Mercedes-Benz, at a specialised event in Amsterdam, pulled the covers of their fifth-generation A-Class hatch. Codenamed W177, the evolves the slender shape that was first established with its 2012 predecessor. Under the skin, though, there’s much changed.
In terms of its design, the basic silhouette, proportions, and footprint are left largely untouched, but its new face clearly reflects the new CLS and one we can expect to be reproduced in the forthcoming batch of Benz products and facelifts.
Despite looking so similar at first glance, the all-new A-Class is in fact larger than the outgoing model in all dimensions while maintaining its squat on the same platform - it’s even marginally taller, for some reason.
That aside, we can see why the car has been extended by 127mm in overall length (with a wheelbase extension of 30mm) and 16mm in width - to address a longstanding peeve with W176: interior roominess. It also helps that they’ve also upped the boot to 370-litres.
Some new motors arrive along with the new baby Benz, too, occupying the larger engine bay with some ironically downsized four-cylinders starting with a 1.4-litre turbo petrol that will power the base A200 with a respectable 121kW and 250Nm.
The A250 receives an updated version of 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol four-pot; now called M260 and packing a hot hatch-level 167kW and 350Nm, allowing a 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.2 seconds. The final engine to be revealed by Mercedes in this initial reveal was the OM608 1.5-litre turbodiesel that generates 86kW and 260Nm to power the A180 d.
Typically present-day nomenclature, none of the digits that follow a certain model designation has any real correlation with the power and/or displacement of the engines they carry - at least we’re used to them being a total mismatch by now.
As far as transmissions go, we see a return of the Daimler 7-speed dual-clutch automatic as well as a newer unit with the same number of forward ratios, but sourced from Getrag. Only the base A200 will be offered with a manual transmission, but even then it won’t be for most markets.
Like before, drive will be sent to the front wheels by default but their 4Matic all-wheel drive system will be available either as an option or as standard on certain more high performance variants, including the AMG version, naturally.
Mercedes-Benz has done some structural work on the A-Class shell itself, making optimisations to improve rigidity and yield lower NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels. They’ve even simplified the suspension setup by supplanting the fitting most of the lower power variants with a torsion beam rear, reserving the more capable independent rears for the likes of the A250 and above there it needs them most.
With all that said, it’s actually the interior where it’s clear the Germans would like everyone to focus on. They’ve not only made plenty of effort to quell any arguments against the A-Class being inferior in build to the more expensive models, but went so far as to incorporate a number of features and design cues from its highest end models, and made this 4th-generation car the stage to showcase their all-new MBUX in-car interface.
It’s a software platform that, like the COMAND system that it supersedes, is the main interface between the driver and the car’s various media, drive, and instrumentation features. It’s operated via touch or a trackpad on the driveline tunnel, displayed through an ultra-wide glass panel that coves two thirds of the dashboard, with dual 7-inch LCD screens that respectively functions as digital cluster and infotainment display. At the high end, this can be upgraded to dual 10.25-inch displays.
The interface itself takes some concepts from smart phone navigation and is thus built around a customisable home screen, with different features behaving as apps that can be selectively paused or resumed.
Interestingly, Mercedes-Benz has not announced support for either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Instead, they’re peddling their own in-house developed voice assistant software called LINGUATRONIC. Time will tell if can perform voice-activated actions as well as Google Assistant or Siri, but it’s a risk Daimler is willing to take to have a crucial part of driver’s relationship remain in their hands instead of a third party.
The all-new A-Class is due to make a more formal appearance at the Geneva Motor Show come March, whereupon we’re also expecting to see some early version of the new AMG A45 as well as a more fleshed out picture of the entire range, including the car in its all-new sedan body style.
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