cawimmer430
Piston Pioneer
Hey guys,
Here's a quick, more detailed review of my dad's new B200 which he picked up earlier this year before this whole COVID thing took off. I won't get into details like interior quality or MBUX since these are pretty self-explanatory.
When I first spent time behind the wheel of this car I noted that while it's not particularly sporty, it's pleasant to drive and kind of enjoyable in its own way. What it lacks in terms of sporty characteristics it makes up for with a high level of comfort and refinement. The high seating position is also enjoyable. All of these characteristics combine to offer a pleasing driving experience - you just want to relax and cruise and are not even tempted to fling it around corners.
The 1.33-l engine, co-developed by Renault-Nissan-Daimler gets a lot of flack from people for... having a Renault-Nissan connection, but it's a really sweet engine. The pleasure starts from the moment when you fire it up; it's quiet and incredibly smooth. If you didn't know any better you'd think this was an inline-6 based on the NVH qualities. The motor is also torquey and powerful enough for all situations you'll encounter in daily driving. It lacks the explosive and brutal acceleration of my A250, but it gets the job done never once feeling underpowered or as if it is struggling. There's also a boatful of useful low end turbo-torque. Also, turbolag - what's that? No trace of that here. The engine receives further praise for being incredibly quiet at higher cruising speeds.
But it can't all be good, right? Well, yeah, there's one issue that bugs me. My only complaint about the engine would be the nasty sound it makes under hard acceleration. In such situations, the motor does sound like an older 4-cylinder engine struggling to make power under high load. It's a really grainy and stressed sound, even though the car is accelerating nicely and effortlessly. The sound in this situation is just bad. Other than this disappointing aspect, the engine is a gem and overall one can ignore this aspect if you accelerate gently. So basically, if you drive like a grandpa you will never ever hear the engine: literally.
The fuel economy delivered so far is impressive. My dad often manages to get below 5.5 L / 100 km (42.7 mpg) and once, in the summer, even managed to achieve a mind-blowing 3.5 L / km (67.1 mpg) on a 74 km trip. He normally drives in ECO Mode which has the added benefit it decoupling the transmission from the engine in certain situations (Mercedes-Benz calls this feature "Sailing") - this eliminates transmission/engine friction and saves fuel.
I remember the amazing fuel economy I achieved in the summer on a particularly hot day when I drove my dad to Regensburg from Mühldorf am Inn (115 km distance) using about 60% country roads and 40% Autobahn - with air-conditioning on (level 4 out of 7) and Start-Stop deactivated: an impressive 6.6 L / 100 km (35.6 mpg). This is really impressive considering on the Autobahn I could barely stay awake at 150 km/h! The efficiency of modern internal combustion engines is amazing.
The 7-DCT transmission is awesome and works well with the 1.33-l engine. ECO Mode is especially awesome. In my A250, I am very reluctant to use ECO Mode because the transmission always upshifts early, refuses to quickly downshift when I need power and generally makes my powerful A250 feel lethargic. Here, this is not the case. In ECO Mode the B200 basically drives like in COMFORT Mode, with the only difference being that the transmission is decoupled from the engine in Sailing mode. There are few times when you need to use the paddle shifters on the steering wheel, but when you do the reaction is instantaneous.
The B-Class is not a sporty car as mentioned before, but it's overall handling is competent. It's not at home on twisty roads where its high center of gravity and soft-sprung suspension are a decisive anti-sporty factor. I wouldn't even attribute its FWD layout as a hindrance as the car takes hard corners rather well with no real signs of understeer. The Autobahn is where the car truly shines offering a high level of comfort, stability and safety which you wouldn't expect in a compact MPV. I've found that the ideal cruising speed of the B200 is 150 km/h (93.2 mph), and if you're in a hurry she'll even cruise comfortably at 170 km/h. At speeds above 180 km/h the high center of gravity makes itself known, which is particularly annoying on windy days. Top speed is 223 km/h which was been personally verified by me. At high speeds the engine is amazingly quiet and you can only hear the wind and road noises. My A250 has similar attributes.
Overall, it's a great car for those who place emphasis on comfort over sport. The B200 is a great compromise between good daily performance and exceptional fuel economy. My dad is happy with his new car and does not miss his old 2010 E350 CGI (W212) at all. The B-Class offers the same level of comfort, interior and boot space but at only 1/3rd of the running costs.
Here's a quick, more detailed review of my dad's new B200 which he picked up earlier this year before this whole COVID thing took off. I won't get into details like interior quality or MBUX since these are pretty self-explanatory.
When I first spent time behind the wheel of this car I noted that while it's not particularly sporty, it's pleasant to drive and kind of enjoyable in its own way. What it lacks in terms of sporty characteristics it makes up for with a high level of comfort and refinement. The high seating position is also enjoyable. All of these characteristics combine to offer a pleasing driving experience - you just want to relax and cruise and are not even tempted to fling it around corners.
The 1.33-l engine, co-developed by Renault-Nissan-Daimler gets a lot of flack from people for... having a Renault-Nissan connection, but it's a really sweet engine. The pleasure starts from the moment when you fire it up; it's quiet and incredibly smooth. If you didn't know any better you'd think this was an inline-6 based on the NVH qualities. The motor is also torquey and powerful enough for all situations you'll encounter in daily driving. It lacks the explosive and brutal acceleration of my A250, but it gets the job done never once feeling underpowered or as if it is struggling. There's also a boatful of useful low end turbo-torque. Also, turbolag - what's that? No trace of that here. The engine receives further praise for being incredibly quiet at higher cruising speeds.
But it can't all be good, right? Well, yeah, there's one issue that bugs me. My only complaint about the engine would be the nasty sound it makes under hard acceleration. In such situations, the motor does sound like an older 4-cylinder engine struggling to make power under high load. It's a really grainy and stressed sound, even though the car is accelerating nicely and effortlessly. The sound in this situation is just bad. Other than this disappointing aspect, the engine is a gem and overall one can ignore this aspect if you accelerate gently. So basically, if you drive like a grandpa you will never ever hear the engine: literally.
The fuel economy delivered so far is impressive. My dad often manages to get below 5.5 L / 100 km (42.7 mpg) and once, in the summer, even managed to achieve a mind-blowing 3.5 L / km (67.1 mpg) on a 74 km trip. He normally drives in ECO Mode which has the added benefit it decoupling the transmission from the engine in certain situations (Mercedes-Benz calls this feature "Sailing") - this eliminates transmission/engine friction and saves fuel.
I remember the amazing fuel economy I achieved in the summer on a particularly hot day when I drove my dad to Regensburg from Mühldorf am Inn (115 km distance) using about 60% country roads and 40% Autobahn - with air-conditioning on (level 4 out of 7) and Start-Stop deactivated: an impressive 6.6 L / 100 km (35.6 mpg). This is really impressive considering on the Autobahn I could barely stay awake at 150 km/h! The efficiency of modern internal combustion engines is amazing.
The 7-DCT transmission is awesome and works well with the 1.33-l engine. ECO Mode is especially awesome. In my A250, I am very reluctant to use ECO Mode because the transmission always upshifts early, refuses to quickly downshift when I need power and generally makes my powerful A250 feel lethargic. Here, this is not the case. In ECO Mode the B200 basically drives like in COMFORT Mode, with the only difference being that the transmission is decoupled from the engine in Sailing mode. There are few times when you need to use the paddle shifters on the steering wheel, but when you do the reaction is instantaneous.
The B-Class is not a sporty car as mentioned before, but it's overall handling is competent. It's not at home on twisty roads where its high center of gravity and soft-sprung suspension are a decisive anti-sporty factor. I wouldn't even attribute its FWD layout as a hindrance as the car takes hard corners rather well with no real signs of understeer. The Autobahn is where the car truly shines offering a high level of comfort, stability and safety which you wouldn't expect in a compact MPV. I've found that the ideal cruising speed of the B200 is 150 km/h (93.2 mph), and if you're in a hurry she'll even cruise comfortably at 170 km/h. At speeds above 180 km/h the high center of gravity makes itself known, which is particularly annoying on windy days. Top speed is 223 km/h which was been personally verified by me. At high speeds the engine is amazingly quiet and you can only hear the wind and road noises. My A250 has similar attributes.
Overall, it's a great car for those who place emphasis on comfort over sport. The B200 is a great compromise between good daily performance and exceptional fuel economy. My dad is happy with his new car and does not miss his old 2010 E350 CGI (W212) at all. The B-Class offers the same level of comfort, interior and boot space but at only 1/3rd of the running costs.
