No two countries are delivered with the same equipment. Quick release seats, no quick release seats. Folding mirrors, no folding mirrors. Spare tire, no spare tire. Full sized spare(Australia), no full sized spare. Light packages( Europe only), no light packages.It goes on and on. We've gone over this so many times!
Yep your right Derek & very pointless it seems to. Regarding that seat it would probably cost them less than a couple of pounds (under 5 Can$) to give you the removable seats.
Still if you wanted them easily removable you have room to replace the torx bolt with a bit of studding (or a longer bolt with its head cut off) put on a couple of washers & secure with a wing nut.
It must cost much M/B more to make the different parts for each country than to keep to a standard. Listen to Henry Ford Mercedes & 'Mass' produce.
They would do well to rip a Renault Scenic apart to find out how to put together a 'real' MPV
They would do well to rip a Renault Scenic apart to find out how to put together a 'real' MPV
WHoa !! Slow down. Ever driven a Scenic ??
That's an example of poor building quality if I've ever seen.
It's rattling from the factory. Windows that roll down in the middle of the night when the car should be locked. Flimsy materials, etc.
Iv'e had 2 (Mk1 New shape & Mk2) and done a good number of miles in them I found them very good & very reliable and the storage spaces knocks spots of the B.The handling was good (Mk 1 with wider wheels however) & so was the fuel consumption. I had none of the falling off bits that you sometimes hear about. I would say that both my Scenics were vastly more reliable than my first B class with a total length of ownership of both cars over 5 years.
In many ways I would say they were a better car than the B.
I would agree about the versatility, and they had a "Keyless-Go" type system for free on the one we owned in France in 2005 (three week ownership!). Mercedes charges idiotic money for this option on their higher spec cars.
It was totally reliable and tight over the 8000 km we drove it.
I decided between the B-Class, VW Touran and the Renault Scenic.
The thing that put me off the Scenic was the poor interior quality. Poor materials and poor fabrication. The B is built like a rock (or like a mercedes) on the inside.
You're right about storage space. In the B there's almost none and in the Scenic one could loose stuff in all those compartments. But since it's just me and my wife we don't need that.
It's a pity that the B class, coming into the market so late, didn't incorporate all the good parts & ideas of the other vehicles in it's class.
True, the B is not only designed by engineers but also by accountants. And I fear that the last group had the biggest vote.
But still. The B doesn't compare to the other mercedes', but then again it wouldn't be fair to compare a Golf to a Passat or a Scenic to a Vel-Satis.
I still think that compared to other cars in it's class the B stands out very well. The car should be compared to the Touran, C-Max and Scenic, and although is not a knock-out winner I still think that the B wins on points.
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