First Drive Review
A few months back, we went to the trouble of wrangling up the current crop of EVs mandated by the feds and aimed at the proletariat. Of course, the well-heeled are throwing Krugerrands at Elon Musk on the stock market and snapping up his Tesla Model S sedan like positron hotcakes, but aside from the relative success of the Nissan Leaf, we’re not seeing a run on mainline-leaning EVs, even in northern California.
But Sacramento says EVs must be constructed, so automakers are constructing them. Latest into the breach is Mercedes-Benz, which first tested the EV waters with the Smart Fortwo ED. The best thing that could be said about the prior iteration of the diminutive two-seater was that it didn’t feature the gas car’s infernal transmission. The newest example, launched last year, is an improvement. It still placed last in our comparo.
B Is for ’Burbs
But if the weensy Fortwo is a city car, this new Mercedes B-class electric drive is built for the suburbs. Constructed from the same bits bin as that of the CLA, GLA, and smaller A-class, the B was designed from the start with two floorpans. The gasoline and diesel versions available elsewhere feature a flatter floor; the battery-electric and CNG examples sport an underfloor compartment to house an array of cells or a tank for the compressed natural gas.
We won’t see the CNG cars here. And so far, we won’t see the gas or diesel versions, either. If you had your heart set on an old R-class but felt it was a mite hulky for your tastes, prepare yourself for electric motoring. If you couldn’t quite scrape together the cheddar for a Tesla S but find Toyota’s RAV4 EV too déclassé, well, here’s another Tesla-powered vehicle not built in Fremont, California.
The B’s 28-kWh battery pack, 177-hp electric motor, and associated electronics, however, are assembled at the former NUMMI plant. They then wind their way to Rastatt in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, to be installed in the B-class. According to Mercedes, they expect the buzzless B to garner an EPA range estimate of 85 miles, which is a smidge less than a third of the Tesla’s range with its 85-kWh pack. The base price, at $42,375, is a few thou more than half of the Tesla’s $70,890 sticker. Of course, tax credits can shave $10,000 from the price. In California, which offers a $2500 credit on top of the federal $7500, a B-class ED is suddenly an indirect competitor to the Toyota Prius V and Ford C-Max Energi. Tesla Benziness at practically plebeian prices!
Plebeian Shade of Benziness
Of course, you’re also stuck with a rather plebeian shade of Benziness. Stylistically, the B resembles a first-generation M-class with a styling refresh by the Shenzen whiz kids at BYD in China. There’s none of the visual tech-swoop drama that characterizes the new S-, CLA-, or C-class, nor is there the people-pod futurism of the BMW i3, which retails for $100 less. Interior-wise, the B retains some quality touches—like satin-pewter air vents that require the perfect amount of pressure to reposition—but the broad swath of plastic that makes up the dash contrasts poorly with the satin burl veneer found elsewhere in the model we tested.
If you think you might want a slap of extra juice when plugging in your B for the next day’s errands, you can opt for the Range Plus package. At the press of a button during charging, Range Plus adds about 15 percent to the battery’s capacity, for an estimated 14 additional miles of range. Mercedes-Benz advises against doing this every night because it might have an adverse effect on capacity. Regardless, the unit’s warranty says it will maintain 70 percent of its capacity for eight years or 100,000 miles. Mercedes claims a 3.5-hour charge time via a dedicated 240-volt Level 2 household setup. DC fast charging will be a future option. If you attempt to goose your B via a 120-volt household outlet, we’d suggest setting aside 30 car-free hours.
Dynamically? Don’t expect Tesla Model S magic. Driving the B is an absolute nonevent. Want more regen braking when you lift? Grab a paddle as you would for a downshift. Want less? Tap the other paddle. We liked this system when we encountered it on VW’s e-Golf prototypes, and we like it here, too, although we still find ourselves wishing for a more aggressive regenerative setting.
Save the Electrons
In the electron-conserving “E” mode, the B exhibits the classic languorous Benz accelerator tip-in. Switch it to “S,” and it’ll spin the front tires in a series of chirps as the low-rolling-resistance rubber struggles for purchase. Mercedes claims the tires are more efficient than the pizza cutters on the BMW i3, although it concedes that the BMW’s 155-section tires have an aero benefit over the 225s on the B.
Despite 251 lb-ft on tap, the B never threatens to torque-steer off course. Handling is predictable (it understeers, but not horribly), and ride quality is cheap-Benz nice, which is to say it’s perfectly fine, but it’s no E-class. The rear end does exhibit a tendency to get busy on rough pavement at speed: Lead-footed Michiganders, beware. Midrange acceleration is swift and effortless. The brake pedal is firm and easy to modulate. Unlike the grabby system in the C-Max Energi, it takes no getting used to. In fact, that’s the B’s mission—to be an EV that slots into everyday life as simply as possible. Unfortunately, almost everything about it feels a little too everyday for our tastes.
If you’re over range anxiety, want to support Elon via Herr Gottlieb’s monolithic house and find the offerings from Toyota and Ford a shade chintzy, the B goes on sale in July in the states following California’s ZEV mandate. Availability in the rest of the U.S. is slated for next year. On the other hand, if you’re an entry-luxe intender who wants a Benz for getting around the suburbs with some modicum of efficiency, buy a GLK250 BlueTec. That diesel’s a peach and offers seriously long driving range.
