Faults:

The most significant problem with the car is the loss of power. The engine revs to 3,000 RPM. This is usually due to a faulty MAP sensor, cracked turbo hoses, or a carbon-clogged turbo geometry actuator. Turning the engine off and on often temporarily clears the fault code.

Power outages or starting failures due to pin desoldering in the control unit caused by temperature changes and expansion.

It is common for the alternator to send an inconsistent signal or for the ignition key module (EZS) to fail, affecting the vehicle's CAN communication system.

General Comments:

Like all Mercedes vehicles, the B-Class has a spacious cabin, especially in terms of length. The width is typical for a minivan of this size, and headroom is ample, both front and rear, even for tall people.

Access to the front seats, while not uncomfortable, may require some effort for some people because the seat is positioned somewhat far from the door.

Although the seat is higher relative to the road than in a passenger car, the distance from the seat cushion to the car floor is less than usual in a minivan, and even less than in some passenger cars.

Seats are really comfortable, whether you're making short trips around town or taking long journeys. They hold you well in corners and don't get too hot. The sunglasses holder on the left side of the roof next to the driver is close to your head, and taller people might bump it.

The footrest is very well positioned (near the clutch pedal) and is spacious. The accelerator and brake pedals are a bit far apart.

The rear seats are very spacious for two adults. I wouldn't recommend them for three people because the middle seat is uncomfortable (the backrest is convex and very hard) and the width isn't sufficient. They can't be moved forward or backward.

The interior of the B-Class conveys a sense of quality thanks to the materials used and the fit and finish. I only found a couple of details below the car's average quality: a plastic piece located between the top and bottom of the dashboard (in the area that conceals the door when closed), which is poorly fitted, and the steering wheel adjustment knob, which seems fragile.

The plastics used in the car, both soft and hard, look and feel very good. In some areas, it's a high-quality painted plastic; the dashboard is finished with a soft polyurethane coating.

The air conditioner, with automatic temperature regulation, is powerful and starts cooling in a short time.

When idling, the 109 hp turbodiesel engine is noisy and vibrates noticeably. The noise disappears once the car is moving, provided the windows are up. There is no sound insulation of any kind under the hood.

One positive aspect of this engine is that it doesn't require much acceleration or clutch slippage when accelerating from a standstill, and it allows for easy city driving in higher gears.

Power delivery is progressive, although the engine begins to pull strongly from 1,700 rpm.

In the city, driving calmly, the average fuel consumption is around 8.2 l/100 km. On my usual highway route (at an average speed of 140 km/h), with traffic and crosswinds, it consumed 7.9 l/100 km. These are quite good figures, especially for urban use.

If I have to give my personal opinion, being a Mercedes, it lacks a lot of features; however, it's a very reliable and well-made car. Even though it's small, its price was quite similar to a larger car. Being a Mercedes, you're paying for the brand.

Faults:

Nothing so far.

General Comments:

Purchased the car about 18 months ago. We needed a car that had good, easy access; not too low as we are in an older age group, and my wife in particular has joint problems. Didn't want an SUV, and although they call this model an MPV, it still only is a 5 seater. The passenger interior space is incredible and the seats very comfortable. There is some wheel tyre noise evident inside the car, particularly on coarse road surfaces, however this could be due to the tyres being low profile 215x45x17. However on smooth surfaced roads there is no problem. The turning circle on the steering is quite poor in comparison to other Mercedes, possibly due to the front wheel drive configuration.

I was reluctant to purchase any car with a CVT auto transmission, but it works perfectly, and from my research there are very few problems with this generation B200. Being a 2009, soon after I purchased it as a used import from Japan I had the CVT transmission oil and filter changed and was happy to do so. The 2009 model was updated with upgrades to the engine, becoming more fuel efficient and less emissions, so this would be the one to go for if considering a purchase.

Apart from the servicing, I did replace the existing radio with a Kenwood. There have been no other costs and nothing has required fixing.