Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 


Adaptive damping for Mercedes A-Class. Image by Mercedes-Benz.

Adaptive damping for Mercedes A-Class
Mercedes facelifts A-Class and offers variable damping and more power for A 45 AMG.
<< earlier article     later article >>

 


News homepage

Newer articles featuring 2015 Mercedes-Benz A-Class

2015-09-16: First drive: Mercedes-Benz A 250 AMG
2015-09-07: Incoming: Mercedes-Benz A-Class

What's all this about?

The Mercedes A-Class 'W176' third-generation is due a facelift, and here it is.

Is it? Looks the same to me.

It is pretty mild stuff all round, mainly incorporating revised light clusters, a subtly different grille - with just solitary bars running to either side of the three-pointed star nose emblem - neatly integrated exhaust tailpipes and some new colours, including a striking metallic green. The interior includes a new twin-tube instrument cluster, some comfier front seats, an eight-inch infotainment screen on the dashboard and fresh trims, finishes and colours. From early 2016, the A-Class will also sport Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink technology.

So it's a range of new engines, right?

Um, again no, not really. They're largely familiar from before, with the restructured Mercedes badging taking effect (so there are no CDIs any more). There's an A 180 d with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine, the A 200 d and A 220 d with the 2.1-litre lump, two 1.6 petrols (the A 180 and A 200) and two 2.0 petrols, the A 250 AMG and the Mercedes-AMG A 45. The 4Matic four-wheel drive system is either available or standard fit on models including and above the A 220 d; a seven-speed dual-clutch DCT automatic gearbox is an option almost range-wide, while the A 220 d, A 250 AMG and A 45 all receive power updates - the first two of just 7hp, to 177- and 218hp respectively. But the A 45, presumably in the wake of the Audi RS 3 Sportback, has been boosted from 360hp/450Nm to 381hp/475Nm, to make it the quickest über-hatch once more.

What are its figures? And the rest of the range, for that matter?

The A 45 can do 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds and goes on to 155mph, while at the other end of the performance scale the A 180 d takes 11.3 seconds to get to 62mph from rest and tops out at 118mph. However, the 109hp/260Nm 1.5 diesel is the eco-champ, naturally, emitting just 89g/km CO2 and achieving 80.7mpg. The A 45 guzzles fuel at a rate of 40.9mpg while spewing out 162g/km CO2.

Is there anything of significant note, then, or is this just a tweaking exercise?

Well, the best news is that adaptive damping is now an option in the upper reaches of the A-Class range. It has a simple and effective pair of modes, which are Comfort and Sport. We've actually sampled the ride quality, admittedly in a simulated environment at Merc's Sindelfingen R&D centre, and we can say that the revised A-Class should traverse a shoddy road a whole lot better than its predecessor. This is good news.

Anything else to add?

Formula 1 fans might wish to get hold of the special Motorsport Edition, which is bedecked in petrol green signature flourishes outside and in to pay homage to the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team. It's essentially a styling package for the A 220 d and A 250 AMG models.



Matt Robinson - 26 Jun 2015


2015 Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Image by Mercedes-Benz.2015 Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Image by Mercedes-Benz.2015 Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Image by Mercedes-Benz.2015 Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Image by Mercedes-Benz.2015 Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Image by Mercedes-Benz.

2015 Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Image by Mercedes-Benz.2015 Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Image by Mercedes-Benz.2015 Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Image by Mercedes-Benz.2015 Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Image by Mercedes-Benz.2015 Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Image by Mercedes-Benz.









www.mercedes-benz.co.uk    - Mercedes-Benz road tests
- Mercedes-Benz news
- A-Class images






Volkswagen unveils hot ID.3 GTX models. Image by Volkswagen.
VW ID.3 GTX reveal
High-performance electric hatchback will be offered in ‘standard’ and Performance guises.
 
VW adds go-faster GTX model to ID.7 range. Image by Volkswagen.
VW ID.7 GTX reveal
The hot ID.7 GTX gets 340hp and all-wheel drive, and it’ll be offered in saloon and estate body styles.
Porsche’s £186,000 Taycan Turbo GT is a 1,108hp electric saloon. Image by Porsche.
Porsche Taycan Turbo GT reveal
New lightweight, more potent Taycan variant is Porsche’s most powerful production car ever.

 
 215 Racing
 9ff
 A. Kahn Design
 Abarth
 Abt
 AC Cars
 AC Schnitzer
 Acura
 Aehra
 AIM
 Alfa Romeo
 Alpina
 Alpine
 Amari
 APS Sportec
 Arash
 Arden
 Ares
 Ariel
 Arrinera
 Artega
 Ascari
 Aston Martin
 Atalanta
 Atomik
 Audi
 Austin
 Auto Union
 Autodelta
 Autofarm
 Autosport
 AVA
 Avatar
 Axon
 Aznom
 BAC
 BAIC
 Bentley
 Bertone
 Bizzarrini
 Bloodhound
 Bluebird
 BMW
 Bosch
 Bowler
 Brabham
 Brabus
 Breckland
 Bridgestone
 Brilliance
 Bristol
 Bugatti
 Buick
 Burton
 BYD
 Cadillac
 Callaway
 Callum
 Caparo
 Capstone
 Carlsson
 Caterham
 CCG
 Chang'an
 Changfeng
 Chevrolet
 Chevron
 Chongfeng
 Chrysler
 Citroen
 Climax
 Connaught
 Cooper Tires
 Corvette
 Cummins
 Cupra
 Dacia
 Daewoo
 Daihatsu
 Daimler
 Dartz
 Datsun
 David Brown
 David Brown Automotive
 DDR
 De Tomaso
 Delta
 Detroit Electric
 Devon
 Dodge
 Donkervoort
 Drayson
 DS
 Eagle
 Eagle E-type
 EDAG
 edo competition
 Eterniti
 Everrati
 Evisol
 Exagon
 FAB Design

 
 Factory Five
 Faralli & Mazzanti
 Fenix
 Fenomenon
 Ferrari
 Fiat
 Fisker
 Ford
 G-Power
 Geely
 Gemballa
 General Motors
 Genesis
 Ginetta
 Giugiaro
 Glickenhaus
 GMC
 Goodwood
 Google
 Gordon Murray
 Gordon Murray Automotive
 Gordon Murray Design
 Gray Design
 Great Wall
 GTA
 GTM
 Gumpert
 Hamann
 Hartge
 HBH
 Heffner Performance
 Hennessey
 HERE
 HiPhi
 Holden
 Honda
 Hulme
 Hummer
 Hyundai
 I.D.E.A
 Icona
 IFR
 Infiniti
 Ionity
 Isis
 JAC
 Jaguar
 Jeep
 Jensen
 Jetstream
 JJAD
 Joss Developments
 Kahn
 Kamala
 Keating
 Kia
 Koenigsegg
 KTM
 Kumho
 Lada
 Lagonda
 Lamborghini
 Lancia
 Land Rover
 Lexus
 Liberty
 Lightning
 Lincoln
 Lister
 Loma Performance
 Lorinser
 Lotus
 LupiniPower
 Luxgen
 Mahindra
 Mansory
 Maserati
 Mastretta
 Maybach
 Mazda
 McLaren
 Mercedes
 Mercedes-AMG
 Mercedes-Benz
 Mercedes-Maybach
 Mercury
 Metrocab
 MG
 Michelin
 MINI
 Mitsubishi
 MMI
 Monte Carlo
 Mopar
 Morgan
 Mosler
 MTM
 Munro
 NAC MG
 Nichols Cars
 Nissan
 NLV

 
 Noble
 Novitec
 Opel
 Overfinch
 Pagani
 Perodua
 Peugeot
 Piaggio
 Pininfarina
 Polestar
 Pontiac
 Porsche
 Praga
 Preview
 Prodrive
 Project Runningblade
 Project Velocity
 Proton
 Protoscar
 Qoros
 Radical
 Range Rover
 Red Bull
 Renault
 Reva
 Rimac
 Rinspeed
 RoadRazer
 Rolls-Royce
 Ronn Motor Company
 Rover
 RUF
 Saab
 SAIC
 Saleen
 Saturn
 Scagliarini
 SCG
 Scion
 SDR Sportscars
 SEAT
 Sin
 Singer
 Skoda
 Smart
 Soleil
 Spada
 speedArt
 Sportec
 Spyker
 SRT
 Ssangyong
 SSC
 Startech
 STaSIS
 Subaru
 Suzuki
 Suzusho
 TAD
 Tamiya
 Tata
 Techart
 Tesla
 The Little Car Company
 THINK
 Thunder Power
 Tojeiro
 Tommy Kaira
 TomTom
 Toray
 Toyota
 Trabant
 TranStar
 Trident
 Tushek
 TVR
 UKCOTY
 Vanda Electrics
 Vauxhall
 Velozzi
 Vencer
 Venturi
 Veritas
 Vizualtech
 VL Automotive
 Volkswagen
 Volvo
 VUHL
 WCA
 WCotY
 Webasto
 Westfield
 Wiesmann
 Xenatec
 Yamaha
 Zagato
 Zarooq
 Zeekr
 Zenos
 Zenvo



 
 






External links:   | Irish Car Market News |

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©