[ulrichd]

Bit late to the party, but competition is a good thing.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/27/m...rival-in-2011/

[Robert]

Wouldn't be worried. The new C class still can't compete with 3 series despite its later arrival. BMW still holds the ultimate driving experience in the luxury segment, and I perceive Infiniti to be a greater threat than MB, who holds quality and luxury with higher regard.

[ScottyGams]

its missing something.... about 100 horsepower...

and what's this about a BMW X1?

[ChrisK]

I'm sorry, but MB needs to concentrate on their quality problems first.

[TagMan]

X1 news has been out for a while. Should be a good-performing small SUV.

[spudw]

They sell the B200 here in Canada - very similar to the A class, I think. It's a good car, but it's not at all sport oriented, even in B200T (turbo) trim. It's a compact, practical entry-level MB, at about the same price point as the A3 2.0T and the 128i. But while it definitely has Merc quality and innovation built-in, it's a tall, goofy-looking 5-door hatchback.

It will be interesting to see how good their 1er/A3 competitor will be. I'd buy an A3 were it better than the 1er, but it falls short by a mile. And I'll buy a MB if it's better as well, but I'm not holding my breath. It'll be hard to come up with a better premium sport compact than the 1er...

[thesmokingone]

Originally Posted by chriskurn

I'm sorry, but MB needs to concentrate on their quality problems first.

+1

[cantona7]

hahaha...that's awesome. MB will have a loveseat on wheels to go with all the sofas they have in their lineup!

[malves85]

To be blunt I think MB is garbage. Never liked them and never will. Have friends and neighbors that work for MB and drive Mazdas and Fords instead. I think mercedes is only good at selling an image. You buy a mercedes just to say you have one and nothing more. Like mentioned already quality is horrible. In my opinion they are ugly inside and out. They are nothing to brag about. They dont excel in any specific area. Just poorly built run of the mill cars with lots of hype behind them. Oh wait they can do one thing very well. Hold a 200lb man if he decides to use the door as a chair. If you've seen that dumb commercial you will know. This article is another example of how they like to seem so much better then they are. MB cant even come close to competing with the 1 series or any BMW. The only competition to the 1 series is maybe a g37 but thats not even a fair fight with how heavy and sluggish that thing is.

[e49er81]

Originally Posted by malves85

To be blunt I think MB is garbage. Never liked them and never will. Have friends and neighbors that work for MB and drive Mazdas and Fords instead. I think mercedes is only good at selling an image. You buy a mercedes just to say you have one and nothing more. Like mentioned already quality is horrible. In my opinion they are ugly inside and out. They are nothing to brag about. They dont excel in any specific area. Just poorly built run of the mill cars with lots of hype behind them. Oh wait they can do one thing very well. Hold a 200lb man if he decides to use the door as a chair. If you've seen that dumb commercial you will know. This article is another example of how they like to seem so much better then they are. MB cant even come close to competing with the 1 series or any BMW. The only competition to the 1 series is maybe a g37 but thats not even a fair fight with how heavy and sluggish that thing is.

+1

[kobezklutch]

Originally Posted by malves85

To be blunt I think MB is garbage. Never liked them and never will. Have friends and neighbors that work for MB and drive Mazdas and Fords instead. I think mercedes is only good at selling an image. You buy a mercedes just to say you have one and nothing more. Like mentioned already quality is horrible. In my opinion they are ugly inside and out. They are nothing to brag about. They dont excel in any specific area. Just poorly built run of the mill cars with lots of hype behind them. Oh wait they can do one thing very well. Hold a 200lb man if he decides to use the door as a chair. If you've seen that dumb commercial you will know. This article is another example of how they like to seem so much better then they are. MB cant even come close to competing with the 1 series or any BMW. The only competition to the 1 series is maybe a g37 but thats not even a fair fight with how heavy and sluggish that thing is.

+1000

Originally Posted by cantona7

hahaha...that's awesome. MB will have a loveseat on wheels to go with all the sofas they have in their lineup!

lol, so true. my friend has an SL 500 and a 645. the SL was supposed to be for him but its so soft he forced his wife to trade him

[ScottyGams]

there is no real competition for the 135i... the only thing I can think of is the Evo, and that is not really known for being a luxary car. The g37 is 5.4 0-60. The 135i is 4.8! too heavy to keep up.

I think the 1 series has created a new market. Why buy an Accord coupe, a altima coupe, or a solara coupe when the 1 is within grasp. The price for goods war has just had a volley shot right into enemy territory!

[Steve325xi]

Originally Posted by TagMan

X1 news has been out for a while. Should be a good-performing small SUV.

Like an upmarket Rav4 or CR-V?

[moltenfire]

Did anyone notice that all Mercedes cars have the turn signal stalk too low? Until they fix it I'm never buying a Merc.

[Brandon26pdx]

That new CLC 350 6mt would have been the closest thing to a pocket rocket from MB, but they're only going to sell it in Europe. Subjectively it doesn't look as good as the 135i anyway.

[alivebacon]

we have an 08' s550 and it was a waste of $$$.

We were unlucky and got a lemon.
Brought to the service dpt. 4 times in 3 weeks. And eventually they just blew us off and didn't want to deal with it.

Ended up calling the HQ of mercedes in SF and bitched to them about it, and they had some guy actually do some work on it. and he admits that there are alot of problems with the car right now "b/c of california regulations we have to do this and that, and yeah, the car is SO quiet with this new technology that you can hear this and that"

oh and the whirring zip zip noise? That's just b/c the AC is "so advanced" that its constantly adjusting to fit your temperature.

[BMW Dreamer]

MB has lost all my interest. I use to love the AMG's but I prefer BMW 1,000 TIMES MORE.

[ScottyGams]

Originally Posted by moltenfire

Did anyone notice that all Mercedes cars have the turn signal stalk too low? Until they fix it I'm never buying a Merc.

if this is a joke...

THE 1 thing holding you back is the turn signals!

[Brandon26pdx]

With MB you've got to spend big bucks for the cool stuff. They dont tend to cater to the enthusiast with the $50k or less budget like BMW does.

That said, BMW makes nothing anywere near as bad ass or expensive as the CLK63 AMG-Black Series. I saw a black one at the auto show up close and it is pure sex. (And $136k)

[amdmaxx]

competition is good..

[hellrotm]

Doesnt' matter...

In 2011 October an all-new 1-series is due.

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Se...ontent-block=0

Quote from article:
"However, BMW plans for the tii models to be proper performance cars in the longer run. For instance, the next-gen 1-series, dubbed F20 and due in late 2011, will offer a tii version with a downsized twin-turbo four-cylinder petrol engine and a radically lighter body and chassis, we hear."

[ScottyGams]

typical merc then, always one step behind