man the options are expensive... and there are MANY things that shouldn't be options and come standard with the vehicle...
Things that should be included and not options:
- Automatic ambient lighting with illuminated vanity mirrors - $340
- Manually adjustable 4-way (tilt/telescoping) steering column - $235
Too expensive options:
- 10-way front seats with power height and recline - $1,590 - And that doesn't even included heated seats! You have to pay an extra $750 to have them heated!!
- harman/kardon® LOGIC7® digital surround sound system - $1,490 - That's a bit too much I think.
- Continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) - $1,980 - That's stretching it a bit... usually, the automatic transmission extra cost is what, $1,000 or $1,200? Close to $2,000 is a tad much IMO.
- Panorama louvred glass sunroof - $1,960 - A bit too much again...
- Bi-Xenon headlamps with active curve illumination system - $1,960 - Isn't this a $6-700 option on some other brands? They are active headlamps, but still...
Why the heck didn't they include the tilt/telescopic steering column as a standard feature? Can someone explain that one to me please? The rest, well I guess they're just more expensive than I would have expected, but hey, it's a Mercedes and they have to charge premium for those features because, well, it's a Mercedes...
There are some neat features that come standard though...
- Eight air bags
- ABS, Brake Assist and ESP
- Automatic climate control
- Power windows with one-touch express-up/down
- Electronic cruise control
- Tire puncture warning system
- SmartKey system
Those are all in the base B model...
So it's a toss up... there are some features that should be standard IMO, but there are also a lot of standard features that you wouldn't necessarily expect out of a $30,000 vehicle, let alone a $30,000 Mercedes vehicle...
Btw, the B200T equiped like I would want it comes to around $43,000... that's quite an increase over its $35,000 base price. At $43,000, I think I'd look elsewhere...