Pre-production prototype "Vision B" was shown in 2004 at the Paris Motor Show. Serial version of the B-Class presented at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. In the Mercedes-Benz corporate hierarchy, the 5-door hatchback is located between the A and C-classes. By the way, unlike the A-class, which comes with both three and five doors, the “beshka” is strictly five-door. The B-Class is the first production version of the new Sports Tourer project, developed by Mercedes-Benz and combining the advantages of various automotive concepts.
The result is a car with an original and independent character: the B-class demonstrates qualities such as large capacity, exceptional comfort, optimum functionality, elegant design and the highest driving pleasure. The model is designed on an enlarged A-Class II generation platform and inherited all the design features of the “younger” model - reinforced sandwich floor, McPherson struts in front and dependent thruster rear, shock absorbers with electronically controlled damping. Dimensions of the car 4270x1777x1604 mm. In comparison with "Ashka" B-class is longer by 430 mm.
Its wheelbase - 2778 mm, 210 mm more. The length of the body corresponds to the size of the compact class. At the same time, the B-class surpasses passenger cars of comparable size in all internal dimensions essential for comfort, such as the internal width of the body at the shoulder level of the passengers, legroom and the distance from the head to the upholstery of the roof of the body. The interior transformation possibilities and the useful volume of the B-Class also go beyond the standard concepts. A car can be transformed from a comfortable tourist car into a practical minivan in several ways.
The B-class has quite rich possibilities for transforming the rear seat, which can be folded asymmetrically, folded down, removed altogether, and so on. In addition, a removable front seat can also be ordered for an extra charge. So, the trunk volume varies from 544 to 2245 liters, which brings the B-class in the transportation of goods to the level of large "station wagons" - the maximum cargo length is 2.95 meters.
True, removable seats are placed only on request. In the basic version, buyers will have to be content with folding rear seatbacks. The main feature of the B-class design is the design of its front part - a wedge-shaped profile, wide windshield, the dominant grille with a stylized Mercedes-Benz emblem, wide bumper and expressive transparent headlights. The harmonious combination of all these elements gives the car a unique and dynamic appearance. A wedge-shaped silhouette, a long wheelbase, short overhangs and gently curved, sweeping roof contours add a sporty tone to the exterior of the car. The back of the car also impresses with a wide gauge and convex wheel arches.
The sandwich technology, which allows the engine and gearbox to be positioned in the space in front of the cabin and under it, provides the B-class a roomy and spacious cabin at the level of a sedan or station wagon with compact external dimensions. The palette of engines is very diverse, the manufacturer offers four petrol: 1.5 liters. (95 hp); 1.7 l. (116 hp); 2 l. (136 hp) and for those who "love it hotter", 2-liter turbocharged unit, 142 kW (193 hp), and torque - 280 Nm at 1800-4850 rpm. With the latest engine, the car is gaining 100 km / h in 7.6 s, and the maximum speed is 225 km / h.
And for practical people there is a choice of two models equipped with diesel engines. The most powerful of diesels - 2-liter 140-horsepower. It accelerates the car to 100 km / h in 9.6 s. The maximum speed of the car, with this engine, exceeds 200 km / h, but despite such excellent dynamic properties, fuel consumption is only 5.6 liters per 100 km. The second turbo diesel volume of 1.8 liters has a capacity of 109 hp. and consumes only 6.2 liters of fuel per 100 km when driving through urban traffic jams. Diesel models of the B-class meet the limit parameters of the EU-4 directive even without a diesel particulate filter.
As an option, Mercedes-Benz offers a maintenance-free filter system that further reduces the emission of soot particles. Both diesel versions and top petrol versions are equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. On the rest put a five-step. By order for all "beshki" will be set stepless automatic box Autotronic. The interior design also meets the high standards of the car brand from Stuttgart. The basic package includes air conditioning, electric windows, a radio, a steering wheel with multi-function buttons, an electronic motion stabilization system ESP, ABS and a new auxiliary control system STEER CONTROL.
A DVD-navigation system, bi-xenon headlights, an “advanced” audio system with a “surround sound” function, a Thermotronic climate control system and side airbags for rear passengers are put on request. But the most interesting option is a sliding hatch in the half of the roof. It consists of several plates of transparent plastic.
Instead, the hatch can be ordered and just a transparent roof. Mercedes-Benz B-class received the highest marks in the European series of crash tests EuroNCAP. High results in safety tests were achieved largely due to the use of the Sandwich double-floor concept in the design of the car body. Double floor significantly increases the passive safety of the car and makes the B-Class one of the security leaders in its segment. The model is equipped with adaptive front airbags, belts with pretensioners, active head restraints, an ISOFIX mounting system for child seats and special airbags to protect the neck area.
In 2008, Mercedes released a slightly updated B-Class. There is a new grille, new bumper and more modern headlights. Reversing lights appeared on the rearview mirrors, and a new bumper and light blocks again appeared on the rear. In addition, the B-class got a new design of the hood. Changed the design of the wheels. Significantly expanded the list of basic equipment. The standard package includes enclosures for side mirrors and door handles painted in body color, automatic headlight activation system, electronic motion stabilization system (ESP) with anti-recoil function, as well as a steering column with height adjustment.
There are new materials upholstery. Among the technical innovations relating to safety, we should highlight adaptive brake lights, which begin to blink intensively during emergency braking, and the emergency lighting system for the passenger compartment, which automatically turns on the light inside the car during an accident. The debut of the new generation compact car B-Class was held in 2011 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. In addition to the significantly refreshed appearance, the car received a more spacious interior and new engines. The car was 102 millimeters longer, 9 millimeters wider and 46 millimeters below its predecessor.
The length of the new Mercedes B-Class is 4359 mm, width - 1786 mm, height - 1 557 mm. The ground clearance has also decreased: the new B-Class has become lower by almost 5 cm. Due to the rejection of the modular sandwich platform, the engineers managed to lower the center of gravity of the new product by 20 mm. The compact van also received a newly developed rear multi-link suspension. The design has changed in the sporting side. The car received wider and larger headlights, the grille also increased.
According to the representatives of Mercede-Benz, this generation B-class has one of the best indicators of aerodynamic drag in its class - 0.26, and some body elements (for example, small spoilers in the wheel arches), allowing to reduce this figure, even received patents. The salon of the compact van has changed noticeably, there is more free space, and the quality of the finishing materials has been improved.
The height of the passenger compartment (in the version without a glass sliding roof) is 1047 millimeters, the seat height relative to the road to facilitate the landing-landing decreased by 86 millimeters, and the size of the free space in the rear row of seats exceeds that of the S-and E-Class and reaches 976 millimeters. The trunk volume is 488 liters, but thanks to the Easy-Vario-Plus system (option), which allows you to move the second row seats back and forth in the 140 mm range, the trunk volume can be increased to 666 liters and also provides the ability to fold the front passenger seat for transportation bulky items.
The B-Class engine range will include new four-cylinder petrol engines of 1.6 liters, equipped with BlueDIRECT direct fuel injection with an injection pressure of 200 bar. Higher pressure provides a finer spray and, consequently, more efficient combustion. This technology was previously used only on more powerful V6 and V8 engines. On the B 180, the new engine will develop 122 horsepower, and on the B 200, 156 horsepower.
The maximum torque of these engines is 200 and 250 Nm, respectively, which is available from 1250 revolutions per minute. Diesels are represented by two 1.8-liter "fours". On diesel Mercedes B 180 CDI the unit develops 109 hp and a peak torque of 250 Nm, and the more powerful B 200 CDI has 136 horses and 300 Nm of torque. For all engines, an upgraded six-speed manual or a new seven-speed 7G-DCT robot with two clutches will be available. Of course, not without some of the various security systems.
