Open the hood and it quickly dawned on me that this isn’t your typical Mercedes-Benz. Like most petrol heads out there, I measure the worth of a vehicle in its attention to detail—design or otherwise. And the absence of hood insulation on this P 2.1-million B 170 certainly isn’t a good start. The last time I’ve witnessed such a plain looking bonnet was with sub-compact cars retailing south of P 500,000. It’s very clear that this isn’t your over-engineered, cost no option, technology feast fest that we’ve grown accustomed to in Benzes of late. Plus, it’s a five-door hatchback or if you’d like to call it in Mercedes speak, “Compact Sport Tourer”. Untraditional the Mercedes-Benz B 170 most certainly is, and this is its greatest charm.
The entire entry-level family hatchback idea sprung from the first-generation A-Class. This was an innovative car packed with technology, yet priced to compete with the likes of the Volkswagen Golf. The innovation part came primarily from its packaging. The A managed to squeeze a cabin several sizes bigger than its exterior would suggest by packing the engine and transmission partly underneath the car’s floor. This is heightened with E-Class levels of crash safety courtesy of its two-layer “sandwich floor”. The B-Class pretty much carries on with that same concept, but expands it by being pretty much expanding on all directions. The increase in length directly translates to more passenger room than a BMW 3-Series while having a cavernous loading bay akin to a luxury SUV. The flat, unobtrusive luggage area can even be enlarged by utilizing the 60/40 split-fold rear bench and forward-folding front passenger seat.
Because of the two-tier floor, the seats are mounted high and a slight hop is necessary to settle into the part-leather seats. The middle part of the upholstery is a checkered material, a throwback to the Mercedes saloons of the 1970’s. Besides that though, get ready for a rather gloomy experience with large expanses of black plastic with only slivers of silver here and there. Overall though, the cabin quality’s first-rate and there’s absolutely no feeling of claustrophobia with the airy and roomy design. The controls are logically placed and easy to understand. Perhaps the only gripe is the steering wheel’s lack of adjustment (height only) compared to some lower priced Japanese compacts that adjust for reach (telescopic) as well.
Equally lacking is the B 170’s performance which is better suited for puttering around town rather than tackling the Autobahn (or even the South Luzon Expressway). The 1.7-liter inline-4 produces a respectable 114 horsepower output, but it feels like the continuously variable transmission saps some power away from the engine. There’s no slipping sensation unlike the other cars with CVT, but the 1,310 kilogram curb weight is a lot of mass for the small engine to handle. Power aside though, the B 170 is well mannered on the open road. The ride is supple and the seats are comfortable for a long journey. Take note though that since the B-Class is a front driver, it doesn’t like quick lane transitions and there’s heavy understeer not that different from an SUV.
Compared to other vehicles in its price range, the B 170 lacks some features I’ve come to expect as standard: a CD changer, electric seats and automatic climate control being some of them. One nifty optional feature though that’s available is the enormous panoramic sunroof. Although loaded with safety kit, the B 170 doesn’t come with a multitude of airbags like other Mercs (it only has 2) but it does have standard ABS and ESP to avoid getting into nasty situations.
Despite the relative absence of electronic nannies, I entered into a particularly interesting situation with the B 170’s ESP, which coincidentally can’t be switched off. After a long drive to Tagaytay the night before, the car suddenly developed an ‘ESP Faulty’ error after a quick diagnostics check early the next day. The car entered into limp mode and commanded me to bring it to the service shop. That’s okay, but I could only do a maximum of 20 km/h—and the dealership is over 30 kilometers away. Imagine if this happened in Tagaytay—that would be extremely scary. Frantically, I turned the engine off and reset all the displays and electronic gizmos on board. After that, the B 170 roared back to life without any hiccups.
I returned the car after doing something like 700 kilometers over the weekend. After exposing the B 170 in varied conditions: traffic, highway, country clubs and five-star hotels, I still can’t make out what the B-Class hopes to accomplish. It’s certainly not a toy car like the BMW 1 Series which sacrifices nearly everything in pursuit of a dynamic drive. It’s not an Autobahn masher like the Mercedes-Benz C- or E-Class either. The B should have excelled in providing stress-free city drive (especially for the fairer sex), but the rather disturbing electronic glitch managed the drag the B 170’s score down. I’m tempted to say that you should go for the B 200 for increased performance and better equipment, perhaps I’d rather suspend my decision and wait until Mercedes-Benz gets their electrical components right.
By Ulysses Ang | Photos by Ulysses Ang
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