B-Class breaks cover

Newswheel staff :: 20 February 2005 :: Filed under Mini MPV / People carrier, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz B-Class, Europe & UK, US,

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A-Class-based midi-MPV has Scenic and Zafira in its sights

It’s not much of a surprise thanks to the near production-ready “Compact Sports Tourer” concept Mercedes has been showing off for the past 12 months, but the B-Class proper has finally broken cover. Based on the (much improved) second generation A-Class platform, the car is aimed at the ever-burgeoning European midi-MPV market.

In the “good news” column we’d put the B-Class’s new-wave Mercedes styling. After a decade of churning out some frankly pretty naff product, the Swabians seem finally to have rediscovered a little grace and presence. Superficially that decade-long Merc bugbear, quality, also looks to be finally heading back towards the top of the league table (the interior is largely carried over from the A-Class), though there’s probably still clear water to be navigated before it matches the best from Audi and BMW.

Engine trouble

There’s a wide range of diesel and petrol four cylinder engines from 1.5-litres and 93bhp through to the range-topping B200 Turbo which packs fully 190bhp and tops 140mph. Now, that’s all very well and good. But we fancy Mercedes may have missed a trick in the drivetrain department. If we were Mercedes (no need to remind us that we’re not), we’d have thought long and hard about creating a range of small capacity six cylinder engines to add some real class to the vehicle and make the Mercedes premium branding really mean something again. Pah, what we know?

The B-Class hits European showrooms later this year, but the model’s future in the US currently hangs in the balance. Unfavourable exchange rate conditions are hammering Mercedes’ margins in the US, something that effects cars (like the B-Class) at the lower end of the range disproportionately.