At the hire desk the previously booked VW Pisshat / Insignia were unavailable so I was offered some alternatives; the most attractive of which was a C-Class Merc for the reasonable addition of €24.00 for the 4 days
this was on top of the €67.00 Hire fee I'd already booked so approx €91.00 for 4 days.We had a nice time visiting North Germany and returning to Hamburg for a day but as this is a car forum let me show you the motah:
A 2017 C Class 180T 9-speed Auto with 500 KM's on the clock:
It was pretty torquey and seamed to have plenty of go in it. Later research showed in to be a 1.6 4 cylinder pez turbo with direct injection. 154 bhp and 180+ torques, it seamed to suit the car well to be fair.
Interior quality high, leather stitched dash and all with a high-end feel, seats were a cloth/alcantara combo:
That light bar thing in the roof showed the proximity of the car behind while reversing (so you could view this in the rear view mirror):
Twin sunroof with roly-blind thing:
Art Deco console anyone?:
Illuminating entry:
Convenient* Electric handbrake release:
Long bonnet took some getting used to but looks short here:
Overall mighty impressive car, very comfortable, very quiet and a good all-rounder. Electric boot hatch, switchable driving modes, switchable steering 'feel' modes, changeable ambient lighting colours...loads of stuff. To be honest I'm out of touch with modern cars and was a bit taken aback at all the gadgets and 'personalisation' available but the main thing was how composed the car was with excellent ride and handling and brakes you'd only need to wave a feather at the pedal.
Other things that impressed was the Automatic High Beams
you'd select 'high beam' and the LED headlights would only extend the beam if nothing was coming the other way 
like it could see oncoming traffic - and it worked well when the high beams came on they sort of 'searched' out and gave a HUGE viewing range. Also the blind spot detection system work well and would warn you if you indicated too soon whilst another car was in your 'area'.Driving in Germany is a piece of cake, everyone drives with courtesy and sticks to the speed limits where indicated. All the traffic moves around town seamlessly and I saw no road rage, no under-taking and it was all very pleasant even in the busy Hamburg centre. Even if you make a mistake and need to change lanes at short notice it was as if other cars anticipate this and simply let you in with no drama (see UK for comparison
). Verdict: it all works nicely.Conversely on arrival back in Luton last night and within 5 minutes of driving some arse in an Insignia was darting in and out and undertaking / entering a roundabout far too fast and bothering others. Got me thinking how we do 'driving' all wrong here, and we do, it's all me me me and then get all hissy when it doesn't work out and you 'lose' the 2.5 seconds you thought you'd gained. Slow down everyone and merge in turn
You're bound to ask so on the Autobahn I did do a 160 KMH (which is only* 100 MPH) but seamed right for the situation. Amazingly in 'gear 9' the engine was only turning at 2400 rpm at this speed.
Also note to Germany: can you please make your underground Car Parks a bit wider for access - gees
Sorry a bit waffly
I R BIN SPOIL
)