Mercedes Benz B200

The Baby Benz with a Big heart.

Business Grads call it Product Expansion or Brand Diversification. Whatever the jargon it may be, it all boils down to company growth and profit. It is a tricky little bugger. Executed properly, and the company will flourish reaping profitable rewards. However when done wrong …. Well remember Pepsi Crystal?

In the fierce competitive auto world we have seen a few successful adventures specifically those that desire to join the lucrative luxury premium brands. Lexus or Infiniti are fine examples of Japanese companies successfully moving upscale. Would anyone ever think of cross-shopping a glorified Toyota against the likes of BMW or Mercedes Benz decades ago? The Japanese brands were the underdogs with little to lose… The opposite is however often fraught with high risk especially with marquee brands. Remember the BMW 318ti? Or the little Kompressor coupe from MB? Not quite the fairy-tale story huh? Maybe the market back in the 90s wasn’t ready yet….

This is 2007. Thanks to high gas prices, Global Warming and fun-loving chai sipping Yuppies, we have seen rejuvenation in the compact premium brand autos that led to the success of the hip MINI, the Audi A3 and Volvo V50. BMW even plans to bring in the 1-series! Surely the Mercedes Benz marketing whiz has tabulated the sale success of this premium compact segment and wants a piece of the action. A glance at their global inventory yields the subject of our review –Mercedes Benz B200.

MB calls it the “Compact Sports Tourer”. No doubt a concoction from the Stuttgart marketing nerds. Unlike the A3 or V50, the B200 resembles a tall wagon or at the risk of raising the ire from Mercedes – a mini minivan. It is a clever design actually. You see, these days we have these Yuppies that when not downing their favourite avocado shake, they are out about cycling, wind-sailing or purchasing the latest lamp stand at Holt Renfrew. The versatile B200 fits the bill to the T by providing the practicality of a spacious automobile and the cache of a premium brand.

The front-wheel drive B200… (Yes it’s FWD) is currently the lowest entry model one can get with the 3-Pointed Star on the hood in Canada. However this car is anything but low-rent. This model has been in the Euro-market for a while sharing platform with the smaller A-class. According to MB, the B-class has a ‘Sandwich’ setup which amongst the benefits provides protection for the wiener… occupants from any unfortunate accidents resulting in a 5-Star rating from the Euro NCAP. In addition it also delivers an amazingly large interior volume. Yours truly being a typical 5’10” of medium girth found plenty of headroom at the rear. In fact I didn’t have to cram my legs while seated at the back too, unlike many cars in this compact segment.

Since we’re on the topic of seats, I noticed that the back of the front seats are made out of hard plastics. Fashion faux pax? Perhaps. This plastic ‘armour’ acts to protect the seats from hyper-active children who are yearning to be the next Beckham. After all don’t you just hate having to wipe away muddy size-5 shoe marks?! Well this just makes the chore easier. A few other “featurettes” that MB thoughtfully included was a little Medkit in the event of minor cuts or burn from one’s hot mocha. There are sectional lights sprinkled around the car which will be useful when ambient light is low. However this lighting kit comes with the optional Premium Package. Why not make it standard? One thing is for sure standard with the B200 – storage compartments! The regular glovebox is fairly large and offers a unique way to hold a bank of coins. However considering the typical contents in a glovebox, I question the usefulness of this feature.

One can also find glovebox sized compartments at the rear, right above the wheel wells. And there’s always the underfloor tray in the cargo hold. The cargo area is ML rivaling size…especially when the rear seats are folded down. I would expect that a premium wagon such as the B-class would have a push-button rear fold down seats but alas, this one does it the muscle-power way.

Someone once told me that you can tell the interior quality of a car by its headliner. Cardboard shag vs. sumptuous Alcantara. In this so-called litmus test, the B200 does not disappoint. Though it’s not lined with luxurious Alcantara, it’s padded with upscale cloth material. Together with high-grade stitched fabric interior the B200 does seal out external noise admirably. Unlike the Benz of yonder, the cockpit of the B200 feels stylishly sporty. Black soft-touch plastics and aluminum trim is the standard theme offering a classy ambiance. And for those yearning for the nostalgic carriage flair, one can order wood paneling too. And while you are at it, do consider a horse. The gauge pod is simple rather than succumbing to the multi-pod setup that is such the rage these days. Straddled between the rev-meter and the speedometer is the Multi-Information Display. Perhaps it’s me, but I found that the information on the display a bit cramped, thus causing me to take a longer glance to determine mileage vs. temperature etc. Climate control knobs are simple, none of those trickery doodad menus that forces one to scroll through in order to switch settings. My B200 didn’t come with the fancy harman/kardon system; however the standard audio (single CD) adequately produced decent levels of highs and lows. A small quibble for me is for the main volume dial to be larger. It will benefit drivers with gloved hands during Calgary-like winters to easily adjust the dial. One last thing – the location of the cup holder at the front of the shifter. What’s with that? How can the location of this item pass the ergonomic design team?

My baby Benz tester came equipped with the standard 2.0l engine that pushes out 134hp. In an age of ever increasing power, that number seems weak. Then again, at about 2900lbs, it is no behemoth. The parabolic suspension coupled with 16” wheels delivered a supple ride. You can always opt for 17” wheels, but in my opinion, larger wheels with thinner side-walled tires could ruin the comfort handling of this tall wagon. We took off to the nearby highland country roads and it absorbed the cracked asphalt quietly. No rattles whatsoever. This is what you get for German engineering. Don’t get me wrong, this is no SLK so I am not expecting the B200 to carve apexes like a Zacto knife. There are some lean when pushed around corners, but seriously the kind of buyers for this car aren’t going to be the Fernando Alonso-types. What this car provides and it does very well is delivering a comfortable people mover within the city and around suburban area. With its light steering wheel and good outward visibility, I was able to easily negotiate tight mall-parking lots. City driving is pleasant thanks to the optional CVT on this tester. I was impressed with its virtually undetectable gear changes. You just step on the gas like a sane driver and as the speed increases, the transmission just “morphs” to the next. And if you are feeling frisky, the B200 CVT comes with a 7-speed manumatic lever that allows self-shift. That friskiness unfortunately lasted all of 30 seconds for me because when pushed hard the engine loses its luster and grunts grumpily to gain revs. Imagine the Queen Mother going for a 100m dash. Approaching some mid-grade inclines, I had to plan my acceleration pedal or risk running out of steam. I reckon the 193hp turbocharged version would provide more spunk. Ultimately the buyer would be left with a dilemma whether to go with the sensible 2.0l standard fare or the turbocharged 193hp model. The former provides comparatively superior gas mileage however if fully loaded, you may risk being left at the lights by a Yaris. Which begs the question, since this car provides Mazda5 rivaling mileage why does it require Premium fuel even for its base model? It seems counterintuitive. I hope MB will introduce the diesel version on these shores after all it is already available in Europe.

The B200 is MB’s answer to those that desire a practical but upscale ride without having to compromise on Fisher-Price interior. It offers a barrage of safety technology that one comes to expect from this German brand. For some, it is an entry into the 3-pointed Star club. And for this last reason alone, I doubt alternatives such as the excellent Mazda5 nor the Toyota Matrix will suffice.

Quick Facts

Price	$31,400 - $40,000
Horsepower	134hp – 193hp
Length	4270mm
Weight	1345kg (2990lb)
Fuel Consumption	City:9.2L/100km Hwy: 6.7L/100km

Special thanks to Adrian Kuei of Mercedes Benz – West Broadway for providing the 2007 B200 for the purpose of this review.

Published Aug. Issue of Asian Inside Views