A Compact Luxury Crossover-SUV Sounds Enticing Considering Today's Fuel Prices
Mercedes-Benz launched two new "Visions" of the future in Paris last month, a designation the brand uses for its near production prototype vehicles such as the Vision CLS which recently became the CLS-Class.
Testing the waters, the Vision B follows the Sport Tourer crossover SUV-wagon theme started with the GST or Grand Sport Tourer in 2002, which is actually the forerunner of the Vision R.
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| Vision B (right) takes many of the styling cues of the Vision R, soon to arrive in production trim as the R-Class, however, it's smaller and more compact. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz Canada) |
Over the last twelve months the Stuttgart, Germany-based luxury car maker has revolutionized its product range, putting great emphasis on its entry level vehicles. While the updated C-Class and redesigned European-market A-Class fill their niches well, M-B is looking to plug the gap between the two models by slotting in a compact crossover-SUV logically called the B-Class. This is where the Vision B concept comes in, a preproduction prototype specifically designed to draw public opinion on styling, layout and general acceptance of the relatively tiny model. Mercedes claims to have included the best elements of a sports sedan, a station wagon and a compact van all in its Vision B, otherwise known as the Compact Sport Tourer or CST, and is targeting vehicles such as Subaru's popular Forester and Mitsubishi's Outlander.
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| Chamfered creases, widened fenders and striped taillights give the compact Vision B a sharp appearance. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz Canada) |
Keen to make the most of its revolutionized A-Class chassis, Mercedes-Benz structured the Vision B concept around it. Aside from incorporating a monospace frame like the A, the Vision B also benefits from the "Sandwich principle", a unique structure which features the motor and CVT (continuously variable transmission) unit being placed partly in front and partly below the passenger shell. The automaker's engineers struggled to find common ground between compact exterior dimensions and safety, and found that this was the ideal median between the two. In the event of a frontal collision, the motor is pushed under the vehicle as opposed to into the passenger compartment, ensuring top marks in global crash test programs.