German car magazine, Auto Test, has named the Mercedes Benz B200 CNG and the ML 250 BlueTec 4Matic as the most environmentally-friendly, giving them the award of “Winners in Green”.
The criteria considered for the award include emissions and fuel consumption as well as the manufacturer’s recycling, manufacturing and environmental systems.
The annual car ranking has seen the ML 250 BlueTec 4 Matic win the award for two straight years in the SUV category. The car has a turbocharged, direct-injection, 204-horsepower, four-cylinder diesel engine, which reaches 60 mph from zero in about nine seconds. It also travels around 40 miles on a gallon of fuel and emits only 158 g/km CO2. The price point ranges from upwards of $177,000 down to $81,000, with an estimated range of 1,000 miles.
The B200 Natural Gas Drive is about 16 % more efficient than former models with its 158 hp engine. The car has in addition to its 3-gallon natural gas tank, a regular gas tank which prolongs the range of the vehicle and also takes over automatically when the natural gas tank is empty.
Debuting at the 2012 Paris Auto Show, Mercedes’ B200 comes with either the 7G-DCT dual clutch transmission or a manual transmission. It arrives in Europe early in 2013.