Car configurators

Certain industries and brands are masters at creating great desirability around their products. The marketers of the automotive industry’s premium brands possess this craft as no other. One of the great tools they have is the car configurator available on their websites. I’ve spent many hours putting together all kinds of cars I would like, ranging from somewhat realistic to totally unobtainable. I’m sure I’m not the only one doing this but I like going through the mental exercise of configuring a car by giving myself limitation in certain areas but giving myself carte blanche in others. Today I’ll walk you through my latest concoction in the following steps.

Step 1. Setting the parameters

Thinking about which car you would choose is fun because like with most things in life, nothing is perfect and trade offs are a giving. Choosing a car, even if it’s only imaginary, is no different! Overly sporty cars usually aren’t the most comfortable and practical, and on the other side a really practical car probably isn’t very engaging to drive. For todays entry, I’ll be focusing on a car you could use every day, which implies comfort and practicality, but at the same time I’m omitting budget restrictions, so the car should also be very luxurious and decently fast.

Step 2. Choosing a brand

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Nobody is 100% objective, we’re all victims of socialization and whether you like it or not, chances are that your parents, friends, peers, … have had a profound impact in shaping your norms, values and even your tastes.  The later means I’m totally biased toward Mercedes-Benz when it comes to cars. For me, a Mercedes exemplifies luxury but in an understated way.

Step 3. Choosing the model

When it comes to picking a model, a more rational approach is possible. Each model has advantages and drawbacks, and in the end it comes down to which benefits you value most and think prevail over the model’s weaknesses. Mercedes has a wide range of models, hence the difficulty in choosing! Esthetically, I really like their coupés; especially the CLS and the S Coupé! However, being pretty tall, I wouldn’t fancy getting in and out of one too much, especially if wearing a suit. The new C Class looks great but is very “company car”-ish. The E Class is very nice but I feel a bit young to be driving that kind of car and the S Class is more a car to be driven in. I would lean towards a SUV. It entails a tradeoff between driving dynamics, and increased practicality and better driving position – which given my aforementioned tall size, is pretty valuable (I’d rather not squeeze in to get into a car!). However, a car can be to big as well, making it cumbersome to navigate it around town, narrow streets and in and out parking spaces.

Despite narrowing it down, this still leaves quite a bit of options: the GLA, the GLK, M, GL and the G. Personally, I find the design of the GLK and the G a bit boxy. The GL is, in my opinion, one of those cars that’s just to big and thus reduces its   an enormous practicality, at least were I live, because parking and maneuvering it around Belgian towns seems burdensome. This leaves the GLA and the M.  I like how the GLA looks but it’s basically an A Class on stilts and it’s hard to justify choosing an A Class when one of the parameters is unlimited budget. The M Class it is!

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Step 4. Engine choose

Mercedes offers both diesel and petrol versions of their engines. Since we’re making this exercise with no budget limitations, I’m going with petrol as, in my opinion, it offers a nicer driving experience. The M Class has three options when it comes to petrol engines. The middle one in the range, the M 500, is the one I fancy the most. The M 350 is already really smooth and plenty fast. I have actually driven the M 350 on several occasions and I was always sad when I had to go back to my own car. The M 500 seems to be more of the same but bigger, better, faster! The top in the range, the AMG model, has better performance, of course, but for me it seems a bit too ostentatious. 

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Step 5. Exterior and interior configuration

I’m not the guy who wants the biggest rims and the flashy orange paint job. The standard 19” wheels look fine and the ‘cavansitblau’ seems like a good exterior color. While not the typical black, that almost everybody has, it’s still quite discreet. On the inside I would go for the almond beige leather and the ash wood trim. According to the pictures online this configuration has some contrasting elements in it; the dash, central cubby and steering wheel are in a darker brown, which look really good! An option that Mercedes offers but most other manufactures don’t, which I think is very nice, is having wood trim on the steering wheel. For the rest I’m ticking all the boxes for the options but I want to go over the ones I think are essential.

The Mercedes-Benz M Class is a large car and like mentioned earlier this means a trade off in terms of driving dynamics. All kinds of systems have been developed to minimize this trade off and to me it seems absolutely necessary to add on these options. I’m talking about the Active Curve System (€3.888), which reduces body roll, and the On & Off-Road Pack (€2.345), which gives you adjustable suspension. Another feature I would seriously consider if I wasn’t going for a full option model would be the premium multi contour seats with massage functionality (€1.358).

Step 6. Look at the price and close your Internet browser

When I’m finished ticking all the options ‘my’ Merc comes in at €120.619! Good thing I’m not buying it and I can just close my browser and live on to dream another day!

Feel free to share what car you dream on configuring!