The A-Class limousine (which is what Mercedes-Benz likes to call their 4 door sedan), is in Malaysia. This is the latest addition to the Mercedes-Benz compact car range of ASeries of cars - A, GLA, CLA and now A-Class Limousine. The V177 A-Class sedan was first launched sometime during the end of 2018 will be available in two variants here in Malaysia - the Mercedes-Benz A 200 Progressive Line at and A 250 AMG Line. These two variants are priced at RM 229,888 and RM 267,888 (estimated - as the price has not been approved as yet) respectively.
Based on the Mercedes-Benz Concept A Sedan that was displayed at the 2017 Shanghai Motor Show the A-Class Limousine/Sedan was introduced as a response to demand for a more practical alternative to the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, which looked quite good but had quite tight rear passenger room. This time, the new A-Class Limousine could even fit me quite well. And you folks know that I am a chubby boy. So all's good in the rear cabin space - good in terms of a compact sedan mind you.
According to Mercedes-Benz, the A-Class limousine also reflects the purist, surface-accentuating design of the latest Mercedes-Benz design philosophy of Sensual Purity. Note that this generation of A-Class has been styled with much more cleaner lines than the previous A-Class. There are less fussy character lines to it.
The A-Class limousine is also styled with short overhangs at front and rear, which, in combination with the strong side character line, reinforces the sporty image. It also has that proper Mercedes-Benz limousine look to it as if you look at it from the three quarter rear, there are noticeable similarities with the W205 C-Class with its longish bonnet and short boot.
The front end has that contemporary sporty type of front lights that actually look like they came from the sporty CLS-Class sports sedan. It also does not look like one of those hatchback to sedan designs that look really bad. This is a successful transition from hatch to sedan. One of the best to date and doesn't look all weird and all.
The front end has that contemporary sporty type of front lights that actually look like they came from the sporty CLS-Class sports sedan. It also does not look like one of those hatchback to sedan designs that look really bad. This is a successful transition from hatch to sedan. One of the best to date and doesn't look all weird and all.
In terms of the interior and equipment levels, it does impress me. It does look good with the large double instrument/infotainment screen on the dashboard. While you may notice that this is still just an A-Class, it looks impressive in terms of its design and styling. Only when your eyes move downward you will notice that the plastics used below are of a less expensive material than in other higher priced Mercedes-Benz vehicles. But that it so be expected from what is a 'Baby-Benz' in terms of overall perceived quality.
However, being the latest generation Mercedes-Benz, even newer than models like the W205 C-Class or the W213 E-Class, it comes with the new Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX): The new A-Class drives a new generation of user-friendly technology. It is equipped with the most capable, natural and intuitive speech interface and it is easy to learn because it learns from the user too. So this is the Mercedes-Benz that you can talk to compared to its larger siblings.
Aside from that there are a slew of features such as the state-of-art safety and assistance systems, KEYLESS-GO, 64-colors ambient lighting and the Parking Package. Also depending on specification on whether they are the A200 or the A250 variants.
The pricing for both variants are extremely competitive. The A200 limousine is only about RM2,000 more pricey than the A200 Hatchback and the A250 is prices so close to the C200 Avantgarde sold here. There could be those than could settle for the A-Class rather than a C-Class. Of course, these are two cars from different buyer segments. The traditionalists may not go after an A-Class as they will always want a 'proper' rear wheel drive, comfy Mercedes-Benz.
But there is also the fact that this new small compact sedan actually brings the Mercedes-Benz sedan to another more affordable level. Because of this, the other premium compact manufacturers should start to get jumpy as this new A-Class limousine really hits the spot in terms of pricing (here in Malaysia), interior size, exterior styling (it does look like a proper Mercedes-Benz sedan) and that current 'wow' factor the brand gives you. This package is hard to beat actually and we should see many of these new A-Class limousines on the road after this. This is our prediction for the A-Class limousine.
A 200 Progressive Line
No/Arrangement of cylinders L4
Displacement (cc) 1,332
Rated output (kW/hp at rpm) 120 (163)/5500
Rated torque (Nm at rpm) 250/1620
Front Wheel Drive - 7 speed DCT
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (s) 8.1
Top speed (km/h) 230
A 250 AMG Line
No/Arrangement of cylinders L4
Displacement (cc) 1,991
Rated output (kW/hp at rpm) 165 (224)/5500
Rated torque (Nm at rpm) 350/1800
Front Wheel Drive - 7 speed DCT
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (s) 6.3
Top speed (km/h) 250
The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class Limousine Product Brief
Exterior design:
With its puristic design emphasising surfaces, the A-Class Limousine is hot and cool at the same time, and thereby is a seamless fit with the design idiom of Sensual Purity. This includes the clear formal shapes emphasising surface areas with reduced lines and precise gaps. The new A-Class Limousine has the proportions of a dynamic and compact limousine car with short front and rear overhangs.
The new A-Class limousine takes advantage of the favourable conditions provided by its long rear end to undercut even the already exemplary A-Class with hatchback (c w value 0.25). With a benchmark of C d =0.22 the new saloon model even equals the original world record of the CLA Coupé. Thanks to the frontal area of 2.19 m², smaller than that of the CLA, the new A-Class Limousine has the lowest aerodynamic drag of all production vehicles worldwide.
Interior design:
The interior of the new A-Class is completely redefined with its modern, avant-garde look. Mercedes-Benz has taken a completely new approach, revolutionising the compact class from the inside with a new feeling of spaciousness. The unique interior architecture is shaped in particular by the avant-garde design of the dashboard: The designers completely dispensed with a cowl above the cockpit. As a result, the wing-shaped main body of the dashboard extends from one front door to the other with no visual discontinuity. The air vents in a sporty turbine look are another highlight.
Engine and Drivetrain
The engines of the A-Class Limousine is efficient and powerful, with A 200 Progressive Line
running on a 1.4 litre engine (1.33 liters but they say itsi 1.4) 163 hp/250 Nm while the A 250 AMG Line on a 2.0 litre engine, generating greater performance of 224 hp/350 Nm.
Both are front wheel drive and the engines are coupled to a 7 speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT).
Equipment & appointments:
The new A-Class is the first Mercedes-Benz model to feature the completely new MBUX - Mercedes-Benz User Experience multimedia system, which also ushers in a new era for Mercedes me connectivity at the same time. A unique feature of this system is its ability to learn thanks to artificial intelligence. MBUX is customisable and adapts to the user. It thus creates an emotional connection between vehicle, driver and passengers
Standard features include the MBUX infotainment system with touchscreen, and driving assistance systems of the latest generation such as Active Brake Assist and Active Lane Keeping Assist. The KEYLESS-GO Convenience Package with HANDS-FREE ACCESS will be one of the available options, for example. The HANDS-FREE ACCESS convenience function enables hands-free and fully automatic opening of the boot lid with a kicking motion of the foot under the rear bumper.
Intelligent Drive:
The A-Class has the very latest driving assistance systems with cooperative driver support, and thus provides the highest level of active safety in this segment with functions adopted from the SClass. For the first time, the A-Class is able to drive semi-autonomously in certain situations. To do this, it keeps a close eye on the traffic situation: improved camera and radar systems allow it to see up to 500 metres ahead. The A-Class also uses map and navigation data for assistance functions.
MULTIBEAM LED headlamps:
The MULTIBEAM LED headlamps are another example of the technology transfer from the luxury to the compact class. They allow extremely quick and precise, electronically controlled adjustment of the headlamps to suit the current traffic situation. 18 individually actuated LEDs are housed in each headlamp. The daylight-like light colour of the LEDs is easy on the eyes and has a positive effect on concentration. The road ahead is precisely and brightly illuminated. LED High Performance headlamps are a further option. As standard the new A-Class is equipped with halogen headlamps with integrated LED daytime driving lights.
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