Yes, but BMW, Mercedes and Porsche sell enough cars to really count these days.

 

Something like that for sure.

It's mainly an issue for people on internet forums (Lexus and Mercedes).

 

Certainly poor examples if you are talking about Mercedes and BMW. Good examples if you are talking about bankrupt GM. Have no idea what the police officer quip is about.

 

25.9mpg in my ML500 at 55mph that is in normal driving conditions no hypermiling a/c was on, just me and the right lane. I have pics to proove it. I get the same 26mpg in my clk because I am lacking 2 gears. The diesel ML's can get 32mpg highway when trying. But most ML CDI owners get around 28mpg

 

Im just going to base it on EPA testing because a lot of factors could have contributed to your good gas mileage in the merc (rear wind) to getting bad gas mileage in the lexus.

None (maybe 1, not sure) of mercedes models qualifies for the Cash for Clunkers program because they are not fuel efficient enough. On the other hand, lexus qualifies with the IS, ES and RX.

for instance, my C350 merc gets rated at 17/25 with jus 268 horsepower. the IS350 with 30 more horsepower gets 18/25!

 

I agree with you that's an area that needs improvement.

But remember that Mercedes is not selling cheap economy cars in the US markets under the Mercedes name, so it's not that big of an issue currently. Expect to see the new DI engines soon enough which will help.

 

We've got almost 11 000 Km on our '09 ML 320 Bluetec. We've averaged 25 mpg combined since purchase. Highway mileage has been as good as 32-33 mpg when driving the speedlimit....but has been on average closer to 30 mpg. Combine that with diesel being 27 cents per liter ($1.08 per gallon ) cheaper than premium gas up here and I'd say there isn't an issue with MB gas mileage.

 

Yes, that's a valid comparison of gas mileage and it plays out with real world mileage numbers too (I've checked long term mileage on both my C and IS).

But in this class of car it's not swaying sales one way or another. Other factors have much more impact when people decide between these cars.

 

yes i agree, but i was merely making a point to Bad Co.

also worthy to note that none of the lexus models get the gas guzzler tax, unlike the C63 and S550

 

GROSS GENERALIZATIONS: No car is perfect.

BACK TO THE TOPIC: Vinyl sucks.



Let's talk about vinyl. Anything else will be moderated.

 

It's all been said before on forums (about vinyl) and CHIT CHAT too.

I vote for leather (versus vinyl) in my daily driver.

 

Vinyl is great you lie!!!!! Go kill cows insted of moderating!! whats next chicken feather headliner and bunny fur steering wheel?????

Just kiding!! Im just tired and cant fall asleep.

 

I do believe that there should be an alternative textile that addresses the desire of animal-friendly products.

Cloth would be great, but not luxurious. Alcantara should be more available.

Vinyl however does suck. It's a bad pollutant and does not feel good on bare skin.

I think a new textile using easily renewable sources such as bamboo fibers or biodegradable plastics would be earth-friendly and comfortable to the touch. That would be a step ahead in car manufacturing.

 

bunny fur steering wheel? GENIUS

 

I think some of your guys are trying to justify why anyone would pay over $50000 for a car with Vinyl seats. Yes they do least longer and wear better than leather, but so do plastic compare to wood. Would you complain if MB or Lexus start using simulated plastic wood trims instead of of real wood trim. They both look the same almost and plastic wear a lot better.