The car is powered by a 2.2-litre 4 cylinder diesel engine, good enough for 108PS. Read the On Cars launch report and performance review
Back in September last year, German carmaker Mercedes Benz launched the B-Class, creating a segment of its own. Now with the rapid rise in the number of entrants in the market, especially from premium brands like Mercedes Benz, Audi, BMW and Volvo, this new segment is going to be the topic of choice for everyone from car enthusiasts to business journalists.
And to keep the buzz alive, here's Mercedes Benz launching a new variant of the B-Class in the same segment. Just that this is powered by diesel. And we Indians being die-hard diesel lovers, this car, er, Sports Tourer should be more successful than its petrol sibling. Icing on the cake is the pricing, which starting at Rs 22.6 lakh, ex-showroom Mumbai, is lower than the petrol B-Class. Mercedes played the same trick with the A-Class too, pricing the diesel variant lower than the petrol.
Now that's not just great for the carmaker but also the market. The 2.2-litre 4-cylinder diesel engine makes 108PS of power and trust us, it's quite fuel efficient too, which makes the B-Class diesel more appealing.
Performance Review
The B-class diesel comes with a wonderful oil burner that impresses with its overall performance.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, the ‘B180’ badge on the boot is misleading. You would expect a 1.8-litre engine under the hood, but what you get instead is a 2.2-litre oiler that puts out a 109 PS of power and a healthy 250 Nm of torque. In the global market, Mercedes Benz sells the B-class with a different set of engines altogether, which are Euro 5 compliant.
However, for India, the carmaker chose to use this 2.2-litre motor because it not only is cheaper to integrate – since it is also used in the E-, C- and A-class – but also because this engine is Euro 4 compliant and therefore works better with the Indian fuel quality. When you crank the engine you have the trademark, gravely note of a diesel motor. It settles into a low idle of less than 800 revs per minute and the moment you engage the Drive mode, the engine note becomes smoother.
With a diesel engine, you generally expect some sort of a turbo-lag or a sudden surge of torque. But with a variable geometry turbine and the large 2149cc displacement, the B-class’ diesel engine doesn’t impart any such behavior. Instead, it pulls off cleanly and builds up the power and torque without making you feel the lack of either.
Thanks to the seven-speed dual clutch transmission, the gearshifts feel quick and the engine doesn’t feel stressed in either of the driving cycles – urban or highway. Speaking of driving cycles, our test car returned us a fuel economy of 14-15 kmpl in the urban environment and 17-18 kmpl on the highway. This is very close to Merc’s claim of 18.9 kmpl.
With a fuel tank capacity of 50 litres, you have a driving range of close to a 1000 kilometres then, should you take to sport touring seriously. The B-diesel can attain a restricted top whack of 190 km/h, but with the front wheel drive architecture, this compact car does feel nervous at high speeds - despite the relatively broad tyres.
The safety tech keeps the car in check though. Speaking of which, the safety features remain untouched - so you get quite a few airbags, assisted brakes with ABS and EBD, acceleration skid prevention and of course, ESP. The B-diesel’s 16-inch wheels are shod with 205-55 section tyres, which are higher in profile than the ones on the B-petrol.
Their higher profile results in slightly better ride quality as compared to the latter. The tyres also provide very good grip through bends but the relatively high body-roll from the soft suspension setup reminds you that this isn’t an enthusiast’s car. Nevertheless, the B180 CDI does its job of tackling the Indian road and fuel conditions very well and leaves little room for any sort of complaints.
Conclusion
The B-class is certainly not the prettiest car from Mercedes Benz. But if you think that the A-class looks too flashy or is cramped (or both), then the matured B-class could appeal more to you. And with a diesel engine under the hood and better ride quality to boast of, it seems like the B-class can finally live up to its claims of being a potent sports tourer.
Also read:
Mercedes Benz B-Class Design Review
Mercedes Benz B-Class User Experience Review
About the author:
Rohit (Rash) Paradkar | Assistant Editor, www.oncars.in
He is called "Rash" for a reason. He loves his toys, this boy. If it's cool, he's either got it or most probably gotten tired of it by the time you've discovered it. His one dear aim is to convert every Windows and Android user into a customer for Apple.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}