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Old 18th September 2012, 15:24   #1
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Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

The Mercedes Benz B-Class was previewed in July at the BIC. Link to Report.

Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass.jpg

Today, Mercedes-Benz India has launched the B-Class which is the "1st sports tourer" in the market, thus creating a new segment as well. It will be interesting to see how the market reacts to this mini-MPV body style. Our market has traditionally stuck with sedans & SUVs when spending big rupees.

Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass001.jpg

Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass003.jpg

Price: Ex-Showroom Mumbai
  • B 180: 21.49 lacs
  • B 180 Sport: 24.87 Lacs

Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass016.jpg

Engine: Both variants of the B-Class are powered by a turbocharged, inline-4, 1.6 liter petrol engine which produces 122 BHP of power (@ 5,000 RPM) & 200 Nm of torque (@ 1250-4000 RPM). The power to weight ratio of 86 BHP / tonne may seem mediocre for the price but the engine being turbocharged produces a diesel-like 200 Nm of torque. Its mated to a 7-speed automatic DCT gearbox with paddle shifts (7G-DCT) which is expected to get the most out of the smallish engine.

Acceleration from 0-100 kph is claimed at 10.2 seconds while the ARAI rating is 14.81 kpl. It can hit a top whack of 190 kph. The engine also gets start-stop functionality.

High Points:
  • Globally, the B-Class has sold over 75,000 units within the first 6 months of launch.
  • Mercedes-Benz India has already sold out the small 250 unit allotment for the year 2012. New bookings will get deliveries in January 2013. Deliveries will commence within a week from now.
  • It is being offered with a 2 year / unlimited kms warranty.
  • CKD assembly will start after 2013; prices are not expected to go down once CKD assembly begins though.
  • Diesel model can be expected, but only a year later.
  • The B-Class is produced in Germany & Hungary. Period.
  • Denied the possibility of a cheaper corporate edition or a manual variant.
  • The B-Class offers the versatility of an MUV with the dimensions of a sedan (L x W x H = 4359 x 1786 x 1557).
  • List of safety features includes 7 airbags (knee airbag too), attention assist, ABS, ESP, ASR, BAS, electric parking brake, hill-start assist, crash sensor emergency opening function and tyre pressure warning indicator.
  • Mercedes will launch a new SUV to compete with the likes of the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 in 2014.
  • The A-Class is still in the planning / development stage, more information will be shared closer to launch.

Last edited by Mpower : 18th September 2012 at 20:51. Reason: Editing powertrain description to mention 'turbo' and 'A/T"
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Old 18th September 2012, 16:12   #2
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re: Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

Exterior: NOTE : The vehicle on display is a B180 Sport variant

Everything that came out of the B-Class at launch
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass002.jpg

LED DRL's. Bi-Xenon headlamps with headlamp cleaning system:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass007.jpg

Side profile: Notice the lines flowing through the side. The car is not as tall by MUV standards, but is definitely taller than most hatchbacks. Lengthwise, it can be compared to mid-size sedans:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass009.jpg

LED Tail lamps:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass010.jpg

Curved-cut for the rear door is in sync with the overall design:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass012.jpg

17" alloys with 225/45/R17 Continental tyres. Notice the cross-drilled ventilated disc brakes at the front:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass014.jpg

Dual exhaust system with oval tips in stainless steel:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass039.jpg

Fuel lid. Sadly it only accepts petrol for now:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass041.jpg

Last edited by GTO : 18th September 2012 at 18:20.
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Old 18th September 2012, 16:28   #3
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re: Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

Interior:

The Key to the B-Class:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass017.jpg

Dashboard looks uber cool because of the design of the A/C vents:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass018.jpg

Steering wheel with loads of buttons and paddle shift levers. It's a speed-sensitive steering with variable assistance and variable steering ratio:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass019.jpg

Basic Speedometer:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass020.jpg

Center console with a 14.7 cm screen. Music system gets USB, Aux-in, Bluetooth and a single CD player:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass021.jpg

Driver door-pad hosts the memory seat function and seat adjustment controls:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass022.jpg

The driver seat. Notice the lumbar adjustment button at the bottom:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass023.jpg

Driver footwell. No (cheaper) manual transmission for India:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass024.jpg

Passenger seat doesn't get electric adjustment:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass025.jpg

Glovebox has 2 sections:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass026.jpg

Storage under the center arm-rest. USB / Aux-in points in here:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass027.jpg

Sunroof controls:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass028.jpg

Panoromic sunroof:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass029.jpg

Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass030.jpg

Rear door opens wide enough for easy entry & exit:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass031.jpg

Rear seats have decent leg room. No center arm-rest:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass032.jpg

60:40 split:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass033.jpg

60:40 rear view:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass034.jpg

Foldable rear seats. Boot space goes up from 486L to 1545L:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass035.jpg

Pinch lever to fold the rear seats down. A red engage lever pops out when pinched:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass036.jpg

Chrome strip offers protection during loading / unloading:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass038.jpg

Space for the spare wheel. What you see here is an electric tyre inflator:
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass040.jpg

Last edited by GTO : 18th September 2012 at 18:22.
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Old 18th September 2012, 17:29   #4
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re: Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

Quick look at the brochure.
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-20120918_171009.jpg

Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-20120918_171015.jpg

Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-20120918_171032.jpg

Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-20120918_171046.jpg

Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-20120918_171052.jpg

Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-20120918_171101.jpg

Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-20120918_171107.jpg

Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-20120918_171116.jpg
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Old 18th September 2012, 18:13   #5
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re: Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 18th September 2012, 18:32   #6
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Re: Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

Looks more comfortable than the C - Class to me. It looks good too.
As someone had mentioned that the allotment of 250 cars for 2012 has already been booked and over,it shows that it has been well received by the market.

The absence of a diesel variant at this point of time may be a loosing point for Benz india. If at all the diesel is launched next year,we may not know the impact that would bring in the pricing due to changes in duties and taxing policies.
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Old 18th September 2012, 19:35   #7
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Re: Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

Love the interior space.

Also, couldn't help notice the typo. Isn't that supposed to read 'Brake' or is this something totally new?
Attached Thumbnails
Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report-mercedes-bclass007.jpg  

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Old 18th September 2012, 19:50   #8
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Re: Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

Now for the B to be a resounding success hence forcing VW to launch the Golf :P
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Old 18th September 2012, 19:53   #9
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Re: Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

With the FWD new platform, cost of the B-class should be lower than what they have launched at. Otherwise, the old B class would have to be priced @ C-class level ?
All the premium Germans are steadily increasing the price of their offerings :-(

And "Adaptive Break Lights" - lol
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Old 18th September 2012, 20:06   #10
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Thanks for the report. The interiors are quite pleasing indeed. What's disappointing is the engine option provided. The 122ps 1.6L engine sounds quite inadequate for a sports tourer. And for a car which costs around 25-30 lakhs on-road, Mercedes should have provided real leather seats.
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Old 18th September 2012, 20:14   #11
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Re: Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

I have a feeling that both A and B Class will be accepted well by the Indian public.

Husband: BMW 5 Series
Wife: Maruti Swift

But not any more!

Expect both A and B Class to be the second luxury car for lots of customers.
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Old 18th September 2012, 20:36   #12
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Re: Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

Looks very good ,has a pretty spacious boot.It states already 250 cars sold out,with the launch of diesel it could be a success in India as well.But still 122 bhp is very low from a Mercedes,hope diesel develops atleast 150 or 160 bhp.
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Old 18th September 2012, 20:38   #13
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Re: Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

I do think this will do well, but I'm also not sure if the petrol only offering will do well for it. Also, it sounds quite underpowered for something crowing about being a sports tourer. Seems to ooze quality in and out though, and I'd personally like to see it do well.
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Old 18th September 2012, 20:53   #14
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Re: Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

I like the car, nice interiors too. At 21.49L price also seems pretty ok. Let's wait for the official team-bhp review before we comment on the engine and performance; or before comparing it to some other car.

Will there be an official full fledged team-bhp review for this car? If yes then when can it be expected?
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Old 18th September 2012, 20:58   #15
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Re: Mercedes B-Class launched @ 21.49 Lakhs : Official Report

In the price segment it is in, isn't the Merc a little under powered? However, I do agree, no skimping on the features, it looks like. Does the interior look a little low rent as compared to other mercs?
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