Test Drive Mercedes Benz in Class W245 2005 - 2008 Minivan

All photos of Mercedes Benz in class W245 2005 - 2008

I don't look down

Benz. Mercedes Benz. Serious. Real. Flesh from the flesh of the Stuttgart. Does not fail, does not cause desire to take a look. At the sight of the B-class at the tip of the tongue, somehow it says to the English (it is not clear, by the way, why exactly English?) The word respat.

Despite the letter index, B-Mercedes will definitely not be called Baby Benz. He is just Benz. Mercedes-Benz. Weight so. Emko.

Seven years ago, when the initial letters of the alphabet began to develop in Stuttgart, the attitude towards the front-wheel drive svvabam was, to put it mildly, not very. The first A class was criticized literally for everything. Testament, cheap plastic, complaints on the quality of the assembly, low results in reliability ratings, this story with the messenger test Mercedesovtsy persistently survived the enemy past, and they did not even indelicate them. Therefore, the new A-class turned out to be completely different. But today it is not about him. Today we have the next letter of the alphabet. So, Meet: B-Class!

Full name - Mercedes-Benz B 200 Sport Tourer. But with the body type it is not clear. Neither the hatchback is too single. Neither minivan is too compact, too sporty. Compacttvany? Sweet, Opel Meriva did not even stand nearby! What then? Sports Tourer? Well, do not go about Stuttgart marketing! You still have to call the B-class compacttva. At worst - crossover. What this, anyway, no one really knows, but sounds beautiful. Impressively. Under the car.

As already mentioned, this is not Baibi, but the most real Mercedes is. And he knows how to be able to be able to be purebred svvabam. For example, turn on turn signals, distant lights and wiper in one-sole submissive lever. Or, for example, to extinguish the speed in front of the traffic light, forcing the owners of the following in the Kilwater of the domestic automotive engineering to enjoy the pockets of Validol and Polisa of Osago. And to ride - majestically, with dignity, giving the driver of the illusion of a clean, neverthern movement, which cost, by the way, millions of euros - they were spent on the development of bearings. The only thing that the B-class can not be unfolded on the heel: the shruses interfere. The reversal radius, however, is so small - a little less than six meters.

And yet, with all its similarity with alphabetic neighbors, the B-class is a special car. Not only does it spread the shine of a three-beam star into an unlit earlier segment of compact (again - compact what?) Almost universal, B-Merz allows you to look into the future of the entire Stuttgart (and maybe in general automotive?) Design. And this is the more interesting that the sport Turner is positioned as the younger brother of the Great Crossover - he is about to appear on the roads under the Litera R.

Look at the B-class in the profile. Nothing reminds? Common A-Merce does not count. Well? Nothing? Good. For those who are too lazy to get from the shelves, the July number of the Wheel, Recall: B-Class - Almost twin Concept-kara Mercedes-Benz Bionic, represented at the last innovative symposium of the Daimlerchrysler concern. After all, really, right? The glazed upper part of the body along with the hood lid seems to be planted on the chassis, plastic sidewalls of which bind these two elements into a single integer. The protruding arches of the wheels, underlined aerodynamicity, and not even tell you that we have already seen all this. Because the concept was represented by the public after the B-class! And no one ever admits that they drew before. But something like bionics designers clearly meant when they painted the A-class and CLS. And if we remember that the form of the Mercedes concept was spied by the mother nature, it remains to do quite a logical conclusion: a velvet revolution has grown a quiet sap in Stuttgart. Smoothly so, urgent. With a small fish Ostracion Cubicus, belonging to the family with almost the car name Bodybuilding, the reincarnation begins quite already like a devoted biodide oblivion. Biodisma new level. Without sustaining and kneading. Said someone that the new face (the style of the New Edge then you mean) stuck? Here you, please - New Nature. Renaissance.

But the interior is rather conservative. This, however, was supposed. And long ago - even when creating the first A-class. As one of the intentional purposes in the golf class, then the need to grow his own client was declared. They say, there is no money for S-, e- or even the C-class - let them begin with the first letter of the alphabet. But the first letter at that time did not really like to continue Latin. And even less than outside. Now - another thing. A strict salon is pleasant in appearance, soft and expensive to the touch of plastic, verified gaps. The quality of the assembly is that you will not meet further alphabetically! And in everything - breed. From door handles to microclimate cranes, which almost successfully prevents climate control. The body carefully envelops side support, the left hand falls on an excellent four-spin steering wheel, right - on a stylish machine selector drove?

As it should be Mercedes, the key grows from the dashboard, and the starter knows how much to spin. Four cylinders of a two-liter motor come to life with a noble rumble - as if they sing two more. Impressively. Selector - in Drive, Gas - to the floor

Merz shoots like a slingshot. Unprepared passengers check on the elasticity of the backrest of the seats. AUTOMATIC (here he carries a deep title AUTOTRONIC) Cheerfully moves seven (!) Steps. If the vigor of the transmission suddenly seems insufficient, you can press the Sport button - the reaction to the accelerator will become more alive, the rotation of the motor on each transmission is higher. But before the increased revolutions, the automatic is imagined and himself - it's only a couple of times to shoot a kick-down. Well, if this is not enough - go to manual mode. In this case, the motor will sing at frequencies close to the speed limit, upon reaching which it is correct, the machine will switch to the transmission above. As befits this Mercedes.

So it is best to leave this manual therapy (as already mentioned, the machine does not need it at all) and enjoy the work of the suspension. MacPherson's racks in front and V-shaped beam with a beatt mechanism from behind do not allow a high car to roll. But allow you to beautifully prescribe turns. Small irregularities of the B-class passes harshly, but does not miss them on the steering wheel, characterized by quite driver informativeness.

An excellent visibility (even despite small mirrors), in combination with excellent dynamic qualities, it is waved to stick to fucking. And what? I have the right. And even this shaved in Tuareg does not look down - sit - we are sitting with him almost on the same level! And on passive security, the B-Class does not give up a large oscillation. Let him not have so many meters of life, but the layout is unique. The cylinder block on the side in the event of a collision (pah-pah-pah) will simply dive under the double bottom - the concept borrowed from the A-class.

However, the proportion of destructive thoughts. B-class surprised. It is more sport than Tourer. Worker for the driver. Capacious as a sports bag, convenient, like sneakers, and vocabulary, like a song about non-stags, we are not carpenters. But the main thing is Mercedes. Real. Do not baby.

Autography
Mercedes-Benz B 200
Predecessor VaNeo (2001)
Prototype Compact Tourer Vision B (2004)
A-Class Platform
Premiere March 2005.
Body Universal
Engines 1.5-2.0 l (95-193 l. P.)
Production Germany
The expected replacement is not provided

Car provided by Panavo, official Mercedes-Benz dealer

Text: Nikolay Svistun
Photo: Author and Daimlerchrysler