In 2011 Mercedes Benz introduced the second generation of their small MPV, the B-Class, to the world. At the time it was seen as a good luxury machine, but the reviews only went that far. In 2014 the manufacturer facelifted the B-Class, and the general consensus is that things have certainly gotten better.
Admittedly this is the first time that I’ve driven this offering from Mercedes Benz. If the reviews of the past are anything to go by, the pre-facelift model wasn’t a chart-topper. The 2 Series Active Tourer from BMW would be among its biggest competitors, but the likes of the B-Max from Ford and the Meriva from Opel would be the more affordable choices from the segment.
Style
MPVs in general are not what I’d call the most stylish of cars, but with the updated B-Class, I have to say that the designers in Mercedes have done a good job at making this look attractive. There are some very definite lines on this machine and it rings of the C-Class. It’s a much prettier package than the pre-facelift model.
The vehicle is wider and feels close to the road. The grille and nose, as well as the large Mercedes Benz sign, give the front a much sportier stance. If you were to stand back and cover above your eyes so you could just see the nose you would be forgiven for thinking that this was the C-Class. Of course once you walk around to the side that illusion is gone. However, they manage to make the sides appear sleek with the strong lines and a 50mm lower roof line. This is so much sportier than what was before it.
Inside
As should be expected in an MPV the interior feels spacious. The driving position is low for an MPV, and head and legroom to both the front and rear is ample. Surrounding these spacious seats is a very impressive interior space. Typical of Mercedes is the high quality materials that the manufacturer uses – no cheap plastics to be found in here.
The seats to the front and rear rate high in terms of comfort – especially with the ARTICO leather in my press car. The test model had optional extras like a reversing camera and a leather steering wheel. A nice touch is the black ash wood trim on the dash. The front offers plenty of space for the driver and passenger, and row two had room for my nearly 6-foot frame. I got two baby seats comfortably in there, and if a third booster was need it would squeeze in. The boot could do with a bit more room, but at 488 litres it’s not terrible.
There are two USB ports in the centre armrest and steering wheel controls for the infotainment. The automatic gears are operated on the right of the steering wheel and the dash is laid out in a way that allows the driver to miss nothing.
On the negative side I found that the infotainment system took a bit of getting used to, and I’m not sure if it was a fault in my stereo unit, but the sound kept on correcting itself randomly – I’m well aware that some systems alter the volume as the engine gets louder, but I found that this particular system kept leaping even when stationary.
In all, I travelled approximately 600km in the B-Class and I found that on account of the 18-inch wheels there was a lot of road noise coming through to the cabin.
Drive
My test car was the B180 CDI Automatic. On paper we’re told that this will bring you from 0-100 km/h in 11.9 seconds and it offers a top speed of 190km/h. Mercedes tells us that the averaged combined fuel economy of this particular is 4.2 litres per 100km. My journey achieved an average of 5.6l/100km.
The 7G-DCT dual clutch transmission in the B-Class irked me a small bit. I found that it was slow to change gears and that it was holding on to them for too long. On times I could hear the engine asking the gear box to move.
Apart from that, the handling feels safe and the steering was direct. I also found that this compact SUV didn’t suffer from body roll to any major degree.
Safety, Stats and price
Obviously safety is a big thing for Mercedes Benz. They are innovators in this field and you shouldn’t be surprised to hear the B Class in the trim that I was driving has many safety systems as standard. These include; collision prevention assist, attention assist (which is a drowsiness detection system that monitors the steering of a driver), automatic headlights and ISOFIX seats.
The test car was trimmed to the “Style” specification and other standard items included Bluetooth, air conditioning, Stop/Start and a multifunction steering wheel. Other trims include, “Urban” and “AMG Sports”. Engine capacities on offer are 1461cc and 2143cc. Price ranges from between €31, 585 for the B160 CDI (Style) to €43,530 for the automatic B220 CDI AMG Sports. The maximum you will pay for road tax is €200 per annum on account of low CO2 emissions. The model I tested costs €39,738 which includes optional extras like the ARTICO leather, a reversing camera, LED headlamps and the night package. The CO2 emissions on my test model was 111g/km.
Summation
The B-Class looks like a much better model than before it was facelifted. Apart from what I found to be a stubborn automatic gearbox this is a pristine small MPV. Of course, it’ll only be for those who are willing the price to get behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz.
