w245 B class facelift vs prefacelift, diesel vs petrol

[Shoestringracer]

Hi,

I've done loads of research on W245 (including on here, thanks) and have got it down to a short list but I am getting a lot of conflicting information.

It will be a 2007-9 200, either SE or Sport but the questions are as follows:

1) How noisy / vibratory are the diesel engines? Some tests and owners say they are terrible others say they are a little noisy around town but inaudible on the open road. We only do 8000 miles a year, almost all cruising on A roads, and petrols are slightly cheaper so if the diesel is terrible we might as well go petrol, though I guess it will lose more value. Neither 200 is for sale within 90 miles of where I live so I don’t really want to travel 180 miles for a test drive if it is a bad a people say.

2) Did the above improve with the 2008 facelift?

3) I can see the changes externally in the facelift but I'm not clear on the interior, apart from it being "better quality" with "better" infotainment. For the money we are spending (£8-12k) we are looking at either a very highly specced pre-facelift car or a relatively standard spec post-facelift. Would you rate leather seats / folding mirrors (rare but important where we live) / pan roof etc over the newer looks / interior.

4) The removable seat option seems very rare except on early cars, am I right or do people just not list it as an advantage?

Cheers

[va1o]

The diesels are noisy, theres a story going round that Mercedes had to fit extra soundproofing to the newer models because the German B-Class taxis where waking people up late at night! At 8000 miles a year you are probably better of with a petrol financially.

Main change with the facelift is the sharper exterior looks and better head unit (standard colour screen and bluetooth). They also rebranded the 150 and 170 petrols as 160 and 180 shortly after, along with minor fuel economy improvements.

I could live without leather as most will have the Artico seats which are very good anyway. Folding mirrors are nice to have though.

[va1o]

The old price-lists/ brochures can still be accessed online if thats any help

April 06 (pre-FL) - http://rsi-cda.mercedes-benz.com/content/media_lib...

Oct 11 (FL) - http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/content/media_libr...

[Shoestringracer]

Thanks. Of course a chipped 200 CDI would be faster than a 200 petrol!

[Granto]

Here is my experience of an '07 B150 Sport(petrol)that my wife drives.

Bought at 2.5 years old from Mercedes with 34k.
Now with 51k at 5 years old.
Been pretty reliable with just a driveshaft and ball joint replaced under warranty.
Averages 35mpg from mainly local journeys.
The quality is pretty good with no squeaks or rattles and there is little sign of wear and tear inside or out.
The main problem I had was with the harsh ride due to the standard sports suspension and 45 profile tyres on 17" wheels (worsening over time with the ever decreasing condition of the local roads)
I put on 16" wheels with 55 profile winter tyres last year. The instant improvement in the ride quality was much more than I thought it would be and we ended up keeping the 16" wheels on the car. It's a much better car for the change.
Hope this is of some use.

[Shoestringracer]

va1o said:

The old price-lists/ brochures can still be accessed online if thats any help

April 06 (pre-FL) - http://rsi-cda.mercedes-benz.com/content/media_lib...

Oct 11 (FL) - http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/content/media_libr...

Thanks for these. How do you get them, I'd like to get the 2008 ones but I can't find how to do it on the MB website?

Thanks

[Shoestringracer]

Granto said:

Here is my experience of an '07 B150 Sport(petrol)that my wife drives.

Bought at 2.5 years old from Mercedes with 34k.
Now with 51k at 5 years old.
Been pretty reliable with just a driveshaft and ball joint replaced under warranty.
Averages 35mpg from mainly local journeys.
The quality is pretty good with no squeaks or rattles and there is little sign of wear and tear inside or out.
The main problem I had was with the harsh ride due to the standard sports suspension and 45 profile tyres on 17" wheels (worsening over time with the ever decreasing condition of the local roads)
I put on 16" wheels with 55 profile winter tyres last year. The instant improvement in the ride quality was much more than I thought it would be and we ended up keeping the 16" wheels on the car. It's a much better car for the change.
Hope this is of some use.

thanks for all the repsonses.

[va1o]

Shoestringracer said:

Thanks for these. How do you get them, I'd like to get the 2008 ones but I can't find how to do it on the MB website?

Thanks

I'll have a look and post back if I can find the 2008, can't see it anywhere at the moment

[va1o]

Best I could find is this - http://www.ragtop.org/mbbrochures/2009/canada/B-Cl... from raptop.org

Its unfortunately the Canada version, but may be of some help. No UK versions other than the two already linked appear to be online.

If you really want it could buy a copy of eBay I guess http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-B-Class-ra...

EDIT: Scrap that, found it here http://rsi-cda.mercedes-benz.com/content/media_lib... dated 1 June 09


EDIT 2: And here is the 2008 (just before the facelift) brochure http://publishing.yudu.com/Freedom/Agmve/BClassPri...

Hope this helps!

Edited by va1o on Wednesday 24th October 18:42

[Shoestringracer]

va1o said:

Best I could find is this - http://www.ragtop.org/mbbrochures/2009/canada/B-Cl... from raptop.org

Its unfortunately the Canada version, but may be of some help. No UK versions other than the two already linked appear to be online.

If you really want it could buy a copy of eBay I guess http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-B-Class-ra...

EDIT: Scrap that, found it here http://rsi-cda.mercedes-benz.com/content/media_lib... dated 1 June 09

Brilliant, thanks. That is above and beyond

EDIT 2: And here is the 2008 (just before the facelift) brochure http://publishing.yudu.com/Freedom/Agmve/BClassPri...

Hope this helps!

Edited by va1o on Wednesday 24th October 18:42

[Shoestringracer]

Ok, getting close now. Whats the differnce between "luxury climate control" and "air conditioning"? Is plain old air con just on and off and climate lets you set a temperature? Or is it more than that?

Thanks

[va1o]

Shoestringracer said:

Ok, getting close now. Whats the differnce between "luxury climate control" and "air conditioning"? Is plain old air con just on and off and climate lets you set a temperature? Or is it more than that?

Thanks

Luxury Climate control is dual-zone automatic air conditioning and lets you set the temperature (displayed on the screen). Aside from that it also looks a lot nicer:



The standard AC looks like the below:


The climate control is quite a rare option but its really nice to have, I'd definitely pick a car with it over one without. Tends to only be standard on the C-class upwards.

[Shoestringracer]

I've got a short list to phone about tommorow. How can I tell if it needs a service soon and what type of service it will be? Ie what do I ask the seller what it says on the screen?

Thanks?

[va1o]

If the service is overdue or due soon it will flag up on the screen when you turn on, otherwise you can check in the menu. Will either be A (minor) or B (major). Some older cars may also display C or D but they aren't used anymore.

Also they switched from using handbooks to a fully electric service record at some point also

[Shoestringracer]

Thanks for all the help. Picked up our B200 Turbo (petrol) yesterday. Really pleased so far.

[Deerfoot]

Well let's see it then!

[va1o]

Excellent choice, that really is the best engine!

[Pork]

Deerfoot said:

Well let's see it then!

Thread resurection, but this ^^^

I've been looking at B200 posts on here and the OP seems to have asked a lot of the questions I have.

Be interested in which car you bouhgt and how you are finding it. Manual/CVT? COMAND? Pan roof? Good spec?

[Shoestringracer]

Pork said:

Deerfoot said:

Well let's see it then!

Thread resurection, but this ^^^

I've been looking at B200 posts on here and the OP seems to have asked a lot of the questions I have.

Be interested in which car you bouhgt and how you are finding it. Manual/CVT? COMAND? Pan roof? Good spec?

I went for a 2006 B200 Turbo. Hardly any options (phone prep but thats it as far as I can tell) but I wanted 6 speed (standard on Turbo) and a quiet smooth engine, having read about the noise of the diesels. Mine had only 19k miles and a FSH.

I'm pleased with it- it is the only car with enough space for our twins and all their clobber that will fit on our very short drive and is reasonably economic (I'm averaging 30mpg) and reasonably fast for what it is.

The ride is a bit hard on potmarked roads but on the upside it is pretty stable for a tall car at high speed (85-95) in cross winds. It is not a sporty car, though. It just has a powerful engine for a people carrier, stiff suspension and big wheels. Its not a Golf GTI rival, the stability / traction stuff is too eager and the steering too numb, for a start.

I wanted a smooth, reasonably powerful car that could keep up with the outside lane and overtake without feeling strained. Economy wasn't that important as I only do 8k per year but it needed to be able to carry a family and their stuff long distance at high speed and fit on our drive. It does all of those. The boot is a really useful shape and pretty big with the seats down. It feels high up and spacious. It is relaxing to drive

If we only had one kid I'd have bought a 130i or a Mk 6 Golf GTI, though I really like the Merc and, having tried it, I like the space and being up high. If we had a longer drive a C class estate would probably be just as good at most things and more fun for spirited driving.

[Pork]

Great, thanks for the reply.

You sound like me in terms of criteria, though length is more my wife saying she doesnt want a long car (being as though she'll be the primary user, I best pay attnetion!).

The ride doesnt bother me that much, it'll replace a MINI Cooper S and thats pretty stiff.

19k is pretty low! I'd like a manual ideally, but the CVT is a fall back. In the time I've been half-looking (Oct time) I've only seen one manual with anything like a good spec. It was well priced, but in Scotland so couldnt get to see it. Didnt realise how rare they were at the time!

Thanks for the response, very interesting, it only adds to my desire to find the right car now!

Cheers
Pork

ps - I was told that the interior space is bigger than an E class!