Topic: First Drive: 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

[Fobroader]

These smaller 'luxury' cars are going to be a hit. Guaranteed. You or I might not agree with them in some sort of sad dogmatic enthusiast sense but it's the right business plan and there will be lots of urban hipsters and yuppies saying 'please take my money.'

Yes, no question they will sell lots of these.

Would you roll the dice with reliability though??

No way.

Yeah, gonna be hard to pull someone out of a proven Japanese car and into a fresh off the design paper FGC me thinks....

[rrocket]

^^That's fine and good if you can buy a new car every 2 years.

[sailor723]

These smaller 'luxury' cars are going to be a hit. Guaranteed. You or I might not agree with them in some sort of sad dogmatic enthusiast sense but it's the right business plan and there will be lots of urban hipsters and yuppies saying 'please take my money.'

Yes, no question they will sell lots of these.

Would you roll the dice with reliability though??

No more of a "roll of the dice" than buying a lot of other cars .....ie Jeep, VW, Chrysler, many GM's etc etc....they seem to sell lots. 

[CanuckS2K]

These smaller 'luxury' cars are going to be a hit. Guaranteed. You or I might not agree with them in some sort of sad dogmatic enthusiast sense but it's the right business plan and there will be lots of urban hipsters and yuppies saying 'please take my money.'

Yes, no question they will sell lots of these.

Would you roll the dice with reliability though??

The CLA ain't for me. At least for the foreseeable future I don't see myself buying new. The value of lightly used cars down South is just too great. BUT, if I were to buy this thing as long as I have a warranty reliability wouldn't scare me...I'm fairly flexible that way (IE not commuting).

Reliability is a huge concern for me even within warranty.  I don't want to be wasting my time with the inconvenience of needing to bring a vehicle to the shop on a monthly basis.  To me, it's a total PITA even though it costs nothing out of pocket. 

[Fobroader]

These smaller 'luxury' cars are going to be a hit. Guaranteed. You or I might not agree with them in some sort of sad dogmatic enthusiast sense but it's the right business plan and there will be lots of urban hipsters and yuppies saying 'please take my money.'

Yes, no question they will sell lots of these.

Would you roll the dice with reliability though??

No more of a "roll of the dice" than buying a lot of other cars .....ie Jeep, VW, Chrysler, many GM's etc etc....they seem to sell lots. 

Uhh, yeah, well, according to CR, forums, word of mouth, when it comes to going to the dealer in the front of a tow truck or in a courtesy car, ze Germans have this category locked up tight.

[rrocket]

^^That's fine and good if you can buy a new car every 2 years.

What do you mean? Because I buy used or if I hypothetically bought a Benz?

You said if it had a warranty, no worries.  Which means you'd be buying a new car every couple of years to have a warranty.  Unless you dropped $$$$ for extended warranty.

[sailor723]

When it comes to reliability I think the German cars are more model specific. Unlike Lexus where pretty much everything is nearly bulletproof or Chrysler/Jeep where almost everything isn't, reliability among the German offerings seems to vary. Look at my ML. I know a guy with a 2010 gas ML that has had zero issues.(Of course he doesn't have diesel emissions controls, Blind Spot or Parktronic....those are the things that have accounted for 90% of my issues)  Or take BMW. The 3 series rates above average reliability while the 7 series is a nightmare by all accounts.

[johngenx]

Reliability is a huge concern for me even within warranty.  I don't want to be wasting my time with the inconvenience of needing to bring a vehicle to the shop on a monthly basis.  To me, it's a total PITA even though it costs nothing out of pocket.

^^^This.  Our E300 lemon didn't cost us a nickel thanks to MB's amazing warranty service (towing, loaner, etc) BUT the frequent trips and the incredible PITA of going out in the morning and finding the car ONCE AGAIN dead (glow plug failures too many times to count) had us sell the car.

[johngenx]

while the 7 series is a nightmare by all accounts.

I understand that the 7 would have to come up a lot to be considered only "a nightmare."

[Fobroader]

Reliability is a huge concern for me even within warranty.  I don't want to be wasting my time with the inconvenience of needing to bring a vehicle to the shop on a monthly basis.  To me, it's a total PITA even though it costs nothing out of pocket.

^^^This.  Our E300 lemon didn't cost us a nickel thanks to MB's amazing warranty service (towing, loaner, etc) BUT the frequent trips and the incredible PITA of going out in the morning and finding the car ONCE AGAIN dead (glow plug failures too many times to count) had us sell the car.

Just after hearing sailors problems with his SUV....I dont want that. It isnt the fact that the work is done for free, its the fact I need to arrange a way to get the car there, get myself to work and back.....no thank you.

[tortoise]

But what's wrong with Mercedes offering smaller, less expensive luxury cars too?  Clearly there's been a void in the NA market for these small, but still luxurious vehicles.  BMW, Audi and Mercedes have been racing to fill it over the last decade with rising fuel costs and a general shift in attitude about these smaller cars (especially in urban centres).  Really the only option in NA before these newer models was an optioned up GTI.

IMO the TSX also occupied this category of near-luxury or however you want to describe it.

Now that MB has a package that's close in size and cost to the Acura I suspect a lot of people (particularly leasers) will not bother setting foot in the Acura dealership. 

Agree that we'll be seeing a lot of the CLA's on the road.  I wonder if it will cannibalize sales from the C-Class.

   

[rrocket]

IMO the TSX also occupied this category of near-luxury or however you want to describe it.

Now that MB has a package that's close in size and cost to the Acura I suspect a lot of people (particularly leasers) will not bother setting foot in the Acura dealership. 

Agree that we'll be seeing a lot of the CLA's on the road.  I wonder if it will cannibalize sales from the C-Class.

 

Unless reliability is important to them.

[tortoise]

Agreed.  But a lot of people in this category lease and will be content knowing that there's a warranty.  I imagine few people consider the hassle of having to go to the dealer when buying a car.

[johngenx]

Agreed.  But a lot of people in this category lease and will be content knowing that there's a warranty.  I imagine few people consider the hassle of having to go to the dealer when buying a car.

But after they do, they won't return.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Agreed.  But a lot of people in this category lease and will be content knowing that there's a warranty.  I imagine few people consider the hassle of having to go to the dealer when buying a car.

In 2008, it came down to the Outback, the Passat wagon and the Mazda5 for us. Mrs Jackson asked about reliability and I said that the VW had a good warranty, she said:"I'm not sitting around a dealership waiting for repairs, free or not." Then there were two.

[sailor723]

 I think a lot of CLA customers will be first time Mercedes buyers and many will think Mercedes Benz=superb engineering/built like a bank vault/bulletproof  (the reputation MB earned in the 70's and 80's and still has in the minds of many non enthusiasts )

The CLA type models may get Benz a lot of new customers but if they screw it up they'll be one time only buyers.

[CanuckS2K]

Agreed.  But a lot of people in this category lease and will be content knowing that there's a warranty.  I imagine few people consider the hassle of having to go to the dealer when buying a car.

In 2008, it came down to the Outback, the Passat wagon and the Mazda5 for us. Mrs Jackson asked about reliability and I said that the VW had a good warranty, she said:"I'm not sitting around a dealership waiting for repairs, free or not." Then there were two.

Mrs. Jackson is a smart woman.......I totally agree with her. 

[CanuckS2K]

I think a lot of CLA customers will be first time Mercedes buyers and many will think Mercedes Benz=superb engineering/built like a bank vault/bulletproof  (the reputation MB earning in the 70's and 80's and still has in the minds of many non enthusiasts )

The CLA type models may get Benz a lot of new customers but if they screw it up they'll be one time only buyers.

Totally agree.  I purchased a brand new Wolfsburg Jetta back in 1998 and constant trips to the dealer and being left stranded a few times made me a one time VW purchaser.  Never again. 

[Snowman]

  The only reason I drive an Audi is because I have 3 Japanese cars backing me up. 

[Northernridge]

The only reason I drive an Audi is because I have 3 Japanese cars backing me up.

Have you suffered from similar reliability problems as Sailor? Over the past year how many times have you had the car back to the dealer for warranty work?