What’s hot?
- Bigger and roomier than an A-Class, yet shorter and more practical than a C-Class saloon/estate, the Mercedes B-Class would seem to have staked its own unique place in the premium sector of the market.
- Smart, high quality cabin is bright and airy, and cabin space is impressive. Despite a lowered roof compared with its predecessor, the new Mercedes B-Class offers improved headroom and Mercedes is also claiming best-in-class rear legroom.
The Mercedes B-Class cabin is bright and roomy, and the kit list is long on this range topping model - Strong mid-range torque of the 2.1-litre turbodiesel engine.
- Exhaustive profiling of the body makes the B-Class the world’s most aerodynamically efficient family car, according to Mercedes.
- A useful 486 litres of cargo space with all seats in place, with the option of a height-adjustable load compartment floor.
- With 60/40 rear seats folded down (almost flat), the luggage area goes up to a maximum 1545 litres, means it can out-space a C-Class estate.
- Extensive standard spec includes Bi-xenon headlamps, reversing camera, luxury automatic climate control, leather rimmed steering wheel, Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity and 18-inch bi-colour alloy wheels.
- Radar-based Collision Prevention Assist (giving the driver a visual/audible warning if a car/object gets too close) is part of the extensive safety and security list, along with seven airbags and adaptive brake lights and Attention Assist.
- Fuel Economy is competitive. 50.4 mpg (Urban); 70.6 mpg (Extra-Urban); 61.4 mpg (Combined) plus standard Eco Stop/Start.
What’s not?
- Dynamically, despite all new chassis architecture and lower centre of gravity versus the Mk 1, new four-link rear suspension and improved steering, this latest Mercedes B-Class is not particularly fun or special to drive.
- The combination of lowered sports suspension with Selective Damping and 18-inch alloys on this CDI Sport makes for a harsh, fidgety ride.
- While it’s smooth on the move, the four cylinder 2.1-litre turbodiesel could be more refined, especially at start up and idle.
- The car’s high price: while it might not have the prestige, a VW Golf (and new Golf estate) can do a big chunk of what the B-Class can do for thousands less.
- Smaller diesel versions of the Mercedes B-Class, particularly the B180 CDI BlueEfficiency (112/114g/km and 64.2 mpg) cost less and make more business car sense.
- No manual gearbox option.
