We believe the all-new B-Class is a couple of weeks away from being officially shown, as several prototypes were spotted on a large trailer in the company of the 2019 A-Class.
In one of our previous stories, we talked about how the B-Class used to be one of the most popular cars sold in Germany but got pushed out even out of the Top 20 last year.
Its position on the list was taken up by the GLC-Class, despite the SUV being much more expensive. And even though Mercedes played it safe by making a crossover the size of the B-Class, the GLB, it's still keeping the tourer model around for another generation.
Even though it's fitted with all the same technology as the new A-Class that's been winning so many comparative reviews, the 2019 B-Class is based on the older platform. Not that you'll be able to tell! Mercedes designers have done a decent job here, even though nobody will give it a second glance.
Seeing the underside of one of the prototypes while it's up in the air reminds us of our time with the soon-to-be-outgoing B-Class. It too had a flat underside and with the AMG-Line package felt ridiculously low. The upside is that it handles way better than most crossovers. We're not talking hot action, but high-speed stability.
The 2.0-liter engines will make the 2019 B-Class a little faster than the old generation. We're talking about the 150/190 HP diesel and the 224 HP gasoline unit. However, there's also going to be a downsized 1.3-liter replacing the 1.6L while the 1.5L will feel about the same.
We suspect this Merc will sell purely on the way its interior looks. The double-screen MBUX infotainment system will give off a completely different vibe to rivals like the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer and VW Touran.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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