Actually there's less new to it than it seems like. Even in the past multiple models shared the same engine with minor modifications to offer different perform

Actually there's less new to it than it seems like. Even in the past multiple models shared the same engine with minor modifications to offer different performance at different price points. E.g. a C180, C200 and C250 all used the same 1.8l engine. You paid more to get its full potential - and the extra cost was far more than the number of modifications to the base engine. Now it seems like the extra cost just moves from a one-time bump to a subscription model.