a**i
发帖数: 608 | 1 Mercedes-Benz E350 vs Hundai Sonata Limited 2.0T
Trading Places: A Value Comparison
What's the difference between a $50,000 car and a $25,000 car?
By Sam Foley of MSN Autos
Value is, of course, a relative measure. When you feed a family of four for
$5 with a box of spaghetti and jar of tomato sauce, you got a good value, as
a practical matter. On the opposite end of the spectrum, when you feed a
family of four for $250 at an exclusive restaurant with excellent service
and a chef who elevates cooking to an art form, well, that could also be
considered a good value. The same is true with automobiles. The price you
pay should be inextricably linked to the performance, reliability and
satisfaction you get from owning your vehicle, and not just how much it
costs.
For the sake of perspective, let's do a little comparison shopping in a
sector of the car market where there is considerable overlap in form and
function from vehicle to vehicle — the 4-door family sedan. Specifically,
we'll take a look at two vehicles that appear similar on paper, but that few
people would ever cross-shop: the well-equipped Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0T
, priced at $27,245; and the base trim Mercedes-Benz E350, at $49,400. Auto
shoppers would never put these two vehicles on the same list, with one
costing almost twice as much as the other.
Bing Images: 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350
Why compare an optioned-out vehicle to a base trim? To be fair, it's because
the entry-level, $19,395 Hyundai is a bit Spartan to go toe-to-toe with the
Mercedes, but only a few thousand dollars in options spruces it up quite a
bit. Now, we know, true Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts would scoff at the
comparison here. The three-pointed-star is a badge that connotes a 100-plus-
year tradition of craftsmanship, quality and elegance that goes beyond a
mere listing of features. That may be true, but a detailed look at the
numbers and specs is nonetheless quite revealing.
Dimensions
The E-Class is definitely the larger car, but not by much. It measures 191.7
inches long to the Sonata's 189.8 inches, and the E-Class is 81.5 inches
wide, while the Sonata is only 72.2 inches wide. So surely the E-Class must
have more room inside, right? Not really. The E-Class has 37.9 inches of
headroom, 57.8 inches of shoulder room and 41.3 inches of legroom for front
passengers, while the Sonata gives 40 inches of headroom, 57.9 inches of
shoulder room and 45.5 inches of front-seat legroom. The Mercedes gives a
little of the volume back to the rear-seat passengers, however, delivering
38.2 inches of headroom, 56.9 inches of shoulder room and 35.8 inches of
legroom. The Sonata is a bit more cramped with 37.8 inches of headroom, 56.7
inches of shoulder room and only 34.6 inches of legroom.
Reviews: Find expert and user reviews
Choose a
year201220112010200920082007200620052004200320022001200019991998199719961995
1994199319921991199019891988MakeMakeModelModel
Powertrain
Here's where the top-tier 2.0T engine option on the Sonata makes a
difference when compared with the Mercedes engine. By volume, the E350's 3.5
-liter V6 engine should blow the Sonata's tiny 2-liter inline 4-cylinder
engine away. But, thanks to some creative turbocharging, the Hyundai
actually delivers 274 horsepower compared with the E-Class' 268. In practice
, it hardly matters, as both vehicles post zero-to-60 mph times at around 6.
5 seconds. But the fuel economy numbers definitely tilt in the Sonata's
favor. EPA estimates put the Mercedes at 17 mpg city/24 mpg highway, while
the Hyundai posts 22/33 mpg. What's more, the Hyundai takes regular 87-
octane fuel, while the Mercedes sips a pricier vintage — premium unleaded
fuel only, please.
Compare: Hyundai Sonata vs. Ford Taurus vs. Honda Accord
Safety
Mercedes has a well-deserved reputation for safety, and the E-Class is
certainly packed with safety features. Standard are anti-lock brakes with
Brake Assist — which can automatically boost braking during emergency stops
— as well as stability control. The E-Class also comes with Mercedes Pre-
Safe, which tightens seatbelts, closes windows and optimizes seating
positions for maximum safety when the system senses a potential crash. There
's even a drowsiness monitor that checks how the driver is performing, and
gives audible and visual warnings if the car thinks you're dozing off. Plus,
the E-Class comes with airbags from every direction and 4- and 5-star crash
ratings for front and side passengers, respectively (at least for the 2010
model, the last one that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
tested).
As it turns out, the Hyundai Sonata gets the exact same crash-test ratings
as the E-Class. (Actually, the Sonata may even prove to have more impressive
ratings, since its 4- and 5-star results come from NHTSA's revised and
tougher 2011 tests, which the E-Class has not yet undergone.) The Sonata
also has ABS, stability control, a full complement of front and side airbags
and Hyundai's own version of brake assist. The truth is that both cars are
safe enough to keep all but the most inattentive drivers from killing
themselves in traffic. If we had to give the award for safety zealotry,
Mercedes would win because of the advanced built-in nanny tech.
Luxury
If Mercedes can't win in this category, they've really got to start some
soul searching, right? There's certainly a lot of luxury to be found in the
E-Class: 14-way power front seats, rain-sensing windshield wipers, burl
walnut or black ash wood trim, a 6-disc in-dash CD/DVD changer and rich
leather upholstery. Hold on a minute — that's not leather, that's MB-Tex,
Mercedes-Benz's own brand of vinyl, which does a pretty good job of fooling
the casual observer. If you want real leather, you're going to have to cough
up another $1,620. In fact, there are quite a few luxuries that don't come
standard on the E-Class. Heated seats cost $450; a parking guidance system
costs $970; even split-folding rear seats that give access to the trunk cost
an additional $440.
Read: Downsizing Luxury
The Sonata Limited is already that sedan's highest trim level, so it comes
with pretty much everything Hyundai's got to offer in terms of luxury. That
means 8-way power adjustable leather seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel,
heated seats (front and rear), in-dash CD changer, Bluetooth phone link,
wireless key with push-button start and a sunroof. The only option for this
vehicle is a $2,100 navigation package that also adds a backup camera and
premium audio, topping out the Sonata's price at just under $30,000. The
E350, on the other hand, can really escalate in price when you tack on the
options. We managed to add more than $25,000 in extras without even
exploring alternate engines or all-wheel-drive options.
Granted, when you option the E-Class out, you're getting a truly opulent
vehicle with amenities such as a dual-screen, rear-seat entertainment system
; intelligent cruise control; chrome accents; illuminated doorsills;
massaging seats; a wood steering wheel; and a blind-spot monitoring system.
But then you're comparing a $30,000 car with a $75,000 car. For that much
money, you could buy a Hyundai Sonata, hire a driver for a year, buy an iPad
and sit in the back as you're chauffeured around — effectively giving you
automated, intelligent (i.e., human) cruise control and a backseat
entertainment system.
Compare: Mercedes-Benz E-Class vs. Cadillac DTS vs. BMW 5-Series
Reliability
This has generally been a strong suit of Mercedes-Benz. It has for years
scored high on J.D. Power and Associates' long-term dependability and
initial quality surveys. The E-Class, in particular, gets high marks for its
fit and finish and initial quality. But after some poor results in the
early 1980s, Hyundai has been trending up in the reliability and initial
quality surveys. Now, as a brand, the South Korean manufacturer gets the
same 4-star J.D. Power ranking as Mercedes.
The Sonata was redesigned for 2011 and the E-Class was redesigned for 2009,
so it's impossible to predict how the current models will hold up over time.
In Hyundai's favor is a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, plus a 5-
year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, so pretty much any major problem
that occurs within that time frame isn't your problem. The E-Class is
covered by only a 4-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty; to buy
coverage equivalent to Hyundai's from Mercedes, expect to pay upward of $3,
000.
Read: Best Car Values of 2011
Style
This is, of course, a subjective assessment. Do you like the sharp, angular
Teutonic lines of the E-Class or the equally sharp, sweeping cuts on the
flanks of the Sonata? What is clear is that the luxury segment no longer has
a monopoly on rich paint jobs, dramatic grilles and stately sheet metal. In
our humble opinion, the E-Class still outshines the Sonata when it comes to
the fit and finish of its interior and the quality of the materials used
inside the cabin. The Sonata still has a high plastic-to-metal ratio when it
comes to trim, while the wood accents in the Mercedes add a distinct touch
of class. But is the Mercedes twice as handsome?
In the End
The point here isn't to trash Mercedes-Benz; the E-Class is a remarkable car
and an engineering triumph. And Mercedes is hardly alone in charging top
dollar for a prestigious marque. But there's a lesson here when you think of
the astounding amount of car you can get for under $30,000 these days. And
Hyundai isn't the only manufacturer delivering luxury on the cheap. Ford,
Chevrolet and Infiniti are also doing an excellent job producing cars that
seem far more expensive than they really are — and not simply by tossing in
features just because more is better. And after a few hard years of an
economic recession, perhaps it's time new-car buyers start taking a long,
hard look at exactly what they're getting for the money. | f*******i
发帖数: 8492 | |
|
