Mercedes-Benz B-Class VS BMW X1 and Audi Q3

The German auto giant, Mercedes-Benz has finally launched the much awaited B-Class today in Mumbai at a starting price of Rs 21.49 lakh. The company has been promoting the vehicle as the first Sports Tourer of India for so long, but looking at the specification sheet, one might actually not believe the company's claims of launching the Real SPORTS TOURER which requires a decent power if not like an SUV. When we look at the other sports tourers like Renault Laguna, Vauxhall Astra and likes which are sold in overseas markets, they are more powerful machines than the B-class.

Let's talk about India, where the closest competitor of the B-Class will be the premium compact Crossovers, BMW X1 and Audi Q3 which fall in the similar price range, however Mercedes-Benz India has refused that the B-Class has not been brought in against Compact SUVs, it's an all new segment in India. But who can deny that it's the PRICE what matters the most in India, and one looks for all the availale options if he spends this much money to buy a premium car. So below is the detailed comparison of the all new B-Class with the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 on the basis of three most important factors, power, pricing and drivability.

Mercedes-Benz B-Class VS BMW X1

The closest competitor of the all new B-Class is BMW's crossover X1. As it falls in the similar price range, however the entry level variant, B 180 is comparatively cheaper, but the variant B 180 Sport brings it in the competition. We will compare the petrol variants of both the vehicles since B-class has not come in diesel engine option yet.

BMW X1 comes powered with a 2.0-litre petrol mill that offers the impressive power output of 177bhp and torque of 350Nm at 1750-3000rpm, proving the vehicle to be more powerful than the all new B-Class. One thing in which the B-Class scores more than the X1 is the fuel economy, where the b-class returns a decent 14.8kmpl of mileage, BMW X1 offers 11.25kmpl. The pick-up figures are at almost same level, but when it comes to the drivability, the specification sheet suggests the B-class to be not as good as the X1. Yes, feature wise the B-class is a much better product, having seven-airbags, dual clutch transmission, paddle shift, 5.8 inch touch-screen interface to run audio player, it is feature-rich.

So BMW X1 offers you all what you have in a sports tourer.

Mercedes-Benz B-Class VS Audi Q3

Where Mercedes-Benz B-Class derives its power from 1.6-litre, in-line, four-cylinder engine that churns out the maximum of 122bhp and torque of 200Nm at 1250-4000rpm, on the other hand, Audi Q3 powering 2.0-litre TDI Quattro diesel engine produces 174bhp along with 380NM of torque, thus Audi Q3 is certainly a much stronger vehicle. Even if we keep the Audi Q3 aside, the power produced by the vehicle is even lesser than many sedans which are priced at least half of what the B-class costs, at least spec-sheet tells us that. So certainly, the power-output has failed to impress us. But we will soon come to know how much more drivable the car is once we drive it next few days.

Let's go to the price, the vehicle has been certainly priced quite decent, and that certainly gives it a competitive edge over Audi Q3, but then again Audi is a four-wheel drive (4WD) and is a diesel run vehicle, while the B-Class is a front-wheel drive and just comes in petrol. Feature wise, we would keep both the vehicles at the same level, as both are feature rich, safe and have got a plenty of advanced fitments. Merc B-class has certainly got a bigger boot space than the Audi Q3, but the difference is not much, where the B-class offers 486-litre of boot area, Audi Q3's boot is 460-litre.

These are views by just looking at the figures. At the end of the day, we can say something when we drive the Indian B-Class. However, the B-class isn't an SUV, and the other two are. Stay tuned, as we will soon drive the B-class in next few days and write our experience.

Read More on : BMW X1 price