Test Drove the New 2010 E-Class
Anyone who wants real leather in their Mercedes', well, shedding out an extra [insert $ four-digit-number here] isn't a problem for these people. Those who want a Mercedes want a Mercedes. It's an old saying I've seen on a number of forums. People are willing to pay for this. It's that simple. Value has never been a trait of this company.
CL Community Team
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,470
Likes: 196
From: San Francisco, CA
ill have to disagree about the E class and the push button start. IT SHOULD have it standard. Otherwise, keyless go is a 1000+ option which is ridiculous. It wasnt a deal breaker on my C class, (wasnt available in 2008-2009 models, but now is an option for2010). Also a 50K car not having leather is bull too.
agree. Its rough and grainy. and they should at least use stitching found with real leather.
Am I the only one who thinks MB tex doesnt look and feel like real leather?
Lexus Champion
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,651
Likes: 0
From: Stuttgart
If you're gunning for a Mercedes you can most definitely afford it and the cost of the options. For these people money isn't an issue.
Those people you mentioned who are having troubles paying their various bills are not representative of the whole luxury market. They shouldn't even be considering these expensive products in the first place. Financial Management 101...
No it isn't.
If you're gunning for a Mercedes you can most definitely afford it and the cost of the options. For these people money isn't an issue.
Those people you mentioned who are having troubles paying their various bills are not representative of the whole luxury market. They shouldn't even be considering these expensive products in the first place. Financial Management 101...
If you're gunning for a Mercedes you can most definitely afford it and the cost of the options. For these people money isn't an issue.
Those people you mentioned who are having troubles paying their various bills are not representative of the whole luxury market. They shouldn't even be considering these expensive products in the first place. Financial Management 101...
CL Community Team
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,470
Likes: 196
From: San Francisco, CA
On a side note, is that true that new E class coupe is actually based on the C class platform and therefore cheaper than E sedan?
If you're gunning for a Mercedes you can most definitely afford it and the cost of the options. For these people money isn't an issue.
If i got the leather option, at $1500 big ones, it would have pushed the OTD price beyond 50K, for a C class! there was no way i would pay more for the C class than i did for my RX
Lexus Champion
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,651
Likes: 0
From: Stuttgart
Because a lowly Camry has it?
What's the problem, exactly? Not to long ago expensive sports cars had cloth seats.
MB-Tex gets the job done. It appears high quality and it looks and feels like some sort of leather. Perhaps prospective Mercedes' clients toggle with the idea of real leather but they're happy with the standard MB-Tex in the end because of durability and cleaning reasons.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,651
Likes: 0
From: Stuttgart
You're missing my point. If your finances don't permit it then you shouldn't be touching a Mercedes or BMW or even a Lexus through leasing or buying.
CL Community Team
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,470
Likes: 196
From: San Francisco, CA
WHY?
Because a lowly Camry has it?
Because a lowly Camry has it?
The simple fact is that push button start is now a luxury item. it seperates the toyota from the lexus (except hybrids), the nissans from the infinities, and the hondas from the acuras.
A mid sized executive sedan from mercedes should therefore match and exceed the options of a camry. And thats not even mentioning the convenience of not having to take out your key
However the truth is, most people lease or finance their cars. Just look up statistics on what % of BMWs are leased. And when you're leasing, your goal is to get the lowest monthly payment that you can afford, with a little as possible down. Thats simply how most people are able to afford these cars.
Last edited by Och; Aug 4, 2009 at 04:23 PM.
With regards to pushbutton start, I actually prefer the classic ignition cylinder. I have all my keys on the same ring, and its just convenint to stick them all into the cylinder, this way you dont have to keep them in your pockets while driving, and you dont have to find a place to put them in your car.
Unless you can open your mind and listen to what people actually live here in the states have to say about how people buy the so called "luxury cars" in this country any arguments and/or comments from you is just moot...
However I'll add that a lot (in a lot I mean A LOT) of people here in the US LEASE their luxury cars instead of PURCHASE it. Over 50% of the BMW sold here are leased so your "If you can't afford extra cost for real leather then you shouldn't buy a luxury car" argument does not stand what-so-ever. Also, besides people who lease the cars A LOT of people finance their luxury cars here in the land of the red-white-n'-blue. So either way your argument is against the reality here in the good ole' USA.
As for "you shouldn't be touching a Mercedes or BMW or even a Lexus" I have to say that's somewhat against the reality too. In some ways a Lexus actually cost more to own because Lexus doesn't offer crazy lease deals like the Germans normally do.
Lead Lap
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 656
Likes: 1
From: Georgia
i agree. although soft and nice when new, lexus leather wears badly over a short time. i actually prefer the "rough" leather in bmw and benz. if mb tex was offered in my E550, i would have taken that over the leather, even if the cost were the same. mb tex looks brand new all the time.
We seem to define the luxury class as a market where everyone thinks alike - they don't. Just because a Camry has this feature doesn't mean the E class or other cars need it as well. The lack of an engine-start-button won't hinder E class sales. In fact, I can't imagine somebody buying a Camry over an E class for the sole reason that the Camry has an engine-start-button. Honestly, it's a small trivial matter that has absolutely no effect on the ultimate decision when it comes to purchasing a car.
And the Camry doesn't influence what the E class has or hasn't. Nobody compares a Camry or a luxury car in the market niche of the E class. These cars are polar opposites. The Camry is a mainstream sedan with emphasis on value. There's no need to explain what the E class is because value has never been a Mercedes trait. The Camry shopper cares about value and how much he gets for his money - the E class shopper isn't really concerned about that for the most part. Furthermore, your standard E class in the US comes well-equipped with the necessary features. If they want something else, they can gladly order it.
Mercedes, like other brands, know their customers or what their customers expect in their products. If an engine-start-button was on the wishlist of their prospective customers then it would have been added. Apparently it isn't important.
Inserting the FOB key and turning it to start the engine is not a difficult task, do you agree? It's not a difficult task and it starts the engine, just like a button would, right? And an engine-start-button still requires that you insert the key into its slot. So let's assume that we have two E classes in this theoretical situation: an E class with an engine-start-button and one with a traditional key-starting-system and we also have two drivers who are of the exact same age and physical condition. Both unlock and open the doors at the same time. Both enter the car at the same. Both insert the key into its slot at the same time. Both start the car at the exact same time - one presses the button, the other turns the key. The end result is the same. The car is idling and both were started by very simple and hardly physically exhaustive means. I honestly don't see any advantage an engine-start-button has over the old-fashioned-way at the moment.
Forgive me for talking about my fellow Americans in such poor regard, but you have to understand that for the past years I've been exposed to the European mentality and it has given me a new insight into different aspects. In contrast we Americans do seem lazy and we complain too much. There really is no other way to say this I'm afraid.
A few weeks ago I was in Heidelberg with my wife and we were eating out in a traditional beer garden. The table next to us was occupied by an American family who were clearly tourists and not an army family from the nearby bases. I couldn't believe what I was hearing when the teenage girl (must have been around 19-20) complained about, "How it totally like sucks that nobody here speaks good English and that we like have to speak to them in German."
Um, hello, darling? You're in Germany. Those were my thoughts. Thankfully, I am fluent in German and I hope my accent didn't show when I was conversing with my wife. Now, obviously the little darling wasn't the brightest thing out there, but I've met people (yes, fellow Americans [tourists]) who seemed a bit more educated and they've complained about some pretty trivial things without opening their mind to other possibilities.
I hope we're not offending each other here, by the way.
And the Camry doesn't influence what the E class has or hasn't. Nobody compares a Camry or a luxury car in the market niche of the E class. These cars are polar opposites. The Camry is a mainstream sedan with emphasis on value. There's no need to explain what the E class is because value has never been a Mercedes trait. The Camry shopper cares about value and how much he gets for his money - the E class shopper isn't really concerned about that for the most part. Furthermore, your standard E class in the US comes well-equipped with the necessary features. If they want something else, they can gladly order it.
Mercedes, like other brands, know their customers or what their customers expect in their products. If an engine-start-button was on the wishlist of their prospective customers then it would have been added. Apparently it isn't important.
Inserting the FOB key and turning it to start the engine is not a difficult task, do you agree? It's not a difficult task and it starts the engine, just like a button would, right? And an engine-start-button still requires that you insert the key into its slot. So let's assume that we have two E classes in this theoretical situation: an E class with an engine-start-button and one with a traditional key-starting-system and we also have two drivers who are of the exact same age and physical condition. Both unlock and open the doors at the same time. Both enter the car at the same. Both insert the key into its slot at the same time. Both start the car at the exact same time - one presses the button, the other turns the key. The end result is the same. The car is idling and both were started by very simple and hardly physically exhaustive means. I honestly don't see any advantage an engine-start-button has over the old-fashioned-way at the moment.
Forgive me for talking about my fellow Americans in such poor regard, but you have to understand that for the past years I've been exposed to the European mentality and it has given me a new insight into different aspects. In contrast we Americans do seem lazy and we complain too much. There really is no other way to say this I'm afraid.
A few weeks ago I was in Heidelberg with my wife and we were eating out in a traditional beer garden. The table next to us was occupied by an American family who were clearly tourists and not an army family from the nearby bases. I couldn't believe what I was hearing when the teenage girl (must have been around 19-20) complained about, "How it totally like sucks that nobody here speaks good English and that we like have to speak to them in German."
Um, hello, darling? You're in Germany. Those were my thoughts. Thankfully, I am fluent in German and I hope my accent didn't show when I was conversing with my wife. Now, obviously the little darling wasn't the brightest thing out there, but I've met people (yes, fellow Americans [tourists]) who seemed a bit more educated and they've complained about some pretty trivial things without opening their mind to other possibilities.
I hope we're not offending each other here, by the way.
My main point is really not about convenience or laziness, but about technology and features. I can get in my car and turn the key- wham- it's on. To press the start button you've got an extra step- the brake must be pressed before you press the button and start the car- so if we want to talk about who is lazy it must be those Germans who start their car in just one step, as opposed to everyone else who does it in two
In all honesty though, the start/stop button is nearly a class standard these days and it just seems downright odd that the E coupe doesn't offer it as standard (is it offered at all, or not?). This technology became all the rage about four years ago, so to think that Merc hasn't adopted it on their latest and greatest just seems a little...well...lazy
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,482
Likes: 0
From: NY
No offense taken, of course
My main point is really not about convenience or laziness, but about technology and features. I can get in my car and turn the key- wham- it's on. To press the start button you've got an extra step- the brake must be pressed before you press the button and start the car- so if we want to talk about who is lazy it must be those Germans who start their car in just one step, as opposed to everyone else who does it in two
In all honesty though, the start/stop button is nearly a class standard these days and it just seems downright odd that the E coupe doesn't offer it as standard (is it offered at all, or not?). This technology became all the rage about four years ago, so to think that Merc hasn't adopted it on their latest and greatest just seems a little...well...lazy
My main point is really not about convenience or laziness, but about technology and features. I can get in my car and turn the key- wham- it's on. To press the start button you've got an extra step- the brake must be pressed before you press the button and start the car- so if we want to talk about who is lazy it must be those Germans who start their car in just one step, as opposed to everyone else who does it in two
In all honesty though, the start/stop button is nearly a class standard these days and it just seems downright odd that the E coupe doesn't offer it as standard (is it offered at all, or not?). This technology became all the rage about four years ago, so to think that Merc hasn't adopted it on their latest and greatest just seems a little...well...lazy
Hell...my sister's ALTIMA has that!!!!
I agree with most people when they say the rear tails look
My friend just got his 17year old daughter a 2010 e350 coupe though..
I don't think it lookks as
with the tails tinted..58 grand for a 17yr old...lol
but I'll save that story for another thread..
Her car:
