It has just this week been reported in Germany that the e class sales are 49% down and c class are not far behind this has nothing to do with quality but people keeping their cars longer and buying much cheaper cars.In the UK they sell a c class with manual gearbox to come under the 130gmco2 a friend who works for a large UK lease company wonders who will buy these at 3 years old as Merc without a autobox is just about unsalable except at a knock down price .As a matter of interest Opel reported sales also down 49% with the Astra and Insignia sales disappearing down the plug hole Chevrolet are actively selling the equivelent cars at a marked reduction in price over Opel. Mercedes are pushing the new a class its as though their lives depended on it I am sure its not but big car sales here in Germany are disappearing fast Dacia and Lada are having a field day with sales as are other small car and low price producers Fiat 500 is the new c class here well not really but it seems so judging by the number you see.

Edited by Collos25 on 15/10/2012 at 18:36

The current C Class is good but not a class leader. I read most of the car magazines, and all put the BMW 3 series way ahead of the C Class in all areas. The Audi A4 Avant is probably next best.

I believe Mercedes have addressed the quality problems they had 5 or 10 years ago, but the answer is to try one against the 3 series and A4 and see what you think.

Another cheaper option might be a well equipped Passat Estate, although in my opinion the interior is bland, bland, bland.

Collos - if I remember right you live in Germany. Amid all those downturns you mention, how are VW / Audi sales in Germany? Over here the whole VAG group apart from SEAT but including Bentley are doing well.

As a broad rule of thumb, Mercedes entered the quality doledrums in 1998 with the W210 E-Class. They exited it in 2007 with the W212 E-class. Pretty much everything launched in this window suffered from premature rust, electrical failures (especially brake assist), suspension failures and generally poor quality control. The worst being the ML-Class, arguably M-B's worst car since the second world war (yes, worse than the last A-Class)

Warranty Direct's 2012 report states that the W212 E-Class Mercedes of 2006-2009 has the lowest warranty claims against it.

The current W204 C-Class launched in 2007, and was a quantum leap ahead of its predecessor in terms of quality, although I personally think the dashboard is a bit drab and plasticky. Greatly improved in the 2011 facelift though.

"The fascinating battle between the A4, 3 series and C class is good for all of us I'd think."

As is the one between the A3, A-class and 1-series, which features in both Autocar and Auto Express this week. Autocar, testing diesels, ranks the Mercedes just ahead of the Audi with the BMW a poor third; Autio Express, teting petrols, has them in the reverse order.

Interestingly in Autocar Steve Cropley and Andrew Frankel, two journalists whom (unlike many) I greatly respect, say they would have a Golf VII in preference to any of these three.