About a year ago, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class had the premium compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) segment all to itself, as it had for most of the past decade.
Fast forward to today, however, and the car is now sharing the niche segment with the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, the Citroen C4 Picasso as well as the Volkswagen Golf Sportsvan.
Thus, timing is of advantage to the B-Class when it comes to a mid-life update, which freshens up the compact MPV.
Up close and Personal
That said, styling modifications are minor, so you'd be forgiven for thinking that the second generation B-Class is visually unchanged.
Among the stylistic changes is a new front bumper with larger air channels for more efficient engine bay cooling, a revised grille and daytime running lights integrated into the new LED High Performance headlamps' assembly rather than lower down on the bumper as before.
This complements the car's lower and wider stance that grants it more presence on the road.
The rear has also been tidied up with revised tail lamp graphics and a deeper bumper that houses trapezoidal shaped tail pipes, as seen on other Mercedes models.
Inside, the cabin remains as classy as ever, with SLS-style metal air vents decorating the sweeping dashboard and a new 8.0-inch TFT display mounted above the centre console that grants access to various multimedia functions.
And this is where the design-smarts of Mercedes-Benz come into play - the B-Class' 'walk-in' seating position is friendly for all passengers, young or old as well as parents with children in booster seats.
More relevantly, the overall picture inside the B-Class is dominated by abundant space for both passengers as well as cargo.
The Drive
The 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine under the bonnet of the B200 forms a capable, refined and efficient partnership with the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
While the engine may not feel as swift as its claimed 8.6-second century dash time, it's both responsive around town and relaxed at highway speeds, and never shows signs of strain.
The transmission is also less clumsy than before, freeing itself from the low-speed jerkiness and surging that still plague some other dual-clutches, and provides seamless and smartly timed gearshifts.
It's no sports car but the B-Class has got good body control, feeling balanced and resisting roll through bends. Its steering is direct, progressive and nicely weighted. There's little in the form of feedback but given the target demographics, that's not an extremely negative point.
The 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine under the bonnet of the B200 forms a capable, refined and efficient partnership with the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
While the engine may not feel as swift as its claimed 8.6-second century dash time, it's both responsive around town and relaxed at highway speeds, and never shows signs of strain.
The transmission is also less clumsy than before, freeing itself from the low-speed jerkiness and surging that still plague some other dual-clutches, and provides seamless and smartly timed gearshifts.
It's no sports car but the B-Class has got good body control, feeling balanced and resisting roll through bends. Its steering is direct, progressive and nicely weighted. There's little in the form of feedback but given the target demographics, that's not an extremely negative point.
The focus in the B-Class, then, is safety. To instil that, Mercedes has introduced its COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS as standard.
So if dad or mum's attention happens to be lost to the children at the back and the system (active at speeds up to 105km/h) senses an incorrect safe distance with the car ahead, it provides an acoustic and visual alert to warn the driver. In the event of an imminent collision, automatic partial braking will even be applied.
Conclusion
Despite its big three-pointed star of a badge, the B-Class may not feel like a proper swish Mercedes and it certainly doesn't look like one, but it's an easy-going and relaxing car to be in.
The smooth drivetrain, impressive space and improvements courtesy of this update mean that the B-Class still makes for a solid case in the premium MPV class - even if it's no longer the only one.
