2015 Mercedes-Benz B 200 CDI India review, test drive

What is it?

A facelifted version of the car that started the luxury hatchback movement in India – the Mercedes-Benz B-class. It’s a car that arguably needed a shot in the arm, what with the wide array of attractive new competition that has sprung up since, in the same price vicinity. We drove this updated B-class in Spain a few months ago, and while that was a Euro-spec car, we’re pleased to report that many of the changes from that car have been brought over here unscathed.

Starting on the inside, you’re greeted by the smart new steering wheel from the C-class which, rather than the dimpled grip of the old car, is wrapped in soft leather. It looks and feels altogether more luxurious. The sporty instrument cluster is also borrowed from the C-class, and it suits this car far better, and between the dials sits a new colour screen for the trip computer. Speaking of screens, the tiny old COMAND screen has been replaced with a nice new, high-res, seven-inch one that looks a lot more upmarket. What’s more, like the CLA, it gets the latest version of Merc’s operating system, and also satellite navigation. Scrutinise the cabin a bit more, and you’ll find a few higher quality bits, like the row of metal buttons and the rich new brushed metallic trim on the dash. It’s still generously equipped, with the likes of Bluetooth, cruise control, two USB ports, an electric driver’s seat, panoramic sunroof, parking sensors, a rear-view camera, seven airbags, and the usual alphabet soup of electronic safety aids as standard on this trim. Still, as expected, the radar and stereo camera-based active safety tech could not make it to the Indian car.

On the outside, the headlights are now attractive full-LED units – Mercedes seems to be bringing this tech closer to the masses with each successive new model launch. There’s a heavily sculpted new front bumper and a new grille too, while at the rear, the tail-lamps have a new internal layout and, like the new C-class, there’s a chrome insert in the lower bumper that mimics twin exhausts (the real exhaust tip is hidden beneath). The whole car, says Mercedes, is 34mm longer than before, but you couldn’t tell by looking at it, and the interior dimensions seem to be unchanged. Not that space on the inside was ever an issue in the B-class – there’s more than enough room for four large adults, and the boot is a cavernous 488 litres (a CLA sedan has 470, for example), though you still have to live with a spare wheel eating up some of that room.