Next Mercedes E-Class - picture

[Submariner]

Aside from the taillights, it looks good in those spy shots, better than in the earlier pictures.

The interior's appearance will likely be a significant downgrade though.

Aside from that stupid column shifter...it actually looks good.

[cawimmer430]

Aside from that stupid column shifter...it actually looks good.

There was a spy shot on GCZ with the W212 E-Class interior with a center console manual transmission. It has since been lost. 

Welcome to GCZ by the way, Zach. 

[Submariner]

There was a spy shot on GCZ with the W212 E-Class interior with a center console manual transmission. It has since been lost. 

Welcome to GCZ by the way, Zach. 

Maybe it offers a stick, while offering an automatic on the column (stupid)

In any case, 6-speed 4-matic TT E-63 for me please!

[cawimmer430]

Maybe it offers a stick, while offering an automatic on the column (stupid)

New research has probably suggested that this is a more comfortable way of driving. Easy and quick access to the gear selector behind the wheel.

You Americans lead the way in that. 

[cawimmer430]

Take a look at the W204 C-Class passing in this picture. You can see certain design similarities which I have brought up before. Hence I believe the E-Class will look much better in real life (provided it isn't in the cheap Classic trim).

The W212 almost looks like an enlarged W204 C-Class with a lot of current W211 E-Class design added in except in a boxier shape.

[TBR]

Problem is that I personally think the C-class is hideous too.

And, though the materials might be improved, precedence indicates the actual design won't be too great. (every new Mercedes since the new SLK has been a downgrade from an styling POV, both exterior and interior).

[cawimmer430]

Problem is that I personally think the C-class is hideous too.

Design is subjective. The C-Class has been well-received in all major markets. It sells well not only because of design but also because it is one of the most well-balanced cars in its class offering enough of every flavor to suit buyers looking for the mix of sport, comfort, luxury etc.

And, though the materials might be improved, precedence indicates the actual design won't be too great. (every new Mercedes since the new SLK has been a downgrade from an styling POV, both exterior and interior).

One glance at the C-Class interior and people immediately think "cheap". The trick is to spend time inside and that is when it becomes apparent that the interior is well-made and constructed out of premium materials. The GLK has a similar interior to the C-Class and it is equally well-made. Compared to Audi interiors they might be less flashy but they certainly just as good (although in the case of the Q5 it is overall better IMHO).




This thread may interest you: http://www.germancarzone.com/pit-general-discussion/27546-myth-about-audi-a4-b8s-interior-quality.html

(The MYTH about the Audi A4 B8's interior quality... )

The guy who posted this on Germancarzone speaks from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND OWNERSHIP.

I commented in his thread that I feel that the Audi A4 interior is good and that I have no problems with it but he and many people disagreed - even Audi fans.






Ok so I've been meaning to make this thread for a long long time and just haven't got around to it.

Firstly, a brief history:

2006 - Bought an Audi A3 2.0 FSI. Absolutely loved the car. Fantastic interior for a vehicle in its price bracket and it satisfied me completely in most other respects.

Early August 2008 - Got the new car itch and decided to sell the A3. Started to look at new cars. Saw the new A4 at the dealer. Was not at all impressed by the interior and the exterior looked a little mundane.

Late August 2008 - Search for a new car continued and I came across an unbelievable deal on the new A4. I rationalized, this car has received UNIVERSAL praise for it's interior. Surely all these jurno's can't be talking nonsense. With the new found driving dynamics and heightened refinement it was being hailed my many as 'best in class'. Surely I was mistaken about the interior. And the exterior, in the right colour, was starting to look good. Maybe even great. The deal was done. A brand new Audi A4 for me.

Picked up the car and was enamored with it. New car excitement you see. But it wore thin very soon afterwords. Evey time I sat in the interior I became less and less enamored. This thing didn't feel like a German car. What was wrong with it? Why was I not loving it anymore? I began to notice:
- CHEAP plastic everywhere, shiny black on the console, light and foam feeling on the doors. And that fake pseudo aluminum look plastic they have lavished on the dashboard and doors was looking more and more horrid by the day.
- Poor leather quality. Audi used to be a benchmark in this respect. What this car had was no better then vinyl!
- The doors didn't close with the familiar German thunk. Absurd as it may seem i noticed more often then not passengers would close the door expecting it to slam tightly behind them. PLOP. The door often was not closed. They would have to reopen and bang it firmly shut. Perhaps I'm a tad insane. But this car did not feel like a proper Audi.

I started to despise the car, not because it was bad; certainly not. But Because I had such high expectations for it. I felt better and more satisfied driving my A3. What was wrong?

September 2008 - After a 4-5 month wait, our new C-class arrived. This was true love. This is what a real German car feels like. This is how a real German car is put together. NOTE: The Audi LOOKS GREAT in photos, The C-Class LOOKS & FEELS GREAT in person. Day after day after day.

Let's compare INTERIORS only.

Note the silver trim on the bottom of the air vents. Horizontal gaps/slits above the black plastic are very noticeable in person as the trim does not appear to fit and clip in perfectly. I have since checked many A4's and they all look the same/have the same problem.


And now for a perfect fit.



Perfect panel allignment and fit. So neat.


The Audi. Poorly resolved. Layer upon layer of plastic. Overlaps!



The panels don't even look tight.


Look on the right hand side of the steering wheel just above the rain wiper stalk where the 'metal look' plastic meets the black plastic. A very poor fit. In person you notice some sort of lumps/imperfections going on inside the gap and what I swear is glue.


Lots of lovely plastic EVERYWHERE. Note, NON of the silver items in this picture are real metal or even feel remotely close to real metal.


And now for the Benz. If that's not real metal on the front of the gear lever and around the shifter, at least it certainly feels like it. Oh and note the lovely wood surround.


It certainly feels like real metal!


More plastic in the Audi:


Such a LOVELY PLASTIC lighting knob by Audi...NOT:



LOVELY. And yes the silver bits again feel like real metal...even if it isn't. I can't tell.


Mr. Shiny black plastic.


Nice matte look.


Ahstray and surrounds...all wood in the Benz.


What else but plastic in the Audi.



Here the Mercedes look at that.



CLASSY...Not...yet again more cheapness.


An attempt at real quality, the Benz.



Which grab handle feels and looks more inviting?


Ahh yes...those little lumps actually caress your fingers when you pull the door shut. And the plastic feels soft touch. Great attention to the little details you see.


Check out the beautifully trimmed speaker surrounds and door storage in the Audi. Hmm maybe not. Yet again more drab plastic.


The silver is a nice touch. And yes, that's nice fabric on the lower part of the door storage area:



Real wood. Chrome highlights!


Wouldn't you love even more plastic that is TRYING to look like metal but certainly feels completely plastic? Oh did I mention the door and dashboard foam/plastic picks up finger prints and smudges like you wouldn't believe. It drove me nuts.


The leather looks and feels good.


Ahh yes. The AUDI does look great in good photos. Luckily the vinyl black looking seats are out of the shot.



Proof these shots are from the same photo session, both cars in our driveway




Now I know the Benz has a more appealing colour combination, but the actual physical feel of these interiors were worlds apart. The Audi can be had with different trimmings (wood) here and there, but the general feel remains the same.

2 months and 5000km I SOLD the Audi and was VERY happy to have done so. Thankfully at no financial loss.



So, TBR, having second thoughts about the A4 interior? 

When one examines the W204 C-Class interior in detail, the finer points, it easily becomes apparent that the interior isn't at all cheap or a downgrade. I have said this often enough that one has to spend time inside the car for the cabin to get into your heard. Some interiors look HQ and expensive at first glance, like the Lexus IS or the new Audi A4, but when you spend time in them you can see that it is just a shiny jungle of plastic that is colored silver (Lexus) to appear HQ. I am not saying that the A4 interior is cheap, because I think it isn't, but all those people who keep slamming the W204 interior should examine the finer points and not just base an opinion at first glance.


You know how everyone talks about the Lexus IS and Audi A4 interiors being so HQ? Well they apparently have not seen these aspects or spent time inside the W204 C-Class.

Look at this (some of the finer points of an interior):

Mercedes C-Class


Lexus IS (almost offensive how BORING, BLAND and CHEAP it looks)


Audi A4 - looks really good here, hence my claim that the A4 and C-Class interiors are well made and that there is little difference between them.



Oh, and the GLK interior can be spiced up too. Does this look "cheap / downgrade" to you? Right up there with the Audi Q5, except the Q5 still wins overall IMO.

[TBR]

Quality is of little importance to me. As long as the buttons and levers and such feel good, I don't care about the rest because I don't feel the dashboard, I just look at it. The quality of the materials in my '95 Honda Prelude are good enough for me.

FYI, I wouldn't buy a car with "metal" trim unless it was actual metal (ie: Bentley), otherwise I would go for a wood or, in a sportier car, a faux carbon fiber option.

[Submariner]

There are two things that I dislike about the C interior

- the Pop up nav

- the lack of wood trim on the button panel beneath.

Other than that, I find it, and the GLK to be class leading.

[Vinsanity]

The W212 almost looks like an enlarged W204 C-Class with a lot of current W211 E-Class design added in except in a boxier shape.

So that's why I feel like I've already been seeing this car for three years now

[Raza]

After 500 miles in a C class, there's one bit of the interior design that drives me crazy.

Where the center console meets the transmission tunnel, there's a corner on the driver's side that DIGS INTO MY FUCKING KNEE.

And yes, my Jetta's interior is better than the C300 4Matic's.

[Submariner]

After 500 miles in a C class, there's one bit of the interior design that drives me crazy.

Where the center console meets the transmission tunnel, there's a corner on the driver's side that DIGS INTO MY FUCKING KNEE.

And yes, my Jetta's interior is better than the C300 4Matic's.

How so?

[ifcar]

Not quite. There were spy shots in the past that have shown the W212 interior to hav W221 S-Class materials. Upgrade my friend, upgrade. 

I said "appearance." The S-Class has an unattractive interior, too.

[Raza]

How so?

Materials, fit and finish, overall design.

[Submariner]

Materials, fit and finish, overall design.

Different Strokes, I suppose.  I've spent alot of time in a C350 and my Aunt's R32, and unless the R32 is a lot different from the Jetta, I fount the C to be superior overall.  Not to say I disliked her car, but the C stood out for it's fine materials, if not design. 

[Submariner]

I said "appearance." The S-Class has an unattractive interior, too.

Yeah...

[cawimmer430]

Quality is of little importance to me. As long as the buttons and levers and such feel good, I don't care about the rest because I don't feel the dashboard, I just look at it. The quality of the materials in my '95 Honda Prelude are good enough for me.

FYI, I wouldn't buy a car with "metal" trim unless it was actual metal (ie: Bentley), otherwise I would go for a wood or, in a sportier car, a faux carbon fiber option.

So the buttons in the C-Class interior don't feel good but those in the A4 do? Kind of weird since I personally think that both Audi and Mercedes get their plastic from the same supplier, but they just use it differently for their interiors. 

[cawimmer430]

After 500 miles in a C class, there's one bit of the interior design that drives me crazy.

Where the center console meets the transmission tunnel, there's a corner on the driver's side that DIGS INTO MY FUCKING KNEE.

Are you sure you're not riding in a Lexus IS? 

I've never experienced this problem when driving the W204 and I've driven a few of them - and I am 6'4". Maybe you need to readjust the seats? 

[ifcar]

Yeah...

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the basic appearance of the dash, I really dislike the steering wheel, I really dislike the knob between the seats, and I really really dislike the tacked-on-looking hood over the center of the dash.

The old S-Class interior was much more attractive to me. I'd post pictures to "prove" it, but what point would that serve?

[Raza]

Are you sure you're not riding in a Lexus IS? 

I've never experienced this problem when driving the W204 and I've driven a few of them - and I am 6'4". Maybe you need to readjust the seats? 

I'm 5'8".  I have to sit close than you do.  I sit in the same position in every car.  This is the only one that dug into my knee.

[Colonel Cadillac]

So the buttons in the C-Class interior don't feel good but those in the A4 do? Kind of weird since I personally think that both Audi and Mercedes get their plastic from the same supplier, but they just use it differently for their interiors. 

Wimmer, you do realize the comparison is between an A4 1.8, the bottom of the line A4, to a top of the line C350?

[BimmerM3]

Wimmer, you do realize the comparison is between an A4 1.8, the bottom of the line A4, to a top of the line C350?

I somehow doubt that the quality of the buttons differs between trim levels...

[cawimmer430]

Wimmer, you do realize the comparison is between an A4 1.8, the bottom of the line A4, to a top of the line C350?

I do. And this means nothing because the interior materials such as buttons do not change for an A4 1.8 or an A4 3.2 or C180 Kompressor / C350.

[Colonel Cadillac]

I do. And this means nothing because the interior materials such as buttons do not change for an A4 1.8 or an A4 3.2 or C180 Kompressor / C350.

Hmmm...

[Submariner]

Hmmm...

Materials still are the same.  The only additions I see on the Two A4's are darker plastic around the gear shift and wood trim. 

[Colonel Cadillac]

Gobs of plastic! Gah, I must shield my eyes!



Few, this one has some wood trim

[cawimmer430]

Like I said before, the trick is to spend time inside the car and that's when you realize that the interior is of a high-quality and that the materials are good.

The W204 C-Class has a very high-quality interior. And I am not just saying that as a blind Benz fan - it's true. I was questioning the quality and material usage when the car was new, but when I drove my first few W204s and spent time inside them and saw them more often parked in the cities which allowed me to peek inside, I saw and felt that the interior was of a high-standard.

One more thing. If we photograph the A4 and C-Class interior with flash - they will both come across as CHEAP. Flash does this (like in the pictures you posted). And a low-spec A4 or C-Class interior will come across as drab and boring.


Let's take a look at studio lighting, or in this case, natural lighting from the sunset in the environment this W204 was photographed in. The interior looks upscale and premium.


These next two shots are studio lighting - two different trims, Elegance (lighter) and Classic (darker). Classic is a cheap trim by the way.




See my point? Photograph any interior with flash and it will look much cheaper than it actually is. Furthermore, you mention "gobs of plastic" when it comes to the W204 interior, which is weird since the Audi A4 is equally a hefty user of that material... 

[TBR]

So the buttons in the C-Class interior don't feel good but those in the A4 do? Kind of weird since I personally think that both Audi and Mercedes get their plastic from the same supplier, but they just use it differently for their interiors. 

You completely missed my point. My point was that the quality is largely irrelevant to me so when I say I don't like an interior I am talking about the styling and, from a styling perspective, the C-class interior is HIDEOUS (imo). By far the worst interior in the class and there are numerous cars that cost half as much with interiors that I find more appealing.

[CJ]

I happen to love both the A4 and C-Class interiors. 

[Laconian]

That Mercedes shifter is such a tease.

LOOK! I'M A SIX SPEED! TRY AND SHIFT ME! LOL, FOOLED YOU! Just put it in D and let me do the driving, geezer!