| | Kuala Lumpur, 26 August 2008 |
After three successful years, Mercedes-Benz has overhauled the design and engineering of the B-Class. The facelift programme focused on environmental comfort, with further advances being made. Thanks to a series of detailed improvements, the four-cylinder engines now burn up to seven percent less fuel than previously, and distinguish themselves with remarkably low exhaust emissions. Mercedes-Benz has developed the active parking assist, which helps drivers to find a suitable parking spot before manoeuvring into it.
Since its market premiere in summer 2005, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class has evolved into the blueprint for a new species of car which harmonises the benefits of various vehicle concepts: the four-door model boasts the dynamic design of a sporty saloon, the exterior dimensions of a compact car, the spaciousness of an estate, the versatility of a mini MPV and the trademark safety of a Mercedes-Benz.
The sales figures for the B-Class to date provide clear evidence that the Mercedes-Benz product planners hit the mark with a concept that caters to the motoring needs of today's sophisticated society – since mid-2005, over 350,000 motorists around the world have been won over by this Sports Tourer. |
The restyled front end injects the New Generation Mercedes-Benz B-Class with more poise and assurance than before. This is primarily down to the radiator grille with its three chromed cross fins painted in metallic grey and the Mercedes star integrated into its centre. However, the more imposing appearance of the new B-Class also stems from the new look bumper – its design emphasises the large air intake at the bottom as well as the modified bonnet. This new design idiom makes the front look broad and, as a consequence, especially powerful, symbolising the sporty attributes of the B-Class even more clearly than before. The design at the sides seems more harmonious and elegant than before because the exterior mirror housings, door handles and skirt panels are now painted to match the body colour on all model variants.
The rear styling picks up on the dynamic flow of lines at the front and along the sides. The taillight assemblies, its upper edges merge seamlessly with the character line along the vehicle’s sides, create a direct visual link. The taillights sport a new high-brilliance look and draw the gaze to the large tailgate, which now comes with an ergonomically enhanced chrome handle strip. |
| Interior: high-grade appointments with new upholsteries and trims |
High-class appeal, attention to detail and a sense of ample spaciousness – these qualities have always been intrinsic to the Mercedes-Benz B-Class. The winning blend of forms, colours and materials teams up with the interior's roominess, the pleasant feel of all its surface materials and the expansive window areas to produce a most inviting ambience. This is helped by the high seating position – which, incidentally, improves the driver's all-round view, too – while the relatively high waistline fosters a sense of security without making the occupants feel confined.
The centre console continues to be bordered by trim strips on both sides but they are now made from diagonally brushed aluminium in a smoke grey finish. The same integrated trim is found again in the vicinity of the gearshift and in the door panelling, thus giving the interior an added sense of refinement.
The environmentally driven concept of the New Generation Mercedes-Benz B-Class is clearly evident from its use of high-quality recycled plastics, for instance, or its components made from natural materials, including flax, cotton, coconut fibre, wood veneer, and fibres from the abaca banana.
Mercedes-Benz has put together a brochure containing detailed information about the environmental certificate awarded to the B-Class, and published it on the internet at www.media.daimler.com. |
Occupant protection: extensive safety features enhanced yet further
When it comes to safety, the New Generation Mercedes-Benz B-Class sets an example for all other models of these dimensions to follow – in the European NCAP test programme, the Sports Tourer was awarded the highest rating of five stars.
The comprehensive safety specification, comprising two-stage front airbags, seat belt tensioners for the front and outer rear seats, belt force limiters plus active head restraints in the front, ISOFIX child seat attachment points and head/thorax sidebags, has now been complemented by the addition of crash-responsive emergency lighting in the passenger compartment. Following an accident of a predetermined severity, the lighting comes on automatically to allow the occupants to get their bearings more easily in the dark and expedite the work of the rescue services.
Active safety
Accident prevention is the overriding priority of the Mercedes safety concept – a concept that is geared towards motoring reality. To help them bring critical situations under control safely and with ease, drivers of the New Generation Mercedes-Benz B-Class can count on highly effective, standard-fit technology in the form of systems such as ABS, Brake Assist and ESP®.
Assistance systems: automatic parking with ultrasound and electric steering. The Electronic Stability Program has been expanded to include a new, standard function: the automatic hill-start assist. This prevents the New Generation Mercedes-Benz B-Class from rolling backwards as the driver switches from the brake to the accelerator pedal when starting off uphill. In such situations, the ESP® briefly maintains the brake pressure to make pulling away easy. |
Reverse parking will pose less of a challenge for motorists in the future. The new active parking assist searches for an appropriate spot at the side of the road as the Mercedes-Benz B-Class drives by, then takes care of all the steering manoeuvres as the driver reverses into it. How does it work? At speeds below 35 km/h, ultrasonic sensors at the sides of the car scan the zones to the immediate left and right of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, and measure the length and depth of any potential parking spaces. Once a suitable spot has been found, the system flashes up a message in the display to inform the driver. When the driver engages reverse, confirms the display and presses the accelerator, the active parking assist takes over the steering and automatically manoeuvres the Mercedes-Benz B-Class into the space. All the driver has to do is operate the accelerator and brake; the PARKTRONIC system's ultrasonic sensors provide further assistance by indicating how much room there is in front of and behind the Mercedes-Benz B-Class.
To be able to use the automatic parking feature, the parking spot only has to be 1.30 metres longer than the Mercedes-Benz B-Class – an indication of the technology's tremendous precision. The newly developed assistance system comprises a total of ten ultrasonic sensors in the front and rear bumper, as well as an electronic control unit that processes the sensor signals and calculates the best path to take into the parking space. This information is supplied to the electromechanical power steering in the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, enabling its electric motor to perform the necessary steering movements. |
Infotainment: new systems for digital listening pleasure and Europe-wide navigation.
It is not just the spacious interior, the high-grade materials and the standard automatic climate control that make the New Generation Mercedes-Benz B-Class such a pleasure to travel in – the new generation of infotainment systems plays an important role, too. There are new options to choose from – Audio 20 incorporate a radio with dual tuner, colour display, 6 disc CD-changer, Bluetooth, interface for mobile phones, CD player, and automatic volume adjustment.
To cater for motorists who have their personal music compilations stored on an MP3 player, a USB stick or any other external audio device, Mercedes-Benz has developed an interactive media interface. It can be specified as an option and allows iPod & Co. to be linked up to the Sports Tourer's infotainment system. This has the advantage of allowing the external audio devices to be operated by simply using the buttons on the multifunction steering wheel, while the track titles are shown in both the instrument cluster and the centre console's colour display.
The new generation B170 is priced at RM215,888.00. |
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