SPIED: New W246 Mercedes B-Class spotted in PJ

The new Mercedes-Benz B-Class has been spotted right in front of our office in Petaling Jaya, and it could mean that the launch of the second-generation W246 is just around the corner. The new B’s same-same rear design means that this truck won’t attract too much attention, but those distinctive body lines give the game away.

The new B-Class was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. Stuttgart says that its latest “Compact Sports Tourer” is “substantially more agile and efficient, but as comfortable and spacious as ever.” It’s bigger, too. At 4,359 mm long and 1,786 mm wide, the W246 is 89 mm longer and 9 mm wider than the orginal B-Class that debut in 2005. The new car sits 46 mm lower than before, though.

For those at the back, a lowering of the vehicle’s floor produces segment-leading rear legroom (976 mm) that even surpasses that of the E and S-Class! And despite the lower roofline, headroom has been further improved over the old car.

The Easy-Vario-Plus system includes fore/aft adjustment of the rear seats by up to 140 mm (increasing boot volume from 488 to 666 litres) and a front passenger seat which backrest can be folded forward onto the seat cushion.

The badges on the car read B200, so we can expect a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine with 156 hp and 250 Nm of torque. The motor could be paired to a 7G-DCT dual clutch transmission, which is available in Europe. We’ve written a fair bit about the new B-Class already, so click here to read the full story and view the official gallery.

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