Mercedes lifts prices on revamped A-Class
BY RON HAMMERTON | 1st Dec 2015
Although that A45 price is $2100 more than before, the A45 buyer also gets a healthy 15kW/25Nm power and torque boost, taking peak output to 280kW and 475Nm, and thus wresting back bragging rights from the 270kW/465Nm RS3.
Pricing specifications for the Australian-spec A45 were announced today, along with those for the remainder of the facelifted A-Class range that is due to appear in local showrooms in January.
Price hikes of between $1000 and $2300 have been dished out across the line-up, although buyers get more goodies in return.
The new-look A-Class range now starts with the A180 at $37,200, plus on-road costs – a rise of $1300.
The popular A200 goes up $1000 to $42,800 for the petrol version and $43,300 for the CDI diesel.
The upmarket A250 Sport 4Matic cops the biggest rise – $2300 – taking its price to $53,300.
Launched in Europe at the Frankfurt motor show in September, the A-Class’ mid-life facelift delivers subtle styling changes around the nose and tail, including Mercedes’ diamond-cut grille treatment and new LED high-performance headlamps.
For the first time, all models get Mercedes’ Dynamic Select driving system that adjusts engine, transmission, suspension, steering and air-conditioning according to four modes – Comfort, Sport, Eco and Individual.
The system includes adaptive dampers, allowing drivers to choose between a number of settings, including comfort and sport.
The A45 gets AMG’s version of Dynamic Select which includes an extra setting – race mode.
It also features a Dynamic Plus system to further sharpen dynamics. This includes a locking front differential that aids fast acceleration out of bends.
Among the standard features on the A45 are 19-inch alloy wheels, AMG heated sports seats, sporty exhaust, sat-nav and adaptive cruise control.
Now with 280kW of power and 475Nm of torque, the A45 is said to be capable of dashing from zero to 100km/h in 4.2 seconds – 0.2 seconds faster than the current model.
Part of this acceleration improvement is owed to revised gear ratios in the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The second most powerful member of the A-Class line up, the A250 Sport, also gets a performance increase, gaining 5kW of power, to 160kW.
Power and torque outputs for other models are unchanged. These start with the 1.6-litre A180 at 90kW and 200Nm, the 1.6-litre A200 at 115kW and 250Nm and 1.8-litre diesel A200 CDI at 100kW and 300Nm.
Safety systems include drowsiness detection, nine airbags, pre-safe collision preparation, blind spot detection, lane keeping, autonomous braking and an active bonnet.
Even though the A-Class is the most affordable vehicle in the Mercedes range, it becomes the first member of the three-pointed star line-up to get Apple CarPlay. There is no mention of Android Auto.
| 2016 Mercedes-Benz A-Class pricing* | |
| A180 (a) | $37,200 |
| A200 (a) | $42,800 |
| A200d (a) | $43,300 |
| A250 Sport 4MATIC (a) | $53,300 |
| Mercedes-AMG A45 (a) | $77,900 |
