Mercedes-Benz B-Class

The rather unloved yet brilliantly packaged Mercedes B-Class will enter its second generation at next month's Frankfurt motor show. Gone, sadly, is the ingenious sandwich floor construction, replaced by a conventional front-drive platform.

The result is a reduction in height by 48mm to 1557mm, while length has grown by 89mm and width by 11mm. As well as being physically lower, longer and wider, Gordon Wagner and his team have introduced what Mercedes describes as "dynamic feature lines under the beltline are a sporty interpretation of the current design line from Mercedes-Benz". We'll leave our interpretation of the new design language until we see it in Frankfurt. What is unquestioned is its impressively low Cd of 0.26.

Inside, the loss of the secondary floor has reduced its H-point by 86mm, yet the seating position is now more upright, creating extra occupant space – with 976mm of rear legroom, it's more accommodating than an S-class. The retro-aeronautic air vents which have been spreading through the Mercedes range are present in an interior which promises far greater perceived quality than its predecessor.

Photo Gallery: Mercedes-Benz B-Class

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