On the back of piqued public interest from a series of teaser photos and leaked information, Mercedes has now officially revealed the all-new B-Class ahead of its official unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Along with more rakish styling, the new car introduces a raft of big-car safety features as well as a a wide array of small-displacement, turbocharged powerplants.
The launch pictures reveal a more low-slung, purposeful stance for the new B-Class, as well as strong visual elements such as flowing character lines under the car’s belt line. The overall design shares many parallels with such models as the E-Class and the recently reveal M-Class, being mildly angular with smoothed out corners hinting at the vehicle’s solidity.
Inside, the new B-Class majors in interior space. With 976 mm of legroom for the rear passengers, Mercedes claims that the B-Class offers more aft sprawling space than the E- and S-Class. Another optional feature that optimizes interior space is the Easy-Vario-Plus system, which allows greater interior configurability (140 mm fore/aft rear seat adjustment and a front passenger seatback that folds flat onto the cushion) to accommodate larger loads.
In terms of powerplants, the new B-Class will initially be offered with a turbocharged 1,6-litre petrol unit and a 1,8-litre turbodiesel, both in two states of tune. The petrol can be had in 90 kW/200 N.m or 115 kW/250 N.m guises, while the turbodiesel comes in 80 kW/250 N.m and 100 kW/300 N.m states. All of the engines will feature a start/stop module and a choice of six-speed manual and seven-speed 7G-DCT transmissions will be offered.
Many new models in the Mercedes-Benz stable play host to a range of innovative safety features, and despite its compact proportions the new B-Class is no exception. Radar collision prevention with braking assistant, Presafe (pre-emptive system that closes windows and readies seatbelt tensioners etc), attention assist, blind spot and lane keeping assist are among the safety features on offer.
Among the luxury/convenience items, the firm’s new Comand online system with Google app-based Internet browser and Linguatronic voice command will be offered.
Expect to see the B-Class here in SA between the second quarter and middle of 2012.