Performance
The two 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engines provide either 120bhp or 154bhp, and because both deliver their peak pull at a lowly 1250rpm, they’re very flexible. A pair of 1.8-litre turbodiesels provides either 107bhp or 134bhp, and both have strong low-range muscle. None of the engines makes the B-Class particularly quick, though.
Ride & Handling
The ride is a disappointment, even on SE models, which are supposedly more geared to comfort than Sport. As soon as you pull away, you’re aware of a firm feel to the suspension and, whatever your speed, the ride never seems to settle. To make matters worse, the steering is inconsistently weighted, with a lot of play at the straight-ahead position. However, on the plus side, the car handles pretty well for something as big and tall as this, with good body control through the bends.
Refinement
Considering the B-Class’s luxurious brief, you’d expect refinement to be better. There’s some wind noise on the motorway, and versions with big wheels generate a fair amount of road noise. The engines are impressively smooth and quiet, though. They get more vocal as you work them hard, but they’re so flexible you’ll rarely have to.
Behind The Wheel
There’s a huge amount of adjustment for the driver’s seat and steering wheel, so it’s easy to get comfortable. All-round visibility isn’t great, though; the windscreen pillars can block your view, and the shallow rear screen restricts vision out of the back. The car's on-screen menus – controlled by a dial on the centre console – are too confusing.
Space & Practicality
The B-Class is roomier than most family hatchbacks – but not by much. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of space both front and back, with bags of head- and legroom in every seat. The boot is bigger than the class average at 488 litres, and if you specify the optional sliding rear seats, you can increase that to 666 litres with the seats still in place.
Equipment
Entry-level SE trim comes with alloys, air-conditioning, four electric windows, a CD player with USB port and a system that helps steer your car into a parking space. Sport models add man-made leather upholstery, xenon headlamps and a reversing camera, but they cost a lot more.
Buying & Owning
The B-Class costs thousands more to buy than most other small hatchbacks, and even though it has a desirable Mercedes badge, resale values are nothing special for the class. That could make ownership even more expensive in the long-term. All the engines have stop-start technology and return competitive figures for fuel consumption and emissions.
Quality & Reliability
Safety & Security
Safety is something that Mercedes does very well, and the B-Class shows why. Seven airbags and stability control come as standard, along with a driver drowsiness detector, and a system that warns of an impending collision. All this helped the car achieve a five-star crash rating from Euro NCAP.
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