Where did the engineering go?

[Austin814]

I was at the MB dealer the other day and looking at the new C and E class cars. I felt so sad sitting in them and looking at the details of the car. Where did all the design forthought go? Its not like it would have taken in extra cost to keep features instead of take them away...

Window controls moved to the driver door instead of the center console, which hand is free when you are driving? Your right hand, its what you shift with, its what you control the radio with, it what you control the Heat/AC with... why put all those controls in the center, and move the mirrors and window controls to the door. <--stupid

The button that you can pull out and turn off the trunk light if the trunk will be open awhile and there is no need for the light. Its gone...nice feature..gone.

The e-class trunk now has numatic shocks to slow its open rate. I bet those shocks will fail much earlier then the springs on my E, C and CLK. If I want to change how fast it opens...change the hole the spring is in.

The paint looks thin and when looking close it looks like it has tiny bumps, the paint on my cars look thick and smooth.

Headlights, all plastic. Why? Glass wont discolor, pit and fog up. The glass headlights on my 1996 with 208K miles look as clear as they did new. I bet in less then 100K those plastic lights will look yellow and foggy.

After looking a the new C and E class cars, I must say I felt as if it were really just like any other car available today...it just had a star.

I loved Mercedes because they were engineered, not just built. Today they seem as they are just building them and relying on the fact that Mercedes USED TO mean quality.

Sad, very sad.