B class

[mochaman]

Administrator please create B Class forum.

I have just discovered and confirmed via telephone with MB USA that the A class is not coming to the US as many of us had hoped (due to the arrival of the B class in '05 and Smart Formore in '06). Instead in spring/summer of 2005 the states should see the B class which will be approximately 14 feet in length, 17 inches shorter than the four door A class (reports vary - if anyone has complete specs, please post). It is estimated to be priced approximately in the low to mid $20k range and will be a four door hatchback. According to my estimations it should be somewhat larger than the size of the four door Chevy Aveo hatchback if it is in fact 14 feet in length.

See the following comparison:

Chevy Aveo Mercedes B Class
Length: 152.7 in. 168.2 in.
Width: 65.7 in. 70.2 in.
Wheel Base: 97.6 in. 109.5 in.
Height: 58.8 in. 63.04 in.

It will initially come as a 4 cylinder gas engine (The top gasoline engine choice will likely be a turbocharged 2.1-liter four-cylinder, rated at 175 horsepower) although a 140hp 47mpg diesel may follow according to my sources. The new B-class is expected to make its debut in early 2005 at the Detroit auto show, and will go on sale in the fall as a 2006 model and will be sold only as a five-door hatchback. Transmission choices are either a six-speed manual transmission or continuously variable transmission. Enjoy the following links!


spy shot link

Edmunds link and spyshot

Car Connection link and photo

[ml320]

Your dimensions agree with my figures. See:

http://www.whnet.com/4x4/w245.html

[mochaman]

Anyone know of a more approximate figure for the price of the B class? I really was looking forward to the A class but will now need to go with a B class since the A is not coming stateside. I just hope they can keep it priced less than the C230k coupe or I might as well buy a C class! Any ideas on what country will receive the B class first and when?

[mochaman]

Based on info from the Paris Auto Show the car should produce about 140hp (although US specs sometimes vary) and go 100km on 6 litres of fuel. If my math is correct that should yield 33.75mpg. Not too shabby.

6 litres/100km = 16.67 km per litre
6 litres = 1.78gal / 100km = 60mi
1.78gal/60mi = 33.75mpg

[jrct9454]

On pricing, this car is designed to slot in at just below, or about the same level, as the C-Coupe, which is about to be a dead duck in the North American market. Expect a base price in the neighborhood of $23-$25k, and with a fully loaded turbo not to exceed $29k.

Engines should be both the "unforced" 2.0 and the turbo 2.0, and I wouldn't be shocked to see the latter be the only engine offered in our market. I would prefer to see the highest output diesel, but that is highly unlikely here [for at least another few years, anyway].

As for any hopes that the A would be imported here, that was never going to happen. MBUSA has been telling the automotive press for at least the last 15 months that we would get the "B", and the only mystery left was whether or not it would be equipped with AWD [in the end, they decided that it would make the car too expensive]. I like the way it looks, and will be one of the first at the dealer when it becomes available for a test drive. We are the current very satisfied owners of an '02 C240 [my 14th MB since 1968], and have only one complaint: we would like more room, especially in the back seat, and the B promises to do just that. That's what is so unique about the A platform - fore-and-aft interior dimensions approach the room of an E, but the space taken up on the road of the B will actually be less than a C....makes sense to me.

[Nevada Jack]

Originally Posted by mochaman

Administrator please create B Class forum.

I have just discovered and confirmed via telephone with MB USA that the A class is not coming to the US as many of us had hoped (due to the arrival of the B class in '05 and Smart Formore in '06). Instead in spring/summer of 2005 the states should see the B class which will be approximately 14 feet in length, 17 inches shorter than the four door A class (reports vary - if anyone has complete specs, please post). It is estimated to be priced approximately in the low to mid $20k range and will be a four door hatchback. According to my estimations it should be somewhat larger than the size of the four door Chevy Aveo hatchback if it is in fact 14 feet in length.

See the following comparison:

Chevy Aveo Mercedes B Class
Length: 152.7 in. 168.2 in.
Width: 65.7 in. 70.2 in.
Wheel Base: 97.6 in. 109.5 in.
Height: 58.8 in. 63.04 in.

It will initially come as a 4 cylinder gas engine (The top gasoline engine choice will likely be a turbocharged 2.1-liter four-cylinder, rated at 175 horsepower) although a 140hp 47mpg diesel may follow according to my sources. The new B-class is expected to make its debut in early 2005 at the Detroit auto show, and will go on sale in the fall as a 2006 model and will be sold only as a five-door hatchback. Transmission choices are either a six-speed manual transmission or continuously variable transmission. Enjoy the following links!


spy shot link

Edmunds link and spyshot

Car Connection link and photo

Pictures and an email connection about the Compact B are posted on the MBUSA site. www.mbusa.com See Future Models section.