I can totally see Mercedes not being that pissed off these photos got out early. I mean, it looks pretty much the same. When the Kia Optima's refresh is more significant than yours, you haven't done enough.
These are looking less and less like Mercedes children and more and more like Toyota or some other bland-mobile. Take off that star and it could be a Focus.
Where is the styling?!
@LoganSix: Maybe they used the bean counters from Chrysler when they designed the interior and not a direct parts source. The new E class is slightly better, the switches don't rattle as much.
Mercifully, the sedan is turned in such a way that the new grille is not visible. If it wasn't, I imagine many visitors to the site with, you know, a sense of aesthetics, would be turned off instantly.
An optioned SES is perhaps a little more expensive than I would have hoped, but it sure isn't unreasonable. I totally expect to see AMV of $1500 on the first run to hit the market, though. That's how I found the $34,000 Fusion Hybrid.
OK, the minimum I could come up with for an acceptable trim level (to me) was $16,390.00 for the SE hatch with Sync. But the website says they'll throw in Sync if you reserve online meaning the price would be $15,795.00. To actually option one up the way I'd want, I got $17,795.00 for the SES hatch, but that has the same Sync rebate. As far as I can tell, the full-boat, check-every-box, loaded SES hatch with horrible graphics and an automatic comes to $21,265.00.
But having sworn off new cars, I would guess that when the first of these start coming off 2-yr leases in 2011, they're going to hit the auction with between 20K and 30K mi. and a wholesale price around $8K. Kind of makes me wish I had a 14-yr-old daughter.
I hope that price includes a budget for Ford to keep replacing the hinges on its dealer's doors once these are in the lot. These suckers are going to fly right out.
@FTGDWolverineEdition'09: same shit with the versa. doesn't make any sense. same price i might understand, since there's a wiper and stuff in there offsetting the extra metalwork, but no way should the hatch be more. truth is, you're paying for less ugly.
@snapoversteer 'bout to get told: Nope, glad to say I missed the pics. I was actually hoping (for once) that we'd get a single 5-door configuration here, unlike the unholy sedan abominations known as Versa and Yaris.
@Peugeot 504 - the Car for Nigeria: Even our pickup trucks are sedans on 'roids. How else can you explain the massive crewcabs with the 4-foot bed in the back?
@Ash78, cube farmer: Damn straight. You can count on Americans to take an otherwise useful vehicle and demand that it fit four people with big asses, no matter the cost. But we hate wagons, because they remind us of said big asses.
Edited by Peugeot 504 - the Car for Nigeria at 12/03/09 1:55 PM
Peugeot 504 - the Car for Nigeria was starred
Peugeot 504 - the Car for Nigeria was unstarred
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12/07/09
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Where is the styling?!
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If only there was a blog that was into the whole "airing of the grievences" thing.
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/tread-to-tread wheelbase = 2 inches
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I hope that price includes a budget for Ford to keep replacing the hinges on its dealer's doors once these are in the lot. These suckers are going to fly right out.
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/hoping for Eco-Boost variant...
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Oh, man, and look at that rear overhang. I think I'm going to be sick.
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