Mercedes A-Class gets updated styling, equipment and enhanced hybrid power
Updates to B-Class too
Mercedes has announced details of an upgraded and lightly facelifted version of its compact A-Class hatchback and saloon, with changes to its larger B-Class model, too.
The A-Class facelift, as well as seeing some light styling work and higher levels of interior equipment, brings with it mild-hybrid power to the petrol versions of the A-Class as well as more power for the plug-in hybrid models.
Visually, the refresh is very much a minor one, with little more than a redesigned radiator grille and new flat headlamps at the front, four new wheel design options (up to 19in in diameter) and a new rear diffuser for cleaner airflow, with subtle changes to the rear lights.
Interior and equipment updates
Inside, things aren’t that different to before: there’s still the same turbine air vents and dual-screen arrangement coupling a 7in driver’s instrument cluster with a 10.25in central infotainment touchscreen, or the option of a pair of 10.25in screens instead. It does run the latest generation of Mercedes’s MBUX operating system, though.
And there are a few updated upholstery options and the fact that, for buyers, improving the spec on the refreshed A-Class is now a lot simpler thanks to the most commonly grouped equipment options being bundled together into packages.
There’s plenty of kit as standard on the updated A-Class including a reversing camera and steering wheel trimmed in Nappa leather, along with LED headlights, seats with electric lumbar support, a parking package (which helps with manoeuvring in tight spaces) and a mirror package (automatic mirrors) as you move further up the range.
Perhaps the biggest news about the revised A-Class is that, while everything remains as-is with the 2-litre diesel models, the 1.3-litre and 2-litre petrol versions are now mild hybrid-assisted with a new 48-volt electrical system employing a belt-driven starter-generator to reduce fuel consumption.
Improvements to the battery in the plug-in hybrid versions of the A-Class see the electric range increase slightly to 50 miles or so, with an uprated motor giving a boost of around 7bhp, bringing the power output of the motor to 107bhp, of a 215bhp total.
Whereas before the plug-in hybrid A-Class could only be charged with alternating current at up to 7.4kW, the changes to the battery mean that faster 11.4kW AC charging is now possible.
AMG models tweaked
As well as upgrades to the standard A-Class, the hotter Mercedes-AMG versions — the 302bhp A 35 4Matic and 416bhp A 45 S 4Matic+ — have received a small suite of updates, too.
Like the standard car, both benefit from new headlights, but AMG-specific details include a new front grille, a new front apron, a round AMG bonnet badge replacing the traditional one bearing the Mercedes star (as on the new Mercedes-AMG C 63) and some other small alterations to the rear.
The A 35 receives the same mild-hybrid assistance as the standard car, as well as an eight-speed double-clutch automatic transmission, but the A 45’s engine stays without electric assistance for now.
Updates for the B-Class too
Relaunching alongside the revised A-Class is an updated version of Mercedes’s niche-defying B-Class.
Like its smaller sibling, the refresh is a mild one with a slightly revised front grille, the option of new LED headlights, four new additional alloy wheels designs and new two-part LED lights at the rear as standard.
It’s a similar story inside with the same overall look as the A-Class, the same screen arrangements and a similar bundling together of equipment options, but the centre console is new, as are a number of the leather and upholstery combinations.
As on the A-Class, coming down the line (probably from spring of 2023, said Mercedes) is a fingerprint sensor for the identification and authorisation of the driver, while on the new version (like the A-Class) the Driver Assistance package has been improved with Lane Keeping Assist now simpler and more comfortable to use with the Active Steering Control.
The powertrain updates in the B-Class are also largely the same as those of the A-Class, with the addition of the same 48-volt mild-hybrid system to the petrol models and more power and range for the plug-in hybrid models, while the 2-litre diesel engines remain untouched.
UK pricing for the updated A-Class and B-Class has yet to be confirmed, but don’t expect anything too far off both models’ current respective starting prices of £32,250 and £33,775.
Related articles
- After reading about the updated Mercedes A-Class, you may want to check out the latest-generation Mercedes-AMG SL roadster
- You might also be interested to know that Mercedes connected car technology warns other drivers about potholes
- Or read a Mercedes-Benz S-Class review by Will Dron
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