Neither Have I. Why Is It?

Neither Have I. Why Is It?

Anyone know anybody who recently bought a brand new Volvo? Neither have I. Why is it? The cars are well designed. The exterior looks pretty good and the interior gets some pretty nifty touches like the floating dashboard and unique switchgear. Everything feels well built but no one seems to be actually warming up to the Swedish brand here in Malaysia. It used to be otherwise. In the 1980s and 1990s you see people driving Volvos everywhere. They were even the choice for Government officials and companies like using them for company cars. In those days Volvos were priced somewhere like where Volkswagen cars are priced these days, slightly lower than Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi. Companies like giving the Volvo 240 or the 760 series as a car that sits between the higher priced Mercedes w124 200E and 230E cars. Somehow it showed you your place in the company's hierarchy and Volvos sold a fair bit then.

The brands never really complimented each other in any way. Wise from the get-go and great execution. Do I like Minis? They're overpriced, ugly, small and impractical. I'd take a Puegeot 207 any day. But the brand has an identity and it compliments BMW. The only reason for the DaimlerChrysler merger was blind ambition. And all Chrysler did for them was drag down the image of Mercedes. There are automakers, like BMW, who, after the debacle with Rover, played it smart with Mini to great success. There are others, like Peugeot, who like to grow organically and shy away from mergers or large, risky adventures. There is VW Group, whose collection of brands makes perfect sense, if they don't always manage it well or exploit their brands properly or position their products the right way. Mercedes-Benz is now revamping its public image. It is changing the look of its marketing and ad material and it's corporate logo, the silver star with "Mercedes-Benz" in writing below will now become just the star along. It will sit in the top right corner of the ads as if to say that the badge speaks for itself. This is smart. This is what they should be focused on. Reminding people that they make great cars. That should be enough.

Its major advantages over a conventional nickel/metal hydride battery are a higher energy density and higher electrical efficiency, combined with more compact dimensions and a lower battery weight. 65 mm). The wet start-up clutch also allows purely electric driving, as well as "sailing", and therefore significantly increases the potential for reducing consumption. Kinetic energy recuperation: when coasting or braking. When the car is coasting (decelerating on the overrun), the electric motor acts as a generator and feeds the kinetic energy back to the high-voltage battery. When the brake pedal is depressed, the generator output is initially increased proportionally for greater deceleration. Only when increased brake pressure is applied are the wheel brakes also operated. To make this function possible the E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID has brakes specially adapted for energy recuperation. Sailing: this is possible at speeds below 160 km/h. The combustion engine shuts down and the desired speed is maintained by the electric motor alone until the battery needs recharging.

With a 241-horsepower rating, this powertrain combines a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a nine-speed automatic transmission. The base C300 gets 24 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway, which is a typical fuel economy rating for a luxury small car. The C350e Plug-in Hybrid has a 51 mpg-equivalent rating and can drive about 8 miles on electric power alone. Fuel economy in AMG models ranges from 17-20 mpg in the city to 22-27 mpg on the highway. The C300 is stable and relaxed, with driving dynamics that lean toward comfort, while still permitting some athletic jaunts. Handling becomes more aggressive with AMG models, though these are still polished. Test drivers recommend the available Airmatic air suspension system if you want to adjust the ride quality. Is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Reliable? The 2018 C-Class has a predicted reliability rating of two out of five from J.D. Power. That's a poor rating in general (three is considered average), and it's one of the lowest ratings in the class. The 2018 C-Class comes with a four-year/50,000-mile limited warranty.

The C-Class performs very well in most crash tests. It aces every side crash test conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and it earns four stars for its front and rollover simulations. The NHTSA gives it an overall safety rating of five-out-of-five stars. At the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the C-Class receives the highest score of Good in five individual crash tests. Which Mercedes-Benz C-Class Model Is Right for Me? 40,250) comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, a nine-speed automatic transmission, and rear-wheel drive. The plug-in hybrid C350e combines a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a seven-speed automatic transmission and a single electric motor. Most features included in the C300 carry over to the Mercedes C350e, along with pre-entry climate control and a touchpad controller. 4,043 federal tax credit is available for eligible buyers. A twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6 engine and a nine-speed automatic transmission power the Mercedes-AMG C43.