Does a V8 engine fit under the hood of a Mercedes B-Class W254? The answer is yes even if the Mercedes V8 engine is one with a large displacement of 5.5 liters. With 388 HP, this Mercedes B 55 AMG is the most powerful Mercedes B-Class ever built.
The model presented was originally a Mercedes B 200 CDI with 136 HP. In 2010, 12 trainees supervised by a training manager and an electrical specialist replaced the 2-liter turbodiesel engine with a 5.5-liter V8 from the Mercedes E 500.
Even if the V8 engine is not an AMG engine, the model was named Mercedes B 55 AMG, the name meaning this is the most powerful Mercedes B-Class ever built.
To cope with the high torque of 530 Nm, the 7-speed automatic transmission and the rear axle were also taken over from E-Class. Unlike the original B-Class model, the traction is not on the front wheels but on the rear ones as in the E-Class.
The proverbial safety of Mercedes models cannot be found in this Mercedes B-Class because there is no ABS, ESR or ESP. Mercedes B 55 AMG accelerates from 0 to 100 km/ h in less than 6 seconds and reaches 270 km/h. The speedometer is graduated up to 300 km/h.
To make a joke, without the electronic systems, the driver is his own master and angel but he can still rely on a more powerful braking system taken from the Mercedes C 32 AMG.
The interior is almost identical to the standard model, only the seats upholstered in leather and Alcantara being different from an original B-Class.
Read the first test with the new Mercedes B-Class
Mercedes B 55 AMG remains a unique and a show model that wants to prove that it is theoretically and practically possible to mount a V8 engine in a B-Class that transmits power to the rear wheels. It was never designed to be mass-produced, and it’s probably good that way because it doesn’t offer the safety of a real Mercedes.
