Competitor’s take note: Mercedes is getting really, really good at building luxury cars again. Oh sure they haven’t produced any junk in the last decade but a certain confidence that was embodied in every Mercedes of the 90s was dialed back as the obvious search for additional profits lead to something we hadn’t seen in any 3-pointed star before: cost cutting. But now the S-Class is the envy of the car world again and Mercedes is bringing that magic to the masses in the form of the new 2015 C-Class. The turbocharged four and six cylinder engines now power a nearly perfectly shrunken S-Class that even offers most of the flagship’s tech and luxury features. For the first time an air suspension is available as are luxuries like distronic cruise control plus steering assist, Burmester audio and even a climate control system that uses GPS to adjust before you enter a tunnel. In the hunt for efficiency engineers also reduced weight more than 200 pounds over the previous generation. Also of note is the 3-inch stretch in wheelbase that adds a bit more room to the previously tight rear seats. With an interior design drunk on details and finished as beautifully as anything costing twice as much the C-Class will find it almost easy to steal customers from the competition. Welcome back Mercedes and keep it coming.
Mercedes-Benz is enjoying strong sales growth and the CLA-Class is going to be a big driver of that. The new Benz starts around $32k and offers a fantastic amount of style inside and out, plus the brand cachet of having a 3-pointed star on the hood. But keep your expectations in check because hard plastics do make up the bulk of the center console and other minor trim pieces here and there. Credit to Mercedes for finishing the doors and dash in rich materials and spending the budget where it counts. Headroom is tight but such is the price for the stylish 4-door coupe look that is all the craze. All wheel drive is available and the 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 makes 208 hp but a respectable 258 lb-ft of torque. As a gateway drug for the Mercedes brand the CLA will be a giant success in 2014.
We have to admit we were expecting a more extreme conversion to the off-road adventure-themed Beetle that was the star of this year’s Volkswagen press conference, but it turns out the Dune concept is just a sandy hill away from dealer showrooms. Or at least it looks that way. The Beetle uses the production 2.0-liter turbo four for power and packs an all wheel drive system but it’s been raised 2 inches for more ground clearance over the, well, presumably sand dunes, and the wheel/tire package is a bit more aggressive. Other than that we’re looking at a Beetle with a kyack rack and some extra lights. Would it sell? We doubt it, but the soft-roading crossover phase is reaching new heights everyday, so maybe VW already has this penciled into showrooms sometime in the next year.
The personal luxury coupe is a bit of an endangered species these days so we were excited to see Lexus offer one in the form of the RC 350. The nicely sized two-door features an intricately detailed version of Lexus’ giant front grille but here it works with the overall design that is also highlighted by beautiful wheels, stunning greenhouse and tidy rear end. The interior remains our biggest concern where, like all Lexus models of late, a design theme inspired by the late ’80s seems to be in place. The RC 350 uses the corporate 3.5-liter V6 tuned to 314 hp to move it’s rear-wheel drive chassis through the corners but we’re even more excited for another NAIAS debut we’ve heard about where this car receives the full-monty F package and the delicious V8 that goes with it. Now that is the kind of personal luxury coupe we all want to see more of.
For 2015 the SUV side of Chevrolet’s lineup benefits from the same improvements that propelled the Silverado pickup to North American Truck of the Year honors. That includes the revised engine family now featuring direct-injection as well as the chassis improvements that yield an improved ride and quieter cabin. The interior is vastly improved with better materials and a car-like center stack design that puts everything within easy reach.
