2017 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic Coupe Review - Yes, Mercedes-Benz Still Builds Coupes With Two Doors

A fixed roof, seats for two or perhaps four in a squeeze, and two doors. 

THE GOOD + Turbo torque + Classy exterior + Classier interior + Sporty when prompted + Burmester audio is amazing

THE BAD – Sunroof sounds unhealthy – Centre screen looks cheap – Unintuitive shifter is silly – No keyless access? – Blanked-out buttons?

Two doors.

Two. Doors.

The definition of the automotive coupe, or coupé if your French sensibilities prefer, has been commandeered over the last dozen years by the very company that builds the car pictured here. 

Spun off from the E-Class sedan, the CLS sedan was and is labelled as a coupe by Mercedes-Benz because of its coupe-like styling. But the CLS has four passenger doors. 

The concept has flown even further from the roost with so-called SUV coupes: the BMW X6 and X4 and Mercedes-Benz's GLE and GLC Coupes, all of which feature four full passenger doors and a rear liftgate. 

Real coupes nevertheless forge on. Real coupes continue to project an aura of joie de vivre, of carpe diem, of bon viveur the likes of which no sedan, not even a sedan with excessive fastbackness, can ever dream of replicating. 

Which brings us to this real coupe: the 2017 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic.

WHAT IS IT?
Mercedes-Benz has been selling the C-Class, a successor to your circa-1990 divorce lawyer's Mercedes-Benz 190E, since the fourth-quarter of 1993. Alongside the second and third C-Class sedans, Mercedes-Benz marketed a coupe called the CLK which sat closer to the E-Class in Mercedes-Benz's lineup. The C-Class nameplate also spawned its own coupe derivative during the third generation's run. Now, in concert with the fourth-generation Alabama-built C-Class sedan we originally tested in November 2014, Mercedes-Benz has launched yet another coupe. 

2017 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 4MATIC COUPE Base Price: $50,175 * As-Tested Price: $57,715 * Colour: Brilliant Blue Assembly: Tuscaloosa, Alabama Drive Type: all-wheel-drive Transmission: 7-speed automatic Engine: 2.0L turbocharged DOHC 16-valve I-4 Horsepower: 241 @ 5500 rpm Torque: 273 lb-ft @ 1300 rpm Curb Weight: 3770 pounds Length: 184.5 inches Width: 71.3 inches Height: 55.3 inches Wheelbase: 111.8 inches Tires: Continental ProContact GX SSR Tire Size: 245/40R18 Passenger Volume: 2237 litres Cargo Volume: 297 litres EPA City: 23 mpg EPA Hwy: 30 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 10.4 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 8.0 L/100km Observed: 23.5 mpg Observed: 10.0 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $2075 in fees.

To begin its run, the 2017 C-Class Coupe will be sold as the Mercedes-Benz C300 and Mercedes-AMG C43, both with 4Matic all-wheel drive, and as the full-bore rear-wheel drive AMG C63 and AMG C63 S. The AMG-badged cars are fitted with, respectively, a twin-turbo 362-horsepower V6 (mated to a 9-speed automatic) and a twin-turbo 4.0L 503-horsepower V8 joined to a 7-speed AMG Speedshift 7-speed automatic. 

Our test car, however, held under its hood a modest 2.0L turbocharged inline four-cylinder producing 241 horsepower and a substantial 273 lb-ft of torque just off idle at 1300 rpm. The 7-speed automatic is standard equipment. 

Added to our 2017 C300 4Matic: $250 dark ash wood open-pore trim, $890 brilliant blue metallic paint, a $1000 Burmester surround sound system, and two packages worth a total of $5400. 

The $3400 premium package adds navigation, LED lighting, and a rearview camera. 

The $2000 sport package adds more leather to the dashboard, some AMG styling elements inside and out, and 18-inch wheels.

HOW BIG IS IT?
In Canada, there will soon be four C-Class bodystyles. The traditional sedan has already been joined by this coupe, which will also spawn a convertible variant. There'll also soon be a wagon that Mercedes-Benz won't be selling in the United States. Compared with its sedan donor car, the coupe version of this fourth-generation W205 Mercedes-Benz C-Class rides on the same wheelbase, is identically long and wide, but is 1.5 inches shorter at the roof 

Compared with the segment standard bearer from BMW, the 428i xDrive, the C300 4Matic is a hair under two inches longer, half an inch slimmer across the hips, half an inch taller, and rides on a wheelbase that stretches 1.2 inches farther. The 4-Series' trunk, however, is a substantial 50% larger, and official specs say the BMW's interior is 14% bigger, as well.

DOES IT WORK?
Not in the way that many other recently introduced Mercedes-Benzes also fail to work. The 2017 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic Coupe has the same tacked-on screen that looks and feels cheaper than a cut-price iPad rival. The shifter is a silly little column-mounted stalk that doesn't make much sense from a usability standpoint and would be mocked for Korean cheapness if installed in a Hyundai Accent. One key quality concern crept up, as well, because the C300's sunroof sounded like it was crunching gravel when opening or closing. As a result, we opened – and closed – the sunroof just the once. 

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net

Mercedes-Benz's well-done door-mounted seat controls are joined by the heated seat button and a blanked-out switch for, at this price point, necessary ventilated seats. And Mercedes-Benz still demands big money for options that should be standard equipment. Even at $57,715, you'll need to pull a key fob from your pocket to unlock the C300's doors; you'll need to insert and twist that key to start the car. You don't need to do that in a $25,855 Kia Forte Koup, which knows you've approached and needs only a single finger prod to ignite. Mercedes-Benz Canada demands $6400 in options on top of the C300's $50,175 base price in order to gain hands-free access. 

For Mercedes-Benz in 2016, this list of complaints is nothing new.

Nor is praise for the C300's torque-rich 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder new. Appreciation for the C300's otherwise elegant and classy interior? Par for the course. Indeed, the interior is further strengthened by our test car's stunning saddle brown leather draped over superb seats. The ride and handling balance? Spot on, and Mercedes-Benz scores a bigger victory here because the Agility Select's Dynamic button dramatically alters the character of the car. 

Hasty throttle response and quick shifts with weighty controls provide a far more sporting experience in the Sport+ setting than you'd expect having only encountered the C300 Coupe in Normal mode, while the dull responses in Eco mode are perfect if Oma Müller is squeezed into the back seat. 

The power figures produced by the 2.0L turbo aren't jaw-dropping on paper, but the C300's plentiful torque is available so far down the rev range that you're never left out of the meat of the powerband. As an overtaking machine on a rural two-lane, the 2017 C300 Coupe is more capable than 241 horsepower lead you to believe. It would be nice if the 7-speed automatic was a more cooperative partner when you most want to forget a transmission is necessary: around town or driving home from the grocery store. Fortunately, it's far more willing when you demand greater performance.

Two doors definitely makes a coupe, but the removal of a sedan's rear apertures does not make automatically make a sports car. If you want crazy performance, look elsewhere in the Mercedes-Benz lineup; perhaps elsewhere in the C-Class lineup. Instead, the C300 4Matic Coupe works well as a comfortable and refined cruiser with sporting potential.

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
Mercedes-Benz does not break down U.S. or Canadian sales figures by bodystyle. The overall C-Class lineup is currently Canada's top-selling premium vehicle line, though volume is down 17% this year. 

In the United States, the C-Class family ranks first among premium cars; second (behind the Lexus RX) among premium vehicle sales in 2016's first-half.

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Historical Monthly & Yearly Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sales Figures
2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 4Matic Driven Review
2016 Honda Civic Coupe Touring 1.5T Driven Review
2016 Lexus RC350 F Sport Driven Review

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Using U.S. inventory as a rough guide, approximately 17% of the C-Classes in stock at the moment are coupes. If that ratio holds true for sales volume, Mercedes-Benz USA would have sold 6300 C-Class Coupes in the first-half of 2016. Lexus sold 5292 RCs during the same period; Audi sold 4334 A5s as they ready the current car's replacement. BMW, with a much more extensive 4-Series lineup (including a definition-ignoring four-door Gran Coupe) produced 19,276 first-half sales.

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
There are a handful of interesting options lined up directly against the C-Class Coupe. BMW's 4-Series is the most obvious. The Audi A5 has proven to be a popular choice since launching in 2007. There are Japanese competitors from Lexus (RC) and Infiniti (Q60), the latter of which will be all-new shortly, along with a new Audi A5.

We would also suggest a downsized alternative from BMW if performance is a key component of your choice. With all-wheel drive, the BMW M235i is less expensive than this C300 4Matic. 

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
With $7540 in options, our Mercedes-Benz-supplied test car was specified awkwardly. It's a $57,715 Mercedes-Benz coupe with no keyless access, no pushbutton start, and no cooled seats – only the button which should operate the cooled seats. Skip the special paint, open-pore dark ash wood trim, and Burmester audio and it's more tenable at $55,575, but we think the C300 4Matic is likely best at either its base price of $50,175 or slathered with even more options to become a true luxury coupe.

We'd consider keeping the $2000 sport package and the $3400 premium package, adding the $1000 Burmester hi-fi, and selecting the $3000 premium plus package for a grand total of $59,575, a whisker under $60K.

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WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
In a maket that's gone crazy for vehicles such as Mercedes-Benz's own GLE-Class SUV, the top-selling premium brand utility vehicle in Canada, relatively impractical coupes with snug rear seats and tight trunks are far out of the mainstream.

Yet with premium price tags and the ability to share platforms with sedans and crossovers, numerous luxury automakers continue to fight for a relative handful of sales in this coupe category. Is the Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic Coupe better than the BMW 428i, Audi A5 2.0T, and Lexus RC300? 

Yes. And no. 

We're not hedging. But the cars are markedly different. Mercedes-Benz nailed the C300 Coupe's elegance quotient, crafting a $57,715 car that feels like it should cost $67,715. Upgrading a few key interior components, installing a transmission that's happier at low revs, and improving the options list would serve to clarify the C-Class Coupe's position in the luxury coupe hierarchy.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The C300 was supplied by Mercedes-Benz Canada's press office.

BMW vs. Mercedes-Benz vs. Audi: U.S. Sales 2006-2015

2015 is expected to be the second consecutive year and the ninth in the last ten years that BMW USA has sold more new vehicles than its German rival, Mercedes-Benz. 2013, was the lone exception to the rule, as the big Stuttgart luxury automaker outsold its Munich foe in America by a narrow 3254-unit margin.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW are both increasingly dependent on SUVs/crossovers for their U.S. sales volume. Through the first 11 months of 2015, 33% of the BMWs sold in America were X1s, X3s, X4s, X5s, and X6s. 

When this chart began, back in 2006, BMW's X3 and X5 – the lone SAVs at that point – generated just 21% of BMW's volume. BMW sold variants of the 3-Series, 5-Series, 6-Series, 7-Series, Z4, X3, and X5 in 2006, along with five remaining Z8s. In 2015, BMW sells a 2-Series, 3-Series, 4-Series, 5-Series, 6-Series, 7-Series, Z4, i3, i8, X1, X3, X4, X5, and X6.

Click Chart To Expand

At Mercedes-Benz, 39% of the brand's non-Sprinter/Metris sales in 2015 are SUV/CUV-derived. Volume generated by the G-Class, GL-Class, GLA-Class, GLC-Class, GLE-Class, GLK-Class, and M-Class totalled 121,435 units in 2015's first 11 months, a 16% year-over-year increase. 

That compares with BMW's 102,100 SUV/CUV sales, a 5% improvement. Mercedes-Benz's passenger cars are down 2% to 187,450; BMW's are up 4% to 209,298.

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U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - November 2015 YTD
U.S. Car Sales Rankings By Model - November 2015 YTD
U.S. SUV/Crossover Sales Rankings By Model - November 2015 YTD

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In 2006, Mercedes-Benz's SUV division consisted of the G-Class, GL-Class, and M-Class. In the future, the GLK will be extinguished in favour of GLC nomenclature. The GLE is replacing the M-Class as we speak. The GL-Class will become the GLS.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW aren't the only high-volume premium brands from Germany, of course. Between 2006 and 2015, U.S. sales at Audi jumped 121%. Indeed, since the industry-wide disaster of 2009, Audi sales are up 141%. BMW USA volume rose just 73% since 2009; Mercedes-Benz just 77%. 

Audi's product portfolio in 2006 was significantly smaller than it is now. The A3 hatchback, A4, A6, A8, TT, and Q7 attempted to lure luxury car buyers. In 2015, the A3 lineup has greatly expanded, and Audi also sells the A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, R8, TT, Q3, Q5, and Q7.

The Q5 is the brand's best-selling model and helped to generate a 33% improvement in SUV/CUV sales to 75,843 units in 2015's first 11 months. Audi car sales are up 1% to 106,320 so far this year.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz have combined to outsell the former number one seller of luxury vehicles in America, Lexus, every year since 2011, when Lexus sales, hampered by a post-Tōhoku earthquake crisis, slid 13% and BMW jumped 13%. 

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.

Auto News For Wednesday, December 16, 2015 - Infiniti Readies A 400-Horsepower Q50

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories and videos for Wednesday, December 16, 2015.

HORSEPOWER
Ever since Infiniti restored its G nameplate in 2002, the brand's entry-level sedan has been anything but short on power. But for the 2016 model year, Infiniti's G35/G37 successor, the Q50, will be offered with even more power, including a 400-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6. There will also be a 300-horsepower V6 and a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder with 208 horsepower, an engine you know from the Mercedes-Benz CLA250, Mercedes-Benz GLA250, Mercedes-Benz Metris, and Infiniti's new Q30 and QX30.

SLC
As pitiful as alphanumeric names so often are, Mercedes-Benz appeared to have built up some cachet with the SLK roadster. So they're throwing it away, just as they've tossed overboard the M-Clas, GL-Class, and GLK-Class. The SLK is now the SLC, and replacing the SLK55 AMG is this Mercedes-AMG SLC43. Replacing the 5.5L V8 is a 3.0L twin-turbo V6. So what's the deal with the 43 part?

TTAC
Ford's four former core brands at the Blue Oval's Premier Automotive Group haven't completely gone their separate ways – Jaguar and Land Rover remain paired at India's Tata Motors. But Chinese-owned Volvo and Ford-owned Lincoln and the JLR tandem are now isolated entities. How has their status been affected in the U.S. over the last decade?

INSIDE THE AUTO INDUSTRY
To what degree can Volkswagen turn the tide of public opinion if the company introduces an all-electric Microbus at the CES next month? Likely not as far as Volkswagen could turn the tide if they delivered a production Microbus with a mass-appeal powertrain, a vehicle that would appear on driveways near you in 2017.

WATCH
We're big fans of the new Mini Clubman. After Mini flubbed the first-generation, the new Clubman is a genuinely spacious Mini, but with more handsome proportions than the 5-door. And the barn doors do look cool, even though they're a bit of a nuisance.

Auto News For Tuesday, December 15, 2015 - Hyundai's 2016 Global Auto Forecast Isn't Great

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories and videos for Tuesday, December 15, 2015.

FUTURE
"How can General Motors' truck brand not be in the fastest-growing segment in the industry, an SUV segment?" That's a line from GM's GMC boss, Duncan Aldred, who wants GMC to be a player in the subcompact crossover arena. Is the 2010 GMC Granite Concept, pictured above, a hint?

REVIEW
The increasingly more popular Toyota RAV4 is nothing of not unexciting. So can Toyota do to the RAV4 what it's done to the Camry: introduce a hint of sportiness via an SE model?

TTAC
U.S. sales of the Scion FR-S tumbled to an all-time low in November 2015 while sales of the Mazda MX-5 Miata increased for a sixth consecutive month; as the MX-5 outsold the FR-S for a fifth consecutive month.

INSIDE THE AUTO INDUSTRY
2015 is a boom year for the U.S. auto industry, but globally, Hyundai boss Chung Mong-koo is not particularly excited for 2016.

WATCH
Is there any chance that you'll want to take the Mercedes-Benz Metris commercial van, allow Mercedes-Benz to fill it with seats, and buy it instead of a Honda Odyssey? Consumer Reports is a fan of the space, but seems to think this is more of a hotel shuttle vehicle, less of a family ferry.

Auto News For Friday, November 13, 2015 - Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 Is The Best Winter Tire

Here are the six must-read, must-watch auto news stories, recalls and videos for Friday, November 13, 2015.

VW
Volkswagen is encouraging its workers to feel perfectly comfortable blowing the proverbial whistle. For another couple weeks, that is.

INSIDE THE AUTO INDUSTRY
Buick has historically been an enormously popular auto brand in China. Buick used to be an enormously popular auto brand in America. The two shall finally meet if, when, Buick begins selling the Envision in the United States early next year. And yes, the Envision is built in China.

RECALL
Kia is recalling 256,459 copies of the 2014-2016 Soul and Soul EV because, "the adhesive used to secure the steering pinion gear to the steering gear assembly may have insufficient strength, and as a result, the pinion gear may separate from the steering gear assembly."

Porsche is recalling 21,835 Macans (model years 2015 and 2016) because they, "have a low pressure fuel line in the engine compartment that may leak."

WINTER
As in a recent Car & Driver winter tire test completed in Finland, Kal Tire's winter tire test produced a Finnish winner, as well: the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2. On average, the winter tires in the test enabled a car to stop nearly 15 metres sooner than non-winter tires.

REVIEW
The GLK-succeeding Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class small SUV is beginning to trickle into the autoport near GCBC Towers on the east coast of Canada. It is definitely a looker. But in a class full of attractive utility vehicles – Q5, X3, XC60, Evoque, Discovery Sport – the GLC needs to be more than just attractive. So is it any good?

WATCH 
In yesterday's news, we showed you Alex On Autos' video review of the refreshed-for-2016 Honda Accord. Today, we're showing Alex On Autos' video review of the refreshed-for-2016 Nissan Altima. No video review on YouTube is more detailed and thorough than an Alex On Autos video review.

Auto News For Wednesday, June 24, 2015 - Ford Recalls 19,095 Mustang EcoBoosts

Here are the seven must-read, must-watch auto news stories, review and videos for Wednesday, June 24, 2015.

INSIDE A NICHE AUTO INDUSTRY
Mercedes-Benz's Unimog - you can call it the U-Class if you like - will return to Canada in non-road applications soon. But don't expect to see the incredibly capable beast sitting alongside C400 4Matics in Mercedes-Benz Canada's showrooms.

INSIDE THE PICKUP TRUCK INDUSTRY
Even with the new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twins combining to outsell the segment-leading Toyota Tacoma, small/midsize pickup trucks only account for 7% of new pickup truck registrations in Canada. That figure was much, much higher in the relatively recent past. Canada's five best-selling trucks are all full-size models.

INSIDE FORMER AUTO EXECUTIVES MINDS
Is the Cadillac CT6 going to be a success? Not according to former GM product czar Bob Lutz, who believes it's a terrific car that won't sell. "Luxury" is becoming more and more difficult to define, Lutz writes for Road & Track, and the Lincoln Continental may stand a better chance than the CT6 and reigniting interest in American luxury. In terms of new car sales in the U.S., Cadillacs currently rank 67th, 68th, 76th, and 137th.

TTAC
Land Rover USA is surging, and the Discovery Sport hasn't yet ramped up. But the impact Land Rover has in North America still falls far short of what the brand does in its home market, where Land Rover's market share this year stands at 2.8%. Land Rover earns 0.4% of the U.S. market, where the brand's sales are up 25% this year.

REVIEW
"For an honest warm hatch experience, we’d look no further." So says evo's Sam Sheehan in regards to the Suzuki Swift Sport. Here's why Suzuki died in North America.

RECALL
Ford is recalling 19,095 Mustang EcoBoosts (model year 2015) because, "Prolonged exposure to elevated underbody temperatures can cause degradation of the fuel tank and/or fuel vapor lines, which may eventually result in a fuel leak. In addition, this condition could cause seals in the parking brake cable to degrade, potentially affecting parking brake function. The Mustang, you'll recall, is selling like mad.

WATCH
Koenigseggs have always been a little bit crazy. How does the Swedish supercar market then go about making them look even crazier? By accelerating to 300 kmh and coming to a complete stop with, basically, no hands on the steering wheel. Oh, and pay attention to the braking, which seems to only take an instant.

Auto News For Friday, June 19, 2015 - Lincoln Drops MKX Price For 2016

Here are the six must-read, must-watch auto news stories, review and videos for Friday, June 19, 2015.

INSIDE THE AUTO INDUSTRY
When Ford’s upmarket Lincoln division finally released an Escape-based entry-level luxury crossover, the MKC, it seemed likely that Lincoln would see fit to move the Edge-based MKX upmarket. And they have. The all-new 2016 Lincoln MKX will reach to greater pricing heights when fully optioned. But its base price is lower now than it was a year ago. 

JALOPNIK
It’s an all-new model, so it’s no surprise at all to see the Ford Mustang outselling its rivals in the U.S. But it owns half the market for Detroit muscle in Canada, where the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Charger are built. 

AUTOFOCUS
Speaking of vehicles built in Canada, there are more than 20 assembled in southern Ontario. Together they account for 17% of the new vehicles sold in Canada, down from 18% at this time a year ago. Autofocus has them ranked by year-to-date volume. 

TTAC
Nissan’s Maxima has been a downward trend for years. Will the release of a new model change that fact? Maxima volume declined in the U.S. in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2014. 

RECALL
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has recalled 3851 Fiat 500E - that’s the electric 500 - because the EVCU, “may set a diagnostic trouble code that may cause the transmission to unexpectedly shift to neutral.” 

WATCH
You’re familiar with the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. But when the Brits at Telegraph Cars review the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, they review the wagon. And they call it the C63 AMG Estate.

Auto News For June 18, 2015 - Donckerwolke To Design Hyundais And Kias

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories, review and videos for Thursday, June 18, 2015.

FUTURE
The Mercedes-Benz GLK was nothing if not distinctive. Its replacement, the GLC, looks more like a downsized ML (soon to be called the GLE) or perhaps an upsized GLA. Forget the V6, the GLC will be fitted with a 2.0L turbo four, but with more power than the 2.0L turbo in the GLA. U.S. sales of the GLK increased in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.

INSIDE THE AUTO DESIGN BUSINESS
Luc Donckerwolke made his name on the Lamborghini Murcielago. Now he’ll be designing Hyundais and Kias, and eventually he’ll take over from Peter Schreyer, the man who’s attracted so much attention for Kia design that they use him in commercials.

TTAC
Honda is discontinuing the Accord Plug-In Hybrid. You won’t notice, of course, since you never actually laid eyes on an Accord Plug-In Hybrid in the wild.

REVIEW
Like your big LX platform cars but don’t care for crazily-powered Hellcat Chargers and Challengers? Keep it a bit sane, then, in the Chrysler 300 V6 AWD. Car & Driver says it, “doesn’t make you feel like you settled for the cheap seats.”

WATCH
Times have changed, and you can actually buy an Audi S3 in North America. We’ve even reviewed it. But you still can’t buy an Audi S1.

Auto News For Tuesday, June 16, 2015 - Number Of Deaths Linked To Takata Airbags Rises

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories and videos for Tuesday, June 16, 2015.

INSIDE THE AUTO INDUSTRY 
Don’t expect to find one on the North American side of the Pacific, but Down Under, Australians will pay $54,990 for the handsome new Ford Everest. It’s powered exclusively by a 3.2L five-cylinder diesel. Don’t assume that a direct currency exchange will tell you how much the Everest would cost if it could be had in the U.S. While $54,990 AUD converts to $42,600 USD, a car like the Mustang is priced around the equivalent of $39,900 USD in Australia, about $10,000 more than the price of a similar Mustang in the U.S.

FUTURE
Forget refreshes. When Nissan begins selling a new Sentra for model year 2016, just three years after the latest car’s launch, it really will be new. Or, “almost” all new.

TAKATA
Honda now confirms that a seventh death, that of Kylan Langlinais of Lafayette, Louisiana, is linked to airbags provided by Japanese auto supplier, Takata. As you can see in today’s recall list, Honda’s list of vehicles continues to expand.

RECALL
American Honda is recalling 2,300,000 Accords (model years 2003-2007) and Civics (model years 2001-2005) because, “The affected vehicles have a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.”

WATCH
Which would you take, BMW M3 or Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG? evo’s Dan Prosser attempts to settle the debate with this video comparison.

Auto News For Monday, June 15, 2015 - The Volkswagen Group Dissection

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories, reviews, and videos for Monday, June 15, 2015.

INSIDE THE AUTO INDUSTRY
We won’t know the full impact of how this will alter – or not alter – the way the Volkswagen Group develops its cars. But rather than one large group, VW is about to be separated into four holding companies. According to Reuters, one of these will include Porsche, Bugatti, and Bentley. Another includes Audi, Lamborghini, and the Ducato motorcycle brand. VW’s own Volkswagen brand joins Skoda and Seat. The remaining holding company will include the MAN, Scania, and VW Commercial vehicles, Reuters says.

TTAC
Is Kia about to catch its Hyundai corporate partner in the U.S. sales race? May was perhaps nothing more than an anomaly, but Kia averaged only 46 fewer sales per day last month than Hyundai.

REVIEW
We linked to one Mercedes-Benz Metris review last week. But because this is a whole new kind of vehicle for Mercedes-Benz in North America, it’s important that we have a well-rounded viewpoint. Here’s Automobile Magazine’s take. Just don’t assume that because it’s a Mercedes-Benz that the Metris will be the, well, Mercedes-Benz of minivans.

AUTOFOCUS
More than one-third of the new vehicles sold in Canada so far this year have been SUVs and crossovers. These are the top brands in the SUV/CUV sales war.

WATCH
Finally, the future is here. In-car infotainment, even at its best, hasn’t been great when developed by the automakers themselves. But Consumer Reports takes a look at Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto, and it just looks so much more… normal.

Auto News For Thursday, June 11, 2015 - Adrien Brody Directs New Dodge Commercials

Here are the six must-read auto news stories, reviews and videos for Thursday, June 11, 2015.

FUTURE
Road & Track lists six things you need to know about the new 2016 BMW 7-Series, the luxury limo that, even in a good month, sells half as often as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

INSIDE THE AUTO INDUSTRY MARKETING BUSINESS
Guys don’t get much cooler than Adrien Brody. The star of The Pianist is now directing ads for… BMW? Alfa Romeo? Tesla? No. Try Dodge.

REVIEW
Want a van alternative? Thus far, Ford Transit Connect Wagons have proven either too small or too costly for most minivan buyers. But there’s a new candidate on the way, a midsizer that’ll float between the Transits and Sprinters and the Transit Connects and NV200s. It’s the rear-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz Metris.

SUPERCARS AND BIG MACS
Driving.ca’s Lorraine Sommerfield drove a McLaren 650S to Ronald McDonald House so sick kids could get a drive in a hot car. And what a car it is.

RECALL
No new recalls since those detailed in yesterday's news.

WATCH
AutoGuide videos have focussed on one-on-one comparisons of late, which means there’s no Honda Odyssey in this test, nor is there a Dodge Grand Caravan. Instead, it’s a race between the Toyota Sienna, America’s current best-selling minivan, and the Kia Sedona, an all-new upstart.

2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic Review - Mercedes-Benz Makes A Better CLA, And It's Called The GLA

OK, so where does this fit?

For consumers who prefer names like Accord, Cruze, Explorer, and Camry, the Mercedes-Benz family tree is about to become even more complicated as the automaker prepares to relaunch a number of products with new names. But the first GLA-Class, the vehicle you see here, will continue to be called the GLA. It's the entry point to Mercedes-Benz's utility vehicle lineup. 

THE GOOD • Hatchback flexibility • Simple control layout • Three-pointed star image • Ride quality • Great fuel economy

THE BAD • Some interior bits are a letdown • Too much vibration in cabin • Laggy transmission • It's quite a bit of money • Annoying column shifter

There's the upper-crust, militaristic G-Class, also known as the Geländewagen. 

Then there's the GL-Class, a three-row challenger that serves as the more mainstream flagship for the brand's SUVs and crossovers. 

The M-Class, which you've seen badged as the ML for nearly two decades, will soon be called the GLE. There will be a version of it, a GLE Coupe, to take on BMW's X6.

In 2009, Mercedes-Benz began selling the GLK, the company's Audi Q5 and BMW X3 challenger. 

Below that, you'll find the GLA, seen here in GLA250 4Matic form.

The GLA's foundation is really the CLA sedan, a car Mercedes-Benz actually prefers to call a four-door coupe. Although elevated, detrunked, and behatched, the GLA uses the CLA's underpinnings and powertrain. 

2015 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA250 4MATIC Base Price: $39,275 * As-Tested Price: $45,275 * Drive Type: all-wheel-drive Transmission: 7-speed direct shift gearbox Engine: 2.0L SOHC 16-valve turbocharged I-4 Horsepower: 208 @ 5500 rpm Torque: 258 lb-ft @ 1250 rpm Curb Weight: 3428 pounds Length: 173.9 inches Width: 71.0 inches Height: 60.0 inches Wheelbase: 106.3 inches Tires: Dunlop Winter Sport 4D Tire Size: 215/55R18 Cargo Volume: 487 litres Max. Cargo Volume: 1235 litres EPA City: 24 MPG EPA Highway: 32 MPG NRCAN OEE City: 9.8 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 7.4 L/100km Observed: 27.7 mpg Observed: 8.5 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $2075 in fees.

The CLA, in turn, is a sedan version of the A-Class (not sold in North America) that takes on Volkswagen's Golf as a premium alternative in Europe. 

In Canada, the GLA joins the B-Class as another hatchback entry point to the Mercedes-Benz brand. 

Yet while the B-Class is more of an upmarket Toyota Matrix-style car with front-wheel-drive and optional all-wheel-drive, the GLA wants to be viewed as a BMW X1 and Audi Q3 crossover rival and comes standard in Canada with 4Matic all-wheel-drive. 

C-A-R
We could argue for days, on both sides of the debate, whether the GLA and its cohorts are true crossovers, let alone genuine SUVs. The GLA is, rather obviously, very much a hatchback version of a sedan. 

But not so visible on our black test car is the black cladding around the wheelarches. 

Fundamental crossover styling cue nummer eins? Check.

And you don't need a ruler to see that the GLA rides higher than its donor car, although a ruler will determine that the GLA250's ground clearance, 8.1 inches according to Mercedes-Benz, is both 3.2 inches greater than the GLA45 AMG's and 4.2 inches greater than the CLA250's. 

Is it really just a hatchback? Sure, albeit a tall one. But since the car is marketed as a small luxury crossover and perceived by the target market as such, we'll give Mercedes-Benz the benefit of the doubt.

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net
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INSIDE
If you're familiar with the Mercedes-Benz CLA (or our reviews of the CLA250 and CLA250 4Matic), you'll be familiar with the interior layout of the GLA250 4Matic. It's a stylish cabin - the air vents are very cool, for example – but many high quality bits are cancelled out by great swathes of matte black plastic that are simply too chintzy for the Mercedes-Benz badge. 

Our car was optioned up with a $4000 premium package (automatic climate control, blind spot monitoring, active park assist, navigation, and a panoramic sunroof) as well as a $2000 premium plus package which added a power tailgate, among other features. With these packages, the Mercedes-Benz GLA250 passes the luxury test even if the feel of the cabin comes up far short of the brand's own C-Class. 

Without the extra $6000 worth of amenities, the GLA wouldn't feel remotely worthy of its luxury pretensions inside. Not with a small, silly screen perched atop the dash like a car with one wheel halfway up the curb; not with enough vibration coming through the cabin in a too-high gear to turn the regular seats into massaging chairs.

But if the GLA is identical to the CLA up front, it's a very different story as you move toward the back of the car. Because the GLA's roof doesn't plunge toward the trunk line, getting into the rear seat is easier, and spending time back there doesn't feel as claustrophobic. Neither the CLA nor GLA are limo-like, but I've had three lanky adult males in back who coped without complaint.

It's behind the rear headrests that the situation is so dramatically altered, of course. Rather than the CLA's 371-litre trunk, the GLA has a 487-litre cargo hold, one that's more suitably shaped and more easily accessible. (Plus, the GLA's cargo area can be expanded to 1235 litres with the seats folded.) They, whoever they are, say North American car buyers aren't keen on luxury hatchbacks and wagons. But once into a luxury crossover... my, but isn't that wide open hatch a blessing.

POWERING
If a car's forward motivation related only to its engine, a far greater number of cars would be honoured with substantial praise. But there's a transmission involved to, you see. The GLA250's turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder produces a pleasant 208 horsepower and a truly impressive 258 lb-ft of torque. It's a terrific powerplant. 

The 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox, on the other hand, is not so deserving of our applause. Particularly when the GLA is in Eco mode, the transmission hangs on to gears too long and slurs shifts annoyingly. Once at a steady speed, the 7-speed shuffles around between fifth and sixth and seventh, aimlessly searching for the right gear in that moment. 

Manual mode, in which you'll use the paddle shifters to cycle between gears, is fine, but not something you'll do during routine driving. 

Sport mode is best, but it's too aggressive and theoretically inefficient (often holding a lower gear, on alert for a forthcoming prod of the throttle) for a run to the shops with your mother-in-law. Alas, there is no Normal setting.

The transmission isn't bad, not in the sense that it stands in opposition to the impressive 2.0L turbo four-cylinder. But it does periodically stand in the way.

HANDLING
Fortunately, while the GLA carries over both the good and the bad of the CLA's powertrain, the crossover version doesn't suffer from the CLA's poor ride quality. The GLA250 4Matic lopes along admirably, firm but not crass; levelheaded rather than edgy. Naturally, it doesn't grip like the CLA in corners – it is riding noticeably higher, and our test car was still on its winter tires.

The steering lacks the CLA's sharpness, and the body roll alerts you to the fact that this Mercedes-Benz is tuned more for comfort than athleticism. Yet removing the CLA's key dynamic fault is a core part of the GLA's appeal, and the GLA250 4Matic manages to provide a semblance of fun on a twisty road with greater maturity if the road gets rough.

PRICING
Mercedes-Benz Canada has priced the GLA250 4Matic just below $40,000, but our test car rang in at $45,275 with fees. With all-wheel-drive, a similarly equipped CLA250 4Matic sedan is $1000 less dear. 

A BMW X1 is in the same region, except that it's more powerful in xDrive28i form and can be significantly more powerful (300 horsepower) in xDrive35i trim for less money than our GLA250 4Matic tester. The Audi Q3's advertised base price is slightly less costly than both because it's available without Quattro all-wheel-drive. And there is another GLA, the aforementioned GLA45 AMG. It's obscene in more ways than one and not at all elevated. But it certainly elevates the mercury on the hot hatch-ometer.

SELLING
The GLA therefore leaves us with divided opinions. It's quick, but the transmission's awkwardness leaves too much fun on the table. It's nicely equipped, but not built to the standards of the last Mercedes-Benz we drove, the C400 4Matic. Its design isn't as controversial as the CLA's, but many bystanders told me they were confused as to what the GLA actually is. It's relatively affordable, but when properly outfitted, it's as expensive as far roomier and more pleasant on-road vehicles like the Hyundai Santa Fe XL we drove recently. 

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Historical Monthly & Yearly Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class Sales Figures
2015 Mercedes-Benz C400 4Matic Driven Review
2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA240 4Matic Driven Review
2014 Audi SQ5 Driven Review
2014 Acura MDX Driven Review

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Hyundai? Or Ford, or GMC, or Honda, or even Toyota? There's no comparison, of course, not just because of the size of similarly priced and equipped vehicles from mainstream brands but because of the badge. And that Mercedes-Benz badge is a powerful one. In May, Mercedes-Benz reported its best month of Canadian sales in the company's history.

Regardless of how good or bad or, in actuality, moderately decent the GLA was going to be, we always knew this little Benz crossover would be a hit. Canadians have acquired more than 2000 since the GLA arrived last September. Indeed, the most recent month of reported sales, May, was the GLA's best month yet with 312 sales. Expect a few hundred more sales in June, and July, and August, and, well, you get the idea. The GLA is good enough to be successful, just not good enough to be great.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.