Class of the Field
The second wave of a Teutonic assault has made a beachhead
on North American shores.
Hot on the skinny wheels of the smart car's debut last year in Canada, Mercedes-Benz, the auto giant behind the smart brand (lower case intentional), ups the commuter car ante with the B-Class.
So much more than a 'Mercedes Echo,' as one well-dressed man quipped to me in reference to Toyota's compact commuter, the B-Class offers all the logic of an urban run-about (great gas mileage, loads of interior space and a wheelbase that makes parallel parking
a breeze), combined with Mercedes-Benz production values.
Available in two models for 2006 (B200 and B200 Turbo), the front-wheel-drive B-Class is based on Mercedes' very successful A-Class. That model line, sold in Europe, served as a bit of a testing bed for the B-Class, with both sharing a remarkable engineering design developed by Mercedes-Benz. The so-called 'sandwich floor' allows for the engine and other drivetrain components to be located under the vehicle's floor, not in the nose of the car. Not only does this design give passengers much more legroom, it provides incomparable safety -- in the event of a front end collision, the engine and other bits and pieces slide under the cabin's floor rather than into the cabin and its occupants.
The second wave of a Teutonic assault has made a beachhead
 |
| The second wave of a Teutonic assault has made a beachhead on North American shores. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz Canada) |
Hot on the skinny wheels of the smart car's debut last year in Canada, Mercedes-Benz, the auto giant behind the smart brand (lower case intentional), ups the commuter car ante with the B-Class.
So much more than a 'Mercedes Echo,' as one well-dressed man quipped to me in reference to Toyota's compact commuter, the B-Class offers all the logic of an urban run-about (great gas mileage, loads of interior space and a wheelbase that makes parallel parking
 |
| The so-called 'sandwich floor' allows for the engine and other drivetrain components to be located under the vehicle's floor. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz Canada) |
Available in two models for 2006 (B200 and B200 Turbo), the front-wheel-drive B-Class is based on Mercedes' very successful A-Class. That model line, sold in Europe, served as a bit of a testing bed for the B-Class, with both sharing a remarkable engineering design developed by Mercedes-Benz. The so-called 'sandwich floor' allows for the engine and other drivetrain components to be located under the vehicle's floor, not in the nose of the car. Not only does this design give passengers much more legroom, it provides incomparable safety -- in the event of a front end collision, the engine and other bits and pieces slide under the cabin's floor rather than into the cabin and its occupants.