Mercedes-Benz A-Class has been a huge success in Australia since it made a major change in direction at the start of 2013. The first two generations were tall and short with a big emphasis on ease of city driving and tight-spot parking. The gen-three switched to being a stylish hatch that’s significantly lower and longer.
Now the A-Class for 2016 has received a facelift and tail-tuck, as well as additional technology, with all versions now having adaptive suspension and satellite navigation.
The Mercedes A 180 has 17-inch wheels, Garmin Map Pilot navigation, blind spot assist, reversing camera, keyless start, Dynamic Select, which changes the vehicle’s driving characteristics at the touch of a button, and a diamond grille in black as standard.
The A 200 is powered by a petrol engine that produces 115 kW of power and 250 Nm of torque from a 1.6-litre engine and has 18-inch wheels, sports seats with lumber support.
The 2.0-litre A 250 Sport petrol has 160 kW of power running through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel-drive system. It sits on 18-inch AMG wheels, and uses AMG Ride Control suspension. There are LED headlamps, Keyless-Go, a panoramic sunroof and ambient lighting that can be tailored to suit your needs by providing 12 different colours.
Very much a hot-hatch, the Mercedes-AMG A 45 4Matic now produces a maximum output of 280 kW (up from 265 kW). There are revised gear ratios, aerodynamic fine-tuning and the new AMG Dynamic Select driving modes to raise overall performance. It can sprint from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in just 4.2 seconds.
That sort of acceleration would have required a gas guzzling V8 not that many years back, now you get it from a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol with an official fuel consumption figure of just 7.1 litres per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle.
New to the A 45 is the AMG Dynamic Plus package and a mechanical front axle locking differential.
New A-Class has many driving assistance systems, including the drowsiness detection system Attention Assist and Distronic Plus.
Standard safety technologies also include nine airbags, Pre-Safe, Blind Spot Assist, Collision Prevention Assist Plus and an Active Bonnet.
A-Class is the first Mercedes-Benz model to be available with smartphone integration for Apple CarPlay, as well as Siri voice control.
We have carried out extensive test drives of the latest A200, A250 Sport and A45 out of Melbourne, with some exciting hot laps of the A45 at the Broadford Motorcycle Training centre to add a dash of spice to our day.
The adaptive suspension, now in all models, provides the sort of serene ride in its Comfort setting that’s close to that offered in the bigger C-Class. Yet can be sharpened up in Sport when you feel the need to enjoy one of the traditional early Sunday morning drives. We used it in both the A200 and A250.
At the Broadford circuit the A45 AMG is a little screamer, with 280 kW of power getting it up to big speeds on the long straights. The big brakes hauled off the speed at the end of the snake-like top ‘straight’ and the AWD system got us around the many twisty bits with reassuring ease.
The smallest AMG will make an interesting track day machine for those who like to push themselves and their cars to the limits.
Very well priced, all the more so for a car that provides the prestige of a three-pointed star, the A-Class range starts at just $37,200 for the A180, going up all the way to $77,900 for the redhot A45 AMG.
Mercedes-Benz Australia is having trouble keeping up with demand for the AMG, but tells us the situation is starting to come under control – at one time the waiting list had stretched over a year. Having said that, if you’re halfway interested in an A45 it might be an idea to get in touch with our dealer asap.
The complete 2016 Mercedes-Benz A-Class range is:
A 180: $37,200 (automatic)
A 200: $42,800 (automatic)
A 200d: $43,300 (automatic)
A 250:Sport 4Matic: $53,500 (automatic)
AMG A 45: $77,900 (automatic)
Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Mercedes-Benz dealer for driveaway prices.
