Mercedes V class
Discussion
Convince me otherwise or tell me I should do it.
New member but long time reader.
At present I have an 18 plate Tiguan and it's a great car however I feel it's lacking space for the amount of outdoor stuff as a family we usually do. The Mercedes V class fits the bill between a bit of luxury but also the practicality of having a large car to take the 2 kids, wife and dog out n about with bikes on a tow bar.
Ideally I want to spend around 31k on a 2019 model as I feel they represent the best value for money for a couple of reasons - if they were work horses and had a few hair cuts (miles) there won't be much due to the pandemic.
Does anyone have any idea of what model they would go for? I am looking at the 220 XLWB.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008252...
The above is at 32k so I could get to that.
Just looking for any pit falls that any members have had with this or just tell me to get a bigger bloody car and stop being silly!
New member but long time reader.
At present I have an 18 plate Tiguan and it's a great car however I feel it's lacking space for the amount of outdoor stuff as a family we usually do. The Mercedes V class fits the bill between a bit of luxury but also the practicality of having a large car to take the 2 kids, wife and dog out n about with bikes on a tow bar.
Ideally I want to spend around 31k on a 2019 model as I feel they represent the best value for money for a couple of reasons - if they were work horses and had a few hair cuts (miles) there won't be much due to the pandemic.
Does anyone have any idea of what model they would go for? I am looking at the 220 XLWB.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008252...
The above is at 32k so I could get to that.
Just looking for any pit falls that any members have had with this or just tell me to get a bigger bloody car and stop being silly!
Hi, as an ex chauffeur (thanks Covid..) i just sold a 2018 V220 sport extra long wheelbase which is what that advert is, i owned it from new and it was my second one the other bought new in 2015. In other words ive spent a lot of time in a Vclass over the last few years! They're pretty good really, shed loads of space if you go for the XLWB but strangely cramped in the front if you have the seats laid out in 'conference' as in the ad. If you have them all forward facing which i guess you would as a family car then no problem, and you can swap round round in about 5 minutes if you've done it enough times. Front seats are not comfortable for long periods of time, you will end up with a square shaped bottom!
One option i had was extended rear seat rails (which the one in the ad doesnt have) its well worth it if you can find one with that as it allows the rear row to go much further back if you want it to. You can retro fit them for a couple of hundred though if not, the captive nuts are already in the floor under the carpet..
MPG on a slow motorway plod at around 60MPH will be about low fifties, my average over 20 odd thousand miles was about 33MPG, but that was nearly all in London and lots of idling.
Opening rear windows will rattle their t*ts off when open, both sliding doors will creak no matter what you do to try to stop it
Overall its a good buy though i guess, its a posh van, its slow unless you get a 250 and even then i don't think you'll win many races. Is a VW transporter better? I dont know - I only drove one ages ago and it wasn't as refined but it was faster..
One option i had was extended rear seat rails (which the one in the ad doesnt have) its well worth it if you can find one with that as it allows the rear row to go much further back if you want it to. You can retro fit them for a couple of hundred though if not, the captive nuts are already in the floor under the carpet..
MPG on a slow motorway plod at around 60MPH will be about low fifties, my average over 20 odd thousand miles was about 33MPG, but that was nearly all in London and lots of idling.
Opening rear windows will rattle their t*ts off when open, both sliding doors will creak no matter what you do to try to stop it
Overall its a good buy though i guess, its a posh van, its slow unless you get a 250 and even then i don't think you'll win many races. Is a VW transporter better? I dont know - I only drove one ages ago and it wasn't as refined but it was faster..
Bit late to this but in case it helps...
I currently have a 2019 Tiguan and a 2019 V Class, the new 300D. Bought the V class 1 month before we went into lockdown 1.
In your circumstances I don't think the V class is the answer. If the Tiguan with a towbar mounted bike rack isn't enough for a family of 4 and dog, maybe consider one of those out of fashion MPVs like a Galaxy or Alhambra/Sharan. More internal space. 2nd row seats aren't as comfy for adults as the Tiguan's, though not an issue with kids.
Or if you need something van-based, get something less posh than the V-class. It really isn't a practical family vehicle. It works really well as posh-looking transport for >5 adults. At that, it is better than a Caravelle and much better than most other vehicles. But as an "active family" vehicle it sucks:
- the appearance of quality is a mirage. They are not nearly as well built as they should be. Trim scratches and breaks easily, and replacements are at Merc prices. I've had more Bluetooth issues in 12 months than in a lifetime running other cars. Rattles appear from nowhere (especially the sliding doors, as said above). This is a tarted-up van, with some leather and chrome and shiny badges to draw you in;
- Merc dealers are the pits;
- again, on costs, these are expensive vehicles to run. Depreciation plus running and repair costs will be much higher than for a Tiguan;
- the seats weigh as much as a small planet and they don't fold into the floor. They have to come out if you want to create more space, but the system of clasps fitting into mounting "sleds" buried in the rails is fiddly. Lord help you if the mounting points get misaligned while the seats are out...;
- all current model V-classes have electric doors and tailgate. Good for impressing people, but your friends and their kids will NEVER get their heads round it and will always be fighting the doors ! And they will fail at some point out of warranty...
- it drives better than a Caravelle, but that is also a tarted-up van. It doesn't drive anywhere near as well as a Tiguan, or even a good full size MPV like a Galaxy. And the 2.2 220D is slooooooowwwwwww. 2.2 250D is ok for power, but sounds like a bag of spanners when revved above 2500rpm. Poorly geared for motorways as well, so engine noise intrudes if you go above 80. Revised 2 litre diesel from mid-2019 onwards is more refined, but you need the 300D for any real sense of urgency when fully loaded.
HTH
I currently have a 2019 Tiguan and a 2019 V Class, the new 300D. Bought the V class 1 month before we went into lockdown 1.
In your circumstances I don't think the V class is the answer. If the Tiguan with a towbar mounted bike rack isn't enough for a family of 4 and dog, maybe consider one of those out of fashion MPVs like a Galaxy or Alhambra/Sharan. More internal space. 2nd row seats aren't as comfy for adults as the Tiguan's, though not an issue with kids.
Or if you need something van-based, get something less posh than the V-class. It really isn't a practical family vehicle. It works really well as posh-looking transport for >5 adults. At that, it is better than a Caravelle and much better than most other vehicles. But as an "active family" vehicle it sucks:
- the appearance of quality is a mirage. They are not nearly as well built as they should be. Trim scratches and breaks easily, and replacements are at Merc prices. I've had more Bluetooth issues in 12 months than in a lifetime running other cars. Rattles appear from nowhere (especially the sliding doors, as said above). This is a tarted-up van, with some leather and chrome and shiny badges to draw you in;
- Merc dealers are the pits;
- again, on costs, these are expensive vehicles to run. Depreciation plus running and repair costs will be much higher than for a Tiguan;
- the seats weigh as much as a small planet and they don't fold into the floor. They have to come out if you want to create more space, but the system of clasps fitting into mounting "sleds" buried in the rails is fiddly. Lord help you if the mounting points get misaligned while the seats are out...;
- all current model V-classes have electric doors and tailgate. Good for impressing people, but your friends and their kids will NEVER get their heads round it and will always be fighting the doors ! And they will fail at some point out of warranty...
- it drives better than a Caravelle, but that is also a tarted-up van. It doesn't drive anywhere near as well as a Tiguan, or even a good full size MPV like a Galaxy. And the 2.2 220D is slooooooowwwwwww. 2.2 250D is ok for power, but sounds like a bag of spanners when revved above 2500rpm. Poorly geared for motorways as well, so engine noise intrudes if you go above 80. Revised 2 litre diesel from mid-2019 onwards is more refined, but you need the 300D for any real sense of urgency when fully loaded.
HTH
Bit late as well, but I’d be a bit hesitant about the V class. My godfather bought one to replace their Q7 when their 5th kid came along - he’s said repeatedly he’d go back to the Q7 as soon as he finds one with the spec of his old one. My parents have had 3 Q7s and have done about 150k across them all with no serious issues. I got one as a courtesy car for a month when Audi had my A3 e-tron in for a recall.
They’re absolutely lovely cars - interior trim feels leagues ahead of the V class, and even the lower-powered diesel is a lovely V6. Unless you’ve got plans to have 4 more kids, I’d imagine they’d be plenty practical enough, a V class would be overkill unless you routinely need to carry more than 7 people around.
They’re absolutely lovely cars - interior trim feels leagues ahead of the V class, and even the lower-powered diesel is a lovely V6. Unless you’ve got plans to have 4 more kids, I’d imagine they’d be plenty practical enough, a V class would be overkill unless you routinely need to carry more than 7 people around.
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