Like a CLA, but with headroom.
German luxury marque Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the first-ever A-Class saloon, adding a third bodystyle to the A-Class range that promises greater practicality and flexibility than ever before available in the segment. Ahead of a late-2018 official launch (Paris motor show mooted), the company has pulled the wraps off the new model, and decided to tell us all about it.
The A-Class saloon seen here might seem a little familiar, and if you’ve been following the news, you might be thinking of the A-Class L saloon for China. This global model gets a bespoke rear end (there are some differences here) and more importantly, it shares the same 2829mm wheelbase as the A-Class hatch.
It is taller and longer though, at 4549mm in length and 1446mm in height, representing a 130mm & 6mm increase respectively over the hatchback. Thanks to those dimensions, the new A-Class saloon’s cabin is surprisingly roomy, with enough space for the average-sized passenger. Mercedes-Benz says that the A-Class saloon is “at the top of its segment with regard to rear headroom,” something that we’ve no doubt was included specifically because we’re all wondering if we’re going to have our heads pressed against the roofliner…
Perhaps of equal importance is carrying capacity. With 420L of space behind the rear seats, there’s plenty of room to carry around a family’s worth of flotsam as well as a pram, as there’s a 50L increase in cargo room over the A-Class hatch.
Little has changed design-wise in the transition from hatch to saloon, with the A-Class saloon looking a lot like a baby CLS thanks to that faithfully-reproduced ‘predator’ face. What hasn’t changed at all in the move from 5-door to 4-door is the tech on board, with every car coming with Merc’s new MBUX infotainment system, with dual-7.0” screens as standard (one in the middle and one for the instruments), while a 7.0+10.25-inch setup and a dual-10.25-inch setup are also available for a little extra dosh.
Under the bonnet, the A-Class saloon will be powered either by a turbo-petrol or turbodiesel from launch. The petrol mill comes in the form of the A200, which seeks motivation from a 120kW/250Nm four-pot, that sends power to the front wheels via a 7-speed DCT automatic as standard. If you’re a fan of oilers there’s the A180d, which puts out 85kW & 260Nm from a 1.5-litre four-pot setup, which also gets the DCT and still sends power forwards.
4MATIC all-wheel drive will be available later on, when additional models like the A250 and AMG models join the lineup.
The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class saloon will be available in Australia in the second-quarter of 2019, though local specs & prices have not yet been released. Be sure to stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more updates as they come.
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