After setting the standards for luxury products for over a decade, Mercedes-Benz is all set to introduce its first ever Compact Sports Tourer sporting a compact price tag as well

The B200 that we drove was an absolute bomb. A 6-speed manual gear box ( expect an autobox to make way here for us) to transfer all that power, the car displayed a sense of urgency one simply cannot fathom. While we drove strictly on the well paved roads of the Chakan plant, The B-Class felt as planted and sure footed as it could be. Going hard into a corner would bring out some understeer but the electronics would quickly get the car back on track. We still cannot comment on the ride quality and handling just yet since we have yet to get our hands on a car configured for India but first impressions are definitely positive.

Mercedes-Benz has a lot of things going for the B-Class and from what we see the car definitely has a lot of potential to be a decent numbers car for the Stuttgart based manufacturer. What remains to be seen is how they specify the Indian variant and very importantly how well they price it. Mercedes will be treading new waters with this segment unlike BMW and Audi who have set their base standards with the more typical X1 and the Q3 and as a result have to work even harder for the B-Class to make a mark. Expect the B-Class to be launched around September or October this year. Keep watching this space for more!

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