Cadillac BLS Wagon 1.9 D 150hp Elegance Against Mercedes C 200 CDI Break Classic - Authentic or Cosmopolitan?

Very bourgeois Mercedes C-Class and Cadillac
BLS themselves as worldly utilities ... as it should

For the sake of elegance, modern breaks often tend to overlook the practical aspects. They took refuge behind high-sounding names to justify their lack of safety. Without taking for movers, Cadillac BLS Wagon and Mercedes C-Class Estate exception to this mode.

No convoluted name in Cadillac or Mercedes: there is no shame in treating a vehicle break or wagon for the U.S.
. This does not preclude the efforts for aesthetic devices that ultimately have no utility, faces require. The sharp lines of the BLS Wagon impose a haughty look, confirmed by the nobility of the grille. The fluid contours break Mercedes evokes a harbinger of dynamism feline. These two have nothing vans. And yet one as the other contain a baggage compartment, honest with the seat in place, respectable when it is folded. Volume, accessibility and modularity: it is far from the concept of shooting brake, a name that hides the carelessness of some bodies in two volumes, unable to reconcile harmony of shapes and practical life.

The dashboard of the C-Class is making tense and
harmonious lines that concealable screen comes not
distort. Lacquer "piano" on the console provides
the finishing touch

Cadillac BLS Wagon 1.9 D 150hp Elegance
Benefits
    Branding
    Tone diesel
    Beautiful presentation, but ...
Pitfalls of
    Average quality of materials ...
    Clumsy behavior
    Rough engine

Mercedes C 200 CDI Break Classic
Benefits
    Quiet diesel
    Quality finish
    Good suspensions
Pitfalls of
    Vibrations on certain coatings
    Engine power sometimes just
    Appearing cramped cockpit

Luxury brands, Cadillac and Mercedes do not intend their breaks to harsh tasks: the carpet there replaces the rubber mat, and thresholds trunk or doors are protected by rewarding enough chrome accents. Beyond appearances, the style and the perception of quality that result are very different between the German and the U.S.. Do not avoid the cliche of Germanic rigor about the Mercedes, a term applied to the superb quality of the materials and their implementation, but does not preclude a modern and flattering design. In the cockpit, everything is as enjoyable to watch as touch, whether the seat fabric, the lining of the dashboard or steering wheel. Handling any button provides a feeling of precise mechanism.

No greedy V8 under the hood of this American, but a
1.9 turbodiesel original Fiat, alas too vibrant and noisy

Even if it looks good, the Cadillac does not support the comparison. Inserts exotic wood and leather upholstery (optional) make its welcoming interior, but the quality of these materials proved disappointing, as their joints. Here we find a casually that could be called American if the BLS was built in Sweden on the same channels as Saab. A product of the technique of "cross badging" dear to General Motors, the small Cadillac for the European market shares her bottom with 9-3, so the Opel Vectra. To complete the picture cosmopolitan, note that the 1.9 diesel engine is an original block Fiat ... Even well-mixed cocktail is no longer an illusion. Without being openly criticized the BLS Wagon is far from providing that the image of Cadillac gives hope. The mechanics do not lack of energy and, as entry-level engine, provides decent performance, but at the cost of an unpleasant roughness. His series particulate filter does not stop vibrating and rumbling acceleration. The clutch is gradually and little control box catchy speeds.

The BLS has in series Stabilitrac system, the
equivalent of ESP stability control, which makes it as
safe as that of Mercedes behavior

Much more flexible, the BLS also offers a good general comfort, some "percussion" close. But the ride is more clumsy, more suited to motorway driving dynamics that, nothing out of the ordinary when the Cadillac emblem on sports. This emblem, the most prestigious of American industry, would still deserve a little more consideration for the designers of General Motors.