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The Worst Option. Ever. - 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited September 2014 in Mercedes-Benz
imageThe Worst Option. Ever. - 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 Long-Term Road Test

The illuminated star option on a Mercedes-Benz CLA250 is a terrible idea.

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  • miata52miata52 Member Posts: 114
    I second that.
  • redskinsdmvredskinsdmv Member Posts: 52
    Petty and childish option. Wonder if you could turn off the light or if it's always illuminated.
  • ahightowerahightower Member Posts: 539
    Pretty much the opposite of subtle and sophisticated...
  • glossgloss Member Posts: 150
    Tacky tacky tacky.
  • mercedesfanmercedesfan Member Posts: 365
    By subtle, they mean gaudy. By sophisticated, they mean unbelievably tacky. Okay, got it. Sometimes that marketing lingo can be difficult to understand.
  • iamthestigiamthestig Member Posts: 85
    I agree on all points. Unfortunately, in my opinion it's only a matter of time until everyone offers this on front and rear badges... Even worse -- the $25 "badge illumination kit" from Autozone. Remember how BMW introduced "angel eyes", and then Audi stylized their DRLs, and then everyone followed suit?
  • zimtheinvaderzimtheinvader Member Posts: 580
    edited September 2014
    I agree it is tacky but they seem to know their market as most of the reviews have said it isn't a great car to drive but many seem impressed with it being a MB.

    To quote Travis Langness "The three-pointed start just makes me feel important, I can't help it."
    and Brent Romans "Sure, it helps that there's a big three-pointed star gracing the grille. Just by association, the CLA benefits from some extra prestige than it probably wouldn't otherwise."

    So all this is doing is yelling "Seriously people! I'm driving a Mercedes!!!!"

    Here's my idea: a Prius badge that changes color depending on your MPG.
  • ocramidajzjocramidajzj Member Posts: 91
    edited September 2014
    It's amazing that Alien's haven't come down and put us out of our misery. Egad, are we humans that vapid?
  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    It would be cool if the star slowly illuminated as you walked up to the car at night or was used as part of the parking lights. However it should turn off when the engine is started and normal lighting used for night time driving. Actually that is something that is a pet peeve, LED DRL's that stay on at night. They should turn completely off when the headlights are switched on. The worst offenders are LED DRLs that remain on with halogen headlights. Not so bad with HIDs but look really tacky with halogen lights.
  • mrrytemrryte Member Posts: 28
    edited September 2014
    ocramidajzj said:

    It's amazing that Alien's haven't come down and put us out of our misery. Egad, are we humans that vapid?

    No; it's just that some humans are so vain. MB knows this so that's why they offer this option.

  • veedubber86veedubber86 Member Posts: 57
    Remember those old Pontiac Sunfires with the light up "pontiac" on the trunk?
  • emajoremajor Member Posts: 332
    You're all wrong, that is absolutely the right thing to offer on a luxury brand purchased in some proportion because of the badge on the grill. Sure, it lacks taste and is gaudy, but that describes the CLA in a nutshell. Brand prestige. Why else would you spend loaded Accord V6 money to buy the cheapest entry into a luxury brand? Or lease an automatic 320i? Or buy an A3 with the 1.8t? May as well take the theme up a notch and have the badge light up for all to see.

    I'd rather rinse my eyes with habanero sauce than order the cheap Mercedes with a lit up star, but this will make some people feel quite good about their purchase.
  • banhughbanhugh Member Posts: 315
    Mercedes and others sell crap like hats and shirts and baby strollers with their logo for years. Vanity is good business! Also I bet that the cheaper CLA cars will have a higher percentage of this installed compared to more expensive cars. Vanity will make you buy the CLA anyway compared to a fully loaded econobox
  • ocramidajzjocramidajzj Member Posts: 91
    edited October 2014
    banhugh said:

    Mercedes and others sell crap like hats and shirts and baby strollers with their logo for years. Vanity is good business! Also I bet that the cheaper CLA cars will have a higher percentage of this installed compared to more expensive cars. Vanity will make you buy the CLA anyway compared to a fully loaded econobox

    At least shirts and hats offer some functional benefit. You could argue that wearing a shirt with a sports team logo is the same thing. But this offer no functional benefit. Whats more it's damned expensive for what it is. IMO
  • peterkleinepeterkleine Member Posts: 1
    As tacky and cheesy as it could be. Of course this would come up on one of the cheapest Mercs. It's for the people who really feel the need to show their "achievements".
  • goaterguygoaterguy Member Posts: 64
    People buy the cheapest MB just to say they drive a MB. This car is no better than any other car for it's price except for the badge. It's no surprise that some owners want to highlight it.
  • mbzowner73mbzowner73 Member Posts: 2
    Obviously, you people don't own a Mercedes since you don't get how it really makes the car pop and DOES make the car more stylish! With that said, I agree that for mercedes to be selling this option at a $500 price tag, is outrageous! I was able to get my LED star badge for only $52 off eBay and for the wiring harness for only $100 as well. The illuminated star from eBay was identical in every way as to the one from the dealership. So, if you're opting to want to have the illuminated star on your car, just buy it off eBay and install it yourself. You'll save a bundle AND still get the stylish look you're looking for. Once this star has been installed, it DOES MAKE THE CAR BETTER LOOKING AT NIGHT!

    If you're a can enthusiast and are into styling, then you'd be able to understand this point of view. Otherwise, I think you're missing out if you own a mercedes and don't have this feature. It is a subtle touch that has a Hugh impact on how great it makes the car look.
  • mbzowner73mbzowner73 Member Posts: 2
    goaterguy said:

    People buy the cheapest MB just to say they drive a MB. This car is no better than any other car for it's price except for the badge. It's no surprise that some owners want to highlight it.


    You obviously are making a comment on something you know nothing about. Even the lower end "cheapest" benz are better than most standard cars on the market today! I've owned a mercedes cars for over 15 years and have learned many things about these cars. Some bad and mostly good. But these cars have engineering "hidden" features which most people are totally oblivious to but use every day they drive their benz's. One of many features which I'm talking about would be like how the braking system works. ESPECIALLY IN THE RAIN...
    Every 20 swipes of the windshield wipers the on-board computer system very gently and subtly squeezes the brakes to allow the pads to skim on the rooters causing the water to be removed off. This is a safety feature which gives a better braking function when it's raining so that your car stops quicker and harder when you need it especially when it's raining.

    this is just one point of hundreds of features that mercedes benz cars have that standard Toyota, Honda and many other cars don't have.
    It's features like these that justify buying a mercedes over any other car. Not just because you think mercedes owners are trying to be presumptuous. So, before making a comment about something, why don't you educate yourself about it, before trying to make a comment and making yourself look stupid to those who know better.
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