Design and visuals
The letter B, especially for us Indians is evocative of a bearded guy who uses ‘Big’ as a prefix before the syllable. The B-class, however, in contrast, is one of the smaller machines in the fabled Mercedes garage. It’s is indeed the smallest Merc on sale in India as of now, and also the most economical to own. The size of the new car may be diminutive by Mercedes’ own yardstick, but the B-class isn’t a small car when looked upon from an individual standpoint. The B-class is long and wide enough to make its premium pedigree sufficiently clear to any other regulation hatch which may aspire to match up.
There are ample intricate details throughout the 2012 B-class’s surface to make her stand out as a special product. The distinctive headlamps are the flag bearers of Mercedes-Benz’s new design philosophy, exhibited earlier by the new CLS and the C63 AMG. The curvy, swept back headlamp unit comprises of bi-xenon projectors with a white lit boomerang shaped light unit above them. While a sharply styled C-shaped chrome insert within the unit gives those pretty eyes their unusual flair during the day time, the white light from the boomerang unit turns heads as the evening draws.
A twin slat chrome grille with a big three pointed star in the middle completes the face. Bumper comprises of a huge central air dam with slim, horizontally mounted daytime running white LEDs flanking it. The bonnet gets strong creases at the flanks, but the central part is kept rather simple with a very mild rise on the front end subtly enhancing the front-forward look. The grille too, in line with the bonnet’s end is slightly pointed at the center.
In profile the extended length gives you a positive feel about the space within the cabin. Two strong character lines work towards adding some tension and athleticism. The ORVMs seem to have been taken from the E-class sedan. The matters have been kept rather simple at the rear, which cannot ever be a bad thing.
The B-class, in the first glance may not leave you speechless, but look more closely, and the attention to detail will eventually impress you. The car makes it premium pedigree more evident in the dark, with those beautiful headlamps fascinating one and all with their white light.
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