Mercedes-Benz B-Class (Germany, 2012-present)

Mercedes announced the new B-class in 2011, deliveries started in November of the same year.

Mercedes started out teasing the exterior and then revealed the redesigned interior and finally refealed the next generation B-class ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show where it was presented to the audience.

The 2011 B-class is available with a host of new features including a new petrol engine, a new for the B-class seven-speed, dual clutch transmission and several new safety features.

On the exterior, the new B-class is an evolution of the previous generation. It looks similar but with some tweaks. Up front it gets the modern corporate grill with a big Mercedes star surrounded by horizontal bars. The sides get a crease that draws the eye from the bottom of the driver's door, up the rear doors and ending at the rear fender.

The interior of the B-class has been optimized to make the most of its small size. The car's height has been lowered five centimeters. Rear leg room has been optimized to 976mm, which actually even more than the E-class and S-class. There is also an interior option called Easy-Vario-Plus that allows buyers to move the rear seats forward and backward by up to 140mm to increase luggage space and lay the front seat backs flat to further optimize luggage room.

Interior appointments have also been improved. The dashboard can be optioned with Artico man-made leather, and can also be had with four equipment packages: Chrome, Sports, Exclusive and Night.

The 2011 B-class gets Mercedes' new M270, a direct injected, 1.6 liter four-cylinder engine. It comes rated at either 122hp or 156hp in the B180 or B200, respectively. It is also available with a 1.8 liter, four-cylinder diesel engine with either 109hp or 136hp in the B180 CDI or B200 CDI, respectively. All the engines can come with either Mercedes' 7G-DCT dual clutch transmission or a six-speed manual.

Suspension and steering have also been major places of improvement for the next-gen B-class. It gets a new four-link rear suspension and upgraded stability control. The B-class also comes with Mercedes' Brake Assist system that can identify accidents before they happen and brake the vehicle automatically. This comes in conjunction with the Collision Prevention Assist that constantly scans the road and alerts drivers if the system senses that they are not paying attention to the road.

In 2014 the Mercedes-Benz B Class received a facelift that includes some visual changes, an upgraded interior and a new range of more efficient and cleaner engines.

One of the highlights of the facelifted B-Class range is the B Electric Drive, a car that was jointly developed by Mercedes and Tesla, ​​expert in electric technology.

This version with 180hp and 340Nm of torque is the first series electric vehicle produced by the German brand. According to the data revealed by Mercedes, the B Electric Drive can achieve 100km/h in 7.9 seconds and has a limited maximum speed of 160km/h. Thanks to the 16.6kWh ion-lithium battery this version allows a range of 200km. The new B Electric Drive has the BMW i3 and the Volkswagen eGolf as its main rivals.

Design changes

For the facelifted B-class, the design team reshaped the front bumper with larger air intakes, which allow more efficient cooling of the engine compartment. Furthermore, the grid has also been redesigned as well as the daytime running lights. Customers can opt for LED headlights, however, these are not available with the B Electric Drive.

The design of the taillights was also changed and the rear bumper has a deeper look and integrates trapezoidal exhaust outlets, similar to more expensive models of the German brand.

Inside the B-Class received the latest security technologies and equipment, including a standard eight-inch screen, optional key-free entry and an updated attention assistance system that can detect driver fatigue between 60 to 200km/h using a display with five stages.

Range of engines

The engine range of the B-Class remains exclusively available with four-cylinder engines with outputs ranging from the 90hp diesel version B 160 CDI and 211hp petrol version B 250. In the petrol range the entry version is the B 180 with an output of 122hp, while the most powerful version of the diesel range is the 177hp B 220 CDI.

All engines are equipped as standard with a manual six-speed gearbox, but can be purchased with a seven-speed automatic dual-clutch as an option.

Another addition to the range was the possibility of acquiring the B 220, B 250, B 200 CDI and B220 CDI versions with 4Matic all-wheel drive system.