USED Mercedes-Benz B-Class MPV (05 - 12)

My car

My review came up as for B180 CDi - it's actually a B200 CDi SE

My car

This was chosen as a company car after testing numerous alternatives.Added Sports pack (17" alloys, sports suspension, met paint, chunky leather steering wheel, sports seats & brushed aluminium trim) plus leather, panoramic roof, ECC, & all for less than £25k-comparable C-Max is no less, & Golfs are far from cheap when specced!Only thing beyond budget was cruise control, which I miss compared to previous MB owned with it.

Cabin quality is up there with the Audi that our B Class replaced, and it is incredibly spacious.

Just done 1200 mile trip through England & France laden with 2 adults, 2 young children, & 2 weeks' luggage filling the huge boot, & it handled the journey with aplomb - comfortable, refined, effortless cruising at 85-95 thanks to torquey diesel, & it returned an excellent 42.7mpg door to door & I'm far from dainty with the accelerator.Driving solo & unladen on the motorway at a constant 80 has returned me 51mpg!

Sure, speccing the larger alloys & sports suspension has made the ride harder around town & on poorly surfaced roads, but the upshot is it's surprisingly chuckable for a family bundle bus. (Plus, being slightly lowered, on bigger wheels and in metallic black, it also looks smart too.) Yes, the steering does lack feel, but as most of us don't have the driving abilities of The Stig (if only!) for it to make a scrap of difference, it's not worth worrying about.

We like it so much we're considering buying it when the 3 year lease ends in 6mth!

My car

The Whatcar review for this car is simply ludicrous. 'lacks the flexibility of a true MPV' they say...its NOT an MPV and doesn't pretend to be. Its a great 5-seater competitor to Golfs etc.

Yes, the ride is a bit firm but not overly so. I have the B200 Turbo and its a fantastically fun, fast drive. For around town its such fun to drive but its still roomy with 2 kids in the back and the equipment level and interior build quality is superb. Price wise, I disagree again. With discounts, its a good deal compared to competitors.

Whatcar need to rate it based on what it is, not what it is not.

They also say in one part of the review 'avoid the B200 Turbo' and in another part of the review they say, 'Which one should I get - go for the much better B200 or the more powerful turbo version'.

My car

A word of caution to anyone who has this car on a PCP. We just handed our car back, it had covered 46,000 miles and was 4 years old. In my opinion, it was in pretty good condition and the driver from Jet logistics who collected it agreed. However, we've just received a bill for £592 from Mercedes Benz for a variety of minor faults, including £215 for an 'excessively chipped' bonnet (needless to say I don't agree). It's not been a bad car, but this is a real sting in the tail. If you're about to hand yours back, take lots of pictures and check the small print. Shame, as we will never purchase a Mercedes again. Ever.