The B180 joins the Mercedes-Benz line-up and it’s quite the agreeable family car.
BEING too busy with his fishing pursuits, hubby Anthony had to sit out this test drive. But Chew Boon Loong was more than happy to fill in for him, and the car at hand, the Mercedes-Benz B180, certainly piqued his curiosity.
When he came back from an extended drive, he had a grin wider than the Cheshire cat’s: it was obvious he had had a good time.
As for his verdict, well, let the guy have his say: “Essentially an improved version of the B170 introduced by Mercedes-Benz in 2005, the B180 maintains the same engine displacement (1,699cc) but gets minor cosmetic changes and a size-up wheels to 17-inch.”
After considerably expanding their products in recent years, Mercedes-Benz has found it necessary to revise their model designation system.
The view from the back. When the back seats are laid down, thanks to the Easy-Pack System, there is a completely flat-floored cargo space of 1,530 litres. It now takes into account various factors that make up the overall power output, such as new powertrains that require less capacity to produce the same output as before. As such, the B170 with a horsepower output of 83kW was re-designated B180.
It looks compact (like a plump-sized Honda Jazz) but the interior is amazingly spacious. Even when this five-seater is fully occupied, it still boasts a hefty 544 litres of boot space.
All this is made possible by the B-Class sandwich floor concept.
There’s a mystery I always want to solve when I am up close with Mercs: where’s the battery? I found it under the driver’s leg-room/carpet. Dangerous, you may think; but it is quite safe there as it is fully sealed and maintenance-free.
And you probably don’t have to know where it is until the juice runs out - in four to five years’ time.
The B180 is zippy, comfortable, safe, and have doors that open out wide for easy entry and egress. In the dark, the door lights are truly helpful especially when you accidentally step on unknown stuff when getting out.
When the back seats are laid down, thanks to the Easy-Pack System, there’s a completely flat-floored cargo space of 1,530 litres.
Rear seat passengers also enjoy generous legroom because of the raised seating position.
Changing “gears” is smooth, thanks to the Autotronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), and the end result is acceleration without interruption of tractive power - and quicker attainable maximum output from the engine.
This is adjustable according to driving style: economical or sporty at the flip of a switch beside the gear lever.
The driver can “manually” control the shifting of the ratios - similar to Shifttronic - but I would leave it in automatic mode as there is no excitement to be achieved here.
The B-Class is meant for comfort, not sports.
The multi-function steering wheel is another plus point. It allows the driver to use his/her thumbs to control the radio and other systems, keeping both hands on the wheel at all times.
The power-assisted steering is very responsive. At low speed, such as driving in town or parking, it is light but when speeding on highways, it gives the driver the assurance of being in full control.
Improved: The B180 maintains the same engine displacement as the B170. Other on-board technologies that make the B180 a joy to drive are the sound system, auto rain sensor (automatically adjusts the wiper speed according to how heavy the rain is), and the interior and exterior lighting that adjusts to the surrounding environment.
An added plus is the crash-responsive emergency lighting system. In the unfortunate event of an accident, where the airbag or safety belts and other safety systems are triggered, emergency lighting will be activated, allowing the occupants to get their bearings more easily in the dark.
Other stuff worth mentioning are the scores of cup holders, the monstrous glove compartment (which holds the USB and iPod ports) and the 12V power supply in the rear (handy when rear passengers need to charge laptops, Playstation Portables, cellphones and other gadgets on long journeys).
The air-con works fine, but I expected it to have automatic climate control and separate zone control, as in other Mercs.
Saving the best for last, the Parktronic system is an absolute winner. It works in tandem with other sensors to render the ultimate in parking assistance - all you need do is drive and brake when required.
The car can be parked as close as six inches from an obstacle, depending on the driver.
I did three inches from a parked taxi, annoying the anxious owner in the process.
Chew has just about covered everything, except for a couple of grouses. I found the handbrake a bit high and constantly bumped my elbow against it.
I also had a bit of a shock when the car suddenly started beeping while I was at the traffic lights.
The sensors may be extremely helpful when parking but they are just too sensitive to the presence of nearby objects (pesky motorcyclists, in this case) they have to be switched off at times.
We both felt the pick-up from standstill could be better, but apart from that all is well.
By the way, the Parktronic system, that parallel parks the B180 automatically without the need to turn the steering wheel, has so impressed our Chew he has posted a video of his wife Amy demonstrating how it works.
Check it out at
http://drjessechew.blogspot.com.
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