Mercedes-Benz introduces compact B-Class vehicle

Mercedes-Benz introduces compact B-Class vehicle

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

German carmaker Mercedes-Benz has recently introduced its new
compact hatchback Mercedes B-Class with the company calling it a
Compact Sports Tourer. The B-Class is the second compact produced
by the company after the A-Class.

The B-Class has its first world premier at the ongoing Geneva
Motor Show which will end this Sunday.

The company says it is aiming to be trendsetter among
carmakers and be preparing the way for a younger market segment.

It also said the Compact Sports Tourer offers motorists
generous space, exemplary comfort, excellent practicality, an
exciting design and a high-level of driving pleasure.

One of the major advantages of the Compact Sports Tourer is
the sandwich concept developed by Mercedes-Benz that is also used
in the A-Class.

Thanks to the space-saving arrangement of the engine and
transmission partly in front of and partly beneath the passenger
cell, the new B-Class offers the interior spaciousness of larger
saloons and estate cars despite its compact external dimensions.

The body has a length of 4270 millimeters, corresponding to
the compact car class. Inside, however, the new Mercedes model
offers more than other cars of comparable size, including more
shoulder, leg and head room.

There are six four-cylinder engine options, including gasoline
and diesel, with power ranging from 95 to 193 horsepower.

For the gasoline engines, the top of the line is the B-200
Turbo, equipped with turbocharging and intercooling producing a
maximum torque of 280 Newton meters (Nm) at 1,800 revolution per
minute (rpm).

Achieving a maximum speed of 225 kilometer an hour (kph), it
accelerates from a standstill to 100 kph in 7.6 seconds.

As for diesel engine, the most powerful variant is B-200 CDI
with 140 hp of maximum power and 300 Nm of top torque.

Equipped with common-rail direct injection, B-200 CDI can
reach a top speed of 200 kph and accelerates from stationary to
100 kph in 9.6 seconds.

The CDI variants in the B-Class meet the stringent EU 4
exhaust emission limits even without a particulate filter, though
Mercedes-Benz offers a maintenance-free diesel particulate filter
system on request.

The model uses six-speed transmission as standard while the
newly developed continuously variable autotronic automatic
transmission is optionally available.

The Mercedes-Benz B-Class will likely be a stiff challenge to
new German compact -- the BMW Series 1, first introduced to the
world in September and recently launched here in Indonesia.