German Car Zone

cawimmer430 · 01-29-2008, 09:48 AM

I drove a 2008 B200 today. I actually didn't want to drive it but today was a really foggy day with poor visibility and I thought that this would be a great day to photograph cars. So I actually just drove up to the local Mercedes-Benz dealership hoping to take a W204 C-Class for a spin. Sadly all of them were on testdrives so I had the choice between an R171 SLK200 Kompressor with hideous plastic hubcaps on the wheels or a W245 B200 with these nice sporty wheels. I made my choice right there.

The inside of the B-Class is spacious and comfortable. There's enough space for really tall people too. The cockpit is ergonimically well-designed and you get a great view of the outside world thanks to the large windows. Glance at the interior and you get a positive impression. Although a lot of plastic is used, it feels well put together and does differentiate itself rather well from the mainstream competition it faces in this class. The seats were very soft and comfortable. Side support was so-so. When you're sitting inside the B200, witht the doors closed, you can't help but feel as if you're sitting inside a tank. Yes you read that right! The car might be small, but it feels heavy and solidly made the way a Benz should.

The engine of the B200 is a compact 2034cc 4-cylinder generating 136-horsepower and 185 Nm of torque to the front wheels. In this car it was mated to a 5-speed manual transmission, which to my surprise was fantastic (more on that later). The engine, despite being a 4-banger, was very smooth and refined. The days when Mercedes' 4-cylinders felt like 4-cylinders are long gone. Now they feel like a 6-cylinder, in both sound and smoothness. The power delivery was also very fluid and the car didn't feel underpowered at all. Even in 3rd gear there was enough grunt for respectable acceleration. I felt that the engine response was a very good too. The motor produces a nice sporty sound at higher RPMs, which I felt suited this particular car well.

The biggest initial surprise was the handling. When I first drove the B-Classes in 2005, I wasn't very impressed with the soft steering and suspension combination - even the B-Classes with the optional sports package didn't feel one bit sporty. Not the case here though it should be mentioned that this B200 was equipped with the sport package. The steering feel was mildly heavy but the response of the front wheels was pretty instantaneous making it immediately confidence inspiring. The suspension felt a little harder than is usually the case with the B-Class, but this meant the car could be pushed a little bit more than the B-Classes I drove in the past - which had extremely soft suspensions and a lifeless steering feedback.

Another positive aspect of the car was the 5-speed manual transmission. Anyone who has experiences with Mercedes-Benz manuals will probably know that they're essentially junk: imprecise and wobbly with either heavy or lifeless clutches. Here, however, the 5-speed manual was slick and felt precision engineered. I couldn't believe that this was a Mercedes engineered manual transmission! Speed shifting was a piece of cake as single gears could be selected without the usual "Mercedes-Benz manual transmission imprecision resistance". Now this was fun! I've driven the B200 before with both manual and CVT transmissions and the manual transmission is for me the better choice. Although the Autotronic (CVT) works well with the B200 motor, it is a power-sapper and will make the B200 feel slower than it is. And yes, I've experienced the B150 and B170 with the Autotronic and these cars went from slow to slower with it.

On the downside, I have big feet so the my left foot always touched the left footrest when depressing the clutch. If I moved my left foot a bit to the right of the clutch pedal, I couldn't brake properly since my right foot would collide with my left. I thought this was a bit of letdown, and yes, the pedals were a bit too closely grouped.

In the past, I wasn't very impressed with the braking quality of the B-Class. But like the rest of the car, something had been done to remedy this fault. This B200 had well-responding brakes - and they were strong too. The stopping power was definitely there and I found myself really beginning to trust the car - something I could never quite do with the B-Class in the past. This meant I wasn't afraid to really push the car a bit. Body roll was pretty high, but the car didn't give you the impression that it would tip over (past B-Classes did!). I thought I would never say this, but the B-Class is now an enjoyable car to drive, or at least this one was.

There is a new Autobahn near my place and it is thankfully near my testdriving route. My testdrive took place before noon, so the Autobahn was empty and the fog had pretty much vanished. The good news is that this Autobahn is also relatively straight and has no speed limits: perfect. Well, the little B200 was a spirited performer here. The acceleration is fluid all the way to about 160 km/h. At this velocity the motor begins to struggle a bit (I was in 4th gear). Nevertheless, I managed to reach the B200's top speed of 198 km/h ( Mercedes-Benz claims 196 km/h), just 2 km/h shy of 200 km/h (125 mph). Now that's pretty fast for such a little compact. The stability of the car at this speed wasn't an issue. Like a true Mercedes, you actually didn't feel the high speeds, despite the cars small size. My only complaints at this time was the loud engine. Now the motor sounded like a 4-cylinder as it was screaming its little heart out. I wish Mercedes equipped the B200 with a 6-speed manual transmission and not a 5-speed. The 6th gear could have lowered the RPM's a bit, increased top speed by a few km/h and improved the fuel economy too. But I suppose the B200 is a good enough performer at a cruising speed of about 150-160 km/h, where I found the engine noise to be pretty low in 5th gear.

Overall, the B200 turned out to be a great little car. It was comfortable and reasonably sporty too, something I never expected from the B-Class due to my past experiences with this model but it looks like Mercedes reworked the car big time and got it right. It was a comfortable car to cruise around in and I actually found that I was enjoying myself. If an A-Class is a bit too small or doesn't appeal to you from a styling point of view, do check out the B-Class, because you have a solid alternative here. It definitely felt as if it were a capable long distance cruiser.

DaSilva · 01-29-2008, 09:55 AM

Very Nice Wimmer!
Like the inside of that TANK much more than the new C.

BTW..
Goode write up!

coolraoul · 01-29-2008, 10:25 AM

Was in a B-Class recently...and still don't like it at all.

The interior, if well finished, feels smallish I find, the counters looks a bit common too.

But like always with A and B-Class, my problem is the driving/seating position, very bad for me. The ground is too high because of the sandwich concept, and thus the seat too low, so your legs are too high and it's not comfortable. So I hit the level to put the seat higher and find myself with the head in the roof...even if I am not a giant, with 1,80m...

I just can't find my position in this car.

Anyone experienced that problem in an A or B-Class?

BTW, glad they improved the ride. Couldn't it be because you testdrove diesels before, with heavier motor?

PanterroR · 01-29-2008, 10:27 AM

What a BLOCK!!!

bmer · 01-29-2008, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tycoon

What a BLOCK!!!

OMFG that is pure SEX!!!!

cawimmer430 · 01-29-2008, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolraoul

Was in a B-Class recently...and still don't like it at all.

The interior, if well finished, feels smallish I find, the counters looks a bit common too.

But like always with A and B-Class, my problem is the driving/seating position, very bad for me. The ground is too high because of the sandwich concept, and thus the seat too low, so your legs are too high and it's not comfortable. So I hit the level to put the seat higher and find myself with the head in the roof...even if I am not a giant, with 1,80m...

I just can't find my position in this car.

Anyone experienced that problem in an A or B-Class?

BTW, glad they improved the ride. Couldn't it be because you testdrove diesels before, with heavier motor?

The seating position is akward if you don't setup the seats properly. I did and I had not problems.

The ride was definitely improved big time over the last B-Classes I drove. This car felt somewhat sporty, the B-Classes I drove in the past didn't feel one bit sporty.

cawimmer430 · 01-29-2008, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tycoon

What a BLOCK!!!

The engine was so small you could actually fit a golf bag filled with clubs inside that little gap between the engine and radiator!

Centurion · 01-29-2008, 01:33 PM

Refreshing interior. I drove my uncle's A-class the other day and it apparently has a manual 5 speed gear lever but no clutch pedal. It surprised me since prior to driving the car I didn't know of such setup.

Tarek · 01-29-2008, 04:17 PM

Good review Chris as always

,the B200 is definitely the engine of choice in the B range.

cawimmer430 · 01-30-2008, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luwalira

Refreshing interior. I drove my uncle's A-class the other day and it apparently has a manual 5 speed gear lever but no clutch pedal. It surprised me since prior to driving the car I didn't know of such setup.

You sure about that, Luw? I mean the only transmissions available for the A- and B-Classes are a 5-speed/6-speed manual and a CVT (called Autotronic). The manuals have a clutch obviously while the Autotronic transmission only has a gas and a brake pedal.

German Car Zone

***Testdrove a 2008 Mercedes-Benz B200 with Sport Package***

Testdrove a 2008 Mercedes-Benz B200 with Sport Package