(Mon 17 Mar 08)

Within three years of its first appearance on the market, Mercedes-Benz has revised the B-Class with a mild facelift and improved safety and emissions.

The facelift involves the bumpers, bonnet, radiator grille, door mirrors, wheels and rear lights, though the basic shape of the car remains unchanged. New standard features across the range include a hill start function, a reach-adjustable steering wheel, flashing brake lights (to warn following drivers if you're braking heavily), interior lights which come on automatically in the event of a crash and a choice of new-generation "infotainment" systems.

Options include surround sound audio and an active parking system which lets the B-Class steer itself into a parking space while the driver operates the accelerator and brake pedals.

The two diesel engines in the range have been tweaked to provide better fuel economy - between 50.4mpg and 54.3mpg depending on power output and tyre size, which equates to a CO2 emissions range of 137-148g/km. The petrol B 150 and B 170 models will have an optional start/stop function which switches off the engine when it's not needed (in traffic jams, for example) and starts it up again when it is.

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