ROAD TEST:
Mercedes-Benz B220 CDI AMG Line
Johannesburg - When the second-generation Mercedes B-Class was launched in 2012, it was a stylistic step-up from the first-generation family MPV, which was about as exciting as steamed vegetables.
Version two was still essentially a car best suited to school and grocery runs, but with its more crouched new styling it looked less like the archetypal mommy-mobile. With its roof lowered about five centimetres it more resembled a hatchback than an MPV but because passengers also sat nearly nine centimetres lower than before, headroom actually improved.
Under the sleeker design there was an all-round expansion in interior space, of which there is now truly a generous amount.
In January 2015 the second-generation B-Class underwent a minor upgrade that introduced a new bumper, wide radiator trim and now integral daytime running lamps in the headlamps. These LEDs give the car a more commanding road presence during the day but I wasn’t too impressed with the limited low-beam performance of the headlamps in the B220 CDI I road-tested. The high-beam illumination was excellent, though.
The cabin has been mostly untouched in the latest upgrade, except for redesigned instrument dials and a larger head-unit screen. The touchy-feely bits mostly conform to the high-class Mercedes-Benz recipe, with the soft dashboard surface, seats covered in Artico (man-made leather) and wood-veneered dashboard panelling all conveying an upmarket feel.
I say mostly, because the creaky plastic housing of the rear-view mirror cheapened the effect. A minor-sounding niggle perhaps, but the mirror’s one of the first touch-points when a new driver enters the car and it seems like a classier-feeling mirror housing would be an inexpensive way to raise the sense of overall quality.
EXPANDED LINE OF GIZMOS
The updated B-Class range now has three basic spec levels - Style, Urban and AMG Line - and an expanded line up of gizmos, including Keyless-Go which allows the vehicle to be opened, started and locked without taking the electronic key out of your pocket or handbag.
Customers are also being offered a Garmin Map Pilot navigation system for R13 500, a more affordable option to the R22 500 Comand Online satnav.
The rear seats fold down to expand cargo space, while the Easy-Vario-Plus system allows the rear seats to slide fore and aft as much as 140mm, and the front passenger seat can be folded forward on to the seat cushion.
The test car was roped-in to haul a heavy load of floor tiles one day and it coped very well, not just in the very generous proportions of the boot but in how the extra mass failed to upset the suspension - in fact it improved the ride, which feels a little firm when unladen.
Our AMG Line test car came equipped with low-profile 18-inch rims which didn’t cope very well with rough roads and potholes, and the 17-inch footwear offered on the Style and Urban versions should provide a more comfortable ride.
Every version of the B-Class comes with runflat tyres but there’s unfortunately no spare wheel available as a backup, which limits the car’s practicality.
The 2.1-litre turbodiesel four has lots of low-down vooma and felt comfortable lugging the heavy load of tiles. At sea level, where this test was conducted, the 125kW power output and hearty 350Nm of torque chimes in without any significant turbo lag. You just put foot and the power shoots up as briskly as the hand of a winning Bingo contestant.
SOFT SPOKEN
That said, the outputs fall short of the 140kW and 400Nm offered by the rival BMW 220d Active Tourer which sells for similar money. The B220 CDI retails for R448 000 and the 220d Active Tourer for R446 500.
The oil-burner hums along in a soft-spoken way and the diesel clatter is well muted, allowing passengers to chat without raising their voices. The power’s fed through a seven-speed DCT Dual Clutch automatic gearbox that goes about its business smoothly and unobtrusively.
The factory quotes sea-level performance figures of 0-100km/h in 8.3 seconds and a 224km/h top speed. We didn’t independently verify this but the figures seemed attainable from the eager way the B220 CDI hustled along.
Our test car’s economy figure of 6.7 litres per 100km was impressive too, especially as it included the heavy tile-lugging, although achieving Merc’s claimed 4.1 litres seemed about as likely as spotting a unicorn.
Some of the high-tech toys offered in the B-Class include Distronic Plus, a R12 000 option that links cruise control to a camera, enabling the car to maintain safe following distances. I used this feature quite a lot during my drive in Kwazulu-Natal, which seems to hold the world record for the largest number of speed traps per square kilometre.
In the revised B-Class the driving assistance systems, including Collision Prevention Assist Plus and Attention Assist, have been upgraded to further reduce the risk of collisions. This is in addition to the standard seven airbags, tyre-pressure monitors and stability control. If safety’s your thing, you’ve come to the right place.
VERDICT
The second-generation B-Class is the picture of family-schlepping practicality, and though it’s still not a big blip on the excitement radar neither is it as boring as steamed vegetables. This diesel version in particular serves up healthy performance without sucking your fuel budget dry. Just a tad pricey, though, and BMW’s diesel-engined Active Tourer offers more bang for the buck.
FACTS
Mercedes-Benz B220 CDI AMG Line
Engine: 2.1-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 125kW @ 3200-4400rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1200-4000rpm
0-100km/h (claimed): 8.3 seconds
Top speed (claimed): 224km/h
Consumption (claimed): 4.1 litres per 100km
Price: R448 000
Warranty: Two-year, unlimited distance
Maintenance plan: Six-year/100 000km
ALTERNATIVES
BMW 220d Active Tourer AT (140kW/400Nm) - R446 500
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