[vabboud]

in danger of appearing an egomaniac i am going to quote myself since the issue hasn't been settled, and the dictator that i am sees only reason in my writings

Originally Posted by vabboud

the problem with this design is an issue of perceived quality, specifically in design

if i were to compute the total area of plastic in that dash it might very well be almost equal to the area in a comparatively specced 3er or A4, the whole issue is design and spreading
when you look at that picture of a lowly specced 3er posted by artist, you can see very little trim and a lot, a LOT of plastic, but there is a sense of perceived quality in design because designers AND engineers have teamed up to offer a better mix, that sweet spot compromise between cost and good design, given a car that will sell for as low as $25-30K cannot have an interior of a 7er let alone a rolls.

study the 3er interior or the A4 for what matters, their design elements across the dash distract from the use of plastics, and render a kind of life or appeal to an otherwise bland interior.

BMW interiors have 3 or more components right now, a thin strip up comprising the I-drive screen and the instruments binnacle, a trim strip, quite wide and of good quality, the dashboard in itself (withs switches), and the gear lever and its surroundings.

each of these elements has its own characteristics, curves, design, swoops, swishes, etc... that make it "good" even if "plastic", and the combination of all together make for a more impressive interior, design wise of course, although it is kinda plasticky by any standards


on the other hand, if you look at the C interior, you see the same amount of plastic but design wise you only see 2 elements, a single swoosh of black plastic comprising everything from nav screen, to major switching, to instrument panel and a second design element comprising the trim that extends down all the way to the center console and the gear lever

and this where the design fails, it might be livened up by colors, but it lacks that oddball good nature to it, it's too simplistic, even the 2 sections of design aren't imaginative, and very geometrical, they lack any particular personality to them, and in this particular case the sum is not greater than the parts

seems it has been a design trend at MB lately, all cars sport 2 designer elements in the interior, of course regardless of actual material quality which is top notch in S and CL at least

S has trim above, plastic/leather down, CL has plastic/leather in, and trim out, A has plastic in trim out, etc....

[Just_me]

Ok I have to stop the party. As you guys know this is W204 thread. For further discussions regarding MB vs bmw vs audi, go here

http://germancarzone.com/showthread.php?t=10085

[cawimmer430]

Originally Posted by EnI

Design: appealing, but VERY conservative & boring (even the Avantgarde version & AMG kit). I can't see this car attracting younger buyers like eg. 3er or A4 do. MB addressed their loyal customer base (Grandpas) & offered an understated design , superb quality & extraordinary level of comfort.

You're forgetting that a lot of buyers in Europe of the A4 and 3er are also "grandpas", possibly also in the US. Even Auto Motor und Sport mentioned that many 60+ citizens purchase the BMW 3-Series. And if you had watched the presentation, you'd have heard all the infos about the target market of this car. It was designed to appeal to a broad range of buyers, from the young executive to a retired senior citizen to daddy's little rich girl. Hence the many options on the new C-Class to individualize it such as the two types of grille. The grandpa might pick the Classic / Elegance style grille while the young executive might go for the Avantgarde style grille.

Is something like this offered on the Audi A4 or BMW 3er? AFAIK, nope. This is one aspect which will lure customers for example.

Give the car a chance first.

[cawimmer430]

Originally Posted by RikfromBelgium

Well, time to even things out. i understand one can be a fan of a certain Brand. I am a fan of BMW, as many of you know.

But let's be honest. the New C-class interior IMO doesn't deserve all the praise it's getting here. I mean come on, it's almost 100% plastic. I have the same problem with this interior as I have with the ML. It's parly nice in design, but the materials used are sooooo bad. Just like in the ML you have huge empty plastic surfaces. There is just that very tiny strip on the left and that's it.

MB is all about comfort and luxury. They emphasize that with the new C-class and every new car. That's what customers want from an MB. But when even a spartan 3 series without the I-drive has a more richer looking interior, they have a problem IMO.

If you ask me, both the E92's and W204's interiors are one par with each other quality and material wise. The BMW interior just has that big slab of wood across the dash and that's the main difference in "perception".

[The Artist]

^plus aint to much wood conciderd old school in these days??
someone with alot of design know how said that on this board i remember

allthough i like wood especially dark wood..

[etlomotey]

Wow Guys I have missed a lot today, this thread is moving at an alarming pace.
I JUST LOVE EVERY THING ABOUT THIS CAR, MY CHEQUE BOOK IS READY.

[Vivaki]

Has this one been posted before? pics from autoweek



Dimension lovers,

[Blown Thunder]

everything in this car looks perfect...though the rear could have been better.. still, way to go merc!!
when is the sale startin?? n will the bluetec diesel be available with this?

[Vivaki]

Check these out:

Some new wallpaper for you all. Go to the link and then click on gallery and choose your size and enjoy.

Check out the other new small pics aswell. Maybe someone will have time to print screen and post them
- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

All these pics real good and classy!

[The Artist]

Thought i post these here as well..they are to nice
dont go nutts guys

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- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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PS
This is the way the screen comes out
And it has 30gb
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