2012 Mercedes B180 Blue Efficiency road test review, images, specs, price and details

I took the new 2012 Mercedes B-class (B180 Blue efficiency) out for a review with a bit of skepticism. Smaller, less expensive, front wheel drive – all those things didn’t quite add up too well to make me an enthused prospect. But to Merc’s credit, the B180 Blue efficiency even with its 1.6 liter petrol engine and a rather sober 122bhp of peak power, titillated me enough to leave a smile on my face. Here’s our little story about the time we had with the car.

Engine and transmission

The B-class is powered by an all new 1.6 liter turbocharged, four cylinder petrol power plant with peak power output rated at 122bhp. The impressive peak torque of 200 Nm is thanks to that little turbo unit under the bonnet. All that torque is produced within a band which starts at a ridiculously low 1250 rpm, and going up to 4000 revs. Some diesel engines would be shamed. The direct injection engine employs piezo injectors and advanced technologies for low friction and better combustion.

Now, 122 bhp may not sound like a lot of power for a premium car, but the torquey engine and the brilliant power delivery of the B 180 ensures that driving it is indeed an enjoyable experience. Weighing 1450 kg, with all that engineering and safety aids packed in, the B 18o is a heavy car. It isn’t very enticing at the bottom of its rev-range, but past 2000 rpm, the B-class’s engine begins to sing. It comes to life past 3000 rpm, and manages to accelerate with briskness which is quite uncharacteristic of its engine’s small size. 160 kmph is attained without much ado, 180 takes a bit of time, beyond which the B-class takes some time before it reaches its 190kmph top speed. Being a turbocharged engine, the B-class’ power plant delivers its best slightly below redline, unlike an NA engine. There is a perceptible loss in juice on tap after 5000 revs.

The engine is mated with a dual clutch transmission with seven forward and one reverse gear. The 7G-DCT transmission is the newest of all the transmissions that the Three Pointed Star has to offer on its mainstream cars. Shifts are quick, seamless and well segmented to suit your driving style with three modes to choose from – Eco, Sport and Manual.

Eco mode shifts into a higher gear quickly to save on the precious golden fuel. Shift points do vary based on your pedal inputs, but essentially its primary brief is to save fuel than to enthrall you. Sport mode gets more violent with the rev needle letting go only marginally before the red line. In Manual mode, the gears will hold all the way up to redline, waiting for you to manually shift using the pedals behind the steering wheel until the last moment.  The car also comes outfitted with an ECO start/stop function which turns the engine off on detecting a halt, and turns it on automatically. Once turned on after the engine being switch off, the B-class will always choose Eco as the default mode.

The 1.6 liter engine on the B-class may not have the sheer firepower of the bigger Mercs, but it’s quite a revelation in the real world. Combined with the brilliant 7G-DCT tranny, it has enough zing to spice up your drive. We came away amazed.

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