Revealed: new Mercedes C-Class

[gaul]

What do you reckon?

Looks good to me; looks Merz' is back to top of the league or very near with this model.

http://cars.uk.msn.com/News/car_news_article.aspx?cp-documentid=2525324

 

[gaul]

 

[Miller-8]

Boot sticks out makes it look weird. Also the rest of it looks pretty bland.

 

[PARAGON]

"A reduction in fuel consumption of 0.5-litres per 100 kilometres might sound impressive but actually equates to 0.1mpg"

Not doing much about the environment then, obviously they are assuming that potential owners do not care what legacy they leave behind for their children.

I might add that Toyota are showing a new Supra, 400 horsepower - and a hybrid! - surely this is the way forward? it seems toyota have a hybrid in all of their ranges.

 

[gaul]

A special torture track, riddled with potholes and cobbles, has been reproduced at the company's Stuttgart proving ground from the original Heide Road in Germany, which Mercedes first used for testing 50 years ago.

And it will make the C-Class the most thoroughly proven car in the firm's history. Test drivers run day and night using special orthopaedic-sprung seats to prevent spinal injuries, and an arduous four-week session equates to 186,000 miles of everyday motoring. Stung by recent criticism of poor quality and reliability, Mercedes has also completed a global 15-million-mile programme, with 280 disguised prototypes driven in Tokyo, Namibia and Dubai.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/204525/mercedes_cclass.html

 

[rockmeister]

I reckon that looks ok...its better from other angles that I've seen. Shame about the image (fat plutocrat) and poor reliability problems, cos whenever I go in one (every taxi in europe) I think...god, this is so quiet and comfy.

 

[earl of sodbury]

ugly and overfussy - could be a jag...

 

[Papa Lazarou]

earl of sodbury wrote:

ugly and overfussy - could be a jag...

LOL - except even recent Mercs are more reliable than Jags - and they're worth more than 2p after six years too. Jags are bloody shocking cars.

 

[Guest]

Papa Lazarou wrote:

earl of sodbury wrote:. Jags are bloody shocking cars.

where's meninblack i'm sure he'll like to have a word about this

 

[Papa Lazarou]

rudolph hucker wrote:

Papa Lazarou wrote:

earl of sodbury wrote:. Jags are bloody shocking cars.

where's meninblack i'm sure he'll like to have a word about this

Yeah and I drive a poxy Beemer - what do i know

 

[Injector]

gaul wrote:

It looksto have an overtlyplastic and intrusive interior just like the new BMW 3 Series. Big cars but shockingly cramped inside due to huge plastic dashboards, transmission tunnels and storage space. I'm sure it will drive superbly and perform faultlessly but I find most new cars bland. Overpriced, cramped and bland.

 

[meninblack]

:nup:You German car types have no soul! I'm on my 4th Jag in a row: two XJ6's, a V12 XJ-S and a V6S-Type, and have never had a serious problem. Odds and ends go wrong, but much cheaper to fix than the German competition IME.

The S-Type is a better drive than a colleague's 5-series, nicer to sit in, nicer to look at and a useful 10 grand cheaper after 5 years!

I didn't buy a V8 'cos they blow up: but hell, BMW V8's blow up as well....

 

[Guest]

meninblack wrote:

:nup:You German car types have no soul! I'm on my 4th Jag in a row: two XJ6's, a V12 XJ-S and a V6S-Type, and have never had a serious problem. Odds and ends go wrong, but much cheaper to fix than the German competition IME.The S-Type is a better drive than a colleague's 5-series, nicer to sit in, nicer to look at and a useful 10 grand cheaper after 5 years!

I didn't buy a V8 'cos they blow up: but hell, BMW V8's blow up as well....

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Not cheaper to fix when you own the garage

 

[gsrai]

I like the new S-Class and this C-Class looks like a baby version - quite aggressive, very nice!

The issue I have with Merc's is their interiors - very plasticky with no feeling of luxury IMO - they date too quickly and age badly.

 

[Tons of Fun]

meninblack wrote:

The S-Type is a better drive than a colleague's 5-series, nicer to sit in, nicer to look at and a useful 10 grand cheaper after 5 years!

The five series is no looker but the S-Type is hideous, not ugly, a complete and utter collision of curves and angles finished off with a toilet seat bolted to the front.

That C-Class looks OK. If they do a version with the 320CDI plant, I am sure it will be a fine car if they build it properly.

 

[meninblack]

Tons of Fun wrote:

That C-Class looks OK. If they do a version with the 320CDI plant, I am sure it will be a fine car if they build it properly.

With the Diesel engine? It will be a mini-cab without enough room in the back....

Now repeat after me: Diesels are for taxis, buses and cheapskates....

 

[Papa Lazarou]

meninblack wrote:

Tons of Fun wrote:

That C-Class looks OK. If they do a version with the 320CDI plant, I am sure it will be a fine car if they build it properly.

With the Diesel engine? It will be a mini-cab without enough room in the back....

Now repeat after me: Diesels are for taxis, buses and cheapskates....

We had a Jag XK8 in last week with timing chain tensioner failure - oddly enough that sounded like a diesel

 

[meninblack]

Papa Lazarou wrote:

We had a Jag XK8 in last week with timing chain tensioner failure - oddly enough that sounded like a diesel

Sad but true: the old Jaguar straight-six and V12 engines were pretty much unbreakable; Ford's V8 has a number of fairly serious design faults - especially the early ones, but they are still not 100% sorted.

As well as the cam-chain tensioners you get failures of the water pumps, thermostats and the Nikasil borelinings in the early ones. All of which will usually lunch the engine!

The new ZF (German) autoboxes have some issues too.....