Mercedes-Benz B250 2013 Review

It's a measure of how far Mercedes-Benz small car philosophy has shifted off late. With an AMG A-Class in the wings, there's more to come to boot...

There's no denying the newest B-Class is rapid. It spins the front wheels with an eagerness that raises an eyebrow and pushes you into your Artico man-made leather seats when overtaking on the freeway.

Mercedes twin-clutch automated seven-speed transmission is neat box of cogs too, whipping through the gears with great rapidity and delivering surprisingly fast down changes as well.

The gearbox also helps keep fuel consumption low, with a claimed average of just 6.5L/100km. Factor in a 50 litre tank and you can you cruise wide and far with this stocky little German, around 770km per tank if my arithmetic is sound.

The engine is a rip-snorter, and proves that Mercedes knows its way around a four-pot screamer. The 2.0-litre turbo-petrol outputs 155kW/350Nm of torque, and to put that in perspective its 20Nm more twist than the top-spec VW Golf R grinds out, with which it competes very closely on price.

Speaking of which, $49,500 is big bikkies when you're talking hot hatches, particularly when the segment starts in the mid $30k bracket with cars like the Opel GTC, so what do you get for you dollar? A lot of kit that you won't always find in this segment... An electronic park brake, nine airbags, collision prevention assist, adaptive braking and attention assist are trademark Benz premium features, plus you get all the usual premium hatch stuff -- automatic headlights and wipers, climate control, USB/AUX plugs, Bluetooth streaming, electronic stability control, electric windows and mirrors, the list goes on.

It also has one of the highest ANCAP ratings ever, receiving five-stars and an almost perfect crash-safety score.

The B250 has to convey more machismo than its siblings and to do so is fitted with a 'sports' leather steering wheel hooked up to a Direct Steer system, black roof lining and alloy-look pedals. Step outside the car and it's plain to see it communicates more menace than its siblings, riding on lowered suspension and larger 18-inch alloy wheels shod with low-profile 225/40 R18 Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres.

LED daytime front running lights, twin exhaust pipes, and tinted rear windows are added also.

So it has loads of features, looks sportier than its stablemates and accelerates like asteroid debris in a deteriorating orbit. What's not to like?

Unfortunately its suspension and steering don't quite hit their mark. The wheel is lifeless with very little feel or feedback, despite the addition of the Direct Steer system (designed to make it feel sportier). The suspension setup is firm (almost too firm) and unless the road is billiard-table smooth, the B250 feels skittish and nervous when you start testing the chassis's performance threshold.

The firm suspension isn't so hard your fillings will break loose, but if you're spearing through a corner and one of the front wheels tracks over a ripple or a crack, you'll know all about it. The car becomes flustered, riding roughshod and clattering over bumps.

Unsurprisingly, Benz' B250 also feels top heavy at times. Granted, similarly priced hatches have a lower centre of gravity, but ultimately this one feels a touch ponderous when hustling along at 8/10ths.

On the plus side, the brakes are excellent and good pedal modulation ensures smooth initial application with a light dab, and instant, arresting deceleration with a stronger jab of the right foot.

Some of the things that hamper the car's handling dynamics work in its favour in everyday scenarios. Take the slightly elevated seating position -- it provides a commanding view of traffic and road ahead, and the sense of interior space is notable, in all directions, with more than enough room for two tall adults in the rear seats.

It's got a great-looking, premium-feel interior too, with soft dash plastics, faux leather-trimmed doors and seats, and a contemporary dashboard layout matched to stylised circular air vents that make directing airflow intuitive.

There's also a new low-mount heating/cooling control unit that feels a bit cheaper than usual Benz stuff, but looks great. The only real downer is the column-shift gear selector, which looks and feels like a relic from a bygone era.

In terms of practicality the B250 does a bang-up job. Its big 488 litre can swallow three Shetland ponies, and it has an adjustable floor height. There's even a 12V socket so you plug in various powered accessories in the boot.

Add fold out trays to for the rear seats complete with cup holders -- airliner style -- and you're looking at the Swiss-army knife of the high-performance hatch world.

The Mercedes-Benz B250 may not be a true-blue hot hatch and cannot match high-output Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus sporties in a dynamic sense (wait for the A-Class for that) but not everyone wants white-knuckle cornering capability.

It's still an appealing vehicle with practicality by the barrow load, and heaps of punch from the fiery engine.

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