Mercedes CLA

Tech786 said:
On what basis? Which part of his review stood out for you that you can write it off as "not a good car?"
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the part about the handling, the part about where he says "im MR unimpressed right now", the part where he says he doesnt care if its faster than an m135i, he prefers the m135i. In the quick lap, he complains quite a bit about the car

He has also mentioned in other reviews just how much he dislikes the handling.

/EDIT/
I have never driven the car, so i am just using online reviews.
I have seen multiple ones though that are not as favorable as they should be with the RS3. And since it has a nice price tag, i would still go with the m135i
 
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Tech786 said:
A45 getting its ass whipped by the modified hatch backs already.

It has a good engine, looks horrid(my opinion), nice new entry into the market.
Would I buy one? Nope.

The new S3 has been roaming our streets already, with a few tweaks it will out run the A45 I think, if so, its the better car.
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So what if modified hatches are beating it? Or if an S3 modified can out run it? Is everything about straight line performance?
I had an uno turbo once, that was heavily modified and beat cars easily 5 times the cost of it. Certainly doesnt make it a better car though.

I guess it depends what you want. If you want bragging rights for straight line performance, then cool.
If you want a mixture of comfort and speed , or of you want a hardcore track car.
Each has its place, you just need to decide which suits you.

Personally, I think the AMG doesn't do enough of the things I like to warrant such a price tag.
 
syntax said:
So what if modified hatches are beating it? Or if an S3 modified can out run it? Is everything about straight line performance?
I had an uno turbo once, that was heavily modified and beat cars easily 5 times the cost of it. Certainly doesnt make it a better car though.

I guess it depends what you want. If you want bragging rights for straight line performance, then cool.
If you want a mixture of comfort and speed , or of you want a hardcore track car.
Each has its place, you just need to decide which suits you.

Personally, I think the AMG doesn't do enough of the things I like to warrant such a price tag.
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Why do you consider modifying only part of straight line performance? Do you belief there are no mods for handling?
You had an Uno Turbo once, ill ignore the rest, im sure you can understand why.

I do believe a mildly modified S3 will bring the speed and comfort balance that the AMG has quite easily if not better.

As for reviews done by track driving, I believe a track car is for the track and a road car is for the road. Its a track review, should not adjust your opinion of the car on the road.

Either way the A45 is a cool car, it has street cred, it has an expensive AMG badge, only true car enthusiasts and street racers will buy it, we will know the true value and performance of the car in another 6 months when the tinkering under the bonnet starts.
 
Tech786 said:
Why do you consider modifying only part of straight line performance? Do you belief there are no mods for handling?
You had an Uno Turbo once, ill ignore the rest, im sure you can understand why.

I do believe a mildly modified S3 will bring the speed and comfort balance that the AMG has quite easily if not better.

As for reviews done by track driving, I believe a track car is for the track and a road car is for the road. Its a track review, should not adjust your opinion of the car on the road.

Either way the A45 is a cool car, it has street cred, it has an expensive AMG badge, only true car enthusiasts and street racers will buy it, we will know the true value and performance of the car in another 6 months when the tinkering under the bonnet starts.
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I took the way you posted to mean "0 - 100" type performance.

On top of the uno turbo, ive modified opel TS's and had a superboss standard.
I can tell you, the superboss was the best car I have had, ever. Modifying it would have been a mistake, just as it was on all the other cars I have mod'd.

The S3 will only come out here with 206kw. To match the AMG on speed, it will need to be more than mildly modified i think?

The review was not just for track driving for the RS3, it compared it on most fronts and like i said, chris harris didnt seem to enjoy it as much as he should of.


Personally, I now will never modify a car. If i want something better, i should have bought something better. Again, thats my preference and experience from what i have done in the past
 
syntax said:
the part about the handling, the part about where he says "im MR unimpressed right now", the part where he says he doesnt care if its faster than an m135i, he prefers the m135i. In the quick lap, he complains quite a bit about the car

He has also mentioned in other reviews just how much he dislikes the handling.

/EDIT/
I have never driven the car, so i am just using online reviews.
I have seen multiple ones though that are not as favorable as they should be with the RS3. And since it has a nice price tag, i would still go with the m135i
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+1

Yep, I think Chris’s argument against RS3 is that driven flat out, there is no magical moment. The overall package does not live up to the hype of its individual parts.

The M135i is faster than you expect, dynamically competent than you expect from a non-M car, offers a compliant ride than you would expect. With runflat tires, it still manages to offer a better ride than A45 and RS3 running on normal tires. Finally, the price is great for the package.

The car also offers a lot of room for after market mods. The chassis can handle more power, the gearbox, the performance breaks, cooling system are up to the task, and we already know BMW x35 engines are a marvel for after market mods.
 
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syntax said:
I took the way you posted to mean "0 - 100" type performance.

On top of the uno turbo, ive modified opel TS's and had a superboss standard.
I can tell you, the superboss was the best car I have had, ever. Modifying it would have been a mistake, just as it was on all the other cars I have mod'd.

The S3 will only come out here with 206kw. To match the AMG on speed, it will need to be more than mildly modified i think?

The review was not just for track driving for the RS3, it compared it on most fronts and like i said, chris harris didnt seem to enjoy it as much as he should of.


Personally, I now will never modify a car. If i want something better, i should have bought something better. Again, thats my preference and experience from what i have done in the past
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Your modifying experience was probably very expensive and painful with those old cars.
Time have changed.

a 30-40kw gain on the new S3 will be mild mods or bolt on mods if you like. A mildly modified Edition 35 GTi can keep up to the A45 already (Straight line stats for arguments sake).

Im not sure there are mods available for the A45, anything more respected than the AMG name?

The RS3 on the track will not be as good as the M135, for the sole reason of the BM being RWD. In every other aspect the RS3 is a beast of a car.
 
I really don't know what more there is to say that hasn't been said already to be honest.

All I think I might want to point out once more is that I personally think the upcoming RS3 will likely be the car to have in the respective segment when one considers how much of an improvement the current S3 is over the previous model.
Well that, and that the Mercs really do have poverty spec... I have never heard of another car at that price range having rear airbags as optional, or asking 6,300 for red brakes, or not having auto aircon, or the man-made leather etc. I did make a post about such a comparison between the new GTI and the A250 on an entirely different forum actually, but I am pretty sure linking to another forum might get me in doo doo.
 
Debeer165 said:
Well that, and that the Mercs really do have poverty spec... I have never heard of another car at that price range having rear airbags as optional, or asking 6,300 for red brakes, or not having auto aircon, or the man-made leather etc. I did make a post about such a comparison between the new GTI and the A250 .
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True, I find A-Class over priced relative to its competitors. However, Leather is standard on A200, A220 CDI, A250 and A45. "DINAMICA/ARTICO man-made leather, without additional charge"
 
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dlk001 said:
However, Leather is standard on A200, A220 CDI, A250 and A45. "DINAMICA/ARTICO man-made leather, without additional charge"
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Ah yes, my mistake on the wording in my previous post. What I actually meant was not that the leather was optional, but the fact that they have man-made leather installed on such expensive cars, rather than actual leather which costs 13k extra.
 
Debeer165 said:
Ah yes, my mistake on the wording in my previous post. What I actually meant was not that the leather was optional, but the fact that they have man-made leather installed on such expensive cars, rather than actual leather which costs 13k extra.
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It's a standard thing.... same with BMW and Audi.
 
Not a big BMW buff myself, but I'm pretty sure the M135 comes with actual leather, not sure at all about the other models... Correct me if I'm wrong though.
And I know for a fact that the S3 comes with actual leather combined with cloth highlights at basic spec, with both Alcantara and Nappa available as optional
 
S3 comes with Alcantara/leather combination. Fine Nappa Leather is R 16 150

M135i comes with Cloth/Leather Combination Metro. Leather Dakota is R 12 100

A-Class comes with DINAMICA/ARTICO man-made leather (no cost), or Full leather upholstery with contrasting topstitching (no cost)
 
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dlk001 said:
S3 comes with Alcantara/leather combination. Fine Nappa Leather is R 16 150

M135i comes with Cloth/Leather Combination Metro. Leather Dakota is R 12 100

A-Class comes with DINAMICA/ARTICO man-made leather (no cost), or Full leather upholstery with contrasting topstitching (no cost)
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I appreciate the clarity. Sadly the S3 spreadsheet is currently down due to pricing adjustments so I couldn't check, and had to rely on the pre-release memo which had Alcantara as option and Cloth/Leather as standard.
Bolded part is my problem with Merc. They like to say X item is available at no cost but what they don't make as clear is that actually adding it requires you to option in an additional package.
Case in point: On the configurator, select the A45, go to interior, and try to add in any full leather option. You need to add in either the AMG Exclusive Package at 13,499 or the standard Exclusive Package at 14,000.

Mercop1.jpgMercop2.jpg
 
Yeah I see your point there and now I'm convinced not to trust online configurators. I saw the same inconsistency in the BMW online configurator for the 435i.

This is a Merc A-Class price list which you will find at dealerships

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/79821332/W176 A-Class Pricing_Specification incl A45 AMG.pdf

Another thing I find weird about Merc A-Class is A250 and A45 come with normal tires (no spare wheel) while other models come with runflat tires (no spare wheel). So if you drive A250 or A45, you must pray to never get stuck with a tire failure.
 
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Thing is, I don't think it's an inconsistency with the configurator itself. Seems to simply be a sneaky sneaky strategy by Merc to advertise competitively with the addition of some fine print. And since comparative advertising is no longer allowed the competitors cannot call them out on it, and clients who try to take it up would simply be told that they signed and thus carry responsibility since it is there in writing even though it is hidden behind a few layers.
Legally, it is a free optional extra, but it also has an asterisk on the downloaded pricelist saying OICW (only in conjunction with) so and so which is not free. Once I actually realized that my scam alert went off and I decided to avoid buying a Merc in future. If they can try and screw you over with something this basic, what would they try and pull with the much more complicated legalities?

Which is one thing I have to say I appreciate about VW group dealers. Options are per item rather than packaged so you know exactly what you are getting unlike with BMW and Merc who love their optional equipment lines and style packages.
 
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