star
Old Jul 6, 2024 | 06:11 PM
  #5377  
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
AMG is a marque that is supposed to mean a car has high performance modification and improvements that set it at a different level than an ordinary Mercedes. My S580 has the AMG appearance package which is just sportier bumpers and wheels and body cladding, it doesn't have any performance improvements. Putting the AMG badge on an ordinary Mercedes dilutes the brand.

THIS is an AMG S Class:
Oh, yes, I'm well-aware of the performance differential between the two....and between the real AMGs and the appearance-package-only. In fact, I don't know if BMW still does it, but at one time you could order more or less the same thing, with the M-level appearance package and trim, but without the real M-grade power-plant and underpinnings. A co-worker of mine once had a 540i with that fake-AMG package.

But that still doesn't negate what I was saying about floor mats. You may personally like or dislike the way they look, or what kind of logo is on them, but, in the end, all they do is protect the underlying carpet and serve as something to put your shoes on. Having said that, though, in general, I recommend the all-rubber or all-vinyl ones......they are usually much easier to clean, particularly in darker colors, and don't get as soiled in bad weather.
Old Jul 6, 2024 | 06:17 PM
  #5378  
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Well I for one appreciate that valuable lesson about the actual purpose of floor mats, Mike. Who knew?
Old Jul 6, 2024 | 06:57 PM
  #5379  
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Originally Posted by swajames
Well I for one appreciate that valuable lesson about the actual purpose of floor mats, Mike. Who knew?

Hey....at times, in life, we all get treated like them.

Personally, though, I wouldn't have a vehicle without rubber mats...IMO the fabric ones are just too hard to clean.
Old Jul 6, 2024 | 08:53 PM
  #5380  
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The point is Mercedes and BMW over using the AMG and M brands is ultimately self defeating.
Old Jul 6, 2024 | 09:06 PM
  #5381  
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
The point is Mercedes and BMW over using the AMG and M brands is ultimately self defeating.

I won't argue that, although some people may like having the AMG and M visuals and trim without all that extra cost for the upgraded powertrains and underpinnings. The AMG engines, in particular, are expensive because they are hand-built....a Technician at the factory personally signs off on each one.
Old Jul 7, 2024 | 05:43 AM
  #5382  
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When I ordered my '24 X3 I got the M Sport Package it was the only way to get the wheels and some exterior and interior trim that we wanted. I initially felt a bit like a poser but since I was ordering it there were a few must have things that required it. I do think that BMW, MB, Audi etc. are overdoing it a bit with their M Sport, AMG and S Line offerings.
Old Jul 7, 2024 | 06:21 AM
  #5383  
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
I won't argue that, although some people may like having the AMG and M visuals and trim without all that extra cost for the upgraded powertrains and underpinnings. The AMG engines, in particular, are expensive because they are hand-built....a Technician at the factory personally signs off on each one.
Of course they like it and they want it, but making people pay for what they aspirationally want is part of what makes a luxury brand have value. If you give the same feel to someone who pays very little it devalues what someone else pays a lot for.

And again, you don’t think I know what makes AMG engines expensive and that a technician signs off on each one? Come on lol
Old Jul 7, 2024 | 06:35 AM
  #5384  
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
Of course they like it and they want it, but making people pay for what they aspirationally want is part of what makes a luxury brand have value. If you give the same feel to someone who pays very little it devalues what someone else pays a lot for.
This is a long way from a Mercedes, of course (and perhaps you can't make a direct comparison), but this whole idea of fake-AMGs and M-BMWs reminds me of what we saw in the U.S. in the mid-late 70s, when many of the former American muscle-cars were de-masculated and given mediocre powertrains while they kept their flashy looks and trim on the outside. There were a number of examples, but perhaps the most obvious ones were the Plymouth Volare Road-Runner/Dodge Aspen R/T, and Mustang Cobra II. They were flashy and sporty on the outside, but had economy powertrains underneath in their standard versions.

(The Pontiac Trans-Am, of course, also kept its flashy looks, but, unlike the other de-masculated cars of the era, still kept a fair amount of power as its standard engine)








And again, you don’t think I know what makes AMG engines expensive and that a technician signs off on each one? Come on lol

You may, but others in this thread (may?) not. I don't always post just for one person only.

Last edited by mmarshall; Jul 7, 2024 at 06:42 AM.
Old Jul 7, 2024 | 06:55 AM
  #5385  
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This is an enthusiast site. Everybody here knows what an AMG vehicle is. Please give us the benefit of the doubt.



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