It isn’t the most memorable Mercedes-Benz model around but the B-Class is exceptionally practical for a compact model and has now finally been blessed with a pinch of style to shed its soccer-mom image from before and take a step into the future with the “Hey Mercedes” MBUX infotainment system.
The new third-generation 2019 B200 Progressive Line enters the Malaysian market with a little more sense of fashion that doesn’t eat into its practicality and utility. Power comes the from the same 1.3-litre turbo-four powering the new A200 that was co-developed with Renault.
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The numbers are 163hp and 250Nm of torque that hits the front wheels via a Getrag seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. You’ll get to 100kph from a stop in 8.2-seconds and top out at 233kph.
Hints of the A-Class face can be seen in the B-Class and that’s not a bad thing. The radiator grille gets a silver twin-louvre design while the four corners are filled with 18-inch twin-five-spoke wheels.
The cabin is a familiar place with the twin integrated screens; one half being the instrument cluster and the other functioning as the infotainment display. In the middle of the front seats, you’ll find the touch-based control and input system to navigate the infotainment.
Nonetheless, all that is secondary to the MBUX infotainment system first seen on the new A-Class. Yes, the B-Class is the second model to feature the MBUX multimedia system. All you need to do is call out “Hey Mercedes” and tell it what you want or need. Ordering food still isnt available but you can tell it to navigate to the nearest food spots. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity is standard as well.
Wrapping up the interior is the ambient lighting with 64-shades and black Artico synthetic leather on the Comfort seats. The front pair are power adjustable and come with a memory function. Last but certainly not the least, there’s the Thermatic automatic climate control.
In terms of practicality, the rear seats can be slid forward with a total of 14cm of adjustability to increase cargo space.
Safety for a family-oriented vehicle such as this includes blind spot assist, active brake assist and Pre-Safe together with active park assist with Parktronic, keyless entry + go and a tyre-pressure monitoring system.
Financing is available from the Mercedes-Benz Financial package that includes insurance and the monthly installments in a single monthly sum. They’ll even throw in a MobilityPlus replacement car programme. Pricing for the B200 Progressive Line is RM 239,888.00 (OTR w/o insurance).
