After a couple of teasers and one leaked picture, here’s the 2012 Mercedes B-Class, revealed in full.
The new five-seat mini MPV features a cooler design than its predecessor and it’s larger, more practical and dynamic to drive. Mercedes has certainly worked hard on the car’s ride and handling, and gave it new engines and dual clutch transmission and bang on aerodynamics. So it might be the first minivan you may actually want to drive!
Mercedes is proud of the car’s outstanding drag coefficient of cd = 0.26, and the fact that it’s 5cm lower to the ground than the old one. They’ve also lowered the seats so while the lowered ride height ensures better dynamics, you still get plenty of headroom. The 2012 B comes with EASY-VARIO-PLUS system which makes it easy to move the seats about for fitting larger stuff in the boot.
The new interior comes with luxury options like ARTICO man-made leather finish and stitching, unusual for a car of this type and can be ordered with Chrome, Sports, Exclusive and Night package equipment packs. You also get an infotainment system with a a TFT display available in two sizes (5.8- and 7-inch) at the top of the vents, Piano black trims and three-spoke steering wheel.
The 2012 Mercedes B Class can be had with a range of four cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, petrol including B 180 rated at 90 kW (122 hp) and the B 200 with an output of 115 kW (156 hp), and diesel B 180 CDI with 80 kW (109 hp) of power, wand B 200 CDI with an output of 100 kW (136 hp). As mentioned they can be had with the new 7G-DCT dual clutch transmission. A six-speed manual is also available.
The car also gets the advanced Pre-safe system and the latest version of Mercedes COMMAND system.
Safety features:
As a world first in the compact segment, the B-Class features a radar-based collision warning system with adaptive Brake Assist as standard, which lowers the risk of rear-end collisions. The COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST system outputs a visual and acoustic warning to alert a possibly distracted driver to identified obstacles, and prepares Brake Assist for the most precise possible braking response. This is initiated as soon as the driver emphatically operates the brake pedal.
In contrast to systems currently on the market in the compact class, the new COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST brake assist feature is not merely a system intended to minimise minor damage in urban traffic. Rather, this innovative solution is aimed at protecting motorists from typical rear-end collisions in dangerous traffic situations. Mercedes-Benz expects the new safety system to have a significant positive effect on accident statistics.
The democratisation of safety also encompasses an array of other assistance systems which have been adopted into the B-Class from the larger model series. These include:
* Adaptive Headlamp Assist
* Blind Spot Assist and Lane Keeping Assist
* ATTENTION ASSIST (standard)
* Speed Limit Assist (speed limit sign recognition)
* Active Parking Assist
* Brake HOLD function (standard with 7G-DCT)
* Hill Hold function
* LINGUATRONIC
* Reversing camera
* DISTRONIC PLUS
Premiere in the compact class: PRE-SAFE® available for the first time
The PRE-SAFE®preventive occupant protection system which features in the B-Class is available for the first time in this vehicle category. This represents a further step in the ongoing democratisation of this innovation, which was premiered in the S-Class in 2002. Core features of PRE-SAFE®are reversible belt tensioning, the closing of side windows and sliding sunroof in case of critical lateral dynamics and adjustment of the fully electric front passenger seat with memory function to an ideal position for maximum effectiveness of the restraint systems. PRE-SAFE®is always activated in response to critical longitudinal and lateral dynamics and may also be triggered upon intervention by certain assistance functions.
COMAND Online multimedia system with internet access
Internet access, the convenient LINGUATRONIC voice control system, two navigation solutions tailored to different budgets, connection for mobile audio devices and an intuitive operating concept – the information and communication systems in the B-Class offers excellent user-friendliness and a superior level of functionality which has been the reserve of higher categories of vehicle to date. It is the new multimedia generation from Mercedes-Benz which delivers these standards. The operating concept featuring the turn/push control in front of the armrest and the control knob on the head unit is also familiar from other Mercedes model series.
The COMAND Online multimedia system offers internet access. Customers can either surf the web as they wish while the car is stationary or call up a Mercedes-Benz app whose particularly fast page loading and simple operation make it suitable for use while driving. Integrated apps include Google™ Local Search and Weather, and the facility for downloading a route which has previously been configured on a PC using Google Maps and transmitted to the car.
