For young and old
The best or nothing… the motto of the founding father, Gottlieb Daimler, and the slogan of the marque Mercedes-Benz. And it echoes in the heads of the developers busy in the halls of the Stuttgart auto maker. The new B-Class needed to be a lot better than its predecessor, especially in terms of the value perception, of efficiency and of dynamics. After all, the aim is to build a car attractive for new and younger buyers but without putting off traditional customers. This tricky balancing act seems to have been successful. Entry into the B-Class will start from 26 thousand Euros for which the motorization will be a 1.6 litre four-cylinder petrol fuelled engine.
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- Four-cylinder engines are on offer, both petrol and diesel, each available in two power versions.
"No model change in the history of Mercedes-Benz has ever seen so many new developments introduced in one fell swoop", says Thomas Weber, the member of the board responsible for research and development. The engineers have been especially busy with engine and driveline, coming up with a petrol fuelled motor created from scratch and refining and modifying the diesel power plant used in the C-Class models. Both are four-cylinder engines and each is available in two power versions. The 1.6 litre petrol engines put out 122 horsepower (90 kW) or 156 horsepower (115 kW). The 1.8 litre diesel is on offer with 109 horsepower (80 kW) or 136 horsepower (100 kW). Later there will be an even more economical engine option with 1.4 litres capacity and also higher performance version from in-house tuner AMG. The engines have been designed for either lateral or longitudinal installation and thus constitute the basis for an entirely new generation of compact models.
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- The aim is to make a car attractive for new and younger buyers but without putting off traditional customers.
Power and shifting tricks
Even the entry level motorization is convincing. The basic petrol powered engine is not perhaps endowed with excessive temperament but it scores for its very quiet running and very constant delivery of power. More agility is to be enjoyed with the more powerful petrol fuelled motor for which an additional two thousand Euros will be added to the purchase price. The developers are justifiably proud on the new motor, internally designated type M270, and not just because of its behaviour but also on account of its efficiency. On our first test drives around we did exceed the stated 6.2 litres consumption but only by around half a litre which is perfectly acceptable for a car of this size. A major contribution to the car’s economy is made by the start-stop automation which is installed as standard. This comes with the standard six-speed gearbox with the long shifting travel typical for Mercedes. But the addition of an electric oil pump has made it possible to integrate the start-stop feature with the seven-stage double-declutching transmission. This automatic option will add a further cost of 2,100 Euros and is a solution developed in-house giving very smooth gear shifts and no loss of power delivery. For the more powerful petrol engine this technology is the perfect partner. Jörg Prigl forecasts that automatic transmission versions will account for forty to fifty percent of sales.
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- The interior displays typical Mercedes qualities.
Assured comfort
An increase in efficiency of up to 21 percent in comparison with the previous B-Class generation is also due to the improved aerodynamics. A cW value of 0.26 is excellent in this vehicle category. The streamlined carosseries almost manages to square the circle… more room inside but within a lower body. In fact the new B-Class is almost five centimetres lower than the previous model and this doesn’t just make for a better looking and more dynamic car but also benefits the driving dynamics. The lower centre of gravity is an asset reducing sway in corners and… together with the completely new suspension… allows for spirited driving without any loss of comfort. In respect of ergonomics the car maker has taken into account the wishes of the marque’s customers. Examples are a lowering of the seating height by about one centimetre which will be most welcome for older drivers and passengers since it offers easier access and more headroom. The seating position is also more upright. There is the clumsily named ‘Easy-Vario-Plus-System’ for even more flexibility. This permits the rear seats to slide forward or backward and includes a front passenger seat with an arm-rest which can be swung horizontally forward to permit the carriage of awkwardly shaped objects.
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- The prices start at around 26 thousand Euros.
Online assistance
At Mercedes-Benz safety comes very high on the list of priorities. Thus it is that the B-Class has radar-based collision warning as a standard feature, giving the driver visual and aural warning of a possible crash and with the help of a braking assistant enabling a precise stop. This does not take place automatically, however, and the driver must still use the brake pedal. Nevertheless Jörg Prigl reckons with a reduction of rear-end shunts by about twenty-five percent. Now there are available for B-Class models optional features hitherto reserved for the bigger models of the marque… blind-spot monitoring, lane-holding assistance, cruise control, traffic sign recognition and the distance keeping ‘Tempomat Distronic Plus’ are all on the extras list. But in the compact B-Class one can do more than just drive, surfing the internet is also possible. The ‘Command Online’ multimedia system is web-enabled which is meant to be a real attraction for younger car buyers. In November the new B-Class will be showing up in German dealerships.
