Faults:

One of the most reliable cars we've ever owned - up until 2 weeks ago.

On delivery, driver's door very slightly out of alignment.

Also, driver's door window wouldn't automatically reseal itself when you closed the door. A fixed was arranged at 1st inspection.

Engine management warning light came on around 20,000 miles. No fault detected by the dealer. A sensor was replaced under warranty. Same again at 65,000 miles. A sensor was replaced again this time the cost was around £50 including fitting.

Engine management light came on again at 85,000 miles while we were in France. Bring in it when you get back, the dealer advised. Diagnosed as a loose vacuum hose, fault light cleared while I waited. No charge. Following day and every day after ESP warning light illuminated. The fault takes up to 20 minutes to clear and car cannot be driven any distance while fault is showing. Still not corrected after 4 visits to dealer including overnight and 4 day stays. Currently diagnosed as a faulty control unit (£450 plus fitting, etc. quoted). Dealer says they've never seen this before. We await the result.

General Comments:

Excellent car - up until 85,000 miles. My wife's car from new.

The car looks good (better proportioned than the current model) and the design has lasted well and has plenty of presence without shouting at you.

Handling wise, it's no sports car in the Elegance trim, but it's very quick with stacks of torque at low revs to shove you out of bends.

The car is very comfortable both front and back. It's our favourite touring car for long journeys and the children who are just entering their teens never complain about comfort in the back. Tyre noise on certain poor surfaces is our only gripe.

It very economical, for example 4 up with the boot loaded with luggage and wine the car average 35+ mpg on an 800 mile dash across France. The car will routinely return 32 mpg in normal use.

My wife gets around 16,000 miles between services (inspections) and apart from the faults above and tyres we've spent on nothing unexpected apart from routine services. One of the cheapest cars of the 40 we've owned!

Dealer service is a bit indifferent compared to her previous BMW. It got better after we changed dealers, but still not up to standard you would expect.

Faults:

Since this car was purchased there have been numerous problems. This car is towed at least every month to the dealer. The vehicle is 3 years old has 12,204 miles and has been in the shop more than 30 days.

1. Navigator not working CD player not working will not shut off. Entire Unit had to be replaced.

2. Electrical problems, Sensor lights BAS ABS ESP lights go on and vehicle will not go into drive. Car stalls and cannot drive vehicle.

3. Corrosion in Stick shift causing car not to go into drive. Gear shift replaced.

4. ABS BAS sensors replaced numerous times faulty sensors from manufacturer.

5. Heater goes on while car is off and overheats vehicle. Heater element replaced.

6. CD player randomly goes on and off by itself.

7. Battery draining and needed to be replaced 3 times and re-charged due to faulty sensors and heater and CD player continously playing with car off.

8. Fluids leaking from car. Seals leaking. Waiting for tow truck again.

9. Row bar not working which in the event of the car rolling over would save you life. Row bar sensor replaced.

THIS VEHICLE is a LEMON!!! I loved the car, but now I wish I never bought it. The service area managers are nasty and incompetent. For the price of the vehicle with a 10,000 premium added on when purchased I am extremely dissatisfied and would not recommend anyone buy a Mercedes until they are able to come clean with consumers regarding electrical problems.