Category: Compact MPV 
Price Range: £18,424 to £22,070
Premium-brand badge, spacious and flexible interior, a usable and practical family car.
Price premium unjustified beyond presence of Mercedes badge, uninspiring dynamics, dull styling inside and out, poor mechanical refinement, characterless.
Not really worth the price premium over mainstream compact MPVs and large hatches; how much are buyers prepared to pay for that German badge?
The build quality and reliability of a Mercedes-Benz were once thought to be beyond question; they were what you paid a premium for. But the company's standards have slipped so far recently that it has made the front pages of the national newspapers, hit its profits and forced it into a series of embarrassing mass recalls. Mercedes has blamed its woes on spreading its engineers too thinly, asking them to develop too many new models at once. Models like the B-Class, which was being engineered just when Mercedes was at its busiest, and was finished before Merc's new get-tough policy got started. Don't assume that your new B-Class will be unreliable, but don't be fooled into thinking you're getting a car that's a cut above the competition. But you do get an excellent warranty and dealers who ought to race to fix your car - and their reputation - before you tell your mates that it broke.
