Anyone with a B Class care to share their thoughts?
Discussion
Due to a new addition to our family, our new baby, my wife's 3 dr corsa
needs to be replaced with a larger 5 door with a boot (although so
far I've managed to keep the CL and chim)
She's keen on he b class and there is an invitation only even taking place at our local dealer later next week, so I'm thinking it might be as good an opportunity as any to haggle a discount.
Thing is I'm not that sold on them, I'm not sure why not, just not convinced - I'd prefer she sets her sights higher and we go for the C class.
Does anyone have any experience owning a B class? What do you think of it? Is the diesel as noisy a the reviews seem to make out? How is life with your b class?
Cheers
needs to be replaced with a larger 5 door with a boot (although so
far I've managed to keep the CL and chim)
She's keen on he b class and there is an invitation only even taking place at our local dealer later next week, so I'm thinking it might be as good an opportunity as any to haggle a discount.
Thing is I'm not that sold on them, I'm not sure why not, just not convinced - I'd prefer she sets her sights higher and we go for the C class.
Does anyone have any experience owning a B class? What do you think of it? Is the diesel as noisy a the reviews seem to make out? How is life with your b class?
Cheers
I had a brand new one from Alicate airport for 24 hours last year when the car i'd ordered wasnt ready. it was the diesel version and although you could tell it was a diesel it wasnt excessively noisey compared to others i've owned/driven.from the inside it was very quiet.
it was a typical diesel to be honest, nice burst of torque so enough power round town and pulling out to overtake on motorway etc. was comfy but a tad high driving position for my tastes. plenty of room, loads of boot space, got two full sized cases in with plenty of room left over.
it was a typical diesel to be honest, nice burst of torque so enough power round town and pulling out to overtake on motorway etc. was comfy but a tad high driving position for my tastes. plenty of room, loads of boot space, got two full sized cases in with plenty of room left over.
I bought one for Mrs Veloce last year . It`s a B180 cdi Sport in black with black half leather and every option other than auto transmission . We tried the auto ( CVT) and wern`t too keen . It was very sluggish and , according to the published figures , no where near as frugal as the 6 speed manual .
The car has been faultless and great for our needs , The interior is huge and well packaged and the driving position first class . The difference in quality between the B and it`s competitors is vast , reflected in the list price . Mine was under a year old with 12000 miles when we bought it for £14k from a Mercedes dealer, but had listed at £24,000 with options .
50 mpg on the computer is easy on the motorway and it`s sufficiently brisk to entertain . The level of roadholding ( on 225/45/17`s) is high , but there is a slight artifical feel to the steering . The only real niggle during last winter was the traction control inhibits progress through snow .
All in all , a good buy and recommended .
The car has been faultless and great for our needs , The interior is huge and well packaged and the driving position first class . The difference in quality between the B and it`s competitors is vast , reflected in the list price . Mine was under a year old with 12000 miles when we bought it for £14k from a Mercedes dealer, but had listed at £24,000 with options .
50 mpg on the computer is easy on the motorway and it`s sufficiently brisk to entertain . The level of roadholding ( on 225/45/17`s) is high , but there is a slight artifical feel to the steering . The only real niggle during last winter was the traction control inhibits progress through snow .
All in all , a good buy and recommended .
Edited by mickyveloce on Saturday 3rd April 11:09
Have a new shape A-Class Avantgarde in the 'fleet' here which is basicly the same car as the B-Class, albeit a little shorter.
I've been quite impressed with it. Replaced a MK5 Golf. Built to very high standards, doors close with a solid clunk etc and everything feels solid. Interior is generally a nice place to be, comfy semi-leather seats, loads of room for 5, big boot, excellent stereo and climate control. Looks nice from the outside in Cosmos Black with 16" alloys. Reliability is A1, zero problems in 3.5 years only been to MB twice for servicing. Does well in all the customer surveys. From a drivers point of view you have a good high-up seating position, steering is fairly light though which some people don't like, and gearbox seems OK. The main negative is the ride quality. I find it OK, but a lot of people say its unacceptable. Gradualy worsens with the bigger wheels and sports suspension.
In terms of which model to buy, I'd say a B180 CDI or B200 CDI would be your best bet. Avoid the entry level trim with wheel-trims, but at the same time although Sport looks nice it has the firm suspension. SE perhaps the best all-rounder. Leather and COMAND are desirable but not essential like on the bigger Mercs. Auto gearbox adds some value and preffered by many, but again not essential on this size car.
ETA - Forgot to mention these cars are huge inside, like a tardis. A-Class is C-Class sized, and a B-Class is just as big as an E-CLass inside. Taxi drivers in Germany have been swapping there E-Classes for B-Classes, not hard to see why.
I've been quite impressed with it. Replaced a MK5 Golf. Built to very high standards, doors close with a solid clunk etc and everything feels solid. Interior is generally a nice place to be, comfy semi-leather seats, loads of room for 5, big boot, excellent stereo and climate control. Looks nice from the outside in Cosmos Black with 16" alloys. Reliability is A1, zero problems in 3.5 years only been to MB twice for servicing. Does well in all the customer surveys. From a drivers point of view you have a good high-up seating position, steering is fairly light though which some people don't like, and gearbox seems OK. The main negative is the ride quality. I find it OK, but a lot of people say its unacceptable. Gradualy worsens with the bigger wheels and sports suspension.
In terms of which model to buy, I'd say a B180 CDI or B200 CDI would be your best bet. Avoid the entry level trim with wheel-trims, but at the same time although Sport looks nice it has the firm suspension. SE perhaps the best all-rounder. Leather and COMAND are desirable but not essential like on the bigger Mercs. Auto gearbox adds some value and preffered by many, but again not essential on this size car.
ETA - Forgot to mention these cars are huge inside, like a tardis. A-Class is C-Class sized, and a B-Class is just as big as an E-CLass inside. Taxi drivers in Germany have been swapping there E-Classes for B-Classes, not hard to see why.
Edited by V on Sunday 4th April 16:17
Owned one from new for 3.5 years. 150SE Auto. Admittedly, it brings a whole new meaning to the word sluggish – but as a family car, although I hate to hear myself say it out loud – I cannot fault it. OK, so I’ve lost count of the times I’ve pulled out to overtake, only to pull back in to the same place, but it never came badged as a Ferrari. And two year olds don’t respond too well to being bounced around on a journey. The raised driving height makes getting in and out and loading kids in the back very easy if you have a bad back – and you will have one after lugging around all the gear a child needs. It seems well built and I don’t worry about fuel bills anymore, but its best selling point is the load space. I couldn’t believe how much room the pram took up – but it fits nicely in the B whereas it’s a struggle in a C-Estate. Nobody ever ‘wants’ a B class, so it’s always going to be expensive and options won’t help the cost. A Tom-tom is a cheaper option than the Sat-Nav and we only listen to Mickey Mouse CDs so no need for the Multi-changer - but Scotch Guard is a must ! Would I rather drive my girlfriend’s Golf? – of course! I sold an SL to get here, so don’t ask me to be over the moon about the B – but after 3.5 years, the problem seems to be I don’t know what else could do the job of family lugger so well. Nowadays, I a) leave earlier; b) accept I’m going to be late; c) hold on to the hope that one day the kids will leave home and I’ll be back in a car of my choosing… Congratulations and Good luck !
Thanks again folks all great opinions - we're going to the dealer tomorrow to see if we can make a deal - I hate those high pressure sales situations but the good thing is we are in a strong position not looking to trade, good credit and a decent sized deposit 
Wish us luck!
Hopefully it will mean I can hang on to the chim and cl a little longer :/
Wish us luck!
Hopefully it will mean I can hang on to the chim and cl a little longer :/
mb450 said:
Is the diesel as noisy a the reviews seem to make out?
I have a C Class and have driven and looked at B Class quite seriously - on the face of it, it should be an ideal family car.In Germany they're used quite a lot as Taxis and MB had to put extra soundproofing under the bonnet as householders complained about the noise when people were being dropped off at night!
NVH levels in the cabin are regarded as high in the diesels, even in the autos. One owner on the MB forum turned his in from PCP early as he hated this aspect, but he was coming from a 5 cyl Audi.
I note the comments from above about the B150 (petrol). I think I can adapt to any car but I had an B150 manual for a day and I thought it was dangerous the way is was so slow off the line and then immediately ran out steam and needed another gear grabbing.
It's recommended to avoid the Sport models and the bigger wheels as the ride is pretty horrendous.
Basic seats are limited in adjustment - comfort seats are only £80 but it seems few think to spec them. Another odd thing is that the mirrors are fixed (can't be manually folded) unless the elec folding option is chosen.
That’s a good point above with the mirrors, forgot to mention in my post. They are an absolute pain, I've had mine on the A-Class knocked of twice now because they don't fold. Did look into getting the electric folding ones retrofitted but it was going to cost about £1000, when it’s only a £150 option new...Probably worth hunting a car out with them already fitted.
RE the comfort seats – think they are standard on the post 08 f/lift version, but not 100% sure probably worth checking the brochure. If the car doesn’t have them you can’t adjust the height of passenger seat which can cause complaints.
RE the comfort seats – think they are standard on the post 08 f/lift version, but not 100% sure probably worth checking the brochure. If the car doesn’t have them you can’t adjust the height of passenger seat which can cause complaints.
V said:
That’s a good point above with the mirrors, forgot to mention in my post. They are an absolute pain, I've had mine on the A-Class knocked of twice now because they don't fold. Did look into getting the electric folding ones retrofitted but it was going to cost about £1000, when it’s only a £150 option new...Probably worth hunting a car out with them already fitted.
The down side there is that if the elec ones get damaged then they're a lot more expensive to replace. They don't autofold so you have to remember and if parking kerbside they need to be out to see it's safe to open the door.Just to stand up for the B180 cdi I have;
- The mirrors will fold in automatically on locking the car , provided the function has been selected in the car`s settings menu .
- The downside to the Sport pack is the tyres are slightly more expensive . The ride is both composed and complient on the motorway , and just on the sporting side of firm for town use , but in no way uncomfortable or "horrendous" .
- Likewise the refinement . There is an "old school" rattle from start up which would have the owners of the latest generation of BMW oil burners sniggering , but on the move the car is quiet and long legged with a six speed manual `box .
- The quasi MPV height , together with the low window line / high seat position arrangement makes the visibility splendid for my small boys , negating any travel sickness issues and giving them a panoramic view .
- The perfomance is acceptable - nothing more or less . Mercedes dealers are offering a 34bhp increase Brabus chip for £1100 which I`d go for if I used the car regularly . Brakes are more than up to the job and the quality is first class .
- I make my living negotiating , so the man who secured the £10 discount needs a lesson or two in the finer art of salesmanship . I got £10k off list at 8 months old from Mercedes .
Edited by mickyveloce on Sunday 11th April 07:48
mickyveloce said:
- I make my living negotiating , so the man who secured the £10 discount needs a lesson or two in the finer art of salesmanship . I got £10k off list at 8 months old from Mercedes .
I certainly didn't pay near list for my sl55 when I bought it off the peg in 03. I can say I have never experienced such a weird situation at a dealership.
mb450 said:
- the "sales event" was clearly targetting brand new cars and I suspect I was taking up valuable time that they'd have rather spent flogging a new c class.
My dealer seems to run "sales events" every couple of months - in fact I have an invite in my bin for another one 15th-19th April for used cars, with pricing "highly sensitive pricing that can only be discussed in the showroom". 
For God's sake - the fact that things work just shows how thick the average punter is. And I know the dealership is pretty low on used stock anyway!I'm sure these events are just designed to pack the showrooms and get people into a buying frenzy - for someone who wants a deal, I can't think of anything more ridiculous.
Oh, and I would have thought £10K off the original joke list price of a decently spec'd 8mth old B Class was OK, but not great.
Edited by Deva Link on Sunday 11th April 11:09
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