2015 Mercedes B250 4Matic AMG Line Acceleration Test

According to the official numbers, 0 to 100 km/h in this car takes 6.7 seconds and a top speed of 235 km/h is also possible. You'd expect that since this is a Mercedes, the sprints happen smoothly, in a refined matter. However, the B-Class seems to have been infused with the character of an AMG. It screams to the red line, generating quite a bit of excitement in the process.

There's a price to pay for all this performance. In Germany, the B 250 4Matic retails from €37,336. That's only slightly less than you pay for a 300 horsepower Golf R, which is in an entirely different ballpark when it comes to performance.

Of course, Mercedes aren't being unreasonable here, since the B-Class comes with more premium features and a seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox as standard. Just look at the interior of the B250 in the video. Thanks to its AMG treatment, the dashboard now features red stitching and numerous carbon fiber inserts.

Looking inside the cabin of a B-Class to find carbon fiber is like looking at the Queen's feet and seeing Nikes. Does the AMG Line do anything for performance? No, but it's really cool to look at and it could make the kids feel proud when they arrive at school.

Are there any rivals?

Well yes there are, predictably coming from fellow German carmaker BMW. Their recently launched 2 Series Active Tourer is available with a 231 horsepower 2-liter turbo engine the same one you'll get next year on the MINI JCW Hatch. It's available with an 8-speed automatic gearbox and takes the 0 to 100 km/h stride in 6.6 seconds.