Mercedes DAB fitment lagging behind BMW, Audi, the car sector in general

[Wheel]

This morning I was at the Radio Digital Countdown conference in London. The SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders) released some data overnight that revealed 74.1% of cars sold in the UK in Q3 this year came with DAB as a standard fit.

Anyway, at the conference we saw a slide showing the breakdown of DAB standard fit by manufacturer.

BMW - DAB standard in 99% of cars registered
Audi - DAB standard in 100% of cars registered

Although I didn't have the chance to write down the stats for the others, Ford and Vauxhall also had impressive numbers of cars registered with DAB as standard too.

So what about Mercedes? DAB was standard fit only in 58% of cars registered.

I wonder why Mercedes lags behind so many other manufacturers and decide to have it as an expensive option for many models/trims? Especially when it is something that is standard in the likes of a Ford Fiesta or Vauxhall Mokka!

I wonder what other features are standard fit across the board for other car manufacturers that Mercedes prefer to be options?

 

[television]

Thanks for this, the actual cost of adding DAB from a manufacturing point can be no more than £10. Yes the Mercedes price is crazy and £320 on the SL at least it is standard in the S class cars.

 

[turbopete]

i have to say that these stats dont really surprise me. MB are always great at putting new innovations on cars like the night vision cameras, but lets face it, unless you are trying to drive with no lights on, theyre a pretty pointless gadget, id imagine, for 99.9% of owners on a day to day basis.
where they do seem to fall down is by not adding the thingsd that people ARE likely to want/use, soon enough.

take my old 203 as an example. i can think of NO other manufacturer that was fitting a radio head unit in 2001 with a CASSETTE DECK as standard in the head unit. the cd changer was an option (which it thankfully had!).
1997 ford escorts came with a CD system!

 

[bob 6600]

Many years ago we had a 1983 Triumph Acclaim with 4x elec windows which I thought was the norm. Even our crappy Montego (remember them?) had them. I was surprised in 1995(ish) when two friends both bought brandnew C-Classes and the lack of spec in a new 'Premium' vehicle. Rear windy windows and I'm sure one of them said even the radio cassette was an option but maybe it was an upgrade rather than unit as I can't see them producing a car without it unless someone can correct me on this

 

[television]

i have to say that these stats dont really surprise me. MB are always great at putting new innovations on cars like the night vision cameras, but lets face it, unless you are trying to drive with no lights on, theyre a pretty pointless gadget, id imagine, for 99.9% of owners on a day to day basis.
where they do seem to fall down is by not adding the thingsd that people ARE likely to want/use, soon enough.

take my old 203 as an example. i can think of NO other manufacturer that was fitting a radio head unit in 2001 with a CASSETTE DECK as standard in the head unit. the cd changer was an option (which it thankfully had!).
1997 ford escorts came with a CD system!

You do have a good point there Pete, to market the most expensive car the CL right through to 1998 with only a cassette was very dated, bearing in mind that CD's were out in 15years before this. My 1998 V70r had a CD changer.

To sell cars during 2004 to 2007 that had no AUX in on thew comand was shocking.

 

[Lexman8]

The COMAND system on my 2001 CL has a cassette deck! Front cup holders were a chargeable option which the original buyer didn't specify on mine even though just about every other option is on it. He probably assumed that cup holders were standard like on every other car. You would, wouldn't you, on a £90k car?

As to why MB lag behind, it's a deliberate marketing decision to make many things an option and therefore gouge more money from the buyer. Options are hugely profitable to a car company. MB get away with it because people believe they are buying a 'luxury' product that has a status value they are prepared to pay for.

Just remember, the primary duty of the directors of every listed company is to maximise share-holders return. Everything else comes a distant second.

 

[Craiglxviii]

Thanks for this, the actual cost of adding DAB from a manufacturing point can be no more than £10. Yes the Mercedes price is crazy and £320 on the SL at least it is standard in the S class cars.

Depending on the audio technical setup it is a little more expnsive than this but not much more- say in the region of double ish. Where I work we have just studied exactly this subject.

 

[Monday]

Many years ago we had a 1983 Triumph Acclaim with 4x elec windows which I thought was the norm. Even our crappy Montego (remember them?) had them. I was surprised in 1995(ish) when two friends both bought brandnew C-Classes and the lack of spec in a new 'Premium' vehicle. Rear windy windows and I'm sure one of them said even the radio cassette was an option but maybe it was an upgrade rather than unit as I can't see them producing a car without it unless someone can correct me on this

You are not wrong. My 1997 C180 came without audio of any kind as standard and I remember paying an extra £500-odd for Kenwood head unit and boot mounted CD player. Alloy wheels were extra, air conditioning was extra, electric folding mirrors were extra....

I think the change came in the early 2000's when the availability of UK spec cars from Europe brought home how much UK buyers were being ripped off. A subsequent C Class I bought some years later cost LESS than the C180 with all those extras included. But now the Xenon headlights, COMAND etc are extra.....

 

[C350Carl]

The main reason is to dupe the buyer by advertising a lower base price of the car. Then you have to pay for everything on top.

 

[Craiglxviii]

The Japanese have it the other way around, they wrap up most spec items in several broad grades that each allow for a few higher-spec items to be added, rather than the German "bare bones" approach.

 

[C350Carl]

This is the main reason now why I buy used approved. Just can be difficult finding the 'Malcolm Spec' cars. But they are out there and I was glad I held out for my C350. I could have got a newer car with less spec. But I wasn't overly fussed between the 231 or 265 engine.

Had I found a C350 to the same spec with the 265 engine I would have got that of course. But I wanted the options mine had so went for that instead.

 

[television]

The main reason is to dupe the buyer by advertising a lower base price of the car. Then you have to pay for everything on top.

My SL new in 2002 £69,615
AMG body kit .........£2.800
Exclusive Nappa..... £2.310
Full leather.............£1.810
Wood wheel............ £450
Comfort seats ..........£610
Distronic...............£1.600
Garage door.............£180
Massage seat...........£740
Keyless...................£860
Parktronic................£590
AMG 2 piece wheel.£4.200
Fire.........................£105
Tyre pressure...........£470
Bose.......................£560
TV..........................£720
Phone.....................£620
Iinguretronic............£310

That is £18.935 on extras, and just under 1/3rd of car price, and my SL has all listed.

 

[television]

The Japanese have it the other way around, they wrap up most spec items in several broad grades that each allow for a few higher-spec items to be added, rather than the German "bare bones" approach.

Mercedes are offering packages now, that were common practice in Germany and Scandinavia for years.

 

[turbopete]

Mercedes are offering packages now, that were common practice in Germany and Scandinavia for years.

the problem with the 'packages' is that to get some things, you have to compromise on others.

a nice simple example is keyless go. i looked on the MB configurator and you cant have keyless go with a manual gearbox on a C class. HOWEVER like many other manufacturers, you CAN have keyless go and a manual gearbox on a mondeo, focus, probably a fiesta (i havent looked) and a host of other makes and models. SURELY if everyone else can do this, it cant be so hard for MB to work out.
same with standard Aux in/usb reader etc.

the ford equivalent to Comand, in a mondeo (for example) (touch screen sat nav) is £300 and includes DAB! although i dont have it in my car, i have heard its pretty good, almost tomtom simple to use etc. apart from the fact its MB, i really cant see why comand is so expensive!
keyless start (entry is via remote so a different set-up to MB) is £400

 

[C350Carl]

Part of the problem is the complex wiring MB use too. Few others use optical cabling to my knowledge.

My £29k Skoda that I bought new in 2011 had more functionality and was easier to fix if things went wrong than my near £50k (when new) C - Class of the same year.

The only thing that was similar price option wise was the COMAND equivalent Columbus Satnav. It was a £1500 option. So I went for the standard stereo fit, bought the Columbus and the proper roof antenna and wiring for £750 and fitted it myself. Quick bit of coding with VCDS and Robert is your Mothers brother.

That was the only option I left off. However to buy the part direct from Skoda was (wait for this)......... £2400!!!!

Mine was a factory refurb and came with a 2yr warranty.

However the Bluetooth allowed audio streaming and synchronised the phonebook no issue.

Had 7 digit postcode search (once you updated the firmware to/above v 268X and had V7 and higher maps)

Ability to display your own POI and speed cameras.

The leather seats were very good although they weren't as good quality as the C350. But it does have the premium leather option.

Speaker system was standard as no Harman Kardon like the merc. But they were good however the H/K system is better.

The main place the Merc beats the Skoda was noise levels. The merc is a lot quieter than the standard vRS.

However £450 worth of soundproofing (again fitted myself) soon sorted that out.

My Skoda had memory seats that you programmed to the Key. As soon as you unlocked the car and opened the drivers door my key would move the seat, interior mirror, exterior mirror to my setting. If the wife did it with her key it moved to her setting.

The electric lumbar support was a LOT better too.

DSG gearbox wipes the floor with 7G in terms of changing speed and smoothness. It also had launch control (gimmick I know). But then it should be as it's dual clutch.

A lot of people turn their noses up at the likes of Skoda, Ford etc. However if I can't find a BMW 5 series or E Class I like the look of when I come to change. Then I will probably go with an 12-18mth old Superb L&K Estate.

They are easily on par with a E/CLS Merc. But about £20k cheaper to similar spec.

 

[turbopete]

exact;y. my 203 was, when new, £35k, according to the original sales invoice (still inside the owners books when dad bought it) and the mondeo i have now would be £20k list price new NOW. mine is 5 years old now.

i preferred the looks of the 203, purely because im generally a saloon person, not a hatch or estate type. equipment, i have factory bluetooth for calls, voice commands (quite pointless IMO, but can be entertaining filling time in) Aux in (missed out on the USB as it was added in the later 2011 cars) all as standard which the 203 (9 years older) DIDNT have. both cars had cruise control, speed limiter, OBC (the ford one is a bit more comprehensive on useable info like instant economy etc) in fact the ford only misses out on auto lights/wipers and self dimming RVM, which are standard on the titanium (next trim up IIRC without sub models like the zetec business edition etc)

and unlike the older stuff from the 80's/early 90's (the first mondeo was the beginning of the turnaround) the fords, like the Skodas, are really a decent quality motor now. yes its FWD (which is the biggest letdown for me) but spec wise, theyre probably as good, and a HUGE chunk of cash less than the equivalent MB (e class, id say for the mondeo)

in fact, ive just had a play on the car configurator for the new mondeo. top spec Vignale,180bhp manual tdci, EVERY option ticked (massage seats, leather, park assist, city stop, adaptive cruise with collision mitigation, towbar, inflatable outer rear seatbelts, electric memory steering column etc etc) comes out at a list price of £34k.

what else could you get BRAND NEW with that sort of spec for that kind of price? judging by our old 203 price, and taking into account the size difference, could you even GET a new E class diesel for £34k list? or a 5 series?

 

[C350Carl]

The main reason i went to Mercedes was the new Octavia vRS to the same spec (well only addition was Keyless as it wasn't available in 2011) was £36k! But they plummet in value in the first year. Cars around 10mths old of similar spec are going for around the £22-23k mark.

I know majority of normal cars will have lost approx 50% of there original value at 3yrs. But still that's a lot of cash to lose within a year and unless you're keeping the car for a long time it's not really viable.

Not for me anyway as my first name isn't Sheikh!

 

[Wheel]

I suppose the difference between the likes of Ford and Mercedes is that when buying new, you are likely to get a bigger discount from Ford. And because more people get a discount from Ford, the true value of the car is lower and thus the faster depreciation.

Anyway, talking of these options. I stumbled across an old Top Gear video on YouTube.

(Excuse the first 30 seconds which is from Not The 9 o'Clock News).

[YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/X46S_ZDDv7M[/YOUTUBE]

 

[television]

I suppose the difference between the likes of Ford and Mercedes is that when buying new, you are likely to get a bigger discount from Ford. And because more people get a discount from Ford, the true value of the car is lower and thus the faster depreciation.

Anyway, talking of these options. I stumbled across an old Top Gear video on YouTube.

(Excuse the first 30 seconds which is from Not The 9 o'Clock News).

[YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/X46S_ZDDv7M[/YOUTUBE]

Some good points there, true I have never tried the M mode, never turned of ESP or traction, CC is useless in the UK these days.