| l year. OK, I’m not so egotistical to think that my gripes about the base model B200 had any effect on Mercedes-Benz Canada dropping its base price and making aluminum wheels standard, for instance, but it’s great to see that the 2007 model is a little more upscale and therefore in keeping with the three-pointed star brand’s revered image than the previous one. The B200 Turbo that I recently tested, mind you, is another story altogether. What I missed with the entry-level car became more apparent after a week in this top-line model, which is that you don’t have to go big in order to get a little luxury and dynamic performance. This little B has some serious sting under its abbreviated hood, and thanks to a few niceties thrown around the cabin it feels more like the larger M-B’s I’ve tested in the past. While the 134-horsepower base powerplant is miserly on fuel, this superb little turbocharged 2.0-litre four is a joy to drive through town, on a winding country road or on the freeway. With 193-horsepower and 206 lb-ft of torque beckoning my toes forward, and a six-speed manual transmission ready to make the most of all the traction its front tires can dole out, it’s a tiny tot that can play with the big boys. And it is small by Mercedes standards, measuring in at just 4,270 millimeters (168.1 inches) long, 1,975 mm (77.8 inches) wide, 1,604 mm (63.1 inches) tall, and riding on a rather lengthy 2,778 mm (109.4-inch) wheelbase. That puts it in the same category as Audi’s 4,286 mm (168.7-inch) long A3 and Volvo’s 4,252 mm (167.4-inch) long C30, both strong competitors, yet considerably shorter than Acura’s Honda Civic-based CSX, let alone Toyota’s Corolla or Mazda’s 3… not that these cars are direct rivals. This is immediately apparent when sliding in behind the steering wheel, or anywhere else in the nicely outfitted interior. First and foremost, the switchgear is like that in any Mercedes-Benz, very good. And the plastics quality, especially on the door panels, dash and console, is the really nice high-grade stuff that’s starting to show up amongst some entry-level brands here and there, but for the most part continues exclusive to the premium segment. As nice as the materials is the basic layout of the cabin, with the wide centre stack giving the feeling of being in a much larger car. Framed all-round by a thick strip of aluminum, it houses a standard M-B audio interface with only one rotary knob, for volume control. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is solely actuated via rotary knobs, mind you, which is why it’s so easy to sort out. Nothing new here, with temperature on the left, fan speed in the middle and direction of ventilation on the right. Initially I was just a bit miffed as to why automatic climate control wasn’t standard with a car priced well into the mid-‘$30s in base Turbo trim, and deep into the $40s when equipped like my tester, but I soon found out that it only looks like a stock manual setup. The B200 Turbo features THERMATIC automatic climate control, which only needs its temperature set to the desired level to go into action, and can be adjusted differently on either side of the car. Front seat heaters are included in the B, despite the fact that most automakers exclude them from cars with cloth seats, and I appreciated their three-way functionality. Just below, on the lower console, a cupholder is in a rather useless location ahead of the shifter, a negative improved upon by the insertion of a handy lidded knick-knack holder ideal for spare change. Fortunately Mercedes includes a bottle-holder in each lower door panel (much more useful for my water habit), plus a regular cupholder just aft of the gear selector, which works quite well unless opening the large and accommodating pullout bin under the centre armrest that incidentally features a slick one-touch opening mechanism. Hey, what can I say? I’d rather have all of these cupholders and the nifty storage areas than go without. It just takes some care when fidgeting about. In reality, Mercedes has made extremely good use of the abbreviated space provided. It is a compact, after all. I suppose I’d be remiss unless I told you about the rest of the interior, not for cups or spare change, but for housing people. It’s really much larger on the inside than its exterior dimensions let on, something I also liked about the normally aspirated car I tested last year. And even when five occupants are comfortably aboard (at 1,777 mm or 70.0 inches – 1,975 mm or 77.8 inches from mirror edge to mirror edge – it’s a tad wider than the average compact model so it’s reasonably comfortable back there… especially important for those that need to wiggle in a couple of child safety seats), the luggage compartment can handle a sizable at 550 litres or 19.4 cubic feet. Yes, that’s much larger than the average trunk in a midsize sedan, and when only two are aboard the cargo area can expand to an awe inspiring 1,530 litres or 54.0 cubic feet via the 60/40 split-back rear seats that make for a completely flat load floor due to lower cushions that flop down into the rear leg-wells prior to folding. That load floor is also height-adjustable, with two levels for optimal gear stowage… very cool. As mentioned at the beginning of this review, the turbocharged B is a real stinger on the road, making circuitous mountain roads come alive and even quick jaunts to the grocery store less of a chore. My test car came equipped with M-B’s smooth shifting “six-speed” continuously variable automatic (CVT) with manual mode, a side-to-side shift process that is now a Mercedes trademark. This transmission makes the most of the engine, not sapping much if any of the 2.0-litre engine’s 193-horsepower or 206 lb-ft of torque away from the alternative six-speed manual box that comes standard, and therefore allowing for the same 7.6 second dash to 100 km/h. Maximum power, at 5,000 rpm, is typically high for a four-cylinder, although not as peaky as a Honda powerplant, and full torque arrives at an almost immediate 1,800 rpm and holds through to 4,850, making for meaty acceleration all through the powerband. Using all the power resulted in less than stellar fuel economy, of course, although if more careful on the throttle it is potentially possible to achieve the EnerGuide rating of 9.5 L/100 km in the city and 7.4 L/100 km on the highway in the CVT equipped car. Manual B’s do a little better in the city, at 6.9 L/100 km, while strangely enough a little worse on the highway at 10.2 L/100 km. And the only negative to this stellar fuel economy is the need for premium unleaded fuel, pretty well killing much of the car’s fiscal advantage over rivals that might use more fuel but make due with regular unleaded. Tooling around town the little Mercedes boasts a fairly supple ride, its compact proportions considered. Standard cars come with 16-inch alloy rims sporting a unique and attractive quintet of twin spokes, each riding on 205/55 R 16 rubber. The example in my driveway came with 215/45 R 17 tires wrapped around an even sportier set of 10-spoke 17s… four reasons why this little car clung to pavement so tenaciously. Braking was equally impressive, with nice controlled stops via four-wheel discs and standard ABS, EBD and BAS (brake assist). And now that I’m talking safety, the little B gets Electronic Stability Program (ESP) which also includes ASR traction control, while active front head restraints, adjustable for height and angle, plus adaptive front airbags, head/thorax side-impact airbags and window-curtain airbags are also standard. The B200 is also very strong and therefore resilient to collision, featuring a safety cage similar in design to Mercedes’ larger cars, and constructed of heavier duty steel than most in this class. What’s more, the B’s sandwich-type construction distributes the force of impact in a way that causes the engine components to slide under the car and out of harms way, leaving the engine compartment to absorb the brunt of the collision. Height-adjustable front seatbelts with belt tensioners and adaptive belt force limiters are also a step above the average compact, while a height adjustable driver’s seat makes for better visibility and therefore greater safety all-round.
And on that note, giving me more reason to praise a vehicle that I previously panned, Mercedes has now dropped the price substantially, making the new Turbo a much better deal than the naturally aspirated car, with its options, that I previously drove. The base B-Series also stickers lower, even undercutting the $30K mark. Now that’s more like it Mercedes.
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