The Mercedes Benz B-Class

First of all, I'd like to applaud Mercedes Benz for bring a compact, practical wagonish/hatchbackish vehicle to the "premium" market. Second of all, I'd like to reprimand them for not bringing the A-Class over.

So, apparently the B-Class is as small as we get... for now. The price is fairly attractive at $30,950 starting price (for comparison, the Prius starts at $30,700). For this you get.... well, nothing really. If you guys thought Toyota was being cheap with the 4-way adjustable front seats, apparently Mercedes went that route too with the B-Class. Other features worth mentioning only include automatic climate control, 8 airbags and foglights. They have a "SmartKey System" which, no doubt, was copied off Toyota with the exception that SmartKey is one word and I've yet to confirm whether it's keyless entry or some marketing name.

Visually, it's ok... only if you look at it from the back. The 16" steel wheels seem more ugly than those on the C-Class and the black handles don't help either. A "Chrome Package" upgrade might be worth the money. As for interior upholstery, you get a choice of cloth (which looks like a cloth/vinyl, oh I'm sorry, leatherette combo) or a $500 option which gets you a cloth/synthetic leather option (according to the picture, that means more cloth area on the seated area and i guess the sides are replaced with synthetic leather)

My biggest gripe? Why the hell is a CVT option nearly $2,000?!?!?! Oh, and they charge you $85 for front seatback netting.

This B-Class is starting to make the A3 look better equipped. That and the A3 has a DSG transmission.

Either way, the problem with these premium manufacturers offering cheaper products is that they have no experience and the only way is to cut down on equipment. However, for other companies moving up, they already know how to make something inexpensive feel more expensive and hence can spend the money on better equipping a vehicle


Anyway, that's the end of my rant. I don't expect anyone to reply to this anyway

 

Amazing what a difference 5 years make. Fast foward to the 2010 B-Class and it's a much better equipped vehicle.

In that time, the price dropped to below $30,000 and most of the stuff that I was complaining about became standard equipment. You now get alloys, the chrome package, the light & sight package (corner lights and interior ambient lighting) as well as fill cloth seats. The CVT is still a ridiculously pricey option and the Panoramic Lamella Moonroof has had some leaking issues (not widespread AFAIK) and with the 2009 midlife update, you had the option of a Media Interface (for about $400) that includes USB/iPod. Wood trim, heated seats and metallic paint rounded out the options for the lower B200 model (with the B200 Turbo available with an AMG Sport package, full leather seats, power front seats, adaptive headlights with HID low beams etc etc).

You could get a decently equipped B200 for the price of a Camry XLE. Not bad for a 3-pointed star vehicle. Granted, it's basic compared to the Camry but it's a great vehicle to drive, fuel efficient and flexible (fold-flat rear seats allow two mountain bikes w/ the front wheel removed to be stored upright)