1" thick? Are you sure this isn't a Bentley?
The MB mats from the 80's and 90's were
huge. Of course, that thickness includes the backing, etc, but they were massively thick compared to anything I see today.
When we sold our 1990 190E 2.6 with 510K on the odo, the interior looked fantastic. The carpet was in like-new shape and the plastic and wood was also like new. The doors still "thunked" closed and there was not a rattle or squeak to be heard. Every interior piece was of very high quality and assembled with perfection. Of course, that car was nearly $50K
in 1990, which would be VERY expensive today. A C350 can be bought for the same nominal dollar amount, meaning it's significantly less expensive now.
In some ways the new C350 is more car, but in other ways, not even close. The old 190E's body panels were much thicker, the paint non-water-based, and the interior parts made to last nearly forever. The 190 had almost no "luxury" gadgets compared to now, with a very rudimentary (and crappy sounding) audio system, a clunky HVAC system, failure prone rising-mast antenna, and window-smearing mono-wiper. The 2.6L inline six made only 158hp and was mated to a four speed AT. It used more fuel than the C350 does despite making 50% of the power.
Want a car built to the same exacting standard that the old German cars were? Prepare to pony up. Check out a high-end Lexus' interior panel fit and construction. It's a combination of modern production and "old world" assembly. But, you're shelling out big bucks for cars like an LS or LX.