What's all this about?
It's a facelifted version of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class.
The what?
The B-Class. You know, slightly bigger than an A-Class?
Oh yeah, that. What's been done to it?
Not a lot. It has revised bumpers front and rear, the new Mercedes grille with the twin chrome bars, some extra chrome at the rear and LED lights, which are optional at the front and standard-fit at the back.
How about inside?
Again, tweaks rather than seismic shifts. The infotainment screen that sits atop the dash is bigger at eight inches, while the dials in the instrument cluster are revised. You can choose from 12 colours for your ambient lighting (what was that about 'too much choice'?) and option the B-Class up with Keyless-Go for the first time. Safety equipment and the usual connectivity software are all present and correct.
Tell me about the engines.
Two diesel lumps and one petrol are offered, plus the Electric Drive model, which is a full EV that uses no fuel and emits no nasty carbon dioxide. The diesels are 1.5- and 2.2 litres in capacity, the former in the B 180 CDI and B 180 CDI Eco models, the latter in two power trims for the B 200 CDI (136hp) and B 220 CDI (177hp). Either of the 2.2s can be specified with 4Matic all-wheel drive, while a dual-clutch 7G-DCT automatic transmission is available on most models.
The petrol engine is a 1.6-litre unit, once again span off into two 'models', the B 180 with 122hp/200Nm and the B 200 with 156hp/250Nm. Fuel economy runs from 42.8- to 78.5mpg, CO2 from 94- to 130g/km and the 0-62mph sprint takes anything between 8.3 seconds (B 220 CDI) and 11.9 seconds (B 180 CDI DCT), while top speeds are between 117- and 139mph. The EV, for reference, does 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds and is flat out at 99mph.
And how much will I pay to sit behind the wheel of one?
For a B 180 manual with no extras, you're looking at £22,575. Expect most buyers to drop more than £30k on these things, then, when picking a B 220 CDI 4Matic with plenty of kit.
When's it on sale?
Right now, though it makes its public debut at next month's Paris Motor Show.
Matt Robinson - 16 Sep 2014