On the Acura note, it's actually Acura that's trying to copy Mercedes, BMW, Volvo etc. All European cars are numbered, except VW. Acura wanted more attention to their name and not the models. When the Acura Legend gained alot of popularity, everyone just referred to them as Legends an d Integras not Acuras. Well at least this is what I read when Acura (Honda) decided to drop the names and follow the European way of designating models. Mercedes name game got real confusing when they started making more models. Back when my car was new, Mercedes only had the R107, W123 and W116. Maybe Mercedes came up with this "class" system to help restore some of the lost prestiege from the pre Lexus years.

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1999 MB SL500 (110,000 mi)
2004 Volvo V70 2.5T (220,000 mi)
2014 Tesla Model S 85 (136,000 mi)
MBCA member