[veedub89]

Motive

Our humble Maruti Suzuki Swift ZXi had been serving us well for the last 8 years but it had started showing it’s age. Significant touring also meant the petrol bills were piling on heartache. So we took a decision to replace the Swift with a new car (The Swift is still with us but that’s a different story).

Desire

Now my requirements were simple but there was to be absolutely no compromise on them (or so we had planned). The requirements in decreasing order of preference were-

1. Safety – ABS, Airbags, EBD the works
2. Diesel Engine
3. SUVish capabilities

Yeah that’s it. We already have a Jetta and a Brio in the garage so really the requirement of lugging around luggage and people and the requirement of a cheap city runabout were well taken care of.
Budget was not very specific but it was somewhere in the 20-22 lac range but there was an option of slightly stretching it in case we found a more expensive car which we loved. We were quite sure that this budget would fetch the car we need plus the financial strain on the company won’t be much.

As is always the case motive and desire are just not enough most times you will need a nudge or a push in the right direction. Procrastination is an evil mistress.
This coupled with the fact that the Swift was mechanically still very sound a push was needed.

Initiation

While having lunch on a sleepy Sunday afternoon in early March I asked my dad what sort of benefits we can avail of buying a car in March and claiming depreciation. And that was it. He said that we could claim some depreciation but if we replace the Swift we need a new car soon.

The cars that we shortlisted initially were(with the exception of the car we actually bought)-

1. Toyota Fortuner
2. Mitsubushi Pajero
3. Renault Duster/Nissan Terrano
4. BMW X1 (the third requirement was compromised here)
5. Audi Q3 Quattro

BMW X1
First stop was the BMW showroom.
The X1 is on display was amazing, all spic and span. But it was the top end variant, which was slightly over our budget. The test drive we took was for the middle variant. The car has amazing power but on the inside it is a bit drab. That’s my personal opinion. It is a true BMW! Driving pleasure of this car is unmatched till now. During that time the dealership was running a truly superb scheme on the X1. The discount offered was 5.5lacs on the middle variant. This made the ex-showroom price of the X1 somewhere about 26lacs.
The dealer experience was good. All the information was given to us and the customary coffee and biscuits kept on coming.

Mitsubishi Pajero
Let me say this in case you need to build some leg and arm muscles but don’t have the time to work out buy the Pajero. In the city this car is extremely horrid to drive. So if your requirement is city driving with occasional highway driving this car is not for you. Only if you need a car, which will go anywhere and won’t ask questions should you consider the Pajero. The Pajero, sadly was out.

Toyota Fortuner
If I had to sum up the dealership experience in one word I will say pathetic. The marketing executives were below average. They had no knowledge of the car. How bad you ask? My executive told me that the 4x2 auto variant is front wheel drive. Yikes!
The car was great though. Typical SUV stance, good road presence, buttloads of body roll and a powerful engine. The usual suspects.
Toyota reliab-. No, let’s not go there again.
The Fortuner was a very strong contender.

Audi Q3
Just like the BMW guys, the staff at Audi Chandigarh was knowledgeable. All the variants were explained to us in great detail. No discounts were offered. Audi doesn’t need to I guess. They are selling cars by the truck load.
The test drive was not available so we got a demo inside one of the display cars. The test drive was promised the next day but it never happened. There was no follow up at all from the dealership or from the marketing exec.
A finally got a test drive when a friend of mine who knows the GM told him about my case and how unhappy I was with the whole experience. The exec who came to my house was apologetic but the damage had been done.
Same story here as with the X1. The top variant is the one you would want but is more expensive. The middle variant has Quattro but some of the features are missed out on like the wheels are pretty ordinary, lights are simple halogens, and few others which I don’t remember now.
Still the Q3 Premium was a contender.

Mercedes Benz B-Class
This happened out of nowhere. Although MB wasn’t on the shortlist we still thought of giving it a go. Dealership experience was fantastic. The best we had had. At first we showed interest in the C but the Grand Edition/Edition C models were the only ones the dealer had and well, they were quite expensive at around 40 lacs a pop.
The B then caught my eye. It looked amazing in the Monolith Grey color. The test drive was great. A true Merc. A very unhurried approach to driving but the power was there when desired. This car however was completely against our SUV requirement. The safety and diesel engine aspects were well taken care of however.

Duster/Terrano
Although they were on the short list we didn’t test drive them. We felt we had found what we needed.

Decision

The B truly impressed us. Not only was it fully loaded it was a true Merc, no compromise whatsoever.
The Q3 was out eventually due to lack of discounts on the mid variant and I guess the sub par dealership experience was at the back of our minds.
The Fortuner was out because the Merc was promising exclusivity which the Fortuner couldn’t. But it was very close between the two. The B was about 3 lacs more expensive too.
What sealed it for the B was what happened on the day of the decision.

My father knew the Mercedes dealership owner so went to met him and told him about the research we had done. He heard us out and then called our marketing exec. He asked her to get the keys to the demo car.
He gave us the keys and asked us to live with the car for half a day. Now there is only so much you can get to know of the car with just a test drive but when you do your usual daily chores in a car, that’s when you start appreciating the car for what it is.

The B class was booked!

[veedub89]

The B-Class is available in two variants- B180 Sport (Petrol) and B180 CDI (Diesel). Both have the 7G DCT transmission.
The petrol variant has two additional features over the diesel namely, a sunroof and 17" inch wheels.
We opted for the diesel variant. My car is the 2013 variant and unlike the 2014 variant it does not come with parking sensors.

The Price Breakup
Ex-showroom price – 25.5 lacs (a discount of about 2 lacs)
Insurance – 60K
Registration – 1.8 lacs

No accessories were added to the car and the only freebies we got were two MB key chains and a car cover.

Delivery and Pickup
In one word - Super smooth. The car was picked up from Joshi Autozone Pvt. Ltd., the only MB dealer in town.

We had requested a delivery time of 10 in the morning on the 13th of March. The car was ready when we walked in and since the dealership had already called us the day before and clearly stated what all documents they would need the entire paper work process was concluded without a glitch.
I am a bit impatient by nature and all I wanted to do while we were waiting at the dealership was to take the car home.

All Mercedes owners are asked if the play golf or not, so that they may be invited for the annual MB golf tournament. Dad and me, both registered our names!
What happened next was pretty unique. The Service Head introduced herself to us and gave her visiting card. This I feel is a great step. After Sales is not an issue with Mercs but to have a direct line to the Service Head is re-assuring.

After this it was the usual “Congratulations and Celebrations” song rendition and cutting of the cake. The entire team of the dealership was present for this and all of them congratulated us one by one.
A separate bigger cake was kept in the car for us to take home. From there it was straight to the temple for the puja.

The customary likes and dislikes-

Likes-
1. True Mercedes Benz. There is absolutely no compromise on quality or features.
2. CBU unit which means build quality is top notch. The doors close with a thud.
3. 6 Airbags with ABS EBD BA. Safety was a big issue for me.
4. 7 gear dual clutch automatic gearbox. Driving redefined.
5. Super smooth suspension. Absorbs all the bumps.

Dislikes-
1. The engine although is the 2.2l CDI develops just 107 horses. Power should have been more.
2. No sunroof! Really miss this one.
3. Space saver tyre. What a nuisance! Eats up the boot space. A photo will make it clear.


Experience so far

Usage/Road Manners/Efficiency
The car has been driven 1000kms since taking delivery. This includes a trip to Shimla and a proper highway trip to Delhi.
My daily usage is about 20 kms. All of this is city driving.

The power and comfort are superlative. There is always some power on tap but the gearbox in Eco mode takes a second to downshift.
In Sport mode this car is a different beast altogether. The shifts are made just before the redline and the car flies off the mark. The measly 107 horses are only felt when you to try a out pace a BMW, Audi or a some other more powerful Merc (The A Class not included!).

The ride and handling is great but then again Chandigarh roads are quite smooth. On my trip to Shimla the handling was amazing. The car darts into corners and the steering is great to use as it weighs up nicely. The brakes have a lot of bite. Discs all round.

This is the first auto transmission car in my garage and I must say the convenience of driving in the city is unparalleled.

I did a tankful-to-tankful fuel efficiency test with city and highway driving mixed in 40:60 ratio and a got an average of 15kmpl. The AC was on throughout.

Gearbox and Engine
The gearbox is the best I have driven so far. It is by far the highlight of this car. I have driven VW's DSG as well and I still think that the Merc's is a better one. The 7G DCT transmission truly is a gem. Well worth the money we paid. There are 3 modes on offer - Sport, Economy and Manual.
For Manual mode you have paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Economy is best suited for in city driving or relaxed highway driving. Sport mode is a stonker. The shifts happen at nearly the red line but then again the downshifts have a slight lag.

The engine is a 2.2l unit but develops only 107 horses. Paltry.
The sound that the engine makes though is awesome. Only if I had more power!

Exterior
The car definitely gets a second look on the road. A lot of people have asked me about the car and yes I have got the “Ye to itni mahingi gaadi ke liye kafi choti hai!” a couple of times too. There aren't many Bs on the road so it definitely raises some eyebrows.

Traffic situation in Chandigarh has worsened over the years so a luxury hatchback/mini MPV makes a lot of sense. I read an article the other day, which said that Merc India is getting 20% of its sales through the A and the B-Class. No surprise there.

The bi-xenon setup does a great job to light up the road. The front view with the lights on seems to me, to be very menacing!
The follow me home headlamps work like a charm. The feature activates puddle lamps located beneath the rear view mirrors, the front fog lamps and the rear lights.

Another feature which I found was extremely convenient was the auto folding ORVMs. Locking the car folds them and they automatically un-fold after the car has been unlocked and any one of the front doors is opened.

Interiors
The interiors are top notch! The SLS style air con vents are kick-ass!
The build quality is very good and there are no squeaks or rattles. I wasn't expecting any in a nearly 30lac car.

The seats are well bolstered and are very comfortable over long drives. The Memory function is useful when more than one person drives the car. Ergonomics are ok-ish. It took me some time to get to my ideal driving position. Once done though, all buttons and controls fell easily to hand.

The AC is a chiller! It's touching 40 degrees in Chandigarh these days and the AC barely takes 5 min to cool the entire car.
There are no rear air con vents but so far, I haven't heard any complaints from the back seat passengers.

Bluetooth pairing with my phone took a minute. No, really. Just a minute. You can pair up to 3 phones I guess.

Modifications Planned/Tuning?
I am thinking of re-mapping the engine but that would involve some research. I am not sure if there is a tuning box available for the B. The engine is a 2.2l block and am sure it is possible to extract more power from it than the measly 107HP it came with.
The brakes, suspensions and the gearbox are more than capable of handling the extra power.

I am also thinking of changing the stock alloys with the AMG ones. So far haven't done any research on pricing though or even the availability in India.
The owner's manual has plenty of accessories, apart from alloys, on offer including ski racks, bike mounts, rear multimedia etc. I don't want any of that.

And that’s it!
Let the pictures do the talking.
In case you need specific shots do let me know, the photos below should cover most of the important aspects though.

[veedub89]

Some more photos. The detailed interior photos will follow in the next post.

[veedub89]

Time for some interiors-

The boot isn't the biggest in the world. It can however suffice for two fairly large suitcases. The flap is all the way back in this photo. It can be extended and when done so covers the entire boot area.


The rear seat has a problem. The under thigh support isn't much. The third passenger will be quite uncomfortable due to the cut out section.


Leg room is average. No rear air con vents.


The dash.


I love the SLS style vents!


The head unit. The button on the left of the Hazard lights switch is the toggle for the different driving modes. E-Economy, S-Sport and M-Manual. For manual mode the gears are changed via the the flappy pedals behind the steering wheel.
The button on the right is for switching on/off the auto engine on/off feature.
I normally keep it switched off because in our cities this feature is useless as the car is stopping every now and then for very short durations.


The steering wheel. Indicators and wiper controls on the left and gear lever on the right.


Headlight control with the parking brake switch at the bottom.


The cruise control stalk and the flappy paddle behind the steering wheel.


View through the back mirror is decent.


The driver's side seat is electronically controlled and has a 3 memory system to boot.


Stock alloys with Yoko C-drives.


And finally the thick chrome strip on the rear bumper.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[sidparekh]

Congratulations on your car VeeDub89! Looks stunning in brown.

Just another question. Was the Skoda Yeti ever a part of the consideration? It would have fulfilled all of your 3 requirements, with the only gripe being the non-availability of an Automatic. (Of course except the obvious Badge difference )

[Amarendranath]

Congrats veedub89! The color looks real classy and compliments the car pretty well.
Wish you miles of happy and safe driving! By the looks of it the interior space(rear seats) seems similar to that of the Q3, can i know what made you choose the B over the Q?

[aseemsood]

Congratulations veedub89!
This color looks very rich.

Your review has encouraged me to finalize the B180CDI. I love the drive quality offered by the 7 speed dual clutch. It's exceptionally smooth. The car does not feel like a sub 110bhp car. My Altis,which offers more bhp, does not feel that smooth.

I currently drive a corolla Altis. When I test drove the b180 cdi, I found the suspension much harder than my Altis. I don't know if it's a fair comparison but back seat on Altis seemed more comfortable on bad roads. Is it the same for all German cars? I have not driven many.

Also, do you think Q3 offers more space on the backseat? I have not check out the Q3.

[wilful]

Congrats on a great new car! Excellent colour and a well compiled review.
Wish you a wonderful ownership experience.
The space saver in the boot does eat up useful space. I am rather surprised that the rear leg room is only average for such a large hatch.

[Naman_Ferrari]

Congratulations on your amazing new car.
The review was very entertaining to read.

I read in the review about redlining the car in sport mode.
I want to know if we really need to run-in a new car as I find this very confusing. The dealers and most people say that it is not at all necessary but many on Team-Bhp say that it is very important.
Can you please share your opinion??

[AdiSinghV12]

Ah so finally the review is up
Big congrats on this Baby Benz and tons of happy miles ahead! Do share more thoughts on the driving part as you put up more miles onto the ODO. Cheers!

[veedub89]

Originally Posted by sidparekh

Congratulations on your car VeeDub89! Looks stunning in brown.

Just another question. Was the Skoda Yeti ever a part of the consideration? It would have fulfilled all of your 3 requirements, with the only gripe being the non-availability of an Automatic. (Of course except the obvious Badge difference )

Thanks Sid!
Yeah the Skoda Yeti was most definitely considered. In fact my dad and me both have a sweet spot for it. The main reason we opted out and didn't even go for a test drive was because of the Skoda service support. The Chandigarh dealer is known to be especially crooked so that was like the final nail in the coffin.

There will be a new Yeti out soon. I suggest, if you can wait for it, you will have a better choice. The new car was displayed at the Auto Expo and it seemed full to brim with features.

Originally Posted by Amarendranath

Congrats veedub89! The color looks real classy and compliments the car pretty well.
Wish you miles of happy and safe driving! By the looks of it the interior space(rear seats) seems similar to that of the Q3, can i know what made you choose the B over the Q?

Thanks a lot Amarendranath.
The rear space is better than the Q3 without doubt. The B was finalised mainly due to the fact that the Q3 Premium Plus was way out of our budget and the Q3 Premium skipped on some features like Xenon lamps, DRL's etc. Also the alloys were horrible.

Originally Posted by aseemsood

Congratulations veedub89!
This color looks very rich.

Your review has encouraged me to finalize the B180CDI. I love the drive quality offered by the 7 speed dual clutch. It's exceptionally smooth. The car does not feel like a sub 110bhp car. My Altis,which offers more bhp, does not feel that smooth.

I currently drive a corolla Altis. When I test drove the b180 cdi, I found the suspension much harder than my Altis. I don't know if it's a fair comparison but back seat on Altis seemed more comfortable on bad roads. Is it the same for all German cars? I have not driven many.

Also, do you think Q3 offers more space on the backseat? I have not check out the Q3.

You are absolutely bang on with that! The gearbox makes the car seem much more powerful than it really is.
Also the ride quality will be harsher than the Altis. You have to keep in mind here that the B is a CBU; designed and manufactured for European conditions. There is only so much tinkering that can be done with the suspension therefore.

The Q3 is low on back seat space. It feels slightly cramped and the sloping roof line does not help.

Originally Posted by wilful

Congrats on a great new car! Excellent colour and a well compiled review.
Wish you a wonderful ownership experience.
The space saver in the boot does eat up useful space. I am rather surprised that the rear leg room is only average for such a large hatch.

Thanks a lot!
You are right. The rear space isn't the best in the world. Also for the kind of money I paid we could have easily picked up a Superb which I believe is the car to buy if space is a criteria. Since the car was not really meant for ferrying people about all we cared for was it felt like from behind the steering wheel!

Originally Posted by Naman_Ferrari

Congratulations on your amazing new car.
The review was very entertaining to read.

I read in the review about redlining the car in sport mode.
I want to know if we really need to run-in a new car as I find this very confusing. The dealers and most people say that it is not at all necessary but many on Team-Bhp say that it is very important.
Can you please share your opinion??

Thanks Naman!
Well this topic has been of much debate and if you ask me I would much rather run it in for the first 1500 kms. All modern cars are run-in from the factory but it is better to be on the safer side. All these things are after all mechanical and therefore take a little settling-in time. I feel there is no harm in running-in the car.
I put the car in sports mode just once to have a feel of it.

The next time I use it will be when I am the other side of 1500kms! I hope I have been of some help.

Originally Posted by AdiSinghV12

Ah so finally the review is up
Big congrats on this Baby Benz and tons of happy miles ahead! Do share more thoughts on the driving part as you put up more miles onto the ODO. Cheers!

Yeah, finally!!
Yes I will. Mercedes gave me a free check up voucher to be used between 1000 to 3000 kms. I will share that experience as well.

Did you finally decide on what you will be buying?

[abhinav.gupta88]

Congratulations. The car looks stunning. Have a great time with your new beauty and wish you thousands of amazing miles in it.

[androdev]

Hey congrats on your fabulous new car!

If you were to do this without a Jetta in your garage, what would your pick be among B class, Jetta AT topend and Q3 topend?

[razor4077]

Congrats, great car! I had checked out the B recently while evaluating a car for my dad. Didn't opt for it since backseat comfort and space were the priorities. Was good to drive though. Nice touch from the dealer- letting you try out the car for half a day. Sealed the deal for him I'd say