As with the Range Rover Evoque, the luxury car-maker game is changing. If going down-market is a new thing for Rover, Mercedes more or less instigated the fight by covering nearly every class (pun fully intended) in the mid-'90s when they introduced the A-Class.
Hoping to capture the world one three-pointed star at a time, the B-Class was born in 2005 with intentions to conquer North America. Launched in the fall of 2005 as a 2006, the B-Class was quickly adopted by many Canadians. Unfortunately, the W245 never crossed the 49th parallel, and it would seem as though the new 2013 B-Class (codenamed F125) is still not slated for sale in the US. This is big news as we Canadians will again be privy to a great product, one that the Americans will once more miss out on.
About the W245; I can say that the Americans did not suffer any great loss. This time around though, the story is very different.
When comparing the two generations, the new one has far more flair and will most likely please buyers far more than the outgoing model did. The 2013 B-Class is more muscular looking, and from various angles borrows design cues from the new ML, GL and R-Classes. It's funny (or is that sad?) that in order to please the Americans, this was a crucial step Mercedes-Benz had to undertake. Two points for Canada.
In fact, that's three points for Mercedes. The new-B (ha ha) has left its femininity and docile persona behind and exchanged it for rugged and ridged edges, a sturdy nose and very welcome flared wheel arches which will smartly cover standard 17” wheels.
From a short distance, you would think that the latest B-Class is bigger, chunkier even, and you'd be right – but only partially. The 2013 B-Class is wider, longer and has a stretched wheelbase, but it's actually shorter height-wise. All of this was done for numerous good reasons: one of which is the car's newfound, super-aerodynamics. With a drag coefficient of 0.26, the B-Class is slicker than grease – well, it will slice through the air better than any other compact family mover at least. To compare, the sensual new C-Class Coupe sports a 0.24 Cd.
If you're planning on dressing up your future 2013 B-Class, know that this Sport Tourer – as Mercedes calls it – can be further improved aesthetically in numerous ways. The problem here is that I'm unable to tell you in what way exactly. In actuality, Canadian B-Class cars have yet to be completely sorted out. Of the possibilities, Mercedes may offer an Eco Technology package which further reduces the car's aero-coefficient to 0.24.
Hoping to capture the world one three-pointed star at a time, the B-Class was born in 2005 with intentions to conquer North America. Launched in the fall of 2005 as a 2006, the B-Class was quickly adopted by many Canadians. Unfortunately, the W245 never crossed the 49th parallel, and it would seem as though the new 2013 B-Class (codenamed F125) is still not slated for sale in the US. This is big news as we Canadians will again be privy to a great product, one that the Americans will once more miss out on.
About the W245; I can say that the Americans did not suffer any great loss. This time around though, the story is very different.
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| The 2013 B-Class is more muscular looking, and from various angles borrows design cues from the new ML, GL and R-Classes. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com) |
When comparing the two generations, the new one has far more flair and will most likely please buyers far more than the outgoing model did. The 2013 B-Class is more muscular looking, and from various angles borrows design cues from the new ML, GL and R-Classes. It's funny (or is that sad?) that in order to please the Americans, this was a crucial step Mercedes-Benz had to undertake. Two points for Canada.
In fact, that's three points for Mercedes. The new-B (ha ha) has left its femininity and docile persona behind and exchanged it for rugged and ridged edges, a sturdy nose and very welcome flared wheel arches which will smartly cover standard 17” wheels.
From a short distance, you would think that the latest B-Class is bigger, chunkier even, and you'd be right – but only partially. The 2013 B-Class is wider, longer and has a stretched wheelbase, but it's actually shorter height-wise. All of this was done for numerous good reasons: one of which is the car's newfound, super-aerodynamics. With a drag coefficient of 0.26, the B-Class is slicker than grease – well, it will slice through the air better than any other compact family mover at least. To compare, the sensual new C-Class Coupe sports a 0.24 Cd.
If you're planning on dressing up your future 2013 B-Class, know that this Sport Tourer – as Mercedes calls it – can be further improved aesthetically in numerous ways. The problem here is that I'm unable to tell you in what way exactly. In actuality, Canadian B-Class cars have yet to be completely sorted out. Of the possibilities, Mercedes may offer an Eco Technology package which further reduces the car's aero-coefficient to 0.24.
 |
| The 2013 B-Class is wider, longer and has a stretched wheelbase, but it's actually shorter height-wise. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com) |