B180 has arrived

[theogeor]

After a relatively long waiting (look liked for ever but its always like that) the B Class to replace the current A160 (W169) has arrived. It was delivered at home on Thursday afternoon as per agreement with Mercedes Corporate and it came at the back of a big truck but not the typical one you see transporting cars but a close one so as to protect the cars. The driver told me that he delivered two S350 before mine....
The specifications of the car is as follows
B180(W246) SE Petrol manual in with the following extras
Jupiter Red
Dual Zone Climate Control
Luxury Pack (Artico leather plus heated seats)
Mirror Package
Cruise Control
Rear Armrest
Easy Pack Load securing kit
Becker Map Pilot

So the car has arrived with the right specifications as expected shiny and spotless.

As soon as we got it my wife started comparing it with the current A160 Avantgarde (2011) that we still have until I give it to my parents next week . Worth noting that the A160 on top of the Avantgarde specifications we added Parktronic , Electric Folding mirrors and Dual Zone Climate control so its well equipped
So as you expect she found somethings that are not available in the new car. One that I was expecting and one that I have missed. The A160 has Convenient Window opening and closing through the key plus a net on the passenger side. I new that the net was not going to be available as there was no sensible option where you can add it. The Convenient Window option I thought it had it but going through the detail specifications I realise that it only comes with the Exclusive Pack. And to be honest I never looked at it as I did not know that my wife is using it... apparently she does....
Beyond the specifications/equipment differences she also notice that the seat is a bit narrower about 1/2 inch... Not much but enough for her to notice and tell me about it... She said that the A160 driver seat looks a bit more comfortable because of that but again is very subjective as the B180(W246) seats are very comfortable as well.

So what are the first impressions ... I first properly drove it today and did about 40 miles with a mixture of motorway and city driving and so far I am impressed and I think is a good choice. Overall the car is very comfortable and the suspension very smooth and absorbs anything that is thrown at it effectively . Much smoother than the A160 and significantly better than the Sport suspension I have seen on the new A & B class . Comfort was the primary reason we went for the SE rather than the sport.
In addition to that the noise levels are very very low . Again an improvement compared with the A160 which is impressively quiet as well but this is at a different level. The super smooth 1.6 Turbo Engine has a big role to play on this in combination with a very good 6 speed gearbox. You can hardly hear the engine noise and because the top torque is available from 1250-4000 revs you never have to push the engine and you most of the time you are between 1200-2000 revs and the car is still pulling well.
Internally the car is very spacious with tons of space for the rear passengers. I am 6'1" and I like having the seat relatively further back than average but plenty of room at the back couple more six footers. Although I have not been at the back properly by kids told me that is very smooth and visibility is great for them. Also the boot space is more than spacious and will be great for family trips as my 911 is not suitable for those when we go beyond a couple of days.
The controls on the car are very easy to use and the onboard computer and the info/functions available are more than adequate. Also the quality of the standard Radio is very good and the bluetooth pairing to both my Galaxy S3 and wife's iPhone 5S was done in no time. The Becker Palm Pilot also works well with some very good features but the voice recognition so far did not have any good results. I need to figure out what is the best way to say something in order for it to find what I want.
Now let me go back to the engine. I think the 1.6 Turbo Petrol engine is fantastic and should not be ignored. I have driven the 1.8 diesel as well and I would always vote for the smoothness of the petrol but that is driven also by the fact that our millage is less than 10K a year and most of it is short trips. The latest turbo petrol engines like this one have very good torque from low revs and they are not far from the diesel brothers. I found my self driving at 1200revs a lot of times and the car was more than happy to pull away if I needed it to do so. On the motorway is also a very good cruiser with almost no wind /engine or road noise and again that is down to the engine and gearbox as well. At 70MPH you are under 2K revs on 6th gear.
On economy is too early to tell but if the OBC is not far off then it will be 6-10% more economical from our current car and again I believe is down to the engine and the torque been available at low revs


So here is a summary

Prons
1. Spacious cabin
2. Comfortable ride
3. Great petrol engine
4. Great manual gearbox
5. Beautiful dashboard
6. Quality/premium feeling

Cons
1. Equipment level is inconsistent for a modem Premium car. How can it miss things that the previous generation had
2. Seats could have been better



Will try to write another report after we have done few more miles... Currently this is the first impression over 120 miles and not all of them were driven by me....

Also I have added a picture... The car looks great in Red by the way......


Regards

Theo

ps: Most important thing is that wife is happy......

 

[rhud]

Very interesting and informative 'review'. Of considerable interest to those of us with the W169 A Class, for whom the new A Class is a non-starter.

Two points: I note you have been impressed with the ride, whereas it seems to have had mixed reviews elsewhere (presumably it has 16" alloys, as on the A Class.) Also does the absence of a spare wheel bother you?

 

[A150]

Rhud I have to agree with you on the point of the new A being a non starter for some of us with the previous model. I have the pre face lifted W169. Which is exactly the sort of car for me. The new A Class doesn't feel right. Plus I don't like how the rear seats block out about half the rear window which is smaller also.

I found Theogeor's review very interesting as I have been considering buying the new B Class instead of upgrading from the old A to the newer model. His review has got me now wanting to take a closer look. Or maybe a test drive. I will also be taking a good look at all of the different package options carefully to make sure I get everything (if allowed cost wise by SWMBO). But I think Zenons will be a must.

 

[theogeor]

Very interesting and informative 'review'. Of considerable interest to those of us with the W169 A Class, for whom the new A Class is a non-starter.

Two points: I note you have been impressed with the ride, whereas it seems to have had mixed reviews elsewhere (presumably it has 16" alloys, as on the A Class.) Also does the absence of a spare wheel bother you?

Both are 16" alloys but different tyre size. W169/A160 has 195/55 where the w246 has 205/55. As said reason for SE and not upgrading the wheels to anything bigger is comfort. And after a morning drive to the golf course for my sons lessons and go through a lot of bumps I am even more impressed
Spare wheel is an interesting question. I am comfortable with it as is the same situation as my 911 so I got used it but wife is not that comfortable with the idea. Saying that she doesn't know how to change a tyre but knows how to inflate one and go to the local tyre shop for the rest. I always had a pump in her car for that reason.
On the mixed review comment I tried to be objective. I still think the B180 SE is a great car overall and will keep wife happy comfortable and safe but there a couple of things you expect in a Mercedes to better on the equipment specification. But again this might be Mercedes GB as in Germany the options and flexibility on what to choose is different.



Theo