Mercedes-Benz B180 CDI Sport review

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Mercedes-Benz B-Class B180 CDI Sport First Drive

Test date 12 August 2008 Price as tested £22,010

: Revised audio systems looks and sounds better than its predecessor's

What is it?

A mild mid-life makeover for Mercedes compact MPV, bringing some aesthetic revisions and spec tweaks – and a good chance to re-acquainted with the A-Class’s bigger brother.

Of most relevance will be fuel economy improvements across the range, with the smaller petrol enignes getting the option of Merc’s ECO stop-start system and the diesel versions getting revised engine tuning.

Both 180CDI and 200CDI versions of the B-Class use the same 2.0-litre common rail diesel engine, but in different states of tune – with the 108bhp ‘180’ being the most popular – and sensible – choice.

What’s it like?

As you’d expect from such minor tweakery, pretty much identical to the original. The revised styling is almost unnoticeable, but inside the cabin a revised audio system looks and sounds better than the previous offering.

It’s no more useful than before. The cabin is airy and roomy, but despite being over a foot longer than the A-Class it’s based on, the B-Class feels barely any more spacious for front or rear seat occupants.

It’s can’t match cheaper mainstream rivals for utility, not least because it only comes with five seats.

Dynamically the B-Class doesn’t deliver any thrills, but it’s a solid-feeling motorway performer.

Our test car came with the optional CVT automatic transmission, which copes well in town but really saps open road performance, and delivers acceleration at the expense of exposure to its very industrial top-end soundtrack.

A shame, because the standard six-speed manual ‘box is a sweet-shifting unit.

So, should I buy one?

Despite competing against compact MPV rivals, Mercedes persists in pricing the B-Class far above them – and to be honest it still doesn’t feel special enough to justify the sizeable supplement it commands.

Anybody considering an automatic diesel version would also be well-advised to specify it with the more powerful ‘200 CDI’ engine.

On the plus side, sharp depreciation means that the B-Class is a great secondhand buy – and we reckon that purchasing a nearly-new example is still the best way to contemplate ownership.