Mercedes-Benz B-class review - Practical people-mover not Mercedes' best effort - Mercedes-Benz B-class interior and tech

One of the main reasons for buying a car like the B-class is interior space and flexibility. After all, it's effectively a tall five-door, five-seat hatchback. The benefits are subtle at first, but the B-class is particularly easy to get in and out of and the upright seating position is comfortable and gives a good view out. Likewise, the wide-opening rear doors make it easy to lift small kids in and out or for adults to get in.

There they'll find generous head- and legroom while the rear bench seat slides fore and aft to split up passenger and luggage space as needs be and there's a height adjustable boot floor - a boot that holds between 486- and 1547 litres. In the cabin itself there are loads of stowage areas, including boxes under the front seats.

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And it's quite an attractive cabin too, using five bold round alloy air vents (we're not sure B-class buyers will care that they're inspired by those in the SLS AMG), an attractive - but not touch-sensitive - seven-inch free-standing display screen with a tactile rotary controller and a good-looking (and good to hold) range of three-spoke leather steering wheels.

SD card satnav is £495, while a full-on hard disk drive system costs £1495. Mercedes also offers buyers a host of advanced active safety systems, but the standard specification is particularly good in that regard already. Electric models are only slightly different inside to their combustion counterparts - you'll find blue stitching to the interior trim and a blue glow to the ambient lighting, with different instruments that show the machinations of the electric drivetrain.