Mercedes-Benz B-Class B170 BlueEfficiency Sport road test

When it comes to building greener cars, everyone’s at it. Even premium carmakers like Mercedes-Benz are jumping on the bandwagon, with the launch of its Blue Efficiency range of cars. However, unlike most other manufacturers, Mercedes has decided to tweak its petrol-powered cars, rather than its diesels. It does this by the addition of a stop/start mechanism, as found in models from the likes of BMW. This new system will initially be found in A-, B- and C-Class models, but it’s likely that it will be rolled out on to other models in the future, starting with the E-class in 2010.

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On the road, the B-Class is adequate but, we have to say, a little unimpressive. The ride isn’t great, which is not what you’d expect from a Mercedes-Benz. It gets a little too easily unsettled on poorly surfaced roads and doesn’t cope that well with the speed bumps that increasingly blight our urban landscapes. The torsion beam rear suspension is largely to blame here, suffering in comparison with the multi-link systems that are used on the likes of the Fords, Volkswagens and Audis. The body roll in the high-sided B170 isn’t that bad: it’s fairly well contained and cornering at speed shouldn’t prove too unsettling for occupants. The B170’s steering is a little on the light side for our taste when driving around town at low speed and it doesn’t get any better at higher speeds on more challenging roads, lacking accuracy in the bends and when cornering.

Read the full Mercedes-Benz B-Class B170 BlueEfficiency Sport road test

RoadTestReports.co.uk provides road tests reports written by members of the Guild of Motoring Writers. These reports are complemented by car reviews submitted by the members of the public who drive the vehicles day in day out.

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