7 ms·

I agree with you this is mainly a fluff piece and must be taken with a grain of salt. I also agree that Tesla overcomplexifies some aspects of their cars and I

I agree with you this is mainly a fluff piece and must be taken with a grain of salt. I also agree that Tesla overcomplexifies some aspects of their cars and I would appreciate a simpler efficient design. After all, its the simplicity of an electric drivetrain that appealed to me. That being said, I'm puzzled when you say its mediocre in comparison. My 3 got smashed and I have a Mercedes replacement for a few days during repairs and it really feels like a big, loud and clumsy car with an obnoxious amount of chrome. Maybe its the difference in price range, the 3 completes at a much lower price point.

t0mas88 7y ago
Prices here are incomparable to the US due to tax, but a model S starts at 90k if you accept it being only available in white (nobody does at that price). If you pick any other color, reasonable rims and a "luxury interior" as you would expect on cars in this price range it's 110k to 120k euro. That's more than a full option BMW 5 series or Audi A6 and comparable to a very high-end Audi A8 or BMW 7 series. Not sure about Mercedes, but I guess they gave you an A or B class without much luxury options as a loaner. I've seen those as rental cars as well, not great compared to their higher end cars. That would be a 30-40k kind of car here, the model 3 starts at 64k if you pick anything but white and want long range (not performance), and that's excluding autopilot. So in my opinion they're pricing themselves into a market their cars can't really compete in.
- nicpottier 7y ago
  Standard range is $40k, AWD long range is $50k. Paint is $1000 extra for anything but black, $2000 for red. Where are you getting $64k?
  - tdonovic 7y ago
    In Europe, and the comparison is even worse in $AUD
  - boojums 7y ago
    The poster mentions euro, so I would guess the poster is using local prices.
    - t0mas88 7y ago
      Indeed. The other brands prices are also higher here.
- tomatocracy 7y ago
  Yes. The A and B class Mercedes are like they're made by a different manufacturer compared to the S class or something like the Mercedes-AMG GT.
  - t0mas88 7y ago
    Exactly. It makes some sense because they're also in a different price range, but Mercedes is risking the quality reputation of their brand of this is your first encounter with their cars.
    - tomatocracy 7y ago
      True, but it’s been like that for a long time with the A/B class. It’s quite surprising - I can’t think of another brand that has such a wide quality differential between the low end models and the mid range (let alone high end).

t0mas88 7y ago

Prices here are incomparable to the US due to tax, but a model S starts at 90k if you accept it being only available in white (nobody does at that price). If you pick any other color, reasonable rims and a "luxury interior" as you would expect on cars in this price range it's 110k to 120k euro. That's more than a full option BMW 5 series or Audi A6 and comparable to a very high-end Audi A8 or BMW 7 series. Not sure about Mercedes, but I guess they gave you an A or B class without much luxury options as a loaner. I've seen those as rental cars as well, not great compared to their higher end cars. That would be a 30-40k kind of car here, the model 3 starts at 64k if you pick anything but white and want long range (not performance), and that's excluding autopilot. So in my opinion they're pricing themselves into a market their cars can't really compete in.

nicpottier 7y ago
Standard range is $40k, AWD long range is $50k. Paint is $1000 extra for anything but black, $2000 for red. Where are you getting $64k?
- tdonovic 7y ago
  In Europe, and the comparison is even worse in $AUD
- boojums 7y ago
  The poster mentions euro, so I would guess the poster is using local prices.
  - t0mas88 7y ago
    Indeed. The other brands prices are also higher here.
tomatocracy 7y ago
Yes. The A and B class Mercedes are like they're made by a different manufacturer compared to the S class or something like the Mercedes-AMG GT.
- t0mas88 7y ago
  Exactly. It makes some sense because they're also in a different price range, but Mercedes is risking the quality reputation of their brand of this is your first encounter with their cars.
  - tomatocracy 7y ago
    True, but it’s been like that for a long time with the A/B class. It’s quite surprising - I can’t think of another brand that has such a wide quality differential between the low end models and the mid range (let alone high end).