....in case anyone should want to know!
I got it on Monday - a bit of a wait given that it was in stock in the UK, but that was so that it could be brought on a transporter, so fair enough. All credit to Greenoaks of Reading for making the whole exercise a pleasant experience (apart from saying farewell to my much-loved Audi - but the B200 CDI is £100 cheaper per month because of M-B's special offer).
(Hard to believe but the monthly payment is £50 cheaper than a Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDI estate.)
So far I like:
- Lofty driving position and very good seats
- Lighter steering than the A4 (too light for some people but I prefer it)
- Mostly good visibility - better than an A-class, even at the back
- Performance promises to be lively, although I fully expect it to take up to 10,000 miles to give of its best, as with most diesels
- Lots of room front and back, and back seats fold flat. Front passenger seat backrest will fold down (for when I take a dislike to a passenger....).
I don't like:
- Engine noise - the drone is probably typical of 4-cylinder diesel automatics, but it serves me right for being rude about Mercs as German taxis all these years - this one sounds very like a London taxi when accelerating
- Over-complex information display - much more info than I need and harder to get at. Audi's version is much more intuitive.
Not sure about single column stalk for indicators and wipers - everyone else uses two and I can't see the point of combining them all.
Others I test-drove:
Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDI - very impressive all round and I would have seriously considered it if I could have got a better PCP deal
VW Golf Plus 2.0 TDI - much noisier than the Octavia for some reason: lively but not much more room than an ordinary Golf. VW should have done a Mark 5 estate - the Mark 4 was excellent.
BMW 320d - lovely to drive - steering response and handling as superb as always with BMWs, but it was no cheaper than another A4 and it didn't quite suit my driving style. You have to concentrate hard to get the best out of a BMW, and I like to relax while still getting a move on.
Ford C-Max - good to drive but the impression was of flimsier build quality, and they lose their value faster than the others.
Well, I hope that lot was interesting to some - if not, too bad!
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Did it come with complimentary earmuffs to drown out the engine noise? ;-) Or perhaps an amazing stereo?
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Hi Avant
Thanks for the update, very interesting. Could you have lived with the low rent interior of the Octavia? It puts me right off them!
Pity about the noise in a "luxury" car. Let us know how the B is like to live with.
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MB have reported that the B class has only achieved third of projected sales and is a marketing disaster report Auto bild.
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Thanks for the update! I've seen a few around locally, and have to say in some colours/specs they look very nice indeed. be good to find out how you get on as time progresses
Thanks
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Avant - what's the steady motorway cruising like, from noise (engine/road/wind) and comfort points of view?
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I've been on a slightly longer trip with it now: it's quite relaxed at about 75 mph and just under 2000 rpm. Wind and road noise quite subdued. Seat comfort very good - I'm glad I went for the seat comfort package (fairly cheap) which gives adjustable lumbar support. Too soon to say how much power there is at the top end.
One really crass piece of design - the wipers are clap-hands (fine for this size of screen in principle) but the driver's windscreen wiper is shorter than the passenger's. M-B have been too mean to convert for RHD. As usual with clap-hands wipers, the passenger wiper is on top so sweeps nearer to the side, for the benefit of LHD cars. This really is unacceptable in a £21,000 car: apparently there will be a questionnaire to fill in in a few weeks' time for comments such as this - not that anyone will listen!
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the only thing I am worried about is the indian image that comes with mercs.
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the only thing I am worried about is the indian image that comes with mercs.
What's wrong with that ?
At least the owner wold have bought it from hard earned money - not a company freebie
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the only thing I am worried about is the indian image that comes with mercs.
Am I missing something here? What are you on about?
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Is this all tribes or limited to ones like the Arapaho or the Blackfoot?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Am I the only one that thinks lots of asian drive mercs?
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Well, I'm British and C of E, but why does it matter?
This thread was more interesting when we were talking about the car.
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M-B have been too mean to convert for RHD. As usual with clap-hands wipers, the passenger wiper is on top so sweeps nearer to the side, for the benefit of LHD cars. This really is unacceptable in a £21,000 car: apparently there will be a questionnaire to fill in in a few weeks' time for comments such as this - not that anyone will listen!
This (having the wipers set for LHD) really put me off the last 5 Series BMW. Don't know if they've changed them on the latest version.
I don't see why having the driver side wiped as the lower wiper should prevent it from sweeping near to the A post - it's just a matter of mechanical design, gearing, leverage etc, surely? They don't *have* to sweep exactly the same arc - or do they?
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This (having the wipers set for LHD) really put me off the last 5 Series BMW. Don't know if they've changed them on the latest version.
No they haven't... Drivers side one is on an MB type cam, so it pushes it up into the corner of the screen. I don't find it a problem, but am only of average height. If you were over 6' it might become more of an irritation IMO. The E90/91 3 series has them the 'right' way round though, IIRC
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"Driver's side one is on an MB type cam, so it pushes it up into the corner of the screen."
The problem on mine is that it doesn't - not only is it shorter so the unwiped area at the top of the screen is bigger (agreed, a problem only if you're tall) but it stops further away than the A-pillar.
It would certainly be possible to have one wiper sweep a longer arc than the other - my father's Austin A55 had that, new in 1959! M-B just can't be bothered, or perhaps they haven't forgiven us for John Cleese in Fawlty Towers....
Yes, BMW do it too - amazingly, the 3-series has the wipers the right way round but not the 5 and 7. Renault manage it with the Clio but not the Scenic. It may seem petty, but it's surprisingly annoying when you have to live with it.
The joy of my late lamented Audi was that there was nothing which ever annoyed me. Everything was intuitive and fell to hand. Perhaps that's part of why it was so expensive.
Ah well, I'm off for a week's business trip abroad so the B-class will be in an airport car park. Pity - just as I was getting to like it, despite the wipers.
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You cuold always try a longer blade. I often do this to my cars, with obvious results!
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Not a good idea with clap hands wipers.... they do actually then clap hands.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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