The real question we all want answered is, faster or slower than the RS6 wagon? My money is on slower, and most likely more expensive as well. Not to mention considerably uglier. Guess we will have to wait and see if Audi has bearded Mercedes this time around.

Ugly?!

Nothing will make this car look ugly in the next years... Some may like other cars better.. but call this one ugly is a shame...

You can't debate personal preference since it is subjective.
IMO MB has lost class and style in the last decade. Audi managed to refine its class and never lost any of its style.
But this is also subjective.
BTW this subject is probably totally lost on Americans since they have neither;.... never had.
LOL

Mighty brave words string-girl, considering you don't list your own country of origin (do they even HAVE cars in Milkylickerland?).
What do you care what Mercedes or Audi does with their cars? Your so poor, you can't even afford to pay attention.
Now step away from the keyboard, I hear your mama calling you to dinner upstairs.

And Europeans wonder why we don't give a crap what they think.

You'll just hate us and think we're retarded either way so we'll just do whatever the hell we want and you can whine and bitch about it until the Germans invade again.

Relax people. Mercedes did in fact enter something that is not very respected in the design world. Gluing plasticky thingies on chassis. Not very refined. The Yugo had that type of styling.

Mercedes CLS is a very solid design. The C class in terms of design is no wonder. Audi A4 (the new one) also isn't as nice as it could be and the A6 is only well designed in the estate version.

None of the German trio has entire lineups of good design and BMW is worst off of the three currently but is turning around slowly.

As for performance, you may be too concerned about one car being 0.1 second slower or faster than another. It is such a small difference and can be result of objective circumstances (tyres, asphalt temperature,..) that you can relax.

It is likely that this car would be under 5 seconds to 60 with a 4.2 turbo diesel engine and stronger hight speed accelleration with 30-50% better fuel economy.

So again, just making engines big and tirsty for those extra few HP is really not that impressive. Remember that we are in the 21st century.

I don't know why one should care about acceleration or hp of such a car. Try to get your hands on some data on the SL 55 and SL 65 of MB. The SL 65 has two cylinders and of course a couple of horses more yet on track the speed is absolutely equal. It's ESP and all the other gadgets that eliminate the extra power. So in the end it comes to: 1000kg is better than 1000hp.

Justmy2cents

Sorry guys, it's a V8 versus V12 so obviously it's 4 cylinders more.

Does anyone actually buy one of these for speed? Going 0-62 in 4.6 seconds, with the kids in the back slammed against their seats.

Don't forget poor Fido getting plastered against the rear glass.

Somehow I just don't see this as the ultimate Soccer-Mom sports car.

Nor do I see the cross-over between hauling a load of stuff home from the feed store in record time.

If I had enough money for this vehicle, I'd buy something sporty and fast with either two or four doors (depending on my need) and a "regular" wagon for the extensive trips to Costco.

Truxy, we got to shut them up somehow right? ;)

I wonder if all those creases on the hood are functional. Did they really need that extra room?

Also all that Subaru style opening under the bumper, are they functional? Like brake ventilation, intercooler, oil cooler, etc? I don't know, it does not look exactly right.

If all these are not functional, then well, it will make it look silly. It is like a Pontiac, with all those extra not exactly functional scoops, openings, and stuff.

I hope they are, but it still is silly to have that aggressive, sporty, front end, with a silly wagon tail. Does not match.

I think the AMG Estate (Wagon) is for the person who likes the handling of a car which you can not get in an SUV, but requires the space for kids etc. On the style side, I too agree Mercedes has lost some of its class and style in the last couple years and traded it for flashy looking wheels and harsh edges. Cars that have both aged well and carry beatiful style still today are the CLK430 of the late 90's and early 2K's (which I have one) and the SL series. I personally think the new CLK looks cheap compared to the old CLK and the new SL instead of looking restyled just looks like they switched some parts with the SLR. The new C class looks like they asked BMW for design help. I like the Mercedes that say "Yes, I am beautiful, no you cant keep up" when you look at them vs the ones that now seem to shout "Hey!, hey! look at me!!! Wanna race?!"

Ower of:
1986 MB 190e
1996 C280 Sport
2002 CLK430 Sport

The CLK 430 you mentioned is a beauty, fluiid, dynamic. That's the look they should go for. I've seen a couple with foggy headlights, though, what a pity. Careless or lack of build quality?

@Travis

You're not talking about two vehicles of the same class. The RS6 is going to be a solid $35-40K more expensive than the C63. It's also rumored to be packing a TT V10, not an NA V8.

As to ugly, you must be looking at pictures of a different vehicle. The C63 is stunningly beautiful.

So, I here a lot of acusations from Europeans that Americans don't care about efficiency and all that. Well this 6.3L V8 in a station wagon (of all vehicles) can't get more than about 10 or 11 mpg. Are we going to hear now about Europeans who don't care about efficiency?

What is with the horsepower pissin' contest going on anyhow? We have to 600HP station wagons and minivans now to compete with Corvettes and BMWs?

It looks ugly, and definetly not fast car. I think all major car producers should take more lessons from Aston or Jaguar. Americans dont care about styling at all (or they don't know what it is) - just look at theirs rednecks pickups.

One, Tomek, you would do well not to compare all Americans to the rednecks. They are their own pariah in this country, so much so that we can make whole comedic tours out of them.

I'd agree that Aston Martin could teach the whole world about design, but Jaguar? Other than the CXF concept, they are as bland and boring as anything anywhere. Ford has ruined that company, and this is an American saying that.

Also, to jake, the vast majority of Euro and Japanese rides get far better fuel economy than American rides. This however is what we call a performance and price car: obviously its too expensive for most people to afford, and really the style is the other thing being shot for here.

And as to the critics of Mercedes Benz styling: want to know how I can guess your age? By your level of critism: all the old people who fell in love with on particular model seem to bitch the most when a automaker changes its style.

I've seen it a dozen times. Would you believe there are people still in love with the old C class? the REALLY OLD C Class? I've even heard old people come down on the new S-Class! and those same people also did not like the Aston Martin DB9 for being to bland. Excuse me?

If you hate, stay back in another date. Its a different time, and you're committing a different kind of crime.

And I just rhymed that....... uh ok.

debates about US, Europe, rednecks,.. are pointless. We have our share of morons in EU, you have your share in US and in Europe we also are not thrilled when the Euro makers make inefficient cars but at least sales are not great in numbers.

It is nice to see that a simple thing like letting gas prices regulate themselves based on global prices has also led Americans to rething car purchases in direction of smaller and more sensual choices. It just shows that you are no different than us and simply need a good old kick in the but via high gas prices like we have been getting them for years and then do the right thing.

US poltiticians didn't have the balls to do it but the market forced it onto them and US citizens but it is all for the best.

I travel to US regularly and have met my share of enormously competent and smart people and morons so the situation does not fdiffer from the one we have in Europe so I don't appreciate comments such as the one from Tomek.

Big deal. I've been going faster than that for a few years now with 4.6L

Unfortionatly yes, Mercedes Benz like other manufacturers switched over to the plastic headlight lenses in the late 90's. I think its an awful mistake, all makes and models do the same thing, get pitted, turn yellow and foggy. I purchased 3M Lens covers to protect against UV rays and objects hitting the plastic. At 40K miles the plastic lenses still look new on the 02 CLK, however its worth mentioning that the glass lenses on the C class look new at 198K miles. I have searched high and low for glass lenses for the CLK if or when they start to turn.

Chris, when are you going to stop bragging about that Mustang? Its a good car, ok there I said it we bow before the Cobra.

Also, realize this is a wagon, not just a much heavier sedan, and that its meant to accompany the owner in style as well. The Mustang screams mullet: the Mercedes screams overpriced shoes. Both are undesireable in their own ways.

Allen:

Not bragging, just flipping the other side of the coin. Any time an American car has a big engine to make power, it's criticized and beat to the dirt because XYZ can make the same power with a smaller engine.

I just grow repeatedly tired of how BMW, Mercedes, etc, are not subject to the same scrutiny.

It's like "football is only good if my team wins, otherwise is sucks" type of bias.

Mercedes sucks...

I know becuase I own an ML.

I wouldn't buy another MB ever.