I just want to know some strong points and some bad points.

We have one of the earlier shape. The current one is better appointed, rides better and has C Class seats. A big plus. Ours is true to form and has been totally reliable as indicated by the more trustworthy report sites. The earlier one has been panned for brake problems by some. Well, they can be prone to squeak a bit, but the well known remedy of Copaslip cured this on ours. Ours shows no signs of the famous instability of pre production prototypes and first time on motorways I suddenly found myself touching 90 mph.(sorry officer!). Like all Mercs the engineering quality is there and you could halve the age indicated by the number plate and get away with it. In short if the design and driving characteristics suit you, buy one. Especially if you value overall quality. On the downside dealer labour charges are high, but service excellent and the headlight bulbs are a devil to replace yourself, as with many sleek modern frontal designs.
old mechanic.

Hi there,
New to the forum, and looking for some help please.

I have a 1999 A170 and both headlight dip bulbs failed recently (within days of each other). I have bought replacement extra bright bulbs to replace the failed dipped beam bulbs, but cant see how to remove the originals????

Are the standard bulbs known for their dimness?

Any help would be most welcome.

TTM

you can access the head light bulb under the wheel arc. slightly rotate the 2 small locks to open that small part to show the back part of the head light. un-snap the plastic thing that covers the bulb and then remove the pin clip that holds the bulb and there you go.;)