W177 A200 for the mother-in-law

[elan362]

my MIL lives in a village nr. Chorleywood, Bucks., just outside the M25. She is 70 and currently drives a 2008 S211 e280 Cdi estate with 110k miles on it and she is looking for a change.

She wants to stay with MB and has a tame indi for servicing that she wants to keep using.

She upholsters furniture as a hobby, so needs a reasonable boot and the earlier A class boot apeture is really compromised so we are looking at a new A200 (petrol) sport premium auto hatch.

We test drove a A220 (petrol) AMG line car at the weekend and liked it, and liked the front sports seatsbut did not like the fixed rear headrests on the rear seats. Felt they cut down rear viz badly.

The Sport trim line has adjustable rear headrests but the front seats are 'comfort' rather than sport. Any opinions on the difference between the sport and comfort front seats?

 

[Abb]

Your thread title sounds like a good deal to me!


Sorry I couldn't resist!

 

[st13phil]

Can't help on the seat comfort question, but are you aware that the rear suspension on the Sport model line is the simpler torsion beam rather than the multi-link setup on the AMG Line? Reviews suggest that ride quality on the multi-link suspension is rather better, so I'd suggest you try one out as a comparison to the AMG Line car you just tried before deciding.

 

[elan362]

Can't help on the seat comfort question, but are you aware that the rear suspension on the Sport model line is the simpler torsion beam rather than the multi-link setup on the AMG Line? Reviews suggest that ride quality on the multi-link suspension is rather better, so I'd suggest you try one out as a comparison to the AMG Line car you just tried before deciding.

I noticed that in the specs.
the other thing she wants is the speed limit info - / traffic sign assist

I've said she needs to try the Sport model to see if she is happy with the front seats.

what's the consensus on the A200 1.3L167hp turbo motor vs the A220 2L 193hp motor?

looking at Drive The Deal broker, we can get a new 200 sport Premium Auto for about £25k vs £30.5k list, so about £5.5k / 18% discount, which is on budget

 

[renault12ts]

Will she get much furniture ion the back of an A class compared to a 211 estate?

 

[elan362]

Will she get much furniture ion the back of an A class compared to a 211 estate?

she is happy she will get enough - it is normally armchairs she does now rather than chez long now.

I reckon we won't bother ordering the "driving assistance pack" (that seems to come with a lot of invasive / unnecessary tech tbh) but
need to get the Advanced Nav pack to get the Traffic sign assist (it seems to come with the Augmented reality nav, which is a bit meh....)

does that seem right / reasonable?

 

[renault12ts]

Funnily, I'd think a chaise longue would fit in better than an arm chair.

 

[elan362]

Funnily, I'd think a chaise longue would fit in better than an arm chair.

One of her upholstery chums has a new A class and she had a good look and was able to transport the largest chair she is now doing, so size is OK.
The next size up is a s205 like I have. But this is almost the same size as her old e class estate so doesn't help with downsizing / parking

 

[elan362]

ooh, she will do about 6K miles a year - mainly urban / up to 20/30 miles - I recommended a petrol - she has diesel in her mind.... I'm keeping up trying to convince her.
she is outside (but close to the new London LEZ (not ULEZ) that will roll out to M25 in 2020 ish so I think a Euro6 petrol is a safer bet than a Euro6 diesel given the policy shift away from diesel and the driving she does.

 

[renault12ts]

The 205 is 8 inches shorter than the 211...but 10 inches longer than the 177.

 

[st13phil]

the other thing she wants is the speed limit info - / traffic sign assist

what's the consensus on the A200 1.3L167hp turbo motor vs the A220 2L 193hp motor?

Speed Limit Assist is part of the Premium pack. Does she really need Traffic Sign Assist?

I didn't try the A200, but the review consensus seems to be that it's quite harsh and a bit boomy when you work it harder. Again, I suspect trying one out is the the thing to do.

I reckon we won't bother ordering the "driving assistance pack" (that seems to come with a lot of invasive / unnecessary tech tbh) but
need to get the Advanced Nav pack to get the Traffic sign assist (it seems to come with the Augmented reality nav, which is a bit meh....)

does that seem right / reasonable?

See above. If she really wants Traffic Sign Assist then she'll need the Advanced Nav pack. The augmented reality nav has been getting some very positive review comments, so it may be worth having?

 

[elan362]

its the speed sign assist she wants..... not sure what the difference between speed limit assist and traffic sign assist ... is there any info on each online??

 

[st13phil]

Speed Limit Assist uses the camera to "read" speed limit signs which it then displays on the instrument screen, and will give a warning if your speed exceeds the limit that it's "seen".

According to the eBrochure (go to the MB UK site, look for info on the A-Class, click on the "Learn More" button and at the bottom of the page there's a link button to the eBrochure), Traffic Sign Assist: "The camera scans the forest of speed limit signs – so navigation data holds the current valid limit at all times", so I suspect it uses a speed limit database from the navigation system that displays, and it keeps the database up to date by "reading" speed limit signs that it sees. However, that's my assumption and may not be correct.

 

[elan362]

I have the e-brochure and had read the Traffic sign assist section in the. advanced Nav section - and tbh, I can't really see the difference between it and the speed limit assist.
I have option 513 TRAFFIC SIGN RECOGNITION in my S205.... that is what she wants....
I don't know what option the "traffic sign Assist" or Speed Limit Assist are on the W177

the SE comes with

• Active Brake Assist
• Active Lane Keeping Assist
• ATTENTION ASSIST
• Speed Limit Assist

as standard and these are across the range

According to the manual, the Premium equipment line comprises:

the Executive line kit of

• Mirror package
• Electrically folding exterior mirrors and automatically-dimming driver’s side mirror and rear
• view mirror
• 10.25" media display
• Active Parking Assist with PARKTRONIC (including front and rear parking sensors)
• Heated front seats

and

• Executive equipment line
• 10.25" instrument cluster
• 64-colour ambient lighting
• 225 W mid-range sound system
• Illuminated door sills
• KEYLESS-ENTRY (lock/unlock)
• Rear armrest

 

[Dickie Fix]

Has your MiL tried a B Class, either a late W246 or the new W247? Same floorpan as an A Class, but taller and with larger hatch opening. It may suit her requirements better. Being of advancing years myself, I find the B much easier to climb into/out of, you sit that much higher and the boot is cavernous with the back seats down.

 

[elan362]

Has your MiL tried a B Class, either a late W246 or the new W247? Same floorpan as an A Class, but taller and with larger hatch opening. It may suit her requirements better. Being of advancing years myself, I find the B much easier to climb into/out of, you sit that much higher and the boot is cavernous with the back seats down.

In a word, no.
I hadn't really thought about the B Class. I'll have a look.
It is aesthetically a bit of an ugly ducking though

 

[st13phil]

I have the e-brochure and had read the Traffic sign assist section in the. advanced Nav section - and tbh, I can't really see the difference between it and the speed limit assist.
I have option 513 TRAFFIC SIGN RECOGNITION in my S205.... that is what she wants....
I don't know what option the "traffic sign Assist" or Speed Limit Assist are on the W177

the SE comes with

• Active Brake Assist
• Active Lane Keeping Assist
• ATTENTION ASSIST
• Speed Limit Assist

as standard and these are across the range

Apologies - my bad - as you say, Speed Limit Assist is standard on all models. According to the OASIS report for my car, it is Option Code 504. From the car's manual, the descriptions of the respective systems are:

Speed Limit Assist

Speed Limit Assist detects speed limits with multifunction camera (1) and displays them in the instrument cluster and optionally in the head-up display. The camera also detects speed limits with a restriction indicated by an additional sign (e.g. in wet conditions). The system detects stop signs, thereby preventing the engine from being switched off by the ECO start/stop function.

Speed Limit Assist is only an aid. The driver is responsible for keeping a safe distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed and for braking in good time. The maximum permissible speed also depends on factors such as the road surface and traffic conditions.

Warning when the maximum permissible speed is exceeded

The system can warn you if you unintentionally exceed the maximum permissible speed. To do this, you can specify in the multimedia system by how much the maximum permissible speed can be exceeded before a warning is issued. You can specify whether the warning is to be just a visual warning or an acoustic one as well.

Traffic Sign Assist

Traffic Sign Assist detects traffic signs with multifunction camera (1). It assists you by displaying detected speed limits and overtaking restrictions in the instrument cluster and optionally in the head-up display or central display.

Since Traffic Sign Assist also uses the data stored in the navigation system, it can update the display in the following situations without detecting traffic signs:

• When the vehicle changes roads, e.g. slip road or motorway exit.
• When a village or town boundary which is stored in the digital map is passed.

If the system detects that you are driving onto a section of road in the wrong direction of travel, it triggers a warning.

The camera also detects traffic signs with a restriction indicated by an additional sign (e.g. in wet conditions).

Traffic Sign Assist is only an aid. The driver is responsible for keeping a safe distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed and for braking in good time.

Warning when the maximum permissible speed is exceeded

The system can warn you if you unintentionally exceed the maximum permissible speed. To do this, you can specify in the multimedia system by how much the maximum permissible speed can be exceeded before a warning is issued. You can specify whether the warning is to be just a visual warning or an acoustic one as well.

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So from the above, Speed Limit Assist relies purely on "seeing" speed limit signs, and it only concerns itself with speed limit and stop signs. Traffic Sign Assist uses info from the navigation system in addition to what it "sees" in terms of limit signs. Traffic Sign Assist also detects overtaking restrictions and will warn if you drive on a section of road in the wrong direction.

 

[elan362]

^^thanks!
Gerry

 

[elan362]

As closure to this, my MiL bought a 1 yr old (2018) W246 B200 AMG Line Premium plus in Metallic Grey for a reasonable price. Whilst the W246 B class wouldn't be my choice (a class) She preferred the slightly elevated driving position.
G