Goodbye E, Hello B

[cawimmer430]

My dad, inspired by my A-Class, has been drooling over the new B-Class. His priorities are a compact car that is roomy inside, comfortable and delivers excellent fuel economy. His 2010 E350 CGI is doing great, but he's worried that the car might be hard to sell thanks to the CO2 hysteria and general anti big car sentiment here. Something smaller yet roomy, modern and even more fuel efficient needs to come.

Since the B-Class is selling rather poorly in Germany, Mercedes' is practically giving them away with up to 25-27% discounts - provided you order an existing vehicle from dealer inventory (maximum discounts for a brand new car are only 7%). My salesman buddy, from whom I bought my A250, provided me with a list of potential inventory cars in all MB dealers in Germany that had more or less my dad's feature wish list. Surprisingly, these cars are rather high-end, fully-loaded models (most of them are B250 4Matic's and some B200s and a few B220s, all have AMG Line trim and are practically fully loaded).

Today his 2010 E350 CGI was valued by the Dekra at 9,000 Euros. He can probably get 11,- 12,000 Euros if he sells it privately. The E-Class in Europe has a very stable resale value.


He's set on a B180 or B200, but prefers the B200 for the extra power and torque. That's the 1.33-l Renault-Nissan-Daimler turbo engine with 163-hp (B200) and 136-hp (B180). Color wise he's still deciding between Mojavesilver or Polar White. In regards to trim he's leaning towards Style or Progressive, perhaps even AMG Line, but in the end it doesn't matter. The 25-27% discount (plus trade-in of the E350 CGI) means he could get a B200 AMG Line with some sweet [fully-loaded] features for potentially less or the same amount of money than a brand new B200 Style/Progressive with less features and only a 7% discount.

By now it's set: the E-Class is getting sold and a B-Class is entering his garage. I'm encouraging him to go for a simple B200 Progressive in Mojavesilver, which I feel is the best color for the B-Class. Wheels are 17" 10-spoke design. For some reason I don't like the AMG Trim on the B-Class, it looks out of place.




B200 Progressive Mojavesilver





B200 Progressive Polar White






B200 AMG Line Polar White





Stay tuned for updates. 

[WookieOnRitalin]

Why am I reminded of the Chevy Aveo when I look at the B-series? I must be crazy. The lines look similar somehow.

[cawimmer430]

So on February 14th there will be a massive discount sale at MB Munich. They want to get rid of excess inventory. Word is that some cars could see up to 30%+ discounts.

So this Mojavesilver B180 Progressive with decent features could cost 29,629 Euros instead of 42,328 Euros. Slam on the 9,000 Euros for the E350 CGI and you could get this nice car for 20,629 Euros. 

Why am I reminded of the Chevy Aveo when I look at the B-series? I must be crazy. The lines look similar somehow.

All cars in this class pretty much have the same shape. But does the Chevrolet Aveo have MBUX? 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHhLED0Vvvw

[2o6]

I'm very surprised MB decided to make a new B-class. This segment is basically dead.

[Xer0]

I'm very surprised MB decided to make a new B-class. This segment is basically dead.

How much could it honestly have cost them in R&D?  Everything with this car is already shared with the A/CLA/GLA/GLB and the marginal cost is probably minimal since most everything in Europe is special ordered anyway.

[cawimmer430]

I'm very surprised MB decided to make a new B-class. This segment is basically dead.

In the US or in Europe? I've not been keeping track of the developments here, but I was told by my salesman buddy that the reason the new B-Class is not selling as well is because the typical buyers tend to hold on to the older model for longer periods of time (makes sense, older not-high technology friendly buyers...), and the ones that typically want the newest model have shown interest in either the A-Class, CLA or the GLB (and upcoming GLA).

[cawimmer430]

UPDATE!

Well that was quick. I drove my father to MB Munich after we got three PDFs with three potential cars this morning. One was a fully-loaded B200 AMG Line for 58,000+ Euros, the other two were identical B200 Progressives for 45,000+ and 46,000+ respectively: exactly the same features, except the more expensive model had Night Package.

Well, my dad just struck a contract for a Polar White B200 Progressive. Looks like this. He was lucky they had this model with practically all of his wish list features in stock!




The car has his beloved Panoramic Roof, the 7-DCT transmission, a bunch of MBUX-related add-one (Augmented Reality Navigation etc.) and electric driver's seat with memory function (front passenger seat is manual) and a lot of other features.

Stuff he didn't want, but which this car has, are interior ambient lighting with 64-colors, luggage package and Tirefit package.

Tomorrow the salesman will contact him regarding the discount price etc. Stay tuned! 

[SJ_GTI]

Did he get one of the big discounts you mentioned earlier?

[MrH]

58k Euros for a B-class?!

[cawimmer430]

Did he get one of the big discounts you mentioned earlier?

He's getting a discount, but it's not 25-27%; that only applies to inventory cars with a certain code. It was a mix-up, as I understood it that all the existing B-Classes in their inventory have that specific discount. The problem with these cars is that they tend to be fully-loaded with all kinds of features and most of them are B220 and B250s, which my dad considers too powerful for his needs. The few B200s in that inventory are also fully-loaded and being gobbled up like crazy by other interested parties. While getting one of these cars with a 25-27% discount is cool, my dad is also pragmatic and he only wants features which he will use. I know this sounds crazy, but he's not interested in a fully-optioned out B-Class. Completely different from the typical North American mentality. 

On February 14th there would be a massive discount sale at MB Munich, but as we learned today the majority of cars will be demonstrator A-Classes and CLAs, which don't interest him and potentially have 10k or 15k mileage on them. The same applies the B-Classes that will be sold there - demo cars which may have been abused and have mileage on them.

My father wants a brand new one. So this is why he went for this particular car, which is brand new but isn't eligible for the 25-27% discount. Standard discount on it is 7%, but the salesman assured him that he can get his boss to potentially go up to 15%.

MB is also offering a trade-in deal for the B-Class which goes as follows. Trade in your old Mercedes for a new B-Class and you will get a total of 3,000 Euros off the price of the new B-Class. That along with the potential 15% discount and the 9,000 Euros for the E350 CGI mean that 45,000 Euro B200 goes down to: 26,250 Euros; a price that my dad is willing to pay. Brand new car with zero mileage and all the features that he wants. It's great deal for him.

This particular B200 is located in the capital city, Berlin. Tomorrow he will order it, but he will pick up the car on February 19th because his E350 CGI has a cracked windshield and it's getting a new front windshield on February 18th.

[cawimmer430]

58k Euros for a B-class?!

Not just any B-Class, a B200 AMG Line that is literally fully-loaded. But that's nothing. During our search for his ideal B-Class we were presented with some FWD B200 AMG Lines that cost over 60,000 Euros and cost more than a well-optioned B250 4Matic! 

Here's PDF of the B200 AMG Line which was sent to us. Needless to say my dad felt the price is too high and it's got too many features which he doesn't want!

[SJ_GTI]

Seems like a solid deal all considered.

I don't think it looks bad. Not as nice looking as the A-Class but it isn't remotely ugly. At worst I would just say it looks a little boring, but I think it looks nicer than most CUV's (which are all the craze here).

[cawimmer430]

Seems like a solid deal all considered.

I don't think it looks bad. Not as nice looking as the A-Class but it isn't remotely ugly. At worst I would just say it looks a little boring, but I think it looks nicer than most CUV's (which are all the craze here).

Yep, a great deal indeed. And that's a lot of discount for a well-equipped car. 

In person the B-Class looks ok. It's inoffensive and a bit bland. It's never going to win a design award, but it is spacious inside and very practical. It's actually roomier up front than a current E-Class! The current E-Class is surprisingly cramped up front do to the wide transmission tunnel and outward-swooping central console design.

I'm just glad he has a new and safe car and MBUX, which is so practical. I'll have to spend the rest of February teaching him how to use MBUX. 

[veeman]

Congratulations to your Dad for the upcoming new car.  This car looks to be perfect for what he needs and wants.  Roomy, fuel efficient, not "showy", yet still having the three pointed star with its associated status, build quality, and customer service. 

[cawimmer430]

Congratulations to your Dad for the upcoming new car.  This car looks to be perfect for what he needs and wants.  Roomy, fuel efficient, not "showy", yet still having the three pointed star with its associated status, build quality, and customer service. 

Thanks! 


I was pushing him towards an A-Class (A200) or even the new CLA (CLA200), but of these he liked the B-Class the most because it's higher than the former and thus easier to get into for him and my mom. It's also more comfort-focused than the sportier A- and CLA-Classes.

For a brief moment he was flirting with the idea of a GLB SUV, but the anti-SUV hysteria in Germany eventually made him can that idea!   

[cawimmer430]

UPDATE!

So he's buying the car tomorrow. The final price was slightly above 26,000 Euros, so he did get a decent discount on it plus 3 years extra warranty (for a total warranty of five years).

His E-Class will be kept until February 19th because of the windshield repair. It's in perfect mechanical and exterior condition (except for the blemish on the front passenger bumper side), seen below with its winter wheels. Took some photos of it in case my dad wanted to sell it privately.

[cawimmer430]

Car was ordered today. Will take 2-3 weeks to arrive from Berlin on a truck. My dad is excited. 

[Pommes-T]

Car was ordered today. Will take 2-3 weeks to arrive from Berlin on a truck. My dad is excited. 

Good for him. I like the E- class a lot more. 

[cawimmer430]

Good for him. I like the E- class a lot more. 

He's getting old, and entering/exiting the B-Class is easier for him and my mother. Plus, he doesn't drive fast anymore. On the Autobahns he cruises at a slow 120 km/h. Even a B200 is too powerful for his needs - a B160 would be perfect for his driving style, but I convinced him that the B200 is going to be better on gas and the extra power is helpful.

[FoMoJo]

He's getting old, and entering/exiting the B-Class is easier for him and my mother. Plus, he doesn't drive fast anymore. On the Autobahns he cruises at a slow 120 km/h. Even a B200 is too powerful for his needs - a B160 would be perfect for his driving style, but I convinced him that the B200 is going to be better on gas and the extra power is helpful.

I can relate to that.   Tall vehicles are a blessing for creaky joints.

[Submariner]

The E will be missed, but it seems like the B is the perfect car for him at this point.  Hope he gets a lot of enjoyment out of it!

Out of curiosity, why not a diesel model instead?

[cawimmer430]

I can relate to that.   Tall vehicles are a blessing for creaky joints.

Yep. And it beats buying a similarly-sized SUV, which would still be bigger and use more fuel.

[cawimmer430]

The E will be missed, but it seems like the B is the perfect car for him at this point.  Hope he gets a lot of enjoyment out of it!

Agreed.

And my dad derives joy from getting the best fuel economy possible.

Out of curiosity, why not a diesel model instead?

He was not opposed to a B200d, but I talked him out of it because:

1) It only makes financial sense to drive a Diesel if you do a lot of miles per year. My dad does maybe a maximum of 10,000 km a year.

2) My dad often does short trips in the countryside - that's poison for any modern Diesel engine, especially the particulate filter.

3) Several German cities are introducing driving bans for older Diesel/Gasoline and even newer EURO 5 Diesel cars. Essentially you're buying a current EURO 6d Temp Diesel car and in one or two years you might not be allowed to drive in the city with it.

4) In the coming years the government plans to increase the price of Diesel fuel by 70 cents per liter (by around 2025/2030) which would eliminate the price advantage over gasoline.

5) The yearly tax is higher on a Diesel car as is maintenance and even Diesel car insurance can be up to 47% more expensive than a similar gasoline car (because it is assumed if you buy a Diesel you drive more kilometers per year).


With the kind of mileage he does per year, he does not need a Diesel. 

[cawimmer430]

UPDATE!

For some reason the car won't arrive tomorrow but in mid/end (of) March. No explanation was given in the letter my dad received.