1999-2004 Mercedes-Benz MB100D

MB100 Camper Convert – Bought mine 5years ago at 196,000k from digital nomads that bought it as a camper conversion. I loved driving it down the East Coast. The sense of freedom was unimaginable and the big space inside meant there was always headroom when sitting up in bed or sitting on the 2-seater couch/seat at the rear with the drop-down table up, working on… Read more

computer with backdoor up in a beautiful location. The roominess and width make many combinations of spacious conversion really attractive. The cons: Yes the diesel engine is noisy. Playing music not the best surround-sound ambience you could say. Low gear-change/speed annoying. It has 5 gears so best to get up to 4,5 asap for best experience. Admitting it was built for urban delivery of trades/services, it yet makes a good conversion if the cons don’t bother. It has been very reliable as a vehicle; fuel consumption ok. Good idea to always check the vehicle out prior to purchase as it was discovered the previous owner had creatively fiddled with the wiring which caused issues i had corrected. Then happy. Note: another reviewer stated the turning circle is huge. I don’t agree and can turn full circle in a normal width street if it is gutter edge turning.

Me and Freddie Merc – It's a bit noisy. Its very reliable. Easy to drive. Gear changes OK. Easy to park and manouver . Made into a camper plenty of room. Needs lining inside as it gets cold at nights. Drove it to Alice Springs and didn't have any troubles. Diesel powered. I quite liked it. Called it Freddie.  Show details

Overall a good campervan! – the 2.3litre diesel was way underpowered, the 2.9 in the MB 140D much better,but i bought the 2000 MB140 petrol in 2002, which drank more but had more power, especialy on 95 octane.despite the extra cost, you really should use 95 octane as it improved the fuel consumption too. sold it about 6 years later. the only problem was the inaccurate petrol… Read more

guage- which mercedes replaced under warranty, but it was still a bit inaccurate. Overall a good camper, ( made by sanyong in korea,although serviced by mercedes}.

Cheap but solid – Made my Mercide 100D 2000 made into a camper van. Watertanks stove fridge etc. Done several trips all over Australia. I agree the gears are a poor design and the diesel engine is noisy but it has never let me down. Beginning to show some wear and tear now. I always service the engine when due. It was much cheaper than the Toyota van.  Show details

Not many positives – The MB100 traces it's lineage back to the DKW Schellaster of the 1950's. The chassis is a direct descendant of the DKW N1000 that became the Mercedes MB100 in Europe. In the late 90's this van was given a new body and a few tweaks like rack and pinion steering and sold in Asia as the Ssangyong/ Mercedes MB100. As a car enthusiast, I found the… Read more

history of the line to be at least mildly interesting.

I acquired mine as part of a business, I wouldn't have otherwise gone near the thing. I owned it between 90,000 and 100,000km.

Pro's, well I actually grew to quite like the styling (I always thought they were ugly) once I cleaned it up a bit, de-badged it, lowered it and added factory style DRL's into the bumper grills. The seats were super comfortable and you could change spark plugs from the comfort of the driver's seat. The control stalks and switch gear might be the best I've ever used. Good torque for an NA engine(the M111 is out of the mid 90's E class and later C class - eventually they added a supercharger), would pull fifth from 38km/h, could spin it's wheels in the dry. Massive cargo space given the compact external dimensions

Sadly, then there were the down sides. Horribly noisy with the engine under just a plastic cover between the seats, especially with the (typical van) low gearing, not a good combo for highway work. Miscellaneous electrical problems, massive turning circle, engine sits way in front of the front axle so major understeer/ always feels nose heavy to drive. Rear door never closed properly letting exhaust fumes in (no accident damage - no possible adjustment to the hinges or strikes) - other vans I looked at seemed to have the same problem but not as bad as mine.

From memory it had a 55l fuel tank, but the gauge only picked up the first 35l, leaving you guessing for the remaining 25l. This wasn't a fault it was a characteristic of the vehicle. I usually used around 14l/100km in city use, but with the A/C on it would sky rocket up to 18l/100km! The A/C really sapped engine power so perhaps that shouldn't be a surprise.

Great work horse – Still going strong 250k +, great work horse, good room in the back for camper or tools, syncro mesh a bit sticky at times if change gear too quickly, bit noisy in cab but all round a very good van, keep the 10k service going and all should be good for many years.  Show details

Very good van – I have my mb100 about 5 years doing over 5,000k every month never had any problem with it , its a bit noisy but its good van in general, all you have to do is use good quality oile every 10,000k n you got nothing to worry about

MB100D = Austin Allegro – This van is bad, I bought it second hand about 4 months ago and it been in the garage 3 times. Its a 2002 model, its long which is good, but rear door is too low. The electrics on this one are terrible and I find it noisy and first and second gears are hard to engage. I have deliveries to do each morning and stress that something else will go… Read more

wrong with it each day, it could just be this van, but read the other reviews. I owned an Austin Allegro in the UK a while ago and these two vehicles belong in the same place, a Scrapyard. Its a van Electrics, gear box, rear door too low and noisy

no issues – had mine for over 2 years and it has had n o dramas. it is little noisy for a diesel but it Does a good job and is suited to trade people. larger than most vans and the extra space is valuable. for the price I think these vans are worth considering fuel efficient, power Loud engine Show details

Terrible – We run 3 of these all have had gearbox failures at less than 100k, throttle cable feels like its made of elastic. the noise inside the cab you would think the engine cover was missing. centifugal advance for the fuel pump sounds like it is about to explode. if a seatbelt gets caught in the door the door jams shut. the tail gate open height is an… Read more

accident waiting to happen. all those clutch switches. all that play and slop in the gear linkage our 22yr old 2.0l Hiace leaves them for dead. I dont think that they will last as long as some of the other vans in our fleet have. I hate these vans

Geoff Williams geoffandida@xtra.co.nz I have been thinking about this for a while but cant think of anything noise, 2.9non turbo gutless, finish, odd tyre size, slightest knock will cause a dent, spares allways never in stock, poor dealer support, and the gearbox from hell

Terrible – I wish I had read these reviews before purchasing the MB100d. We actually purchased it becuase it had low mileage and refrigeration (intsalled by previous owner). But I have also had a gearbox failure and clutch replaced at 100k. Unable to get a fuel pump mod to reduce noise of engine as parts are no longer supplied. I wouldn't be recommending… Read more

this van to anyone after my experience and reviews of a simlar experience. comfortable to drive very noisy. have had continual issue with gears. can no longer get replacement parts