AutoBeauty of the Day (6 Viewers)

Cronios

Juventolog
Jun 7, 2004
27,519
I have already turned down the other candidates (BMW series 1, AUDI A3, VW Scirocco,Toyota GT 86, Honda Civic, Citroen DS3, Ford Focus, etc) for various reasons, these are my final candidates.
Giulietta is already available, the A class will be, exactly when i ll have the needed cash.
Both cars for various reasons are tailored to my taste and needs. I find really hard to make the final choice, so here i am, in a broader audience.
I have gone really far with the details among them, so anyone who has an argumentated opinion is welcomed, with the ones that will just give their first glance response.
 

ZoSo

Senior Member
Jul 11, 2011
41,656
007-2012-mercedes-benz-a-class-reveal-opt.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAMshbuQs5A&feature=youtu.be
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SAMshbuQs5A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>




The cars share dimensions, price and performance.
Opinions?
Its a really really tough choice, the alfa is somewhat cheaper and faster, the Benz has more prestige and supposed reliability.
I think you mean inelasticity. That Benz is ugly anyway. Get the Alfa or something better (BMW 3?)
 

Fint

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2010
19,354
Bought the black Golf. Very clean car, extremely happy with my choice. The beemer would have crippled me on fuel costs I think. Cheers for all the input fellas
 

ALC

Ohaulick
Oct 28, 2010
46,526
Even the 330is are amazing. I'm definitely going to get one of them one day :D E46 ftw
One of my friends has that. Really sweet ride.

good choices gents, only thing with bmw is you gotta get the sports and premium packages, but their amazing warranty kinda makes up for it. Once warranty is out prepare to constantly pay for maintenance.
I'd go for the 4 year loan.

I have already turned down the other candidates (BMW series 1, AUDI A3, VW Scirocco,Toyota GT 86, Honda Civic, Citroen DS3, Ford Focus, etc) for various reasons, these are my final candidates.
Giulietta is already available, the A class will be, exactly when i ll have the needed cash.
Both cars for various reasons are tailored to my taste and needs. I find really hard to make the final choice, so here i am, in a broader audience.
I have gone really far with the details among them, so anyone who has an argumentated opinion is welcomed, with the ones that will just give their first glance response.
Benz.

Bought the black Golf. Very clean car, extremely happy with my choice. The beemer would have crippled me on fuel costs I think. Cheers for all the input fellas
Nice :tup: Enjoy it bro!
 

Cronios

Juventolog
Jun 7, 2004
27,519
I think you mean inelasticity. That Benz is ugly anyway. Get the Alfa or something better (BMW 3?)
Their ultraconservative lines never inspired me either, but this is unlike the rest, maybe a picke the wrong color/angle

this not the typical benz and a huge leap forward compared to the previous A class
Turned down the Scirocco? :andy2:
It was a prime candidate as a buddy of mine has it and a finalist but it only has 3 doors and family is not far ahead, plus with the Scirocco, me and my buddy cannot escort 2 ladies wearing short dresses and high heels;)
the one who tried to sit at the back created an embarrashing moment for us and determined me to dismiss a 3d car.
Bought the black Golf. Very clean car, extremely happy with my choice. The beemer would have crippled me on fuel costs I think. Cheers for all the input fellas
Happy mileages, hope you wont regret it! Golf is great when it works, but having a black car myself, i wouldnt advice the black color to anyone.
Which strangely comes as the default color for the Giuliettas with all the rest adding an extra 450 euro cost at least!
 

acmilan

Plusvalenza Akbar
Nov 8, 2005
10,722
I have already turned down the other candidates (BMW series 1, AUDI A3, VW Scirocco,Toyota GT 86, Honda Civic, Citroen DS3, Ford Focus, etc) for various reasons, these are my final candidates.
Giulietta is already available, the A class will be, exactly when i ll have the needed cash.
Both cars for various reasons are tailored to my taste and needs. I find really hard to make the final choice, so here i am, in a broader audience.
I have gone really far with the details among them, so anyone who has an argumentated opinion is welcomed, with the ones that will just give their first glance response.
between these two only, with all other things equal, or relatively so, I would go with Mercedes - more established, better reliability (compared to AR, at least), German engineering, etc, etc.
I am not a big fan ofthe A-class interior (haven't seen that of the AR) but then again it would be your car, after all.

this being said, you should probably wait and make your final decision when you can actually get in both of these puppies and see how it feels to actually drive them - sometimes there's just that special connection, you know :p

---------- Post added 02.06.2012 at 18:05 ----------

Bought the black Golf. Very clean car, extremely happy with my choice. The beemer would have crippled me on fuel costs I think. Cheers for all the input fellas
congrats on the new purchase, hope you enjoy it :champ:

and drive safe ;)
 

Ken

The Dutch Touch
Aug 17, 2007
13,340
Fiat Giulietta, since it's way prettier. The Benz in your pictures has some sort of sports package, doesn't it? Or are you aiming to get that exact spec? I've seen other pictures which make the A-Class look like the old one with fancy lights... too high for it's length. It'll still be the car old(er) people drive I reckon, even though they've obviously tried to head a different direction.

The Giulietta is gorgeous and apparently a good drive. Even though you said the 1-series are out of the picture... I'd seriously reconsider it, since you've selected the A-Class. That'll be nowhere near the BMW on handling, driving pleasure...
 

acmilan

Plusvalenza Akbar
Nov 8, 2005
10,722
Cron, I would recommend taking a look at the Lexus CTHybrid, in case you haven't done so already:
http://www.lexus.com/models/CTh/

I doesn't have the performance specs of say BMW 1-series but is a high-tech car with great fuel economy and powerful enough for cars in this class (I'd think going for this class of car means performance isn't too high on your list). And it's a Lexus - epitome of quality and reliability - so you can't go wrong with it.
Not sure if it's readily available in Europe/Greece but well worth considering, imo.
 

Cronios

Juventolog
Jun 7, 2004
27,519
Hmm interesting, i ll check it right away!

Yes thats the 300HP AMG variant, not the one i can afford.
I ve tried the Giulietta and i m very excited from the driving feel she gave me.
Giulietta will have 170HP in 1.4lit petrol turbo motor and A-class 155HP in a 1,6lit petrol turbo motor.
I m still waiting for the official A-class specs to confirm that the Giulietta will be a bit faster and more taxes friendly.
Due to low CO2 emissions i will be able to drive through the center of Athens, were circulation is restricted and the hospitals im working at, are located.
The color will be silver in both cases. Both cars will be 5door and 4,2m long at max, so they can be parked even in locations with very high density of population and limited parking opportunities.

There is a chance that i will permanently leave Greece after 5 years, (when my contract expires) so the after sales market pushes me a bit towards the A-class, but i already have the option to sell my Giulietta to my sister by then.
The new series 1 is ugly imo, i like the old one way much more and being RWD is a dealbreaker for some, the extra sacrifices, on price after taxes and emissions the BMW requires is what pushes her out of the question.
 

Cronios

Juventolog
Jun 7, 2004
27,519
Cron, I would recommend taking a look at the Lexus CTHybrid, in case you haven't done so already:
http://www.lexus.com/models/CTh/

I doesn't have the performance specs of say BMW 1-series but is a high-tech car with great fuel economy and powerful enough for cars in this class (I'd think going for this class of car means performance isn't too high on your list). And it's a Lexus - epitome of quality and reliability - so you can't go wrong with it.
Not sure if it's readily available in Europe/Greece but well worth considering, imo.
I ve been driving Toyotas all my life, even now (a 2lit RAV 4) and i apreciate their quality and reliability.
My father is a driver instructor, who is also trained in car enginering and he has convinced me of this with sound argumends, that came after 2-3decade long experiences.
I cant afford not even the cheapest Lexus of the ones available in Greece atm.
So i guess thats out of the picture as well, i ll keep an eye for this though.

As for performance, i want to make some long driving trips to Italy, i have been postponing for quite a long time now.
80% of my needs is an urban car that can carry the needs of a young family and the last couple of years of a single man;)
That must occasionally make a 4-7h long trip to the other part of my country, in my home town.
The national street over there only has one band and a half and there a lot of places when you must attempt an overtake with limited visibility, due to many low speed curbes and have to rely on good brakes, handling and great gear swifting. (Giulietta's strong points)
I dont need a racer, but i need a car faster than the average moving obstacle i ll confront, to make these overtakes safe and stressless.
I also make some occassional a 1-2h high speed trips to reach the sea and i would like this to be as sort as possible, so i am savor the limited free time.
So great handling, a 0-100km in under 9secs and a max speed at 220km/h is exactly what i need, no more, no less. Thankfully in city, both cars have options to limit fuel consumption.
 

acmilan

Plusvalenza Akbar
Nov 8, 2005
10,722
Cron, I think you may be overvaluing the importance of performance here - you may buy a car that has a top-speed of 300 kmh even but if the speed limit on a high-way road is 80-100 kmh, then the added performance won't be good for much.
Also, the acceleration/handling specs are something you probably shouldn't push to the limit 'cause if you do, it probably means you are playing a dangerous game on the road and aren't driving safely.

All in all, what I am saying is that most (virtually all really) modern cars out there have top-speed/acceleration specs that are well beyond the limitations traffic rules and reasonably safe driving would impose on the driver.

It's quite common for people to vastly overestimate the need for a top-performing car ... similarly with computers and just about anything else :). The reality is that the top performance specs of modern cars are little more than a hypothetical attribute we are highly unlikely to come even close to needing/using unless taking the car out for a spin at the race track.

some food for thought :)

P.S. regarding the pricing of the CTHybrid - not sure how it's in Greece but believe in the US it's cheaper than the A-class or the 1-series, as is usually the case with all Lexus models and their MB or BMW equivalents.
 

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