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?
We've had to leave one of the more impressive aspects of the B-Class to last. Although its cabin may not beguile you with its luxury and craftsmanship, it is spacious and flexible - if not quite as large as a Zafira's. The driving position is excellent with an impressive range of adjustment, though surprisingly for such a tall car, tall drivers should check they have enough headroom if ordering the sunroof. There's more headroom in the rear; the B-Class will take four big blokes and one small one and give them all legroom to spare.
At 550 litres the boot is vast. The boot floor can be set higher to create more space in the hidden stowage area beneath and to create a flat load floor with the rear seats folded. The rear seat bases tip forward but can be removed altogether to create a longer load bay. As an option the rear seat backs and the entire front passenger seat can be removed altogether, as on the A-Class. As with the A-Class, we wonder how many buyers will want or need to turn their premium hatchback into a van, especially given that the rear seats fold virtually flat and the front seat-back folds right over as standard anyway.
Equipment levels and standard specifications for the UK are pretty stingy: entry-level models (simply badged Standard) have steel wheels, though they do come with air conditioning and a CD player, as well as fog lamps, side and curtain airbags, an alarm and tyre pressure warning. SE models add chrome trim, alloy wheels and colour-coded exterior detailing, rear electric windows, automatic headlamps and rain-sensing wipers; the B200 Turbo has sports suspension, sportier exterior trim including tinted-glass taillights and sports seats. All of this can be matched by most rivals, though there are some unique - and expensive - options, such as the advanced Thermotronic climate control system, a choice of fixed glass or louvred sliding roof, the Easy-vario lift-out seat system and adaptive, bi-xenon lamps. Combine this lot with leather, sat-nav, the automatic 'box and a few other goodies on a B200 Turbo and you could end up with a bill of comfortably more than £30,000. Don't.
