It may be the smallest Mercedes-Benz in this year’s competition but, pound for pound, the B-Class is at least as impressive a tow car as the big E-Class Estate.
Straight-line stability is a strong point, even when towing at speeds that would get your collar felt in the UK. In the lane-change test, the B-Class refused to be bullied by the caravan, no matter how fast they were going.
Going from 30-60mph in just 13.6 seconds, performance is impressive. The slick gear-change helps – it’s much smoother than you’d expect of a manual Mercedes-Benz.
The electronic parking brake held the Mercedes still on the 1-in-6 slope in the hill-start test, although the wheels tended to spin in damp conditions.
For such a short car, intelligent packaging frees up plenty of luggage space, and there was room in the boot for all but two items of holiday gear. Passengers are also well catered for, whether in front or in back.
Our practicality team was impressed to find that a handy reversing camera is included in the price. However, Sport models are much more expensive than SE versions, which are already well equipped. The SE also rides more smoothly than the lower-slung and stiffer Sport, and would be our choice.
