CR says Mercedes B200 could be U.S. bound
Not actual CR car. Their tag says "CR4SHZL."
If you see a white base-model Mercedes B200 tooling around Connecticut, don't get too excited. Yet. You see, that one was bought in Canada (for almost $29k U.S.!) and driven across the border by Consumer Reports for their upcoming small car issue. The CR folks mostly like the little Mercedes and called it a "baby minivan." The big news is that, without citing sources, the magazine's website says the German B-class could be imported into the States.
Which we think would be great. More choice is always better. But Automobile.com drove a 2005 version of the car and said, "The B200, fortunately, is not offered in the U.S." Ouch.
[Sources: Consumer Reports, Automobile.com]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
alnoor datu 7:07PM (4/29/2008)
Has anyone had any experience driving the B class in the snow? How does it handle flat roads compared to hills?
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sirAQUAMAN64 11:02AM (5/14/2007)
They're selling very well up here in Canada. I happen to love driving the B200 Turbo and the interior versatility and spaciousness is superb. Enjoyed the multi-paneled roof as well. It was unfortunately a little expensive, so I opted for a VW GTI which had all the options I wanted (sans a larger roof), but would have prefered a tall hatch/wagon. Next time around I hope there's more choice for more upright non-SUV premium compacts. If VW brought the Golf Plus I would have been all over that.
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Aprime 11:04AM (5/14/2007)
Mercedes premium that's not worth paying for.
Skip it.
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Z 11:16AM (5/14/2007)
i have see a couple of blue B-classes driving around in Northern NJ (Edgewater & Bergen County) with manufacture plates. MB USA headquarters is up here, so maybe they are planning to introduce something soon.
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stlman2002 11:12AM (5/14/2007)
....or, people could just buy the Mazda5 and save $10k. i'm pretty sure it would be more reliable, too.
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Mirko 11:16AM (5/14/2007)
The B-Class is an excellent car for anything except sporty driving: A lot more interior space than a C-class, high seating position, very good diesels...
I know a taxi driver who traded his E-class in for one of these. He's pretty happy with it.
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bernie 12:07PM (5/14/2007)
For $29,000 I'd rather have, oh, at least a dozen other cars that are more powerful and fun to drive.
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chris 12:09PM (5/14/2007)
I saw one down here in VA a couple weekends ago. Driving on the blue ridge parkway, stopped at Peaks of Otter (Bedford, VA). Looked quite snobby next to my Fit (about the same size), but $15,000 cheaper!
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Gavin 12:18PM (5/14/2007)
I saw several of these on a recent trip back to England and they have to be one of the ugliest cars on the road, in my opinion.
Thanks to the three-pointed star, though, I'm sure they'll sell well in the US...
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jg 12:28PM (5/14/2007)
I rented one in europe, a B180 actually. Not bad but I wanted a BMW 120d. It handled fine when I was running the Monte Carlo road course.
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rwcmick 12:29PM (5/14/2007)
Former MBUSA chief Paul Halata was pretty much dead set against this. More than likely b/c many MB dealers didn't want the low end product.
As you might recall, at one time the B-Class did appear under the Future Vehicles section of the MBUSA website. Then one day it disappeared with MBUSA mumbling something about Dollar/Euro exchange rates. The topic of the B-Class one day being sold in the States was left open, but the underlying current was that it was never going to happen.
Before the fotwo announcement was made, a group of US dealers flew to Germany to try and talk Dieter out of sending the smart out way. Again, the concern was low end product in the showrooms. Of course, DC got around that by bringing in Penske and allowing MB dealers to "opt in" by applying to sell the vehicle rather than being required to sell it.
Now, it's been my position that in the USA the B-Class could be marketed as a sister to the smart. Why not? It would be a step up and would receive far more attention that being buried in the back of an MB dealership.
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chris 12:52PM (5/14/2007)
They [MBUSA dealerships] don't seem to have a problem selling the C-Class which starts at $30,000. Although, I'm sure the majority of C-Class's are sold in higher trim levels and with more options. I honesty think the B-Class would sell here, but I don't think anyone will be waiting in line. Especially since they are a bit pricey for their size. They do have a niche though, I can see young professionals/entrepreneurs with sporty/classy taste craving a vehicle like this. Kinda like current owners of small economy cars with more money to spend then before.
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cxvargas 1:24PM (5/14/2007)
Maybe they should bring this and the A-class as a Smart.
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Kri 1:31PM (5/14/2007)
It's a bland but decent enough car. It has plenty of space and is reasonably comfortable but fun to drive is not something you could level against it however you define the term.
Both the B and the current 2nd generation A class are nice, the only problem is that they truly do not fit the Mercedes brand. Were they to be sold as something else, they could work really well, as it is they do not make Mercedes any money (not after development costs have been considered, since they share very little to nothing with the other cars in the line-up) and damage the brand.
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Fooman 1:40PM (5/14/2007)
I was just in Germany for work, These are used as Taxi's over there along with mostly E class MB's. Very very few C's...
I liked them seemed nice on the inside considering the small size. I think that this small Mini-Van may take some getting used to in the US, as this type of vehicle has not been brought over yet.
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GOKARTN 4:02PM (5/14/2007)
maybe they could sell it as a Chrysler...ooops never mind!
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J 3:52PM (5/14/2007)
Its looks like a sub-compact the way it is built, except it is apparentlly a good bit larger than that. It makes the woman driving look like a 1/2 size person.
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rdangela 5:09PM (5/14/2007)
I see a few of those driving around up here in canada, I always thought they where based on the pt crusier platform.....looks like it anyways
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goat 11:46PM (5/14/2007)
The B-Class should never have been branded as a Mercedes-Benz. It's front wheel drive. Ugh.
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Kri 5:56AM (5/15/2007)
...as is the A-class (on which this is based). But I agree it should not have been branded as an MB. Especially since everything costing money had to be developed separately for it, engines, drivetrains, platform... It has the sandwich platform, which saves space but is expensive and not conducive to fun driving.
But rebadging it as a Chrysler could work. Or as something else. Which they should have done with the original A class when it was launched, never should have put the star on it at all. But as the smart was on the plates back then, another brand was not an option, later, with the CLS, which really should have had it's own brand (not been an MB) also wasn't launched under another name, as both Maybach and smart were (or were considered) failures.
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