Crawling From The Wreckage

Crawling From The Wreckage

Well, not exactly but they certainly didn't end up at the end of a sewer pipe to later cash in hundreds of thousands of dollars of laundered money. There were several reasons for that. First, given what it was, where it was being sold for the first time and for what it was being sold for, the original Q45 was a BMW 5 series without being a BMW. And BMW's, particularly back then, weren't for everyone; BMW having the market on dour, high performance automobiles pretty much all to themselves. 75,000 in 2017 dollars for sale in the U.S. Despite its brilliant execution, the interior of "the Q" fell way short of what well heeled buyers in this country expected of a luxury automobile. What's more, the ride and handling of the original Q45, our subject car is a 1992 Q45t, was far too "sporty" for most of the targeted clientele.

Some say "sporty", some say "stiff", others say "bone jarring"; perspective buyers of the original Q45 said, "let's take that also new for 1990 Lexus LS400 with the flashy interior and supple yet compliant ride for a test drive". No surprise, the Lexus LS400 crushed the Q45 at the box office. Nissan broke through a wall and little rock hammer in hand, found they were not were they intended to be. Many blame this "prize fight belt buckle" front end for the Q45's less than stellar opening weekend but there was more to it than that. While Nissan's luxury division certainly has cache today, it's not at the level of Lexus and chances are it never will be. It was or isn't, after all these years, for a lack of trying either for there have been several Infiniti models, the original Q45 included, that have been outstanding. However, as we've seen time and time again, an outstanding automobile is not a harbinger of strong sales. Hard work after all, in and of itself, is over rated. Combine hard work with working smart, in this case developing an automobile that its target market really wanted, and it would be hard to argue that today Infiniti wouldn't be every bit the Lexus that BMW is a Mercedes Benz.

The 2019 Mercedes-Benz A220 Sedan sits between the entry-level A180 and the A250. What does the Mercedes-Benz A220 Sedan offer to customers? The four-door A220 Sedan has a wheelbase measuring 107.4 inches. The weight of the car is about 3,200 to 3,300 lbs. The vehicle follows the design of the A-Class hatchback but traces of the CLA styling can be seen at its rear. Meanwhile, the body of the A220 features smooth and clean surfaces. The cabin of the car has a five-passenger layout. Basically, the design reflects all the elements found in the A-Class hatch. The highlight of the A220鈥檚 interior is its dual-screen infotainment system measuring 7 inches each. It can be upgraded to twin 10.25-inch screens, and it uses the new MBUX intelligent multimedia system that is capable of processing voice commands and learning from the preferences of its users. The Mercedes-Benz A220 Sedan is equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The unit produces 188 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque. The power is distributed by a seven-speed automatic transmission to either an FWD or 4MATIC AWD system. A 188 hp output might be low for a premium car, but thanks to the light weight of the A220, it is capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in 6.8 and 6.6 seconds for the FWD and AWD versions, respectively. On the other hand, the top speed of the auto is electronically-capped at 130 mph.

Entry-level compact luxury vehicles are a bit of a tricky segment, both for the automaker and the consumer. The automaker has to be aware of expectations and try to provide a vehicle more powerful and luxurious than top-end family cars, but with the same price tag. The consumer has to be aware that the automaker often achieves this through cutting performance and making many features expensive options that are standard on similarly priced family cars. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class has managed to straddle this line for years, challenged only by the BMW 3-Series for the top of the class. The revamped Mbrace2 telematics suite is standard fare. The new AMG Sports Package Plus modifies the front suspension (coupes only), and integrates a sport-themed cabin, burlier exhaust tuning, and 18-inch wheels. Distronic Plus adaptive cruise control is an option. The C300鈥檚 3.0L V-6 gets direct injection and an extra 20 hp and 30 lb-ft of torque, along with Eco Start/Stop. The outside of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class projects an appropriate mix of sportiness, luxury, and class, as befitting a Mercedes-Benz.