2017 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive Review

Standard equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, heated windshield, automatic wipers, air-conditioning, keyless entry, premium vinyl upholstery, 10-way power-adjustable front seats with four-way power lumbar support, seat memory settings for up to three drivers, 60/40-split folding rear seats, cruise control, forward collision mitigation, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, 7-inch display screen, Mercedes' COMAND interface and Mbrace emergency communications, and an audio system with a USB port and HD radio. Also standard is a deep-charging mode for the battery that makes it possible to eke out a few extra miles between recharges.

Most options are grouped into packages. The Electric Blue Interior package includes top-stitched blue and gray vinyl upholstery and dash and door trim. The Interior package bundles leather upholstery, heated front seats, multi-color ambient lighting, and top-stitched vinyl dash and door trim. The Premium 1 package gets you radar-based regenerative braking (which adjusts the amount of regenerative braking effect based on traffic conditions), keyless entry and ignition, and satellite radio. The Premium 2 package adds high-intensity bi-xenon headlights, auto-dimming driver-side and inside mirrors, a universal garage door opener, an 8-inch video screen display and a Harman Kardon audio system. The Premium 3 package gets you a rearview camera, the COMAND navigation system with voice controls, in-dash CD/DVD player, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration capabilities, and five years of satellite traffic and weather services.

Stand-alone options include a Smartphone Integration System package with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto functionality, heated front seats, genuine wood trim, multicolor ambient lighting, a rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring system and automated parallel parking. Mercedes-Benz also offers a trio of Mbrace system enhancements: Connect, Concierge and Entertain. Connect features remote locking and diagnostics, a vehicle finder for parking situations, and a host of smartphone-based services such as movie showtimes and airline flight information. Concierge includes traffic, weather and turn-by-turn navigation guidance. And Entertain offers a variety of streaming radio and music services.

The 2017 Mercedes-Benz B250e is powered by a front-mounted 132-kilowatt electric motor connected to a lithium-ion battery pack mounted beneath the floor. The motor's output, which translates to 177 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque, is delivered to the front wheels.

The EPA estimated range for the B250e is 84 miles, a figure that translates to 85 mpge (miles per gallon equivalent) in the city and 82 mpge on the highway. The standard range-extending feature gives the car an additional 15 miles of range, but Mercedes recommends that you use it only occasionally to prevent premature battery degradation.

Recharging can take anywhere from 30 hours on standard 110-volt household current to 3.5 hours with a 240-volt charging station. The EPA rates the B250e's efficiency at 40 kWh of electric power used for 100 miles of driving. For comparison, the BMW i3 has a rating of just 27 kWh per 100 miles. In other words, the B-Class uses a lot more juice to go the same number of miles.

During Edmunds testing, a B-Class Electric sprinted from zero to 60 mph in an impressive 6.7 seconds. That's about 2 seconds quicker than the average electric vehicle, not to mention 1.2 seconds faster than the official Mercedes-Benz claim. The only EVs we've tested that are quicker are the BMW i3 (6.6 seconds) and the Tesla Model S (4.4 seconds).