First Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz B-Class

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz, First Drives

Is Stuttgart's Latest People Carrier Finally Ready For The States?



Much in the vein of Audi's Sportback models or BMW's slow-to-expand Gran Turismo range, Mercedes-Benz thinks it's time to get excited about various sizes of its "sports tourer" subgroup. Nearly all of the aforementioned are still trying to find proper footing in their bid to be first choice for the world's practical-minded customers, but the B-Class has had more success than most. Since the launch of the first generation in 2005, around 700,000 of these little boxes have been sold - despite the U.S. being conspicuously left off the list while both Canada and Mexico got theirs. The car's number one market by far has been the car's fatherland, Germany. Number two? China, where sales of the car rose 46 percent in 2010.

Frankly, this strain of Mercedes-Benz product has yet to set our collective car-aficionado loins aflame. That shouldn't be interpreted as a total failure, however. These people-toting premium German compacts drive alright and offer great interior space with flexible cabins to thrill our family-minded selves, but the unemotional R-Class and current thrill-free A-Class (as well as the "I don't have sex anymore" first-gen B-Class) could use some evening workshops in how to rekindle the passion in a relationship. Why can't people carriers also get on the scene like a sex-machine? (Bless you, Godfather of Soul.)

This second-generation B-Class we've just driven around eastern Austria came away from its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show showered in commentary. Our impressions at the reveal were mostly positive, but we had to hold off on the huzzahs until we actually drove it. The idea of something from Mercedes in this size is fine, but we we've been craving some more excitement and a well-executed premium interior - it's only appropriate considering there's a large Three-Pointed Star collecting bugs out front. Otherwise, why not go for something like, say, the Hyundai Elantra Touring or its Kia Forte five-door sister car? The Mazda5? Why not splurge instead on a less spacious but far hipper Mini Countryman?

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2012 Mercedes-Benz B-Class originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/10/2012-mercedes-benz-b-class-first-drive-review/

Jeremy Allan Mayfield James Christopher McMurray Casey James Mears Juan Pablo Montoya Joseph Francis Nemechek III