Mercedes Vision GLK previews X3-fighter

Please note that I'm not going at you, but sometimes I get very angry at similar comments: sorry if I was too aggressive; however, your comment seemed to give the impression that Mercedes isn't a good brand; you emphasised too much the problems they had in that short era, which was a-bit cruel, even if true, since they are working very hard to eliminate the problems. What really heated me up was your comment of "some flaws that appear to creep into Merc's design & engineering processes now and then in recent years"...what problems have they got "now"? As I said the GLK right-hand-drive conversion isn't an engineering problem. Also, you are mistaken about saying that you didn't comment about the chassis of the A-Class: then what about the 'slight' mention of the elk test? Anyway, what's past is past: quality issues have been largely addressed and are on the right track.

As to the C-Class and E-Class, I agree that both are superior to its Bavarian rivals, however I do not entirely agree with them being inferior to the Mondeo and Jaguar. I cannot deny that I was rather 'envious' at how journalists seemed to rave about the Mondeo about being sporty and comfortable, while giving the impression that the C-Class is just as comfortable but not as sporty, which is a great achievement for Ford. However, the Mondeo is already having various problems, such as water draining into the boot when the tailgate is opened; on the other hand, the C-Class won't have much issues having been tested over 15 million miles. As to the XF, I do think that it's a better car, but let us not forget that the E-Class is now around 6 years old; considering this age, it has remained quite competitive. However, I cannot really say which is the better of them all since I have not driven them.

Therefore, as to your question of what's really getting to me...I reply that we should see the true facts and not try to bring ridiculous excuses. Of course, every company has its weaknesses, but I can assure you that Mercedes not only records and admits these problems, but also solves them and goes to great lengths to ensure these problems wouldn't occur again: both in terms of reliability and even in other areas.

One last note to Kee Law: I have to agree (in part) to Mercedes having image problems, although for different reasons. I do think that they appeal to younger markets: the C-Class Sport, SLK and CLS are just 3 models coming into my mind right now, and I think that the AMG versions look good considering what they're aimed for. What I don't like is that they don't seem to be as creative as before: I have never seen any design similar to those fabulous twin-headlights like those on the E-Class and the elegant rear light clusters like those on the previous-generation S-Class (excluding Chinese cars, obviously) which were quite original. The fact that they are now using single headlights and different rear clusters like the rest is not problem, mind, but they don't have that sense of originality as before. For example, the CLS, although having single headlights, is simply a work of art and cannot see how they haven't incorporated more of its design into its other cars, so much so that Porsche, Aston and VW want to produce models to compete against it: the just-unveiled-VW was even spied testing alongside the CLS! Also, I was quite disappointed by the interior of the C-Class: the main problem being, I think, the air vents, which look a-bit cheap...especially when I think of the second-newest model (ignoring face-lifts): the S-Class, which has an interior rivals would die for...hope next year's E-Class interior will be more S-Class than C-Class, but time will tell.

What I can be sure of right now that despite these minor niggles, new Merc's are much improved over their current versions considering the vast range they have and the great list of problems they encountered in that small 'era', and I'm sure that time will cure these problems.