The W177 series Mercedes-Benz A-Class has been launched. The baby Benz looks like it has grown up a little, both outside and inside. This time it seems Mercedes-Benz has stuffed it full of cutting edge technology like its bigger brothers. It also looks more luxurious and unique inside whilst the outside takes on a cleaner look to it.
My take on the exterior styling of the new A-Class is that it takes the front end styling from the newly launched CLS-Class 4 door coupe. Mercedes-Benz seems to be doing what it did for the C-class which actually takes after the styling of the S-Class in terms of styling. So the baby Benz, which is supposed to attract a sportier, younger customer takes its looks from the sporty CLS. But aside from that the overall look of the new A-class is a visually cleaner style compared to the previous model.
Now the body actually sits on a 30 mm longer wheelbase, 14 mm wider front track compared to the previous model. It gets an improved suspension setup but still keeping the MacPherson strut front suspension with aluminium transverse control arms and multi-link rear suspension. However, Mercedes-Benz have equipped those with 4MATIC (all-wheel drive) and more powerful engine variants with a slightly different four-link rear suspension.
There is also an option for Active damping adjustment with electronic control. This optional suspension system can be used in conjunction with the standard DYNAMIC SELECT which has four driving modes offering a choice of comfortable or sporty suspension characteristics. Mercedes-Benz have also stated that the 4MATIC all-wheel drive will come with electro-mechanically controlled multiplate clutch transmission. A better dual clutch transmission obvious.
At the launch, Mercedes-Benz have annouced that there will be a new four-cylinder petrol engine - the M 282 which is a1.4liter 4 cylinder turbocharged engine which has various states of tune. The highest being 160hp and 250 Nm. Engine tech includes cylinder shutoff (initially offered in combination with 7G-DCT only), a delta shape of the cylinder head for better combustion, NANOSLIDE® and Eco-Tough coating for the engine walls and pistons, a petrol particulate filter for proper Euro 6 emissions and we get to see a new 7G-DCT dual clutch transmission which I hope is smoother yet faster on the shifts.
For the hotter version, most likely the A250, there will be a 2.0liter four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine M 260. This makes up to 221hp and up to 350 Nm torque. More than previously. It will come with CONICSHAPE®, which Mercedes-Benz says it is their honing of the cylinder walls and CAMTRONIC (intake camshaft adjustment) for more performance. So the A250 will make more power than before.
For diesel markets like Europe, there is also a new four-cylinder diesel engine OM 608 which is a 1.5 l 4 cylinder turbodiesel engine displacement. Top spec diesel will make up to approximately 114hp and up to 260 Nm torque. The engine features the necessary AdBlue® additive technology, an improved turbocharger, water intercooler and reduced weight (which should make it less nose heavy and improve the diesel's handling characteristics)
Inside, the new A-class gets more shoulder room (+9/+22 mm front/rear), a lot more elbow room (+35/+36 mm) and headroom (+7/+8 mm), as well as easier entry to the rear. The extra length in the wheelbase helps obviously. I think the car could be larger than the W204 C-class from a generation back. Boot size is 370 litres. It makes the new car have a boot which is 29 litres larger than in the previous model. Mercedes-Benz also claim that all-round visibility has been improved by reducing the pillar claddings by around ten percent.
The interior looks like it has gone up in terms of visual appeal by a few levels. It looks more S-class in terms of styling with a more fashion forward twist - take a look at the air-vents as proof. The avant-garde styling of the dashboard together with an instrument cluster / cockpit makes it look impressive. To me at least.
The two animated digital displays measures 26 cm and look like they are fused together under the single glass cover. But this is only for the top specced variant as the base variant has to make do with two 17.8cm displays. There is also ambient lighting with 64 colours offered and illuminated air vents in a turbine look are optionally available for that more blinged out look. Other options include seat heating, seat climate control and a Multicontour Seat package incl. massage function for the front seats
And for the first time, Mercedes-Benz has come up with a completely new multimedia system MBUX – Mercedes-Benz User Experience. It seems that there is no trickle down effect from the larger models. This is all new so I think that there will be an upward adoption of this new technology instead.
So Mercedes-Benz claim that there will be an emotional connection between the vehicle, driver and passengers and the new MBUX system has learning capability thanks to its 'artificial intelligence' and it is able to be personalised. The system is operated by touchscreen with an optional touchpad on the centre console (if equipped) and touch control buttons in the steering wheel. There is also Intelligent voice control with natural language comprehension and activation using the keyword "Hey Mercedes" (optional). As is the optional Navigation display with augmented reality technology.
A lot more technology is now put into the A-class. So much so that the A-Class is now able to drive semi-autonomously in certain situations. First time ever in an A-Class. Mercedes-Benz also claim that the new A-class has the highest safety standard in its segment thanks to extended driving assistance systems with S-Class functions...provided you specify it with the full spec optional FAP 4.5 system.
There is also Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC and Active Steering Assist. This allows the A-Class to keep a safe distance and steering if there are emergency situations, and the vehicle speed is now also automatically adjusted on bends, at road junctions and on roundabouts. Other semi-autonomous systems include Active Emergency Stop Assist, intuitive Active Lane Change Assist, PRE-SAFE® PLUS which can recognise an imminent rear-end collision, where the system can apply the brakes of the A-Class when stationary, thus minimising the risk of injuries by reducing the forward jolt caused by an impact from the rear.
The new A-Class is a serious grown up car with this one. I suppose it is less visually stimulating than the previous one. Some may call it more Korean than before. I think like most Mercedes-Benz it will grow on you. This is the same case with a lot of Mercedes-Benz cars launched recently. Somehow, they age gracefully in the end. This may be the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment