CATS Motors unveils the new B-Class
By Alvin UyPhilippine Daily Inquirer
PART of the many developments in the B-Class
There’s a newbie in town. The new B-Class of Mercedes-Benz that is.
For this model, Mercedes-Benz is targeting the trendy and upwardly mobile younger market looking to own his or her first brand-new Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz claims that the new B-Class sports tourer is more agile and efficient, offers the same level of comfort and is the first of the new-generation compact cars of Mercedes-Benz introduced in the country.
“[The new B-Class] aims to penetrate a new and younger market for Mercedes-Benz. It is designed with the next generation of Mercedes-Benz owners in mind. It also pertains to the safety assist systems from Mercedes-Benz.” said Zoilo Calina, CATS Motors assistant vice president for marketing communications, during the recent launch at their flagship showroom for the tri-star brand in Edsa, Greenhills.
POP-UP infotainment screen
With so much competition in the market, Mercedes-Benz tries to keep ahead using technology and new features to attract the technology-savvy and younger market with standard features such as the Active Parking Assist, Attention Assist and Acceleration Skid Control, as well as 7G-DCT Dual Clutch Transmission, ECO start/stop function and a newly developed 4-cylinder in-line engine.
The new B-Class also promises a greener carbon footprint, with a factory-claimed fuel consumption that is 12 percent less than its predecessor. The B200 BlueEFFICIENCY model runs on 5.9 liters per 100 km at 138 g CO2/km. Thanks to its new 4-cylinder engine that features a combustion process which is based on the third-generation Mercedes-Benz direct injection system, the first to be used in the compact segment.
CATS Motors president Felix Ang
Added to this is another Mercedes-Benz premiere in this class, the new B-Class is now equipped with the new 7G-DCT dual clutch transmission. This extremely compact transmission features an electric oil pump for start/stop capability, shifts gear without any interruptions in traction power and combines the comfort of an automatic with the efficiency of a manual transmission. Adding to curb its thirst for fuel is the ECO start/stop feature which is a standard on all B-Class models, this compact sports tourer is designed with aerodynamics in mind. With a drag coefficient of cd=0.26, the new B-Class cuts through air better than most of its competitors in this segment, thus adding to its fuel efficiency.
RADIATOR grille with twin louvers in high-gloss black
Despite its size, the car offers plenty of space as a hatchback saloon even with its reduced height at 1.557 meters, enabling the new model to crouch about 5 cm lower on the road than its predecessor. The seat height in relation to the road has also been reduced by about 86 mm. The design engineers also managed to offer a more upright driving position and increase its maximum headroom to 1047 mm in the front seats.
To offer a more distinctive look, the B-Class is offered with a Night Package, lesser chrome trims and high-gloss black paint job on the roof, and beltline trim strip plus a dark-tint glass and special radiator grille design with its twin louvers in high-gloss black with chrome highlights; and comes with matching black painted side mirrors and 18-inch 5-twin-spoke light alloy wheels that are also painted black with a high-sheen finish. A sports suspension upgrade is available with the B 200 Night Package for further enhanced agility. The center of gravity has been lowered by a further 20 mm and the suspension additionally features sports dampers with amplitude-selective damping and a Direct-Steer system to improve the car’s handling.
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Tags: CATS Motors , Mercedes-Benz , Motoring
