Luxury German cars

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NY Times headline, Nov 4, 2017:

BMW Recalls Roughly a Million Vehicles at Risk of Catching Fire

Yeah, because no other makes of cars have had recalls before. ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Toyota and Honda drivers = peasants

BMW, Mercedes and Audi drivers = superior beings

I don't know, Audi is in between. It's a step down from Mercedes. BMW has cheapened their brand so much with the 3 series for everyone and now the 1 series. If that's all you can afford, just get a Honda.

I have the GLS 450, and it's such a nice car. Not plasticy, great pickup, smooth and quiet. It's luxurious.

+1, you sir are a gentleman and a scholar who is truly in touch with the current day German car offerings in these united states.

Audi has not been competitive recently IMO, we've passed them over each of the times we've gone searching for a sedan in the past 10 years. The exterior and interior designs of their cars are stale and unimaginative. I am sure the quality is decent, but it takes a certain flair to be successful in this market segment.

Everyone dumped on Chris Bangle, but BMW was far superior under his design guidance. The current 5 and 7 series are completely boring, and the 3 series look like it is standing on stilts. The interiors are very drab. And how about that X1 - such a plain looking car that it should wear a KIA badge.

Mercedes is killing it these days. Their entire range (save for the CLA/GLA, IMO) is well thought out, with excellent driving dynamics, and interior/exterior design that stand heads and shoulders above Audi and BMW. I've always had a yearning for the big GL (and now the GLS). Were it not for the room we need to haul 6 people constantly plus a healthy load of cargo, it would be our family hauler rather than an Odyssey.

Audi has been doing really well lately sales-wise, especially with the Q5. I think their styling is understated (we have one) but I like it that way.

Mercedes I find their model line is way too broad. It means if you want model X, the dealer may only have a couple available, since they're expected to have a few of every model, and the model range is just too wide. Remember when it was just C, E, S, and SL? Now you've got all this crazy stuff like CLS -- a 4-door "coupe", 5 different types of SUVs, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Toyota and Honda drivers = peasants

BMW, Mercedes and Audi drivers = superior beings

I don't know, Audi is in between. It's a step down from Mercedes. BMW has cheapened their brand so much with the 3 series for everyone and now the 1 series. If that's all you can afford, just get a Honda.

I have the GLS 450, and it's such a nice car. Not plasticy, great pickup, smooth and quiet. It's luxurious.

+1, you sir are a gentleman and a scholar who is truly in touch with the current day German car offerings in these united states.

Audi has not been competitive recently IMO, we've passed them over each of the times we've gone searching for a sedan in the past 10 years. The exterior and interior designs of their cars are stale and unimaginative. I am sure the quality is decent, but it takes a certain flair to be successful in this market segment.

Everyone dumped on Chris Bangle, but BMW was far superior under his design guidance. The current 5 and 7 series are completely boring, and the 3 series look like it is standing on stilts. The interiors are very drab. And how about that X1 - such a plain looking car that it should wear a KIA badge.

Mercedes is killing it these days. Their entire range (save for the CLA/GLA, IMO) is well thought out, with excellent driving dynamics, and interior/exterior design that stand heads and shoulders above Audi and BMW. I've always had a yearning for the big GL (and now the GLS). Were it not for the room we need to haul 6 people constantly plus a healthy load of cargo, it would be our family hauler rather than an Odyssey.

Audi has been doing really well lately sales-wise, especially with the Q5. I think their styling is understated (we have one) but I like it that way.

Mercedes I find their model line is way too broad. It means if you want model X, the dealer may only have a couple available, since they're expected to have a few of every model, and the model range is just too wide. Remember when it was just C, E, S, and SL? Now you've got all this crazy stuff like CLS -- a 4-door "coupe", 5 different types of SUVs, etc.

True. I kind of have the feeling that Audi is more attractive to the mature and conservative crowd. It was hard for us to find a car on the lot that was lot black or silver when we were shopping.

MB does have a wide variety of models. But at least the naming conventions are getting consolidated, with all SUVs having "GL" followed by the class name of A, C, E, S, plus the G wagon

I think everyone hopped onto the "4-door coupe" bandwagon when Mercedes demonstrated that it was a style of vehicle people liked. BMW has their 6-series Gran Coupe, and Audi has the A7. This really speaks to another layer of choice that the luxury brands offer buyers, which is lacking from non-luxury brands, or even luxury brands like Lexus, Acura, and Infinity. The myriad of body types, engine choices, and etc. In MB's case, the AMG line adds yet another layer of frosting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

MB does have a wide variety of models. But at least the naming conventions are getting consolidated, with all SUVs having "GL" followed by the class name of A, C, E, S, plus the G wagon

I think everyone hopped onto the "4-door coupe" bandwagon when Mercedes demonstrated that it was a style of vehicle people liked. BMW has their 6-series Gran Coupe, and Audi has the A7. This really speaks to another layer of choice that the luxury brands offer buyers, which is lacking from non-luxury brands, or even luxury brands like Lexus, Acura, and Infinity. The myriad of body types, engine choices, and etc. In MB's case, the AMG line adds yet another layer of frosting.

This shows what a mess it is:

http://www.eurobethesdamercedes.com/new-inventory/index.htm

Click the Model bit on the left side:
B
C
CLA
CLS
E
GLA
GLC
GLE
GLS
S
SL
SLC

FOUR different GL model variants? TWO CL variants? It's a mess just to figure out which is for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NY Times headline, Nov 4, 2017:

BMW Recalls Roughly a Million Vehicles at Risk of Catching Fire

Yeah, because no other makes of cars have had recalls before. ?

Yeah, I prefer cars that don’t catch on fire. Silly me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two guys in my office own BMWs and one or the other has his car in the shop at least every other month.

My Honda is not as luxurious but it has never been in the shop except for oil changes and other maintenance, and it is almost 14 years old. I like reliability.

+1. I’ve had many Honda’s and none of them have caught on fire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two guys in my office own BMWs and one or the other has his car in the shop at least every other month.

My Honda is not as luxurious but it has never been in the shop except for oil changes and other maintenance, and it is almost 14 years old. I like reliability.

+1. I’ve had many Honda’s and none of them have caught on fire.

Honda recalled 1.2 million cars for battery fires three months ago.
http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/342011-honda-recalls-12-million-cars-over-battery-fires

[Anonymous]

I think everyone hopped onto the "4-door coupe" bandwagon when Mercedes demonstrated that it was a style of vehicle people liked.

Can someone explain this? Because I thought the definition of a coupe was that it had two doors.

[Anonymous]

JD Power is an absolute joke, and one model for a couple years does not make a brand reliable. We currently own a German car, but we also own two Japanese cars. We've also rented other German luxury brands (Turo for week long test drives before buying them). German luxury is really not any better than Japanese luxury. You can't compare a Honda and an Audi, you need to compare a VW and a Honda or Audi and Acura.

For my money, Japanese is where it's at, but I understand the appeal of some of the German performance cars. I think a lot of it is prestige rather than true performance (most people don't get the cars out where they can actually use the performance level), but whatever. Just plan for increased repair costs. That's a real thing. My husband claims he'll never own a German luxury car out of warranty, and that's a very unusual thing - most of our cars are bought used.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MB does have a wide variety of models. But at least the naming conventions are getting consolidated, with all SUVs having "GL" followed by the class name of A, C, E, S, plus the G wagon

I think everyone hopped onto the "4-door coupe" bandwagon when Mercedes demonstrated that it was a style of vehicle people liked. BMW has their 6-series Gran Coupe, and Audi has the A7. This really speaks to another layer of choice that the luxury brands offer buyers, which is lacking from non-luxury brands, or even luxury brands like Lexus, Acura, and Infinity. The myriad of body types, engine choices, and etc. In MB's case, the AMG line adds yet another layer of frosting.

This shows what a mess it is:

http://www.eurobethesdamercedes.com/new-inventory/index.htm

Click the Model bit on the left side:
B
C
CLA
CLS
E
GLA
GLC
GLE
GLS
S
SL
SLC

FOUR different GL model variants? TWO CL variants? It's a mess just to figure out which is for you.

The core of the range is the passenger cars. The B series is not in the US so we don't usually see that, so it's just CLA, C, E, and S in the US. Corresponding to the 4 different size class of passenger cars, are the SUV counterparts, which is why you have GLA, GLC, GLE, and GLS - these are *NOT* variants of the same platform. The remaining are special design cars that don't fit in the normal range, such as the CLS, and the two roadsters SL and SLC. One can argue that the CLA and CLS share the same "coupe-style sedan" design goal, but this grouping isn't apparent due to the large price difference between the two. It's pretty easy to figure out if you are not trying to be a dick about the whole thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two guys in my office own BMWs and one or the other has his car in the shop at least every other month.

My Honda is not as luxurious but it has never been in the shop except for oil changes and other maintenance, and it is almost 14 years old. I like reliability.

+1. I’ve had many Honda’s and none of them have caught on fire.

Honda recalled 1.2 million cars for battery fires three months ago.
http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/342011-honda-recalls-12-million-cars-over-battery-fires

LOL!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MB does have a wide variety of models. But at least the naming conventions are getting consolidated, with all SUVs having "GL" followed by the class name of A, C, E, S, plus the G wagon

I think everyone hopped onto the "4-door coupe" bandwagon when Mercedes demonstrated that it was a style of vehicle people liked. BMW has their 6-series Gran Coupe, and Audi has the A7. This really speaks to another layer of choice that the luxury brands offer buyers, which is lacking from non-luxury brands, or even luxury brands like Lexus, Acura, and Infinity. The myriad of body types, engine choices, and etc. In MB's case, the AMG line adds yet another layer of frosting.

This shows what a mess it is:

http://www.eurobethesdamercedes.com/new-inventory/index.htm

Click the Model bit on the left side:
B
C
CLA
CLS
E
GLA
GLC
GLE
GLS
S
SL
SLC

FOUR different GL model variants? TWO CL variants? It's a mess just to figure out which is for you.

I don't think so. I think it makes perfect sense. The GLA, is the raised version of the CLA (cheapest), then the GLC which competes with the X3. The GLE is the SUV version of the flagship E class and the GLS is the sub version of the S class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two guys in my office own BMWs and one or the other has his car in the shop at least every other month.

My Honda is not as luxurious but it has never been in the shop except for oil changes and other maintenance, and it is almost 14 years old. I like reliability.

+1. I’ve had many Honda’s and none of them have caught on fire.

Honda recalled 1.2 million cars for battery fires three months ago.
http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/342011-honda-recalls-12-million-cars-over-battery-fires

LOL!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...

Aw, maybe this will bring the BMW owners and Honda owners together. Just each bring a car and some chestnuts.

At least the Honda owners paid a lot less for their cars that catch on fire. If not quality, I'm not sure what you're paying for with a BMW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MB does have a wide variety of models. But at least the naming conventions are getting consolidated, with all SUVs having "GL" followed by the class name of A, C, E, S, plus the G wagon

I think everyone hopped onto the "4-door coupe" bandwagon when Mercedes demonstrated that it was a style of vehicle people liked. BMW has their 6-series Gran Coupe, and Audi has the A7. This really speaks to another layer of choice that the luxury brands offer buyers, which is lacking from non-luxury brands, or even luxury brands like Lexus, Acura, and Infinity. The myriad of body types, engine choices, and etc. In MB's case, the AMG line adds yet another layer of frosting.

This shows what a mess it is:

http://www.eurobethesdamercedes.com/new-inventory/index.htm

Click the Model bit on the left side:
B
C
CLA
CLS
E
GLA
GLC
GLE
GLS
S
SL
SLC

FOUR different GL model variants? TWO CL variants? It's a mess just to figure out which is for you.

I don't think so. I think it makes perfect sense. The GLA, is the raised version of the CLA (cheapest), then the GLC which competes with the X3. The GLE is the SUV version of the flagship E class and the GLS is the sub version of the S class.

So waht's the CLS then? The S-version of the C-class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think everyone hopped onto the "4-door coupe" bandwagon when Mercedes demonstrated that it was a style of vehicle people liked.

Can someone explain this? Because I thought the definition of a coupe was that it had two doors.

Yea... I know... I was also confused when I was first exposed to the term. The CLS was the first of the modern "4-door coupes", I think. The idea is to have the sporty characteristics and shape of a coupe, especially the sloping back C-pillar and rear glass, and a gentle transition into the trunk.

After the success of the CLS, others followed suit, including the BMW 6 series Gran Coupe, the Audi A7, Maserati Ghibli, and etc.