What's the appeal of Mercedes-Benz?

B-Class Electric Drive Forum

Help Support B-Class Electric Drive Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

hallcp

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2019
Messages
127
I guess most folks on this list are like me, the B-class is the first Mercedes they've ever owned. So perhaps none of you has the answer to my question, "What is the appeal of M-B?". The cars are clearly expensive when new, the seats and ergonomics are excellent, everyone at my dealer has treated me great.... but their service costs are steep ($150/hr) and parts ridiculous ($250 for heater fan) and the GLA loaner I drove was just awful.

The dealership is beautiful and they had an incredible looking convertible in the showroom, but I really don't quite get why folks would pay extra for the Mercedes badge. And I do get the impression that a lot of folks repeat buy Mercedes.

I'm also intrigued by how nice everything is in my 2014. I think maybe back in the day this was super hi-tech. Even by modern standards the little display screen seems especially sharp and the infotainment well laid out.

So anybody out there have any thoughts on this?
 
Charles,

Since I have owned/leased six MBs, maybe I should go first. My car history is 1967 Pontiac Firebird, 1976 Chevy Monza, 1980 VW Cabriolet, 1986 VW Jetta, 1990 BMW 535i x2 (first one stolen), 2004 MB E500 x 2 (first one exchanged for second by dealer), 2006 MB E500 Wagon, 1982 MB 380SL, 2014 MB B250e, and finally 2017 MB B250e. I suspect the MB EQC is a serious contender to be next.

For me, it has always been about superb engineering, safety and ability to last 10+ years and still run great. This is certainly true of the E500 Wagon and my dad's 380SL. So I will be evaluating the EQC to see if I think I want it for the 8 years battery warranty. The numbers have always driven down the cost of ownership as I tend to put a maximum of 10K miles per year on the road (short commute, fewer road trips). Yes, the dealer and parts are expensive so I feel fortunate to have an authorized MB mechanic who charges about half the hourly rate. Now I should add that I had the BMW 535i for over ten years and calculated an average monthly total cost of ownership (not counting gas) to be a little under $600 per mos. I am guessing that I am under $700 per mos for the 2006 E500 Wagon.

MB has had problems with the C class so not all is peaches and cream. The B250e has been surprising to us all in terms of its build and subtle luxury. Rarely flashy, more often fuddy duddy, always over engineered come to mind for its overall line. I thought about snob appeal but lost that notion when traveling europe and the far east and seeing many MBs being used as taxis.

I will stop here and let others chime in.
 
So it's been about 3 weeks since I asked the question and JeffRay responded so thoughtfully. Last night I had what you might call a Mercedes moment.

It was dark but the well-designed Nav Screen worked great, I especially appreciate that it shows upcoming cross-street names whether you are navigating a route or not.

Then I took a familiar railroad crossing a bit too fast... guess what? No problem. The B took it smoothly.

Now that I've learned to press the pedal all the way down, the performance is impressive. More so than my 2018 Chevy Volt which I used to think was good!

And then when I parked I was looking for how to change the clock to Daylight Saving Time and I accidently turned on the radio to a local Jazz station. Oh my gosh, the sound quality was incredible! Mine has the Harmon-Kardon sound system and it's awesome.

The dealer replaced both rear struts and the passenger side mirror motor under Warranty the week before.

So my feelings about M-B are pretty positive at this point. The Tesla Model Y will have to be quite a car to get me out of the B.
 
Quality is what gets me, the solid sound the door makes when closing. Compared to my wife's Honda CRV, her door sounds so holo and flimsy. The comfort of the ride and the seats. I'm 6'2" and well rounded at the moment and find it a very comfortable ride. I really like the more upright seating position. It's also surprisingly roomy; I can fit two kid, a full size cello and a 1/2 size string base inside.

I have to go off the B250e for my comments since it is the only MB I have owned. Funny thing is, it wasn't the brand that caught my eye at first, it was the size of the car and the price. I was looking at a smaller electric car that could do what my Honda Odyssey did for so many years but more efficiently.
 
I thought of something else which I might as well mention. It used to be and is probably still true relative to cheaper cars that it held its value better so folks could trade it in to get a new model. I have never done the calculation so this may be pure fiction these days compared to less expensive brands. Of course, any of us trading in cars know you get totally ripped off by the dealers and no one I know sells it themselves at a high enough price to overcome local sales tax rate savings when trading car in.

Just a thought.
 
I came across a couple of lines in M-B press releases that kind of show how they view themselves:

"It’s the first all-electric vehicle Mercedes-Benz has offered in the United States, but the B-Class Electric Drive is, in a way, just like every other Mercedes-Benz: luxurious, fast and packed with technology."

"the hallmark attributes of a Mercedes-Benz, namely safety, comfort and, of course, not to forget exhilarating driving pleasure."

I drove Toyotas for many years and almost none of these buzzwords would come to mind in describing the Toyota brand. I think Toyota owners probably think Reliable, Good Value, Economical, Practical. Subaru perhaps Rugged, All-wheel Drive. I guess Honda would be something like Reliable, Long-lasting, but they'd mention Performance somehow. But I still think they believe performance comes strictly from their engine designs. I guess the Japanese reserve the luxury label for Infiniti and Lexus, but I know nothing about those brands first hand.

Now Jaguar, they might like the M-B adjectives. Tesla meets most of the M-B buzzwords but that's not how we Tesla owners view the brand. I think we mostly see Teslas as simply the Future!
 
Being a poor tight-wad skinflint, I never had a luxury vehicle until the Jaguar S-Type. A whole different world compared to Toyotas, Hondas, Chevys, Fords, and Subarus. You knew you were in a different car. Much better performance, comfort, and style.

I can imagine the MB gives the same impression, the same feeling. That you are driving an automobile, not a car. A vehicle with pedigree, and a history of racing victories. It identifies a mindset and lifestyle. A want for the finer things in life, and not compromise. I greatly enjoyed driving the Jag, it always brought a smile to my face. No other car did that. I can imagine the same happens to B class drivers.

However, every Jag has its downside, and mine reached a state of repair catch-up. As soon as one thing got fixed, another thing would break. I drove that car for only special occasions, and the per mile cost of driving did not justify continued ownership. So it was sold.
 
rrattie said:
Quality is what gets me, the solid sound the door makes when closing.
Now that sums it up for me!!

rrattie said:
I have to go off the B250e for my comments since it is the only MB I have owned. Funny thing is, it wasn't the brand that caught my eye at first, it was the size of the car and the price.
Again, that's my position. First M-B ownership, but fortunate enough to have driven M-B in EU. Where German cars stand above the many econo-boxes that are a practical solution to higher fuel costs, high insurance, high traffic density. In fact, "high" just about everything in daily life.

I'm still in the B250e honeymoon phase. The B250e is an odd-ball and likely will be replaced by quite a different animal (and not 100% electric) Still an M-B. Leaving the marque, if that is my future, will be, well, a bit of a let down.

Peter,
 
Back
Top