W212 vs W204 Prices

[st13phil]

Just downloaded the new E-Class UK pricelist from the Mercedes-Benz website and was astonished at the standard equipment levels on the car. It looked to me like the prices of similarly spec'd C's and E's would be pretty close, so I just did a quick comparison using the C320 CDI Elegance and E350 CDI Avantgarde as the starting points as both have (essentially) the same engine and 7G-Tronic transmission as standard.

The C-Class starts off at £31,404.25 OTR while the E-Class is £34,430.00, but the E-Class includes Parktronic, Leather Upholstery, Heated Front Seats and the Intelligent Lighting System as standard kit while these are all options on the C-Class. The E also has Direct Steering as standard which is not available on the C-Class so I added Parameter Steering to the C for comparison purposes.

Net result is that by adding optional kit to the C-Class to get as close as possible identical spec's it costs £34,731.91, i.e. £301.91 more than the E-Class So what's going on

 

[st4]

You'll get naff all discount on a new 212 but on a 320cdi 204 I'd want £1k-£2k off. Most 204s are 4 cylinder diesel, not 6 cylinder cars so its quite an unlikely situation + the 204 is a sports saloon, the 212 not so they appeal as two cars to 2 different people with different wants and needs from the car they buy.

 

[jeremytaylor]

on a 320cdi 204 I'd want £1k-£2k off.

I would want a lot more than that off!

 

[st4]

I would want a lot more than that off!

What can you get off 1. I haven't looked into it as sadly I'm not in the financial position to debate the merits of a new C class vs a new E class. One point to note is that a 204 has been out and no real problems have emerged, its turning out to be a great car. the 212 has yet to reveal its problems.

 

[Dryce]

Just downloaded the new E-Class UK pricelist from the Mercedes-Benz website and was astonished at the standard equipment levels on the car. It looked to me like the prices of similarly spec'd C's and E's would be pretty close

It's not that astonishing. Traditionally it's been quite easy to spec up a vehicle mid way through the model range and find you can do a better deal on the next model up.

I haven't looked at Ford pricing for a while but it used to be that if you say wanted a Fiesta that the absolute base Fiesta would be cheap but if you went for a slightly larger engine and a better trim/options spec then the Focus would be a much better deal because at a given point on the price list it included more as standard.

 

[st13phil]

It's not that astonishing. Traditionally it's been quite easy to spec up a vehicle mid way through the model range and find you can do a better deal on the next model up.

I understand that. While the comparison I made was between the W212 & the W204, I was equally surprised at the amount of kit that's standard in the W212 that's part of the option list on the W211.

 

[C240Sport97]

keyless go so far not an option on the 212.

like the leather and pano roof package for the Sport .. seems a good deal.

 

[jeremytaylor]

What can you get off 1.

I would aim for £5k on a 'first owner' basis. Get the timing right and it should be possible. A few years back I bought a 300-mile pre-reg E320CDI estate at £10k off

 

[fuzzer]

I would want a lot more than that off!

Anything more than 7% and they are loosing money on the car unless there is bonus money in it.

If there is bonus money in a car, its undesirable and you will loose out at the other end.

 

[Diesel Benz]

keyless go so far not an option on the 212.

KG comes with option code P17 in Germany (for the W212) and many other countries, are you sure it is not available in the UK?

 

[C240Sport97]

KG comes with option code P17 in Germany (for the W212) and many other countries, are you sure it is not available in the UK?

can't see keyless go anywhere in the UK price list

 

[hawk20]

Just downloaded the new E-Class UK pricelist from the Mercedes-Benz website and was astonished at the standard equipment levels on the car. It looked to me like the prices of similarly spec'd C's and E's would be pretty close, so I just did a quick comparison using the C320 CDI Elegance and E350 CDI Avantgarde as the starting points as both have (essentially) the same engine and 7G-Tronic transmission as standard.

The C-Class starts off at £31,404.25 OTR while the E-Class is £34,430.00, but the E-Class includes Parktronic, Leather Upholstery, Heated Front Seats and the Intelligent Lighting System as standard kit while these are all options on the C-Class. The E also has Direct Steering as standard which is not available on the C-Class so I added Parameter Steering to the C for comparison purposes.

Net result is that by adding optional kit to the C-Class to get as close as possible identical spec's it costs £34,731.91, i.e. £301.91 more than the E-Class So what's going on

What's going on is the collapse of the pound since the C came out. And the recession.

Really MB need to raise UK prices a whole big bunch to make up for the collapse in the value of the pound. My E estate with extras has a list price of about £40k in the UK. But is 55k Euros in France and Germany. But while the recession is with us, the new E comes out so MB decide to keep prices at very competitive levels over here -for the time being.

I shall be surprised if it lasts.

 

[Rory]

Net result is that by adding optional kit to the C-Class to get as close as possible identical spec's it costs £34,731.91, i.e. £301.91 more than the E-Class So what's going on

BMW had that situation for a while where 5 series was cheaper than similar spec 3 - but that was in the days where things like a radio was optional on the 3 and standard on 5.


:bannana: Here's an interesting tidbit - MB are going to reduce the price of C Class when they introduce the new engine line up (based around the C250CDi) in a couple of mths.

Luckily MB are not listening to comments in these forums trying to condition us to a price hike due to exchange rates.
MB need to do something on C Class - with a couple of necessary options, its price is ridiculous. Mainland Europe customers buy at hefty discounts just like we do, but they also have another advantage which is that cars there hold their price much better than in the UK. For years we've lost at both ends - high new prices and low residuals. We have low residuals because far too many new cars are pushed into the market, but I also think the reg plate changes every 6 mths (unique to the UK) ages cars very fast here.

 

[st13phil]

:bannana: Here's an interesting tidbit - MB are going to reduce the price of C Class when they introduce the new engine line up (based around the C250CDi) in a couple of mths.

Luckily MB are not listening to comments in these forums trying to condition us to a price hike due to exchange rates.
MB need to do something on C Class - with a couple of necessary options, its price is ridiculous. Mainland Europe customers buy at hefty discounts just like we do, but they also have another advantage which is that cars there hold their price much better than in the UK. For years we've lost at both ends - high new prices and low residuals. We have low residuals because far too many new cars are pushed into the market, but I also think the reg plate changes every 6 mths (unique to the UK) ages cars very fast here.

Part of the issue with poor residuals in the UK is, as you have pointed out, that the list prices are unsustainably high in the first place. This is caused by the market distorting effect of fleets (traditionally 50%+ of UK new car sales) buying at huge discounts and due to the high volumes that sets the residual value for the whole market. Many fleets are running vehicles for longer as the recession bites so a lower volume prestige manufacturer like MB is looking to stimulate retail sales and the best way to do that is through reducing prices and increasing spec.

 

[renault12ts]

can't see keyless go anywhere in the UK price list

Keyless-go AFAIK is not allowed in the UK.

 

[wemorgan]

Keyless-go AFAIK is not allowed in the UK.

Not allowed or simply not available? It's on other Mercedes.

 

[miro]

C320 CDI Elegance and E350 CDI Avantgarde

Why didnt you compare the C320 Avantgarde and the E320 avantgarde.

 

[st13phil]

Why didnt you compare the C320 Avantgarde and the E320 avantgarde.

Dead simple: we don't get the W204 C-Class in Avantgarde spec in the UK - only SE, Elegance and Sport - so I took the C-Class Elegance as being the closest match

 

[miro]

Dead simple: we don't get the W204 C-Class in Avantgarde spec in the UK - only SE, Elegance and Sport - so I took the C-Class Elegance as being the closest match

But when you change the engine spec so does the price.

 

[st13phil]

But when you change the engine spec so does the price.

Look, I compared the prices of the nearest equivalent drivetrains in the W212 and W204. The W212 doesn't include a 320CDI, only a 350CDI (which is the EU5 emissions version of the 320CDI engine). The W204 in the UK doesn't come in Avantgarde spec. My point is that the W212 in the UK includes many items that are options on the W204 (not a great surprise) and also on the W211. In comparison with the W204 you get much more W212 for less money which suggests that MB-UK have taken the decision to be more price-competitive with the W212 than they were when they introduced the W204. If you think the comparison is invalid then fine, let's move on