Half-price heroes - All Comments

re: Why Mercedes leaves me cold

Broom Broom — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:08:05 GMT

As with all cars, the storyline of Mercedes products has to be set against the context of the time in which they were manufactured.

The backdrop in the 1960s and '70s was that of a starkly divided society, where the working class driver was as likely to consider getting into debt with a loan for a vehicle as he was to think about leaving his wife and buying a pile in France as a renovation project. This meant that prestige cars could afford to be expensively over-engineered, and the perceived quality differential was relevant.

In the '80s, with the wash of newly-moneyed low-to-middle classes still perceived as distinct from the floundering oiks, Mercedes and BMW could afford to adopt marketing and design values that implied theirs were rarefied products.

In the '90s, things began to change, with the now long-established nouveau-riche's liquid cash filtering through to markets where once only the less materially neurotic, urbane establishment spent its money. Subtlety was overtaken by a need to have a superficial and immediate impact on the owner's vulgar peers, and so reliance on understated impressions of quality that would be imparted by a manufacturer to the more discerning buyer became a financial liability. Where Volkswagen forged ahead with supplying probably the best build quality of any company in the mid-to-late '90s, Mercedes was forced into a position where, with cars like the E55 and C36 AMGs, vehicles that were dynamically below par struggled to compete, and for a few years made-do with more easily accessed increases in engine performance.

Throughout this period, build quality simply became a forgotten postscript, and after almost a decade of producing cars that catered to the crass inadequacies of the sort of people who believe that adding-up their credit card limits equates to genuine wealth, they have finally been able to concentrate not only on performance, but also, now, on coming close to matching the quality of VW Audis, and, to a large degree, the excitement of BMWs.

I feel they have finally regained some status as purveyors of quality, style, and understatement with the new C-Class and E-Class. Once models like the B-Class and SLK, that are testaments to the limbo of lazy design and mass market imperatives, have been either removed from the range or recreated with some inspiration, then Mercedes will have reformed itself to a large degree, and will again be making desirable cars that offer some interesting and unique qualities.

We will probably never return to a time when cars spiritually mean what they meant to us in previous decades, partly because of the sheer scope that modern engineering affords manufacturers, and partly because society is unlikely to return to the economic class divides of yesteryear.

Ironically, for the most part, cars have now become fundamentally less aesthetically attractive, with most brands succumbing to infantile design devices, such as the compulsion towards cartwheel sized alloys, to mask an underlying lack of inspiration and the inherent ugliness that modern aerodynamic and packaging requirements prescribe. This latter problem is only likely to become more pronounced, yet, at present, Mercedes seem to have discovered the flare to create a new and attractive design motif to roll out across the range.

re: Thanks BMW, but I'll take an old M3

beemerboy58 — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:04:20 GMT

With you all the way on this one James....and other commentators too. After owning 10 Beemers in the last 15 years or so, its becoming increasingly obvious that they think a greater barrage of electronic gizmos is what their customers want and what they need to do to compete. Well, it ain't necessarily so, meine Herren!!!

re: Thanks BMW, but I'll take an old M3

James Ruppert — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:21:27 GMT

Thanks for your expert input Peter.

re: Thanks BMW, but I'll take an old M3

Peter Cavellini — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:17:13 GMT

Couldn't agree with you more James,to ask for a £5K premium over the normal M3 is cheek,why not offer it as a conversion,it would sound more reasonable,i had an E46 M3 and lived every minute of it,but to charge extra for 10mm lower suspension and a few tweaks to the car and leave the engine untouched just smacks of money making, hell its only a few tenths faster!,my advece to potential buyers is DON'T,buy a two or three year old there just as much fun and can be had for a lot less than the new one!

re: Thanks BMW, but I'll take an old M3

david RS — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:56:41 GMT

M is badly treated! With a turbocharged engine (:-(), 4 WD and automatic gearbox (:-().

re: Thanks BMW, but I'll take an old M3

NiallOswald — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:46:12 GMT

Teg - I suppose that depends why they bought a new M3 - driving or pose value...

re: Thanks BMW, but I'll take an old M3

TegTypeR — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:41:23 GMT

I'm with you James, the E30 M3 is still on my wish list as a car to own one day.

It would be interesting to see how many current M3 driver would swap their cars for the older model after a test drive though.

re: Thanks BMW, but I'll take an old M3

Guardian Devil — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:22:34 GMT

it seems that the M division has lost the whole point of the M cars.. I fear that the last true M cars where the M5 and the E46 M3.. with 4WD M cars coming and turbocharged engines it seems like the last hope is the 1-series.. but I highly doubt it!

I was a true BMW fan.. but not anymore

re: Thanks BMW, but I'll take an old M3

Guardian Devil — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:21:13 GMT

I was a true BMW fan.. but not anymore

re: Grab a Griffin

Coreenas Dad — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:15:31 GMT

I used to 'borrow' my Dad's 3.3 litre Cresta Pc back in the 70's and thought it was the coolest car ever. And for a seventeen year old it was.

But the car I really wanted was the 'droop snoot' 2300 Firenza as raced by G Marshall. Unfortunately I could only afford clapped out mini 850's.

re: Grab a Griffin

Lyburn — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:14:53 GMT

ok well theres one pictured above (albeit a collaboration with Lotus)

from 80's to present;

1985 Nova 1.3 Sport (not to be confused with the SR or GTE etc)

1989 Astra GTE 2.0 16V

1989 Calibra (most aerodynamic production car)

2002(?) Zafira GSI Turbo (even ignoring the sporty model the Zafira was class leading in ergonomics)

2001 VX220 (critically acclaimed to be better than an Elise)

2005 Astra VXR (at the time this was a class winner)

2009 Insignia (Car of the year...)

I'm not claiming that these cars are without fault I just feel that they don't get the credit they deserve when we look back at them. For example, in general, the motoring press likes to blab on about how amazing cars like the Golf GTIs, Sierra etc were in the 80s and fail to remember that those cars at the time were often beaten hands down in reviews by... Vauxhalls!

It seems that Vauxhalls image has been tarnished by repercussions from the 60s when Vauxhalls used to rust overnight. I believe that the press has a lot to answer for, for not being objective when reviewing Vauxhalls and struggling to see beyond the badge. They have made very interesting cars and continue to do so.

re: Grab a Griffin

ThwartedEfforts — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:29:12 GMT

I think you'd better find me an interesting Vauxhall before I respond with more interesting rivals.

re: Grab a Griffin

Lyburn — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:17:30 GMT

Despite their adopted bad image (due to bad owners) the Nova was a cracking car and is sadly neglected in hatchback history, all models offered more class and were better made than the equivalent Fiesta and even the MK3 Fiesta was no match. Similarly the Astra Mk2 (European car of the year 1985) was far more forward thinking than the contemporary Escort and Golf. The OHC engines that were around from the 80's were genuinely reliable, economical and powerful (compared to say a Ford CVH with its 'great' typewriter sound after 75k for example).

Part of Vauxhalls problem perhaps has been that they never had a TV star whereas Ford had loads to boost its Britishness (The Sweeney, The Professionals and more recently Life on Mars on the same idea)??

In The 90's things went a bit boring when the 2.0 16V 'Red Top' was detuned into an Ecotec and didn't spruce up again an awful lot until the release of the Arden Blue GSi Astras and Zafiras (Daddy Cool anyone?) and of course the, much underated, VX220.

Separately, I don't think the new Griffin badge is a patch on the old one. How many other manufacturers have an imbalanced logo on their bonnets? How many other manufacturers are continually updating their logo every 10 years or so? Sadly I think the Insignia looks a lot smarter with an Opel badge...

As for the harsh comments of 'ThwartedEfforts'; I would be interested to know about the dozens of more interesting cars from other manufacturers (I'm assuming they mean by this those of Vauxhalls rivals - i.e. not Porsches etc) and of course none of the usual 'Jap-crap Type Rs etc' which for all their engineering and great performance remain as dull as ever in design...

re: Grab a Griffin

ThwartedEfforts — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:27:03 GMT

As per Niall's post, I was hoping you meant Saab.

Vauxhall is a dreary, fleet oriented brand whose recent 007-inspired marketing campaign ("Undercover Secrets of Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer") is so at odds with the company's snooze inducing image it has me rolling around laughing on the sofa. For years they've bumped along the bottom of both reliability and satisfaction tables and for some reason Autocar wants them back? Why??

For every one Vauxhall worthy of mention there are a dozen from other manufacturers... forget it!

re: Grab a Griffin

phatbloke1970 — Tue, 26 May 2009 07:29:39 GMT

The Only Vauxhall I ever owned was a Cavalier SRI (Not the 130), I was a mere slip of a skinny spotty teenager at the time & for some reason the insurance was really really cheap. It had a two tone paint job, beige & gun metal grey, recaro seats & an engine that would not idle correctly! A mate had just started a car phone business so I blagged a Motorola car phone (you remember the time... it cost you more if you were inside the M25 to call than if you were outside). I loved that car, kept it for a couple of years & then purchased an E21 318.