Review
The addition of a 16-month old Mercedes-Benz C-Class to AM’s long-term test fleet was the perfect opportunity to assess the experience used car buyers get from premium brands.
The one-owner estate, first registered in June 2016, has covered 11,000 miles and is backed by Mercedes’ Approved Used scheme. Mercedes is running TV, radio and online marketing campaigns – with the strapline ‘Used, but not what you’re used to’ – to drive prospective buyers to its dealer network. The scheme offers a quality-checked car, a 30-day exchange policy, free key insurance and a year’s warranty and roadside assistance, plus a promise to cover the cost of a service if it falls due within three months or 3,000 miles of purchase.
Mercedes-Benz of Peterborough arranged to give us the same vehicle handover any buyer would experience. After meeting me with a coffee in the showroom’s customer lounge, star expert Amy Bines conducted the grand unveiling from one of its two handover bays.
She spent about 45 minutes showing me around the C-Class’s systems, from how to store my electric seat settings and connect a phone, to giving verbal commands to the satnav and engaging its Parktronic self-steer parking system. Bines finished with a presentation pack and said all customers can phone or drop in if they are unsure of anything and Robinsons, which owns Mercedes-Benz of Peterborough, contacts them at three and six months into ownership to ensure all is well.
An award-winning journalist and editor, with two decades of experience covering the motor retail industry, and accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) plus the National Council for the Training of Journalist (NCTJ)
As editor of AM since 2016, Tim is responsible for its media content, planning and production across AM's multiple channels, including the website, digital reports, webinars, social media and the editorial content of AM's events, Automotive Management Live and the AM Awards. His focus is on interviewing senior leaders of franchised dealer groups and motor manufacturer national sales companies to examine latest developments in UK motor retail.
Factsheet
Price: £39,405 when new (est £26,000 now)
Engine: 2.1-litre diesel
Performance: 0-62mpH 7.6secs, top speed 142mph
Gearbox: 7sp auto
Fuel efficiency: 64.2mpg
CO2 emissions: 114g/km CO2