New Mercedes C-class pictures leaked

Roadster wrote:

For a Mercedes, this looks almost radical, but it's still another dull and staid looking German car. Jaguar's rival is so going to blow this, and the A4 and 3-Series, out of the water for style and desirability inside and out, while it's a safe bet that it will trounce its rivals dynamically, while probably also sporting better engines, gearboxes and material quality too like the current Jaguar and Land Rover products do. The Jaguar is merely a class leader in waiting and those who will argue against this are merely kidding themselves. And for anyone who thinks I 'm biased towards Jaguar, I own the most recent Saab 9-3 convertible and for style, desirability, dynamics and quality, it's streets ahead it's German rivals while I think Jaguar, Volvo and the Italians are the only ones who can match Saab's style. There are some good German cars, with the odd handful being exceptional, but many are overpriced and don't possess the talent, quality, build or style to justify their higher than average prices. Those who buy a 1 Series, 3 Series, A3, A4, Golf, E Class, S Class etc are merely following the herd and know very little about what a good and quality car is. That's why I went Swedish.

I do find your comments about German cars amusing. I admit, their styling inside and out can be conservative and staid, and because of that they may look less enticing and interesting than many rivals but that doesn't mean they're not desirable, while the understated look does exude class and style which many find appealing. Will Jaguar's rival to the 3-Series beat it and every other rival? It may do, it may not, but to say it's a given that it will is laughable. And if you think it's a given because you feel the engines, gearboxes and material quality in German cars are inferior, you really are deluded. Jaguar has great engines but they're not up there with the best (the new 'hotfire' engines may well be) and I'd be hard pressed to say that the equivalent Jaguar engines in, say a BMW or Mercedes, are inferior. Jaguar Supercharged 5.0 V8 or Merc's AMG Turbo 5.5 V8? No contest really. And aren't some of Jaguar's gearboxes German and shared with BMW? As for material quality, I'm sorry but Jaguar and Land Rover trail their German rivals. Their interiors may look superb, appealing and desirable, and while the materials aren't exactly shoddy, they're not a patch on many cars from VW, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes or BMW. Have you been in a XJ for example? It looks lovely inside, but the plastics wouldn't even come close to a Golf's, yet alone a Panamera's. And a 9-3 better than, say, a 3-Series? Really? Ahve you driven a 3-Series? I'd say the Saab looks fabulous and is more stylish inside and out than the BMW (or a C-Class, Passat or A4), but handling, ride, steering, space, performance, economy, comfort, build, material quality that tops all of them? The 9-3 may be better in some areas, but I doubt they're major areas and I think I'm not alone in saying that as nice and great looking as a 9-3 is, it doesn't even come close to any of its German rivals. To suggest a 9-3 handles, steers, stops and rides better than a 3-Series is laughable, and it's interior quality and refinement is blown away by the BMW. Not all German cars are great and some are awful, and some people do buy them because of the badge and perhaps because they don't know much about cars and see the German motors as a status symbol, but to say they're all outclassed in all areas is nonsense. Many are class leaders and for good reason. The Golf, 3-Series, Boxster, Cayman, 911 and S-Class are class leaders by a comfortable margin because they're genuinely brilliant.