In an entire week, no one said anything interesting about the B-Class. No one said it was good looking or asked what it was. It didn’t even irritate anyone, like a big 4 x 4 would, or make anyone laugh like a Kia Soul.
Someone said it looked like a lady’s car, but that was about it. They didn’t even say a ‘girl’s car’ because they weren’t being derogatory.
No, in the looks department the B-Class is a middle-of-the-class kind of student – all Bs and B+s. And we all know that it’s only the A and F students that get any attention.
Which makes stepping into it doubly surprising. It feels genuinely innovative. There is a sense of airiness and space, a calming quality but in a modern package.
The seat design means five people get five seats and lots of head room. They don’t need much legroom because they are sitting higher than in a normal family hatchback, so don’t need to stretch their legs out in front. Yet there is plenty of legroom for such a small car.
The only time the B-Class 180 Blue Efficiency wasn’t serene and uplifting place was when I needed to speed up from 50-ish to 70-ish mph – the thrust we all need occasionally in order to overtake or get down the slip road in front of an over-aggressive HGV. But the clever eco-friendly engine just doesn’t have the puff.
More than 44mpg from a petrol engine is impressive, but is of little use to me when I’m on the wrong side of the road and keen to get back to the left before the dot on the horizon looks like a car.
Which is a shame, because it is an impressive engine in every other respect: the mpg, the quiet refinement, the way it cuts out when you are waiting at traffic lights (to reduce CO2) but leaps into life as soon as you dip the clutch.
The engine management system makes a much better job of gear suggestions than most. It is distracting and unnerving when a car keeps flashing an up-arrow on the dashboard to suggest a change in gear, when you can see the road ahead and believe you are in the most suitable gear. Safe driving can’t always be totally green in that sense. But as I say, the Mercedes and I mainly agreed on what gear I should be in.
Handling-wise, the roundabouts and A-roads of Buckinghamshire demonstrated that it is a very well balanced car. The handling is light but feedback from the wheels and road is not too distant.
It’s not easy to bring so many elements together, but the B-Class does a first-class job of it.
What’s the market like?
There are around 500 in the market. This is split into 250 petrols and 250 diesels.
While the Mercedes costs more than most other small MPVs, it will cost you less if you intend to hang onto it for a long time. Over 5 years it will lose around £7,000, but a Citroen C3 Picasso – if it follows the route of the Xsara Picasso – will cost more like £8,000.
The B-Class depreciation peaks and troughs a bit, so there are big savings to make by getting in and out of the market at the right times. Whereas a Citroen will consistently lose 12%-15% a year, the B-Class is more likely to lose 10%-14% once, then just 6%-8% for a couple of years.
Two-year-old petrols seem to be the safest purchases in this respect. The 2.0 diesel engine is the heaviest depreciator, so a good 5-year-old buy, but one to be wary of if looking for a ‘used approved’ car (1-3 years old).
What else can this budget buy?
Nearly new 1.7 petrols (B180) are around £6,000 more than the 1.6 petrol-engined Renault Scenic, but only £3,500 more than a Citroen C3 Picasso. The bigger C4 Picasso is about the same money. But none of these will feel as nice to live with.
The closest match in terms of cabin experience is the Volkswagen Touran, which, in petrol engine form at least, costs a surprising £3,000 less.
If looking at 2-year-old cars, however, the VW becomes a very similar price to the B-Class, which swings things for the Mercedes – especially if you want a premium cabin feel. If that’s less important, the Renault (which is arguably better made than the Citroen) probably wins because it is still a couple of grand less.
Summary
One of the best small MPVs money can buy – which is a good job because it’s one of the most expensive too. Airy and well made on the inside, reassuring to drive, and more attractive in the flesh than in pictures.
By: Matthew Tumbridge