I too prefer the Avantgarde aesthetics over that of the Elegance... the Elegance is a little soft looking for me.

Its seems that rather than focusing on rivaling its direct competitors from a performance standpoint, the objective of this car is to improve the quality and attention to detail in design and operation over that of the outgoing W203. This focus on quality and improved design is what is reeling me back in to the C class. The W203 left a sour taste in my mouth.... it had poor fit and finish, and looked like the skin of a W220 melted over a dodge neon frame... I never liked it, it never grew on me, and I doubt it ever will.

Along with Hatties observations, I too I find that the new C class looks more substantial and elegant over the W203.., it brings back the more masculine, taut, angular look that was lost after the W202 went out of production... it is bold and strong looking like a Mercedes ought to look. The W203 was a little too rounded and swoopy for my tastes- everything was rounded and curved.. from the headlights and grille to the dashboard and console- which really lent the car to a more mundane, generic, and less striking over all look.

The new design of the W204 is a grand improvement over the W203. It also sounds like it will be a much better car in terms of fit and finish. If all goes well, MB probably wont step on the toes of its rivals with this car, but they will undoubtedly win back many previous buyers with the quality improvements, younger buyers that prefer MB's with its Avantgarde models, traditional buyers with the Elegance models, and true performace oriented drivers with the C63AMG.

The 3 series, while having its legendary sporting qualities never did much for me in the way of aesthetics. The Audi A4 features unique qualities, but from experience has never felt anything more special than a dressed up VW. The W202 had the ability to blend a certain amt of performance, luxury, and good design into one package. The W203 came out of left field and was one of the first flop cars in terms of lacking traditional MB quality. Im crossing my fingers on the W204. The only other new mid size luxury sport sedan to appeal to me almost as much as an MB of the past has been Volvo's S60R.

In regards to Alfa's, my aunt and uncle both drive them. She has a 147, and he has a 166. Stunning cars in every way. I too would agree, that with some minor tweaks (primarily quality control) an Alfa sport sedan would have an edge over all 3 German staples of this segment here in the U.S. if a strong dealer suppor system could be put in place here, along with competitive pricing.

__________________
Nate

1995 E420
1992 BMW 525i
1984 300D Turbo sold
1993 Volvo 244 sold
1995 Volvo 944T R.I.P!


"The details are not details. They make the product."
-Charles Eames

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