PM Garage: Our opinions on two cars we’ve cruised in, swerved, braked and parked.

IUSED TO THINK that the previous generation Merc B-Class was a little sadlooking. Maybe that’s unfair – but it certainly looked a little frumpish, a bit like a basset hound at a Border-collie convention. Well, as of 2019, that’s no longer the case – the new B200 (and B200d) can now stand proudly among the competitors in its sector … except when it comes to its rear profile – I’m still not a huge fan (also, the large oblong tailpipes are just for show). Overall, its contours are sporty, perhaps not in the same realm as its sexy A-class sibling, but Mercedes-Benz is punting this as a sports tourer, and I don’t disagree. The front, with its archetypal Merc grille

– which I cannot help but equate to the gaping mouth of a feeding whale shark – and low-set fender, has a roadclaiming posture. Toss in the raked-back silhouette, high window line and wheel-archfilling low-profile tyres, and we’ve got one handsome hatch. The car looks squatter than its predecessor, like it’s ready to pounce, not lull you into a sleepy state of boredom.

Inside’s a treat. The lighting set-up alone kept me entertained for hours. Quirky, maybe, but I don’t care – the designers have gone above and beyond with the illumination detailing, placing it along the dash, centre console, doors, footwells and, most noticeably, inside the circular air vents, of which there are five upfront (three in the middle, and one each side). And the best part about this lighting? You can select from a multitude of colours (my favourite was green), or even choose to really liven it up and have different colours showing on the various components all at once. Legroom for all seats, too, is generous, especially considering the ample cargobay stowage space at the back.

Rather cleverly, in my opinion, both the driver- and central infotainment displays are presented on identical iPadMini-sized screens, and it actually all looks really good, and melds well with the styling.

Performance is punchy, if not slightly underpowered (there’s a 1.3 litre turbocharged petrol under the bonnet), but fuel consumption is agreeably frugal, hovering at or around 5.7 litre/100 km.

Something I would change though, if the engineers had asked me, is the screechingly loud park-distance-control tone – it screaming at me every time I entered my garage just felt uncalled-for. – Mark Samuel

/ Mercedes-Benz B200

Opinions on cars we’ve driven