Ask me to name one car that really disappoints and I’ll tell you it is Merc’s B-Class. Considering I have been in some pretty horrid Chinese cars of late that might sound a bit harsh, but it is true. The B-Class is not a terrible car, it is a disappointing car.

The reason for the disappointment is mainly due to the fact that I really like the current batch of cars from the tri-star brand. The C-Class looks (and in AMG form goes) the part of a sporting saloon, the S-Class is super luxury and there is no better rap video vehicle than the G55.

Bottom line is that for the most part, Merc leads almost every class it feels like attacking. Not so with the B-Class. If I want a hatch or MPV in a similar price range there would be at least six on my shopping list before the Merc. Again the B-Class isn’t bad, it just doesn’t stand head and shoulders above the crowd in any specific factor – a Jack of all trades, master of none!

Merc knows it too, its website asks the questions “How do you go about developing a compact car with as much interior space as possible? How do you achieve the optimum balance between ride comfort and sporty handling? How can a vehicle be practical and elegant at the same time?”

It then answers these with “The B-Class provides a refreshing answer to all these questions by combining the best qualities of a range of different concepts. The result is a Sports Tourer with an exciting design and a degree of versatility that sets it apart from the rest of its class.” – Huh? Sounds like not enough focus on one thing to me. It is class leading because Merc seem to be the only car manufacturers to have adopted the Sport Tourer as a class – up until now I thought Sport Tourers were bikes.

Although this 2008 car is the latest facelift, one needs eagle eyes and a photographic memory to visually separate it from the old version. It is still upright, sports a rather Vito-looking front end and dynamic-look waistlines. The uprightness does make for an excellent interior space package though. Compared with some sub 300 grand hatches or MPVs the interior quality is good but the choice of materials and appearance tends towards the dull and cheap side.

Our test unit was the diesel-powered version mated to an autobox. Although fuel consumption was very reasonable the delay on pull-off was noticeable. Once up and running the motor proved willing and quite. With this in mind motorway cruising should’ve be a feather in the B-Class cap but a wallowing ride, like the shocks were tired, coupled with seriously vague steering to make me want to park it.

The B-Class will get you from A to B in comfort and with the right badge, but it does nothing to stimulate and the price, even before any fancy options, will make you cry. There is a space for a B-Class but if Merc isn’t aiming to be the best then it shouldn’t bother.

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