Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan

Overview

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan now serves as the entry ticket to the tri-star luxury brand, replacing the CLA sedan as the most affordable sedan in the manufacturer’s lineup. Based on the A-Class hatchback, the Mercedes Benz A-Class compact sedan is available in the Philippines in a standard 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol automatic powertrain and nine colour options – Jupiter Red, Polar White, Night Black, Cosmos Black, Iridium Silver, Denim Blue, Mojave Silver, Mountain Grey, and Digital White.

Interior & Features

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan shares its interior layout completely with the A-Class hatchback, which now sports the latest of interior design ethos from Mercedes-Benz.

The most eye-catching and prominent highlight of the cabin of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class has to be the longitudinally stretched full TFT screen comprising of dual screens blended together, one each for instrument console with varying display modes and one for the infotainment system. The minimalist centre console with turbine-like three AC vents look cool, and so does the good to hold three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel.

One can choose from a variety of leather type, upholstery and trim levels on offer, with the cabin stuffed with features like powered front seats with memory, heating and ventilation functions, heated steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, push-button start with keyless entry, Burmester sound system, latest version of MBUX, Apple Carplay and Android Auto and wireless smartphone charging. Also, while the seats are extremely comfortable and supportive, the legroom is limited at the rear.

Exterior

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan is not as dramatic-looking as the CLA sedan, but it manages to look quite swanky yet classy with its looks, which takes cues from both the A-Class hatchback and the other sedans from Mercedes’ lineup.

The front fascia of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan has completely been shared with that of its hatchback counterpart, with the front grille rounded edges and tapering sides. The full LED headlamps with inverted L-shaped daytime running LEDs are pointier and angular in their design.

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class looks quite conventional from the sides with large 17-inch wheels, taut shoulder line, low roofline and fairly large-sized doors. The rear design of the A-Class sedan has a bulging boot lid design with trapezoidal LED tail lamps stretching outwards horizontally.

Overall, while the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan ain’t groundbreaking in terms of design, it has the aura of a luxury sedan despite its compact and understated looks.

Ride & Handling

The softly sprung suspension setup of Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan is complemented by the presence of DYNAMIC SELECT, which comprises of various drive modes including Comfort, Sport, Eco and Individual to enable the driver to select the driving preference of his choice. The steer control mode in the steering setup along with torque vectoring brakes makes the driving dynamics quite sharp in the A-Class sedan.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

For the Philippines market, Mercedes-Benz has chosen to bless the A-Class sedan with only powertrain combination. The engine in the discussion here is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol motor, which here is coupled to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The engine belts out a maximum power output of 190 PS, while the peak torque output is rated at 300 Nm.

Braking & Safety

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class tries to justify the premium badge by having a range of safety features on offer, which include front, side, curtain and knee airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, radar-based collision mitigation system, attention assist, electronic stability control, adaptive braking technology, hill start assist, tire pressure monitoring system, rearview camera, and predictive brake priming.

Verdict

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan might be small and compact in size, but it fulfills the requirements of a premium luxury sedan with panache and quality in just the right amount. The car feels youthful in its styling and performance, and at the same time, it feels mature enough in the way it drives and makes inner occupants comfortable, making it a perfect compact luxury sedan for those who are new to the brand.