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The 1.7 liter inline-4 under the hood produces 114 hp and 155 Nm. The continuously-variable transmission may erase all traces of shift shock, but it seems to sap the power of the engine. With 1310 kg of car to carry, the acceleration is leisurely. During testing for the Car of the Year, the B 170 could barely keep up with several hatches that even put together, would not equal the price of a single B-Class. The B lacks some features that we might expect to be standard at this price range. The steering wheel tilts but doesn’t telescope; seats and aircon are manually operated. One feature that is available, but you have to pay extra for is an enormous panoramic moonroof. On the plus side, it doesn’t skimp on safety: it has dual airbags, and ABS and electronic stability control to help avoid triggering them. With that, what do we make of the B-Class? It’s not a toy car like the BMW 1 Series, which sacrifices nearly everything in pursuit of a dynamic drive. It’s evidently not a comfortable long-distance cruiser like Mercedes’ other products either. The B excels in providing stress-free city driving, where its light steering and tall driving position makes it a welcome companion. So we come to the last question, perhaps the only one for most people: is it a Mercedes? In style, solidity and ownership prospects, apparently yes. In performance—best to go for the B 200, and make sure to save a little extra for the moonroof. ◊ |
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