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The need is the mother of invention, they say. Except with the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, it was exactly the opposite. Inaugurated with great fanfare in 1997, the entry-level model from Stuttgart was originally a revolutionary minivan-style sedan that promised space in a smaller space, just four years before the Honda Jazz.
But as customers became more mobile and image-conscious, they became less interested in space or convenience; these considerations have moved into the background when style has taken over. It was just beautiful, silly, and the original A-Class was as fashionable as a pair of beige ribbed velvets.
It is clear that Mercedes is inspired by Audi, which has been building the beautiful and safe A3 for years, because after keeping the style of the boy tallboy for a generation more, he then introduced a safe and conventional Class A in 2012. Never. Remember, he was smaller inside even though he was so much taller outside, or rolled like a skateboard – it was a success.
Let's move on to the new W177 A-Class. Mercedes respected its proven formula, but gave the car a new polarizing look, a new technology and tried to turn driving into a comfortable thing. Has everything worked? We have traveled all the way to Croatia to find out.
The outgoing model W176 was not really small, but that did not stop Mercedes from stretching the A-class considerably. Measuring 4,419 mm long, 1,796 mm wide and 1,440 mm high, the new car measures 127 mm more, 16 mm wide and 7 mm high compared to the past, and its wheelbase of 2729 mm has a length of 30 mm.
All of this results in slimmer, more relaxed proportions that give Class A a more mature and sophisticated appearance on the outside. This does not mean that Mercedes has given up pursuing the younger clientele, as the design has been revised in a totally different way from the latest version of the company's Sensual Purity styling language.
The low front has been almost completely redone from the new CLS, with a trapezoidal grille flanked by tapered headlights, while the hood closure line is now inserted into the bodywork and separated from the grille and headlights – a treatment typically reserved for Mercedes. end of coupés like the S-Class Coupe.
Body-side surfacing has been simplified, removing the lower character line scanned by the W176; the new horizontal lines emphasize the length of the car. Moving backwards, the car looks wider thanks to the greenhouse that narrows further upwards, as well as wider rear lights in two parts. As usual, a more aggressive AMG Line style set is offered, as well as wheel options measuring up to 19 inches.
High-performance LED headlamps and multi-beam LED headlamps with 18 individual high beam diodes are also available as options. They can be disabled individually to avoid making others blind blind, which allows permanent use of high beams. By opting for one or the other of these headlights, you will also get reinforced taillights with light guides all around the perimeter, reminiscent of the ones you find at the back of the car. a Kia Cerato – as stated by more than one reporter during the media test. drive.
Inside, the Class A follows the model defined for the first time by the S-Class W222, with round air vents (featuring blades now inspired by turbines) and a large widescreen display panel, now totally autonomous. As standard, both screens and infotainment display a width of seven inches, but they can both be increased up to 10.25 inches. the central screen is now a touch unit.
The new Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) debuts on the new A-Class. In line with the current trend of the smartphone-inspired user interface industry, the system finally features a home screen, with large icons and Live information snippets, similar to the 6.0 version of the BMW iDrive (BMW has since switched to a different design with customizable widgets). There is also a new awesome augmented reality navigation feature that superimposes blue arrows and street names to feed a front camera.
On models equipped with Widescreen Cockpit's wide-angle flat-screen cockpit displays, the instrument's display has been redesigned, with a dual-dial layout that can be customized with different information. The interface also allows to display in full-screen mode some functions of the car, such as driver assistance systems and navigation system board.
As you can imagine, the systems work quite intuitively, especially with the new touch screen. The new touchpad, which replaces the Comand button, is a little less successful. While not as shaky as the Lexus Remote Touch random interface, it's not yet accurate enough when you're on the road.
During my time with the car, I have by far preferred to use the pads on the steering wheel, because at least I could keep both hands on the bar. In addition, the USB ports of the car are now all USB-C ports, which means for most people a trip to a digital shopping center for a new cable or at least one adapter.
Mercedes is also expanding the system's artificial intelligence feature, which uses machine learning to adapt to user habits and preferences. For example, in the Suggestions menu, the car displays playlists that you listen to often, navigation instructions to the places you usually go to and people you call most often, depending on the time.
Then there is the renowned Linguatronic voice control, which plays the role of personal assistant in the same vein as Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa. By using the "Hey Mercedes" activation term, you can use various aspects of the vehicle, such as music playback, air conditioning and navigation.
The standout feature is the ability to understand not only natural language, but also indirect speech – for example, "I'm cold," will order climate control to raise the temperature. The system is also able to learn your speech and better understand non-native English speakers. New buzzwords and language changes are then uploaded to the cloud.
Voice control is an easy way to impress your friends, but I'm not convinced that the current system is very useful. This new climate control function is pretty cool (excuse the pun), but it only adjusts the temperature in increments of 1 degree each time; so it is not quite practical. And since almost no one in Malaysia uses the built-in navigation system, the built-in voice control features, such as the What3Words feature that lets you move anywhere in the world using a three-word address, will all be useless.
You get the impression that all this technology, the pieces of metal trim and the lavish ambient lighting system – which, by the way, can now produce a shimmering light show – are there to distract you from what Mercedes cut some angles, or just did not move the game as significantly as we would have liked from the outgoing model.
The quality of the materials as a whole is correct, with many soft-touch materials scattered around the cabin. But just like in his predecessor, you just have to go under the chest to find a hard and rough plastic, and the gloss black trim strips are magnets for fingerprints and scratches. The shift lever and indicator rods mounted on the column are a particular disappointment – the thin, fragile sticks are away from the usual heavy parts of Mercedes and provide nothing more than the feeling of solidity that the owners of Merc.
The practical side has been significantly improved thanks to the significantly larger body, the rear passengers benefit including a considerable margin of clearance for the legs. It's still not what you call a spacious apartment – the Jazz will encircle all around it – but it has improved a lot compared to the old model, which was really quite narrow at the back. The starting space also increased by 29 liters to reach 370 liters.
From a safety standpoint, the car is available with a range of semi-autonomous driving technologies from its larger siblings. In addition to the standard stand-alone emergency braking system, Active Brake Assist, buyers can also specify the driver assistance system that includes a Distronic adaptive cruise control, an active steering assistant and an active lane change assistant. Supports steering, acceleration, braking and even changes lane for you. at speeds up to 210 km / h. Of course, none of them is offered in Malaysia, with the exception of AEB.
The new A-Class is offered worldwide at launch with a choice of three four-cylinder engines – two gasoline and one diesel. Other engine options will be available later, including a new AMG entry-level model, the A 35 of 306 hp and 400 Nm of a 2.0-liter crusher. The A 45 will continue to be at the top of the range, with outputs of more than 400 hp.
In the meantime, there is the A 180d with an improved OM608 version of the previous 1.5-liter turbodiesel. It now has an electronically controlled variable geometry turbocharger built into the exhaust manifold, an intake manifold integrated into the cylinder head cover and a system of control. selective catalytic reduction (SCR) with AdBlue injection. In total, it produced 116 hp at 4,000 rpm and 260 Nm of torque between 1,750 and 2,500 rpm.
Both gasoline models, which have just been launched in Malaysia, are more relevant. The big news is that the A 200 gives up its 1.6-liter turbo group in favor of an even smaller unit of 1.33 liter M282, developed in partnership with Renault – just like diesel. It features active cylinder closure, an electronic discharge gate, Nanoslide coated cylinder walls to minimize friction and a triangle-shaped cylinder head.
Despite the reduced swept volume, the power actually increased by seven horses to reach 163 hp at 5,500 rpm; the maximum torque keeps the station at 250 Nm between 1,620 and 4,000 rpm. At the same time, the A 250 uses a development of Mercedes' own 2.0-liter unit: the new M260 produces 224 hp at 5,500 rpm and 350 Nm between 1,800 and 4,000 rpm, making it increase of six horses.
Modifications to the old engine include slightly wider Conicshape cylinder bores at the bottom (again to reduce friction), as well as piston cooling ducts, a Camtronic variable valve lift, a BlueDirect combustion system improved and centrifugal damper for increased refinement. Both gasoline engines are equipped with a particulate filter and all models comply with the Euro 6d-TEMP emissions regulations.
Fuel consumption is estimated at 4.1 liters per 100 km for the A 180 d, at 5.2 liters per 100 km (5.8 liters per 100 km with a six-speed manual gearbox) for the A 200 and 6.2 liters per 100 km for the A 250. As before, a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is available on all models, but that of the A 200 and A 180 d now comes from Getrag ; the first is also available with the aforementioned manual gearbox.
The A 250 is a refined version of the existing Mercedes unit, offering improved performance and responsiveness through an optional friction system and lower hysteresis pistons; it also improved communication with the engine for faster gear changes in manual mode. Both gasoline models feature an optional 4Matic all-wheel drive system, which can now send up to 100% of torque to the rear wheels.
We drove the gasoline models on the roads surrounding the seaside town of Split, and the A 200 is certainly the lesser of the two, not just because of the lower numbers. It's certainly not slow – Mercedes claims a flat 8 seconds from zero to 100 km / h, and once the car starts, the sensation is also fast.
What the numbers do not tell you is that, in practice, the engine does not feel like you have the broad and flat torque curve you expect from a modern turbo engine. There is a bit of turbo lag before the thrust occurs. Although the factory has a good mid-range punch, it starts running out of steam when you reach the top third of the tachometer.
The relative lack of pulling down is probably the reason why the transmission is so in a hurry to downshift every time you accelerate. In fact, it is too hurried to the point that progress is becoming rather jerky in reducing urban traffic. It also betrays the voice of the engine, the hoarse rumbling when it works hard, a noise that is at odds with the otherwise refined nature of the car.
If the A 200, despite all its weaknesses, offers a decent speed, then the A 250 is downright fast, reaching 100 km / h in 6.2 seconds. This is the engine with which the A-Class is the most comfortable – it's more like turning and when it does, it produces a softer and more pleasant sound. The DCT is also less inclined to search for the right equipment here, making the journey easier.
And what about manipulation? This will probably depend on the chassis configuration you choose – and this time the difference between the different suspension options is greater. More powerful models such as the A 250 retain the four-arm independent rear suspension, as do vehicles with optional adaptive damping, AWD and / or wheels over 19 inches in diameter.
More controversial, the A 200 and A 180 d receive – shock, horror! – a simpler and more rudimentary torsion beam configuration, which could greatly affect the car's habits. As before, the front suspension is composed of MacPherson struts and the power assisted steering with speed-assisted assistance is standard.
It should be noted that all the cars we drove, although driven to the front, were fitted with adaptive damping and therefore had a multi-link rear suspension in all directions. We will therefore have to reserve our judgment on A 200 until we can try our luck. car in the local specifications, which has torsion beam configuration.
At the present time, with all the checkboxes checked, Class A is a much more resolute car than its predecessor. While the old model resonated on all surface imperfections, this new model complies with the standards and, with the dampers set in Comfort mode, handles quite well the small bumps and ripples. But that's not perfect, as it still clashes with larger potholes, especially the massive 19-inch test car alloys.
Fortunately, the increased flexibility on bumpy roads did not dampen the car's spirits when cornering. The movements of the body are firmly controlled, the grip levels are quite high and, when the chassis shaves understeer, it does so in a stable and predictable manner.
If only the direction was more direct. This probably has a lot to do with the executive assistance function, which is integrated into the overall driver assistance system, which corrects any form of undesirable behavior problem. Mercedes has been asking a lot about this system – it must counter-tack in case of oversteer, balance the torque deflection, make corrections during braking on surfaces in cracks and compensate the wind camber and the camber of the road.
As a result, the steering seems inert and does not communicate as much as you want between the front wheels and the hands. While the chassis is still eager to sniff the top of a bend, you should always guess exactly where the car is heading at exactly one point. Again, our cars will not come with driving assistance, so we'll have to wait to see if this is true here.
In the end, the new A-Class is a decent advance over the old model. In both key areas, the latter has always weakened. Not only is this a family car a little more spacious and practical, but it's also more refined and offers a much more comfortable ride at first – with the usual caveat that we have to drive local units on local roads for a final assessment.
But is this a not important enough? I'm not sure – despite all these improvements, this is a fairly average car to drive in an ocean of increasingly powerful machines in the traditional C segment. And that before the arrival of the new Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series, which should also move to front-wheel drive in the next generation, to the great fear and disgust of purists around the world.
Perhaps this marks a change in what it means to be a Mercedes-Benz. That it no longer stands for superiority in mechanical engineering or driving comfort – not that the car is mediocre in this respect – but rather to provide the style and panache that buyers demand from nowadays and pack the car with the kind of technologies that make a Silicon Valley engineer weak at the knees.
And in this respect, Class A definitely succeeds. The old car, the warts and everything, has become such a desirable object for the younger generation that is flocking to the three-pointed star these days, and the news is about to follow those tracks. The fact that all these infotainment and artificial intelligence functions are debuting here, and not in the S-Class – the jewel of the lineup – is revealing.
Some will regret this approach, but I do not think it's such a bad thing. There is nothing better to end a bad day than to slip into a cabin that surprises and delight, one that will dazzle you with beautiful big screens and colorful lights glittering in a cold metal trim. Sometimes, even a whiplash on your favorite road can not heal you completely.
The new W177 Mercedes-Benz Class A was launched in Malaysia at the price of RM227,888 for the line A 200 progressive and RM263,888 for the line A 250 AMG. Browse the full specifications and equipment on CarBase.my.
GALLERY: Mercedes-Benz A 200 progressive line in Malaysia
GALLERY: Mercedes-Benz A 250 AMG Line in Malaysia
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