Newest Mercedes doesn't live up to the name
About a decade ago Mercedes-Benz sold only four models in North America, but now the German company seems to be popping them out like candies from a Pez dispenser.
For the most part these new models (CLS, R, GL, etc.) offer the same affected crowd that has always coveted the three-pointed star a familiar package -- over-priced, highly-powered, gadget-laden vehicles with stolid
design and decent quality, though that last point has been in dispute in recent years.
The B-Class wagon / hatchback / mini-minivan that came to Canada but not the U.S. last fall marks a departure from this policy and represents a frontal assault on a whole new market, made up of folks who have less money to spend right now but have prospects that should allow them to move up the Mercedes model ladder in due course.
To hook those customers, Mercedes-Benz Canada has given the B-200 a base price of $30,954, which includes a modest feature package (e.g. a single-disc CD player), a five-speed manual transmission, and a 2-litre, four-cylinder engine that produces 134 hp at 5,750 rpm and 136 lb-ft of torque from 3,500-4,000 rpm.
Fixing the equipment list and the transmission issues is easy, requiring only the outlay of more money. My test car had silver metallic paint ($690), heated front seats ($750), a leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob ($375), a chrome trim panel and fog light housing ($269), and a continuously variable automatic transmission ($1,500).
This brought the overall sticker to $34,734, and I would have felt the need to add a few more things, including a multi-disc CD player, an anti-theft system, the telescopic steering wheel that's critical for achieving the
safest driver position), and storage nets on the front seatbacks to restraint things that would otherwise fly around in a crash. That would have pushed the B 200 close to $40,000, and there are higher levels still to reach.
The only problem is that the B 200 isn't worth owning at $35,000, or maybe even $30,000, thanks to that engine. To paraphrase the old sports saying, the B 200 may be slow, but it's noisy.
Indeed, it's impossible to think of a $35,000-vehicle that's as slow, noisy and generally disappointing as the B 200. At 1,345 kg, the wagon is simply too large for the engine, and the transmission with the one never-ending gear is forever grumbling away to keep up with the most basic driver demands.
I understand the importance of the small engine and the continuously-variable transmission in reaching respectable fuel-economy levels, but that's never been a real issue with traditional Mercedes owners, so it's kind of moot.
What the B 200 does do well is carry two adults and maybe a couple of kids and their stuff. That is mostly the result of the basic box shape common to mini-minivans or high-roofed wagons or whatever you want to
call the B-Class, but Mercedes has done a good job with the ergonomics. B-Class is easy to get in and out of, and there's an enormous amount of travel in the driver's seat so it accommodates more driver sizes than most vehicles on the road today.
Its compact size makes the B-Class fairly good in tight urban areas and it would probably handle well if you ever needed it to, but its leisurely pace (over 10 seconds from 0 to 100 kmh) would get old fairly quickly. And it's not like it's the only vehicle of this general shape and size available, only the most expensive.
About a decade ago Mercedes-Benz sold only four models in North America, but now the German company seems to be popping them out like candies from a Pez dispenser.
For the most part these new models (CLS, R, GL, etc.) offer the same affected crowd that has always coveted the three-pointed star a familiar package -- over-priced, highly-powered, gadget-laden vehicles with stolid
 |
| 2006 Mercedes-Benz B-Class (Photo: Mercedes-Benz) |
The B-Class wagon / hatchback / mini-minivan that came to Canada but not the U.S. last fall marks a departure from this policy and represents a frontal assault on a whole new market, made up of folks who have less money to spend right now but have prospects that should allow them to move up the Mercedes model ladder in due course.
To hook those customers, Mercedes-Benz Canada has given the B-200 a base price of $30,954, which includes a modest feature package (e.g. a single-disc CD player), a five-speed manual transmission, and a 2-litre, four-cylinder engine that produces 134 hp at 5,750 rpm and 136 lb-ft of torque from 3,500-4,000 rpm.
Fixing the equipment list and the transmission issues is easy, requiring only the outlay of more money. My test car had silver metallic paint ($690), heated front seats ($750), a leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob ($375), a chrome trim panel and fog light housing ($269), and a continuously variable automatic transmission ($1,500).
This brought the overall sticker to $34,734, and I would have felt the need to add a few more things, including a multi-disc CD player, an anti-theft system, the telescopic steering wheel that's critical for achieving the
 |
| 2006 Mercedes-Benz B-Class (Photo: Mercedes-Benz) |
The only problem is that the B 200 isn't worth owning at $35,000, or maybe even $30,000, thanks to that engine. To paraphrase the old sports saying, the B 200 may be slow, but it's noisy.
Indeed, it's impossible to think of a $35,000-vehicle that's as slow, noisy and generally disappointing as the B 200. At 1,345 kg, the wagon is simply too large for the engine, and the transmission with the one never-ending gear is forever grumbling away to keep up with the most basic driver demands.
I understand the importance of the small engine and the continuously-variable transmission in reaching respectable fuel-economy levels, but that's never been a real issue with traditional Mercedes owners, so it's kind of moot.
What the B 200 does do well is carry two adults and maybe a couple of kids and their stuff. That is mostly the result of the basic box shape common to mini-minivans or high-roofed wagons or whatever you want to
 |
| 2006 Mercedes-Benz B-Class (Photo: Mercedes-Benz) |
Its compact size makes the B-Class fairly good in tight urban areas and it would probably handle well if you ever needed it to, but its leisurely pace (over 10 seconds from 0 to 100 kmh) would get old fairly quickly. And it's not like it's the only vehicle of this general shape and size available, only the most expensive.