The high-roof shape is the secret to the interior space of the B-Class and its good versatility. It's the reason you can comfortably sit four to five adults in these cars and still enjoy a reasonable amount of leg and head space.
Contrary to what Raoul said, I don't find the current A- and B-Classes to be unrefined. The 4-cylinder engines powering them, especially the gasoline motors, are quite refined and smooth. The comfort qualities of the A-Class aren't great but the B-Class is pretty good in this regard though. In turn the A-Class drives much sportier than the B-Class, which honestly feels like a 1970s American landyacht with its excessive body roll.
FWD also isn't an issue except for the gimmicky and overpowered A200 Turbo / B200 Turbo models which torque steer like crazy. I don't think we need to talk about performance here because these cars aren't performance oriented at all. It has to be said that the A/B200 and A/B200 CDI drive very nicely though in terms of everyday performance. Hell, even an A150 M/T or a A160 CDI are quite spirited. Just don't get the Autotronic option for these cars because that SLOWS THEM DOWN big time.
These cars are made for the crowded and parking-space-scarce European metropolitan areas. I live in one of these: Munich. I insist on having the 118i here with me in Munich because it is the perfect city car. Small and compact and I can fit into most parallel parking spaces I come across. Try doing that with a C-Class. Enough said.
That's the main selling point of these two cars by the way. Also, and this is something probably confined to Europe (especially Germany), such cars also appeal to older buyers who have settled down and feel that a C-Class is too much for their needs. Getting into the relatively high-seating position of the A- and B-Class is easy and comfortable for these older people too.
I would also like to point out that just because someone drives a B-Class doesn't mean they're stingy. Often, these people also have another luxury car in their garage like maybe an A6 or an E-Class or even an S-Class or SL. The A- or B-Class they driving just happens to be their grocery getter for city use etc. There are many people here where I live for whom this little analogy applies to.
Thing is... compare an A-Class to a Golf: the Golf is way way more comfortable, more agile, roomier (limited width for both A and B), more powerful, more silent, wider and better seats and seating position; all that while being noticeably cheaper.
Gimme ONE argument for the A-Class,! The only thing you'll find is that it's shorter while offering good legroom and bootspace. Other than that, it's clearly inferior in every aspect.
And it should not be that a Mercedes is inferior to a VW.
Same for the B: it has no selling point other than being badged as a Mercedes, and is clearly inferior to the products offered by the competition in nearly every aspect.
The sandwich concept means the center of gravity is extremely high. Thus, the suspension are very short and quite stiff to avoid excessive bodyroll, resulting in a poor comfort for an average comportment (A-Class) or an average comfort for a poor bodycontrol (B-Class).
Besides that, having this double floor means the floor where the seats are attached is very high in the car. Thus the seating position is rather awkward, as you either seat to close from the floor of the car to be comfortable, or you have your head on the roof.
On the plus point, whar do you get? the motor area is very reduced because of the sandwich concept, so more interior space for the same exterior length; while no safety limitations because the motor is inclined and will not enter the passenger cell in case of a crash. That's pretty much all. For me, it's many many drawbacks for little benefits.
On top of that, the motors are A and B specific and this is very costly. As the next gen will feature conventional body and thus conventional MB engines, the developement of these A/B motors has been totally abandonned, meaning they are not at all up-to-date and lag behind the competition in terms of power and refinement, as well as consumption.
I'd take an A3 or 1-Series in a heartbeat over an A or B. Thiçs can be understandable. I'd rather take a Golf, too. And this is not normal.
