I think it says a lot when someone asks me or any other critic in the business what would YOU buy with your money. Probably one of the most common lines I hear in the this space is "Nice car BUT I wouldn't buy one."
That pretty much says it all, doesn't it?
For example, if someone told me they had $40,000 and wanted a good value purchase, performance and four doors the answer is obvious: Go get a BMW 3-Series. You'll get all the performance, four doors, and free maintenance with a vehicle that will hold its value. Would I get one personally though? No. I want something with a bit more originality. If it were my dime I'd want something a little less common in my neck of the woods. Enter the Audi A4 or Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
One car I've always liked but never really recommended, the C-Class has always left me a bit dumbfounded. This generation product seems to have been plagued from the start with a powertrain that was never quite good enough and a first-take interior design that really lacked a nice feel. Mercedes got it right on the second pass though.
BUT with bad lease prices and a tight rear seat, it still didn't really make the "cut."
All this considered, Mercedes-Benz is in the process of producing an all-new gen C-Class. Obviously it's a large volume product for the legendary automaker and with the all-new CLA that seems to be selling like hot cakes it's going to have to bring it's "A" game to not create demand destruction. While this Autocar story says the vehicle's been "revealed," clearly it hasn't. It's just a render.
So, what would YOU tell Mercedes-Benz it NEEDS to have in the next-gen C-Class to put it on top of the entry-level luxury class?
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