Salon de TDUCK: New Car Releases

[The Compensator]

And why's the MMI button in front of the selector? Can you rest your wrist on the selector now?

 

Yes, you have answered your question. The A8 has had it like that since 2009.

[CarMadMike]

Mercedes G35d Professional:

 

Images from Jalopnik - Drive Free or Die

 

The details:

- 245bhp 3.0 V6

- 7G Tronic Auto.

- Comes with all the locking diffs etc

- 15% more efficient than before

- Comes with cloth seats and plastic floor mats.

- Options for a winch, running boards, caged lights

- No info screen, no heated seats etc

- Price starts €79,968

 

At first I was like, I LIKE THIS!, THIS IS MORE LIKE IT!, but the lack of info screen is unforgivable at that price point. It makes the question 'who exactly is this for?' slightly harder to answer. I love the idea of cloth seats, the wooden rear deck thing etc but at that price they're wading into Porsche's infamous LESS = MORE MONEY ideology.

 

As an entry level G, they'll be attracting people who want to be a Kardashian but can't afford the G63, this thing looks the same as that to most people (as it is the same identical thing). But those people will want an infotainment screen etc. You could easily buy this and debadge it and claim you're some hollywood D-list nobody. But that awful looking 'professional' thing where the screen should be is one of the worst things i've seen in a car interior in a long long time.

[The Compensator]

Eh, I liked the older G 280 CDI Pro more:

 

[CarMadMike]

:drool: Those seats.

 

That car is probably still as capable off road as the car in my post, surely those so keen on off roading as to want a car with a winch etc, but not want the luxuries of sat nav/leather seats would just buy THAT car in your post for a third if not less of the price? I don't get exactly what they're doing here.

 

Will they still offer a G350d that isn't 'professional' that comes with all the luxuries etc?

 

This move from Merc makes me interested in exactly what LR have in store with their new Defender, which is overdue and can't be that long away, they've put a lot of time into it so hopefully it'll be something decent. If LR mess it up and try and make themselves competitors in both price and product to this Merc then it really does beg the question as to why Jeep aren't trying to push the Wrangler over here more than they're already doing, the market is wide open for them.

[The Compensator]

I don't get exactly what they're doing here.

 

Making limited editions of a car that can be sold at a premium to make it even more profitable. :p

 

Will they still offer a G350d that isn't 'professional' that comes with all the luxuries etc?

 

Of course. It's the most popular one, at least according to mobile.de.

---

Mercedes-Benz E-Klasse T-Model (S213)

 

"In Germany, the Estate is known as the "T-Modell" and although the "T" suggests tourism and transport, it also stands for trendsetter."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surprise! It looks like a C-class estate, a bit bigger one. The only noticeable difference is that the E-class does not have those awful, fake rear vertical vents and that it has horizontal red reflectors.

 

• the boot/trunk/laderaum is smaller than before (670/1820 litres vs 695/1950)
  
• although, according to Daimler, a Europallet fits in the boot/trunk/laderaum
  
• it can still be a 7-seater
  
• the rear bench is adjustable now (the backrest has a 10 degree movement)
  
• engines are obviously the same, the AMG version has not been revealed yet
  
• notable optional equipment is the Acoustic Comfort Package consisting of "special acoustic film in the windscreen and side windows, sound-insulating measures such as additional insulation in the rear footwell and on the centre tunnel... To provide excellent heat insulation in the interior, the windscreen, side windows and rear windows are made of laminated safety glass with another layer of film that absorbs infrared."
  

[CLR-GTR]

Those wheels on the blue thing are just too big. They look like they were designed with some classy idea and a luxury-car appearance, but whoever doesn't get out with a broken back deserves a medal and that doesn't sound like something for a luxury car. And once again it looks similar like the other cars they sell, not even the proportions thing helps here as the C looks good enough in estate shape, mainly because the rear end isn't too short.

 

I like it like this... then again I'd also like the C if it looked similar, and because they're so similar you might go for a C with better equipment:

 

 

 

 

And yes, ofcourse those exhaust tips are just trim with a single pipe hanging behind it.

[The Compensator]

Yuh, the black E 43 looks the best... and I don't even like black. THATSWHATSHESAID RIGHT HAHAHAHA

 

:oook:

 

I saw them fake tips today in some video. I was naively thinking that only lesser models had them. So stupid. So inadmissible. I remember that base UFO-gen Honda Civics had fake tips.

[CLR-GTR]

I saw them fake tips today in some video. I was naively thinking that only lesser models had them.

 

 

Think again, even real AMG's have them fake:

 

[The Compensator]

Well, I thought you had this on mind (pictured is a 205, but the 213 is the same):

 

 

but yeah, that integrated fake exhaust tip trend is awful and unfortunately, they're not the only one doing this. Audi, Bentley, BMW, Lexus... and Skoda Octavia RS TDI.

[CarMadMike]

I wonder just how much money they're saving by having cheap tips? I imagine the margins on the AMG models can be quite extensive so the cost-cutting on the pipes is pretty disappointing. Especially when you see those rubbish plastic trim 'exhausts that don't even try to look like exhausts' like in the pic above on high specced S-Classes, do the customers really not deserve slightly better than that Mercedes, really?

[The Compensator]

I don't know, but what I know is that every cent counts, unfortunately. What makes it even more ridiculous is that the rivals (A4, 3 Series) have all real exhaust tips.

 

On a related note: AMG GT R teaser.

 

 

Premiere is 24. June. It will feature the same grille as the old SL and the AMG GT race car, and 585 PS & 700 Nm.

[CLR-GTR]

And special bucket seats, and an adjustable rear wing, and a bright green paint job and green details inside. The GT3 grille is just winner.

[The Compensator]

You forgot to mention the central exhaust.

[CLR-GTR]

Because I rather would not be reminded of it :p They could have gone more GT3 with it by giving it side pipes. Ah well, nice challenge for Akrapovic and the likes.

[The Compensator]

Oh yes, side pipes like the SLR.

[CarMadMike]

Oh so the beast of the green hell tags/thingies are to do with the AMG GT R? Someone somewhere thought they meant it was the Agera returning to the ring :hmmm:

 

Not interested in the GT R, the standard gt S is good enough for me haha

[The Compensator]

That was me.

[CarMadMike]

 

Rolls Royce Vison NEXT 100 revealed.

 

:shrug: I quite like many of the ideas being presented here, with the new Phantom being revealed within the next year it's just a bit of a waste as from what we've seen the new Phantom will not look any different from the previous one, meaning this concept is basically a bit of a waste of time. I'd love for that to be wrong though.

[Ryzza5]

100... hopefully the number of years until production so that I don't have to see it again

[Eudemon]

I'd love to start seeing proper future cars on the roads. Not sure about the wheel surroundings though.

[CLR-GTR]

Aston Martin has announced the Vanquish Zagato will go in production. They will build 99 units of the 600 hp strong beauty which can do 0-100km/h in 3.5 seconds.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and Merc wants to cut themselves: they have begun road testing the AMG GT roadster, a car which could get dangerously close to the SL, especially if the next generation will ditch the folding metal roof and become a more sporty oriented roadster as has been stated quite some times already. Then again, initial interviews always mentioned 0 possibilities for an AMG GT roadster... and who would have thought MB would badge-engineer a pick-up truck?

 

 

[The Compensator]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very well done, Porsche. Still a wee bit ass-heavy, but NICE. :clap:

[hassan1995]

That looks so good, that is exactly how the panamera should have started as not that ugly whale, this though :drool:

[Andreas¹]

I'm not really sure what I think. The back is just... heavy, as Merc put it. It's too big, it's got X6-syndrome. The front I can hardly tell apart from the old one. Subtle changes, but good ones.

[hassan1995]

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Not sure :mhmm: the grill is a bit ugly.