New B

[HumberMart]

Wife's new B180CDI Sport 7 Speed Auto just arrived.

Not too many options, just heated seats, Media/6 dics, and eBay sourced integrated Becker MapPilot. The sports spec is good though with Xenons, Artico, reversing camara, and of course the safety stuff like Attention Assist and Collision radar thingy.

Looks pretty good in the metal, and a massive improvement on t'old one.

Let's see how near 64 mpg we can get................

 

[Red C220]

How do find the ride on the sporty wheels with run flats?

The B looks nice in sport spec but terribly bland in SE.

I have to say I'd prefer to have parking sensors fornt and rear rather than just a rear camera (which is SE spec).

Our car is Motability and due to rule changes we can't get another C - so a B is the next best option, I just have a feeling the boot won't be large enough.

Looks good in Red, but then I'm biased.

 

[HumberMart]

How do find the ride on the sporty wheels with run flats?

The B looks nice in sport spec but terribly bland in SE.

I have to say I'd prefer to have parking sensors fornt and rear rather than just a rear camera (which is SE spec).

Our car is Motability and due to rule changes we can't get another C - so a B is the next best option, I just have a feeling the boot won't be large enough.

Looks good in Red, but then I'm biased.

It'll take a week or two to see what the ride is really like. I always find that with new cars, the initial euphoria tends to mask any issues!

However, I think it's good on good surfaces, and only becomes an issue over lumps and bumps. I know this sounds a bit cliche-ish, but there are cars that seem to be unsettled on most surfaces, like for example an Insignia that I had on hire recently.

I know what you mean about the parking sensors, and in hindsight the £700 upgrade cost would have been worthwhile considering it comes with auto-parking, and there's no view on the bonnet at all when driving.

The boot is much better than C saloons of course, but no match for an estate.

Red does suit it, and we didn't want two white ones. I'd maybe have gone for a grey but no probs with red.

 

[MB-BTurbo]

Is the boot smaller than the last B class? I thought I read that it was comparable to an E class estate but obtaining actual dimensions on the B is a nightmare.

Also I dont blame anyone for leaving parking sensors out at that price. Good aftermarket ones can be had for £300 or less for basic systems.

 

[HumberMart]

Is the boot smaller than the last B class? I thought I read that it was comparable to an E class estate but obtaining actual dimensions on the B is a nightmare.

Also I dont blame anyone for leaving parking sensors out at that price. Good aftermarket ones can be had for £300 or less for basic systems.

I'd read that the new B boot was slightly smaller than the old one. It's a short car, so it can't be comparable to an E Class surely? Also, I don't find the rear seat space is as good as they suggest (or in the old one), nothing like my last W212 IMHO. It all depends where you have the front seat set I guess. Compared with a Focus/Golf it's good, but it's no Tardis.

The £700 does include the automatic parallel parking wizzardry, so it's not just sensors - all it really needs is a front camera as well. The moving lines on the rear camera seem to be a good bonus, better than the static ones on my ML.

 

[ucr]

Great looking car what is the colour called

 

[Geezer]

Red.

 

[HumberMart]

Great looking car what is the colour called

Cheers, "Jupiter Red" as other geezers might say

 

[HumberMart]

Just to add......

The (standard) sound system is amazing! by far the best I've heard and I'm sure it puts a few 'premium branded' systems to shame. Nice to think that Merc are taking the quality of the standard audio fitments seriously.

One odd deletion from the 'old Sport' is the auto-dimming interior mirror. I think you need to specify the 'mirror pack' to get this now, together with motorised door mirrors.

From what I can see of the Becker so far it's very good, however SWMBO soon had me disable the kind lady always telling her she was speeding!

 

[Red C220]

Standard Stereo in our C class is a belter too. It really has some bass as though there's a sub in there somewhere.

 

[MB-BTurbo]

The Harmon Kardon stereo in the old B class was brilliant as well. Never heard as good a stereo in a car as this one and that included my brother in laws Range Rover.

 

[HumberMart]

First impressions - stage 2

Driven about a bit today on mostly local country roads and the overwhelming feeling is that this is a much different car (better) than the old B. So it should be, as it is a complete redesign on a different chassis.

Although my wife was very happy with her old one, I could have never lived with one. The engine was far too rough, and the ride and steering equally poor. However I'd be very happy to run one of these new ones.

It reminds me most of a previous Type S Civic. Sure the ride is hard, but it feels purposeful rather than uncomfortable, and it handles really well with the direct steering and excellent brakes.

Two issues do stand out a bit on the negative side. The main one being the noise from the run-flats, not unexpected but non the less disappointing, and the other more trivial issue is the stupid speedo that tops out at 160 mph and leaves you working in a little area between 6 and 9 O’clock to read your speed from at legal limits.

The new engine and gearbox are now worthy of the brand, and I cannot tell the difference between this dual clutch seven speeder, and the 'normal' one in my ML.

Of course current economy is well down (43) on the (64) official, but the engine in brand new and we've not seen a motorway yet. I did reset for a 5 mile trip back from the supermarket sticking to speed limits, and it read 56 mpg when I got home, so the promise is there.

So far so good..............

 

[MB-BTurbo]

Nice review, Im looking with interest on this thread as a potential future B class purchaser replacing my current one. One thing though I would like to say is that my engine is one of the best Ive driven, smooth, torquey, relatively efficient and with a good note higher up the rev range. Agree with the steering and suspension though...dreadful.

 

[ucr]

what is the ride like on the 18,s with run flat tyres

 

[MB-BTurbo]

Was that to me?

 

[HumberMart]

Nice review, Im looking with interest on this thread as a potential future B class purchaser replacing my current one. One thing though I would like to say is that my engine is one of the best Ive driven, smooth, torquey, relatively efficient and with a good note higher up the rev range. Agree with the steering and suspension though...dreadful.

Thanks, I assume your 200 Turbo is petrol. The old 2L diesel lump was very agricultural and shook the whole car at idle.

This new 1.8 is based upon the current 2.1 as fitted to new E's and C's etc. and is top notch.

 

[HumberMart]

what is the ride like on the 18,s with run flat tyres

Did try and cover that in above posts to some extent, but I haven't driven the new B with 17's so it's difficult to compare.

I would however say that the ride on the new one with 18's etc. is better than the old Sport one on 17's with std Bridgestones.

At least this time the ride feels 'sporty' and not just 'fidgety'.

I would say it compares well with most BMW/Audi's with large alloys, but not as good as a C with 18's (but no run-flats).

 

[hawk20]

what is the ride like on the 18,s with run flat tyres

Pretty dreadful according to reviews that I've read.
But the SE is much better as it has sensible sized wheels (16inch and a reasonable depth of tyre to absord UK bumps, ridges and potholes). The Sport has daft 18 inch wheels with hardly any depth of tyre and runflats to make matters worse.

The boot is a good deal smaller than in the old B class, and the legroom front and rear is less despite MB claims which quite frankly are false. Check out the wheelbase and you will see why. It has been reduced by several inches compared with the old B.

Engines are quieter and smoother, and the seats are much higher off the floor (very like being in a 4x4 which many including me will like). Interior finish much improved. Real quality. The new auto box offers amazing economy as good as the manual. And performance is also equal to the manual- though sadly no more than the old B class offered.

Almost everything is extra and it is very easy to run over £30k and to get PCP payments up to or even over £500. Nothing like the spec on an E class unless you buy extra after extra.

Looks good in the metal. Personally find the SE more attractive.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/278734/mercedes_bclass.html

http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/mercedes/b_class/mini-mpv/review

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/mercedes-benz/b-class/ride

 

[A210AMG]

I like that, with the pano roof it could be a replacement for my wifes current B class.

She loves it though, 50mpg easy and I think the CVT is great in her car.

I agree when I speced one up I got it close to £30K which imho just seems too much. As mentioned a E class can be had for this.

See silly that the boot is smaller and the leg room?? our old LWB A class was superb for space, even better that the B class. Why is the new one smaller? odd.

In two years time we may look around and find someone, like our current one that specs it up and didn't do many miles or hopefully by then the sprogs will be able to jump in and do their own seatbelts so a two door / convertible will be back on the cards

 

[MB-BTurbo]

If the ride is better than the old B class then I cant imagine it being that bad to be honest. I mentioned the suspension is awful but that was in terms of how it clonks and is made from chocolate and constantly breaking. The damping and comfort is much better than journalists make out and mine has the AMG 18" alloys and sport spec suspension which is more than acceptable.

I had an Impreza before, 17" on comfort springs, that was very comparable and a Ford Cougar before which was no where near as refined going over bumps.

Saying that I havent been in a modern day C or E class to compare it.