We don't know if you're aware of this, but the Mercedes-Benz B-Class was, for many years, the best-selling car in Germany. Not the Golf, not the 3 Series. There's a new generation out this year and it was the first recipient of fresh 2-liter diesel engines, which are now also offered on its sister compact cars.
For many years, the go-to "small" diesel engine for Mercedes was a 2,143cc four-cylinder. You could find it on everything from the SLK roadster to the S-Class, even a few Infiniti models. It had a nice classic diesel feel with a strong low-end pull but not a wide powerband or good fuel economy.
But now the company has downsized to a 2-liter. The displacement first appeared on the E-Class around 2016. Of curse, it suffered numerous adaptation for the B-Class and other compact models which have a longitudinal layout.
Even though the GLC-Class stands to become the most popular Mercedes family car, we think there's still a place for this 2019 B 200 d model, which isn't too expensive and offers decent fuel economy. How decent? Well, the independent fuel consumption test below will reveal all.
Cruising at 90 km/h (56 mph), the B 200 d drinks 3.3 l/100km or 85.6 mpg UK. At about 120 km/h (75 mph), the number goes up to a still-reasonable 4.7 l/100km or 60 mpg UK. Even going down the autobahn at 140 km/h, it's still decent - 5.3 l/100km or 53.3 mph UK, which is also what you can expect to get around town.
This particular configuration of the B-Class weighs a little over 1.5 tons and comes with an 8-speed DCT sending power to the front wheels. The configuration will set you back from €36,000, though you can save some money by getting a less powerful B 180 d.
We wouldn't. Performance isn't part of this discussion, but we'll still mention the 150 horsepower diesel model will get from 0 to 100km/h in 8.3 seconds and has a top speed of 219 km/h.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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