My Mercedes B250 review after 8 years and 300,000 km

If this is your first glimpse at what I've had to say about our car, check out this post first. And my 5 year update. I'll wait.

So my 2013 Mercedes Benz B250 is now 8 years old and has over 300,000 kilometres on it. I thought it was time to update my impressions of this car after owning it for so long.

For starters, I'm very disappointed that Mercedes Benz Canada chose not to offer this model in Canada after 2019, even though it is still being made. Because I would buy it again. That should tell you something. What's it been like owning this car? Aside from a few hiccups, I still like it.

I had been warned that it would be more expensive than usual and that is true. The dealerships really hose you for A and B service even when there's nothing wrong. $400 and $800 respectively. On the flip side, because the car uses synthetic oil, the interval between routine maintenance is longer, somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 km depending on how you drive and the conditions. I learned the hard way that the dealership is mostly interested in separating you from as much money as possible. So they try to push things on you that aren't necessary, but sound good, like fuel system flushes. They also performed shoddy work once and on another occasion completely misdiagnosed my car's problem. At first, the service level seemed good, but they couldn't sustain it. For what they were charging, it was a disappointment.

Once my warranty had expired, I stopped going to the dealership and found a private mechanic who specializes in European cars. That saved me a few bucks. They also didn't try to soak me for things that weren't necessary. I asked them to check my brakes on the first visit after Mercedes said I needed new brakes all around. My new mechanic reassured me that I only needed the front brakes serviced.

The most expensive fixes so far have been a thermostat module and fuel injectors. I only needed one injector, but I played it safe and replaced all four. My driver seat heater doesn't work, but I can't justify the $1000 fix.

So why do I still like this car? For the same reasons I liked it in the first place. It's the perfect size for a couple. It's not SUV big, which would be a waste, but it rides higher like an SUV. It has a split personality. In E mode, it drives with subdued performance and quick upshifts to save fuel. But in S mode, its true colours show through. It's not typical to get 208 horsepower in a car this small and it makes a big difference.

The interior is classy, comfortable and has great sight lines. The auto-park feature is amazing. I constantly appreciate the panoramic sunroof. This model didn't come with a 4Matic all wheel drive option in its first year, but I don't miss it much. I wish it had a heated steering wheel.