A number of small but effective changes, outside and in, add a little more ‘class’ to the B.
On the inside, there are three major changes. The instrument cluster is brand new and still very sporty to look at, and on our test car came with a nice, high-resolution colour trip computer screen. Then there's the new, three-spoke steering wheel, borrowed from the upcoming Mercedes C-class sedan. It feels nice and chunky in your hands, and its smart and sporty look makes the current car’s wheel look decidedly last-gen. But the most welcome change is the new eight-inch screen for the COMAND infotainment system. We’ve said in the past that the current car’s small screen looks like a bit of an afterthought in an otherwise well-appointed cabin, and this new one is much better. It’s larger, has a higher resolution and works a whole lot smoother than the old one. Additionally, there is now push-button start, and you can choose from a number of colours for the LED ambient lighting in the cabin, much like in the S-class. It’s easy to miss them, but Mercedes has also replaced some of the buttons and controls with higher quality ones, including the new row of metallic buttons underneath the audio system.
There’s also a whole host of tech on this facelifted European new car that was highlighted on this drive. It is all very impressive, but sadly most of it won’t be coming to the Indian car. The most interesting was the latest version of Mercedes’ Collision Prevention Assist (CPA), which is able to partially brake the car if it senses a collision upto certain speeds. Once only available on the likes of an S-class, it’s standard on the European B-class, but sadly, thanks to an archaic Indian legislation that prevents the use of certain radar frequencies (like the one CPA uses), we won’t see it in India.