The A-Class isn’t the only small Mercedes-Benz to get a subtle facelift.
The 2023 Mercedes-Benz B-Class includes various aesthetic enhancements as well as the latest generation MBUX infotainment system.
Coming to Australia in the third quarter of 2023.
External changes are subtle. There are updated LED headlights and taillights, plus a new grille with Mercedes-Benz’s star pattern.
There are four new wheel designs with a ‘flattened’ look, in sizes up to 19 inches.
Inside, there’s a choice of 7.0-inch or 10.25-inch digital instruments, plus a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen.
The local B-Class will likely continue to offer the dual 10.25-inch displays.
There’s wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, plus a fingerprint sensor for driver identification and authorization.
The B-Class also gets an additional USB-C output, plus more USB power for charging.
The new generation MBUX has a more advanced voice assistant that can also explain and help with the car’s functions. Mercedes-Benz says that, for example, the assistant can tell you how to connect your smartphone and where to find the first aid kit.
As with the updated A-Class, there is a new audio guide that will be available, at least initially, exclusively in Germany.
By saying “Hey Mercedes, start Tourguide”, it will react to around 3,400 brown tourist information signs on German highways.
Elsewhere in the cabin, there’s a redesigned center console, a new steering wheel with standard nappa leather and optional heating, and new star-pattern interior trim.
The comfort seats feature cloth inserts made from 100 percent recycled material, while the AMG Line package’s Artico/Microcut seats feature 65 percent recycled material on the seat surface and 85 percent in the material underneath.
Mercedes-Benz says it has smoother programming for the lane-keeping assist, while the optional Trailer Maneuvering Assist automatically adjusts the steering angle to make reversing easier.
For 2023, the entire range of petrol engines is electrified with a 48V mild hybrid system and belt-driven starter-generator (RSG).
Mercedes-Benz says the RSG “reduces noise and vibration during start-up compared to conventional starters”, while also allowing the B-Class to switch off its engine during “steady driving” to save fuel.
The B-Class’s new 48V system can also support the engine with an extra 10kW ‘on take off’.
In markets like Europe, the B-Class is also available with a range of diesel options, plus a plug-in hybrid, but the B-Class is currently available in Australia exclusively in B180 guise – something that’s unlikely to change.
The B180 uses a 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 100kW of power and 230Nm of torque – up to 30Nm on the current car – and mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The B250e plug-in hybrid gets the same upgrades made to its A250e counterpart, with AC charging increased from 7.4kW to 11kW and an electric motor with an extra 5kW of power.
The B-Class essentially has no direct competition in Australia, with BMW no longer importing the 2 Series Active Tourer.
It has a more upright body and therefore a more practical interior than its A-class sibling, but it is far less popular, with Mercedes-Benz having sold 234 units by the end of September against 2,297 A-class hatchbacks and sedans.
MORE: Everything Mercedes-Benz B-Class