07 Jan 2005 | Jamie said...

I am not very knowledgable about cars. But isn't AMG a separate company altogether from Mercedes? I remember someone telling me something along those lines. Liek if you see a Mercedes with an AMG name plate on the car it isn't really a stock Merc but actually a modded one from AMG. Or am I clueless?

07 Jan 2005 | Don Schenck said...

The new ML Series looks nice, too. See here for more info.

AMG is a Mercedes-blessed aftermarket company that works hand in glove with M-B. Incredible.

And yes, the new CLS 55 is lovely. In a few years I'll be in the market for an upscale ride, which means M-B, BMW, Lexus, etc etc. Now that will be some fun car shopping!

07 Jan 2005 | Don Schenck said...

Meanwhile, why is it that Toyota -- as a group -- has the ugliest cars? I know I have an MR2 Spyder, and I admit it's a but ... well ... a face only an owner could love.

But come on, Toyota ... your styling sucks.

07 Jan 2005 | Josh Williams said...

Yeah, that's pretty killer. It is funny to note how some of the German manufacturers are picking up on some Japanese lines. Sadly, the latest VW/Audi lineup is leaning towards a more Camry look.

The new A4 actually looks pretty nice, but the new Jetta is not warming up to me yet. My GLI is the last on the old frame, and now I'm glad I didn't hold out for the new body.

07 Jan 2005 | Benjy said...

Liek if you see a Mercedes with an AMG name plate on the car it isn't really a stock Merc but actually a modded one from AMG. Or am I clueless?

AMG used to be a seperate company that did aftermarket mods to Mercs, but they've been sold through dealers since 1990 and Merc bought a controlling stake of AMG in 1999. It is the Mercedes in-house performance group, like BMW's M group, Ford's SVT group, etc.

As for the CLS55, I agree it's an amazing looking car! I actually see some similarities to the Jaguar X-Type, which is another car I've loved the design of. I tend to think most Mercedes sedans are too bland and conservative looking. They're not bad looking, but too much like a charcoal suit. This one's like a designer tux.

What are people's opinions on that new nose Mercedes has been putting on it's coupes and convertibles? Personally, they remind me of the Muppets' Gonzo.

07 Jan 2005 | Peter said...

It's sure better than anything BMW's done lately. They may have been boring before, but now they're just plain ugly.

07 Jan 2005 | John B said...

Personally I wish they'd build this Mercedes...

07 Jan 2005 | One of several Steves said...

I saw this car last year at the LA Auto show. Everyone was quite impressed. But I hope they did something with the interior. The show car had this gorgeous almost white leather interior that everyone who was standing around the car thought was exquisite - but at the same time said they'd be afraid to ever get into the car, because they'd make it dirty. It was a gorgeous interior for a show car, but would be wholly impractical for real-world use.

BTW, as others have pointed out, AMG is Daimler's in-house performance unit (they do more than just Mercedes; I saw an AMG Smart, of all things, in Manchester, England, a couple summers ago).

There is Brabus, which does exactly what the first responder described: take stock Daimler cars (they're also modding a Smart currently) and modify them.

07 Jan 2005 | me said...

I think the tail is just a tad bit too long. I agree though, much better styling than the current.

07 Jan 2005 | ek said...

I guess I'm in the minority in thinking that the design of the CLS is very disappointing. It seems to me to be another example of Merc's complete loss of soul it's essentially a riff off of Lexus design cues, which is not a good thing considering how irredeemably dull Lexus' cars are (in terms of design and driving dynamics, though they are wonderfully well engineered).

Their immediate AMG-ization of every model in their line-up is another example of this. The mo-power = mo-money = mo-better approach is so clearly tailored to the American market where all anyone seems to care about is how fast something goes in a straight line. If you want straight line speed, get a God damn Dodge Viper (hey, it's still in the Daimler Chrysler family).

Mercedes is doing the same thing the American manufacturers have done, that is to say, picking only the lowest of the low hanging fruit and thinking that's good enough (the Americans have done it with trucks, which are easier to manufacture, have far higher margins and much lower emissions requirements than cars, but now that the Asian manufacturers have caught on, GM, Ford and Chrysler are up the proverbial creek without a paddle). It's already caught up to Merc in the quality surveys and, unless they refocus on their engineering vs. cranking out model after warmed over model, it'll catch up to them in sales and their coveted brand image as well.

For now at least, the company has become a caricature of its former self.

And Don, I cannot believe that you, as a Spyder fan, like that P.O.S. also known as the new M-Class. The best thing you can say about it is that at least Mercedes is being consistent in cribbing from the Toyota family of designs (compare the new M-Class to Toyota's RAV-4).

If only they'd learn to copy Toyota's quality instead of their dull as dishwater designs.

07 Jan 2005 | Tony said...

I think it looks like a Mercedes, that's been in the sun for too long. Oh my god, its melting!

08 Jan 2005 | One of several Steves said...

EK, we rarely agree on cars, but I'm right with you on the M Class and being stunned at Don recommending the thing. It still looks like it can't make up its mind if it's a minivan or an SUV. And, unless they've substantially upgraded the interior, it's still going to be a way overpriced POS.

The CLS looked better to me in person than it does in the photos. It's obvious that it's pretty much just a streamlined E-Class, but it looked pretty good at the show last year. But I'll admit that the CLS benefits from lowered expectations. I've been consistently unimpressed with most of what's come out of Stuttgart lately (at least from the big Stuttgart company; the small one I still like), so a bit of a step forward is probably going to seem bigger than it actually is.

08 Jan 2005 | Don Schenck said...

Well, I learned in college, you can't argue three things: Religion, Facts, and Taste.

I guess the ol' professor was right.

08 Jan 2005 | ek said...

About what?

09 Jan 2005 | Don Schenck said...

You can't argue taste. My taste, in particular.

09 Jan 2005 | ek said...

I guess you can't argue humor either, at least my poor attempt at sarcastic humor. I had considered adding an emoticon, but had hoped you'd pick up on it without the need for one.

And though you can't argue taste, I believe that you can argue the merits of a product's design.

To One of several Steves, I should withhold judgement on the CLS until seeing it in person as well (not that anyone at MB cares what I think anyway), but it just seems so much like more of the same-old-same-old from Merc. Same goes for the ML.

Though I don't particularly like what BMW and Audi have done with their recent models, at least they've made bold strokes that set their cars apart.

These days you'd be hard pressed to pick out the Mercs from the Lexuses in any given country club car park. And this marketing-ese of labeling the CLS a coupe is so stupid. Just call the thing what it is.

10 Jan 2005 | Don Schenck said...

ek - the problem is, I'm kinda slow.

11 Jan 2005 | Lancett said...

Here in Europe, at least in lower segments of the market, Mercedes is rebranding with a youthful vibe. The compact A-Class (not available in the US) was launched with it's own song by Christina Aguilera.

(EU TV-Spots are availbale here: http://www2.mercedes-benz.com/mbcom/international/international_website/en/com/international_home/home/passion/entertainment/tvspotoverview.html )

Although i love the traditional Design of the E-Class, the new models are just awesome!

12 Jan 2005 | ek said...

My god, are you telling my that Christina Aguilera is big in Europe? Or is it just a German thing ala David Hasselhoff?

As for the car, I do agree that the new A-Class is quite cute, but I don't think it's going to be brought to the U.S. The Mercedes' brand is so different over there — people in the States would freak out if they saw Mercs being used as taxis or cargo vans as they are in Europe.

Regarding that lower end segment, the car that I think is really going to turn heads in it is the BMW 1-Series. The M1 is just going to be a blast to throw around corners — it promises to be the most purely BMW BMW since the 2002.

12 Jan 2005 | Lancett said...

Lol, I think she's as popular here as in America. But anyhow, yes, the A-Class does not fit in Mercedes' marketing concept in America (which i find quite dull). In europe their marketing focus is on technology (we have developed the first car in the world, big heritage, most patents of any car company, newest technology, bla bla) and now they start with youthfulness - that is what surprised me.

And they're on the right path - the new CLS 55 AMG beat the new M5 by a considerable margin in several top of the line german car magazines (the holy grail for the car manufacturers here). Bottomline being: The Mercedes is just as sporty but more comfortable and has higher quality materials.

I like their effort to move in this direction but I hope they still will deliver some cars just like their old big, bulky, lovely Benzes!

The M1 has a lot of potential although i don't like the 1-Series in general (not the coupe that is). In tests the 1-Series ranks behind the Golf and the Audi A3 Sportback (obviously for practical reasons). But the M1 as a fun car would be a great toy.