PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Merc brandishes better B-Class

It seems like only yesterday that Mercedes-Benz had the market for cars like the B-Class all to itself.

There was the Volkswagen Golf Plus, but that was so much smaller it was barely an A-Class rival, and there was Ford's S-Max, but that was half a size bigger and, well, a Ford.

So you could forgive it for rolling the arm over a little on the current B-Class. Nothing else out there gave the same sort of unashamed interior practicality with a premium badge, so it took a slight shortcut by repurposing an architecture originally designed to be used by Chrysler.

But the world has changed since the B-Class debuted in 2010. The Volkswagen Golf Sportsvan rang alarm bells all the way from Sindelfingen to Stuttgart and then BMW dropped the 2 Series Active Tourer onto the market. And just like that, the B-Class looked and felt old, even if it's Australian sales have taken a sharp uptick in recent months.

Criticised for combining a conservative interior with a bodyshell that seems to be aping late-2000s Korean trends, Mercedes has reacted by giving the B-Class a sleek new body, lead by a nose that seems smoother and more integrated with the rest of the family.

European versions will get five different diesel engines and four petrol motors, plus an electric version and a natural gas version, and all-wheel drive will be optional on some models.

That means its tailpipe emissions start at zero and its fuel consumption starts with 3.6L/100km for the thriftiest diesel and rises to a maximum NEDC number of just 6.6L/100km for the strongest petrol engine.

The models have been realigned with Style, Urban and AMG lines to deliver equipment levels and designs targeted at different customers, while there are Night, Exclusive and AMG Exclusive options packs available on top of that.

“As the first member of a completely new generation of compact class, for us the B-Class paved the way for great success in this vehicle segment,” the Mercedes-Benz Cars Board Member for sales and marketing, Ola Kallenius, said.

“The B-Class is the perfect family car for anyone who attaches importance to practicality, comfort and safety, but at the same time doesn't want to miss out on sportiness or driving dynamics,” he claimed.

Its new face, which includes optional full LED headlights, hasn't hurt its slippery aero credentials, though, with the drag coefficient down to just 0.25Cd to comfortably lead the class.

There is a new front bumper, a larger radiator grille with two horizontal louvres and the daytime running lamps have migrated to the headlights. The rear-end scores new tail-lights and a new bumper shape, complete with a new chromed strip.

The interior has been given an overhaul too, focusing on increasing practicality and improving the premium feel of the features and surfaces.

The tablet-style multi-media screen has grown to eight inches and stands proudly above the three central air-conditioning vents and there is now an ambient lighting feature that offers a choice of eight colours.

All B-Classes now operate without plug-and-twist keys (and that goes for the door-handles, too, with the locks opening simply via the key holder's proximity to the car). Its safety features have risen in line with the new C-Class's innovations and now include Collision Prevention Assist Plus, which brakes the car autonomously in an emergency, and the drowsy driver feature has been upgraded with a five-level display indicating the driver's current attention level.

Mercedes-Benz doggedly calls the B-Class a sports tourer, even if the only thing 'sporty' about the B-Class are the fields it's often ferrying occupants to and from.

Still, the strongest of the petrol motors is the 2.0-litre four found in the B 250, which delivers 155kW of power at 5500rpm, plus 350Nm of torque at just 1200rpm to surge to 100km/h in just 6.8 seconds. Not bad for a junior bus.

The entry-level petrol engine is the 1.6-litre four-cylinder in the B 180, which has 90kW of power and 200Nm, while the B180 BE Edition has the same outputs but is so focused on economy that it drops the NEDC combined figure from 5.6 to 5.2L/100km.

There is also a B 200, with 115kW and 250Nm out of the B 180's 1.6-litre motor, which is good enough to hit 100km/h in 8.4 seconds in automatic mode. The B 220 is the only petrol-powered B-Class to deliver all-wheel drive, and it gets the entry variant of the 2.0-litre four, with 135kW and 300Nm.

But diesels rule the B-Class scene in its native Europe, with the range beginning at the B 160 CDI's 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine and its 66kW of power and 240Nm of torque.

It's not the most economical, though, and neither is the B 180 CDI with an 80kW version of the same motor. The peak diesel is the B 180 CDI BE Edition, which delivers 80kW and 260Nm from its 1.5-litre turbo four, but sips 3.6L/100km and emits just 94g/km of CO2.

The B 200 CDI opens the batting for the 2.1-litre turbo four-cylinder motor, with 100kW of power from 3200rpm and 300Nm from just 1400rpm. It doesn't suffer much in economy, either, with a combined economy figure of 4.3 L/100km and a top speed of 210km/h.

The heavy-hitter is the B 220 CDI, with its 130kW of power and 350Nm of torque, pushing the chunky body to 100km/h in 8.3 seconds and on to a 224km/h top speed, making the embarrassing possibility of being passed by one on the autobahn a real risk.

The transmissions vary from six-speed manual to seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and all of the diesels drive through the front wheels.

The electric version, creatively dubbed B-Class Electric Drive, delivers 132kW of power and an instant 340Nm of torque. It's a punchy thing too, with a 7.9-second sprint to 100km/h, though its top speed is limited to 160km/h.