Review: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic

People form lasting impressions at an early age. This might explain why, among the general population over 35, neither Audi nor BMW can match the mystique of a Mercedes. Even the bottom-of-the-US-range C300 raises eyebrows from people who’ll give an Audi A7 nary a passing glance (and who’d view spending an extra $8,000 for a hatchback as lunacy). But will this continue to be the case with subsequent generations, or will Mercedes follow in the footsteps of Cadillac? A brand is only as strong as its weakest link. Does the C300 justify the cachet attached to its three-pointed star?

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New or Used: Wants, Needs and Bathwater

Steven writes:

Sajeev and Steve,

I have a 2001 Volvo XC wagon, that has about 175 k on it, the car is in pretty good shape, had the tranny replaced before I got it, I have put about 4k in since Jan, the real problem is it gets about 22 MPG with 90% highway, all wheel drive and Turbo=bad gas mileage, I drive about 40,000 miles a year and betwen the gas and the upkeep I am getting killed, hence time for a new car.

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The Benzification Of China

Mercedes-Benz continues its long march forward in China. In February, “Benz” (as the locals call the brand here) racked in a 160 percent growth. 7,200 additional Benzes graced China’s roads by end of February.

With more than 15,300 units sold in the first two months of the year, up 155 percent, Mercedes-Benz calls itself the fastest-growing luxury brand in China, Gasgoo reports.

Imports of the S-Class grew by 115 percent in February, cementing China as the world’s biggest S-Class market. The new generation S-Class is extremely popular amongst China’s well-to-do.

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  • ToolGuy You people worry too much. I voted today, and I made some very solid choices. Trust me, your problems are over.
  • ToolGuy Meanwhile Jim Farley, Ford CEO is driving a China EV.
  • SCE to AUX It's cheap for a Lucid, and probably too cheap to make a profit.
  • Tassos At $80k worthless, cackling Kamala Dollars it will sell a few lousy cheap Lucids. But if you are asking if it will sell a MILLION UNITS A YEAR, NOT IN YOUR SILLY DREAMS. NO OTHER MODEL THAN THE Model 3/Y has been able to Achieve this sTUNNing success.
  • AMcA Lyriq was a slow seller early this year - I went on the website and looked at dealer inventory, and they were stacked up like cord wood. I tried the same search a couple weeks back and it looks like they're in short supply now, only a handful in my area. It appears it's caught on, which justifies this further variant.