First drive - Merc's alluring A-Class

By Ané Theron

Mercedes-Benz's sexy new A-Class is sporting a whole new look and feel, and is chock-full of new artificial intelligence to simplify your life - but it comes at a price.

A-Class history

Think back to how the first-generation A-Class looked. Loved by pensioners, the frumpily-shaped premium hatchback's most attractive feature was its badge.

A few mild facelifts followed. Then Mercedes-Benz introduced the 2012 A-Class, with hard rock-star looks and suspension to match. Motoring media mostly moaned about how firmly it rode, despite it being very soft on the eyes.

With the 2015 facelift, a few subtle changes could be seen if you looked very carefully, but the hard ride was still there, unless you opted for air suspension, which made the A-Class easier to live with. But, despite this, people were still flocking to dealerships to live 'A-Classy' life. Will the new one be met by the same warm welcome?

A change in the right direction?

Despite playing it safe like they mostly do, the German automaker has overthrown the entire premium hatchback apple-cart once again, ushering in an A-Class that looks completely different. Styled according to the Mercedes-Benz design philosophy which goes by the name of 'Sensual Purity', the new car is bigger than its predecessor, but sheds a healthy 20 kilos, all while looking to be sitting more firmly on the road. Its front end looks classier and more grown-up, with sleek new headlamps that flow discreetly towards the rear. It looks gorgeous!  I can't say that the rear makes me swoon though; plain, pear-shaped taillights lying sideways seem a little unimaginative, considering the hot new face.

The new A-Class boasts brag-worthy aerodynamics thanks to their optional two-section AIRPANEL technology, which is a louvre system behind the radiator grill that opens and closes depending on the passengers' air-conditioning needs. There is also another in the air inlet below the registration plate. Other tweaks that optimise airflow and reduce wind noise include the reshaped front and rear wheel spoilers, as well as the A-pillars and side mirrors. Even the underside has been sufficiently covered to further assist in lowering drag.

And the cabin?

The inside of the A-Class has also been thoroughly revived, with many E-Class accents carried over, as well as an S-Class steering wheel covered in buttons. In all test models, the front fascia mostly consisted of a large, 10.25-inch display (optional at R10 000) that houses the MBUX multimedia system (standard), as well as the digital speedo and rev counter. This is all customisable to your view of choice.  But it's the voice control that takes centre stage in the new A-Class. Mercedes-Benz's new artificial intelligence in the MBUX system (with extended functionality, which is optional), is supposedly able to really get to know you: The way you talk, where you drive, who you call frequently, and so forth. This will further assist in making your life easier, but from what we've seen, it might take a while until this happens.

In the same way you would say "Hey Siri" to your iPhone, you say "Hey Mercedes" to the MBUX system, and give your command. We had a success rate of about 30-40 percent with this. The system understood commands such as "Please demist the front window" or "I'm cold", but had trouble selecting a radio station. The entire MBUX interface will need some getting used to, or an afternoon tutorial by a salesperson to help you understand how to operate it, which further underlines that the new A-Class is very much aimed at younger, more tech-savvy buyers. Even the upcoming TV ads portray A-Class owners as trendy twenty-somethings. But at a base price of 499K for the entry-level A200, you would have to be a trust-fund kid to afford one.

Driving the new A-Class

I'm happy to report that the bone-jarring ride is most certainly a thing of the past. As standard, the A-Class gets comfort suspension with steel springs and Dynamic Select. In Comfort/Eco mode, this does a proper job of equalizing the bumps and imperfections on the road surface, and all-in-all it's a much spine-friendlier driving experience than before. It feels like a different car altogether, and in a good way.

The new 1.3-litre engine (1332 cc, to be exact), could do with a little more zest, and is also a little noisy when you give the accelerator a soulful prod. The standard 7G-DCT transmission also seemed reluctant to cog up, despite us driving in Comfort or Eco mode most of the time. As for fuel consumption - 9 litres per 100 km isn't great either, but I do blame my co-driver's heavy foot for that figure.

Standard features

 Being a premium German hatch, the new A-Class comes well-equipped with safety spec. Autonomous safety systems such as Active Brake Assist is quite the lifesaver, being able to stop all on its own, should a pedestrian or car find itself in front of your A-Class at the wrong time.

Convenience features like Smartphone integration and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto come standard too, as well as a tyre pressure monitoring system, cruise control and rain-sensing windscreen wipers.

High-end semi-autonomous features like Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keep assist etc. cost quite a bit extra, however, and our test model had an extensive list of these options fitted. If you're one to get tempted by all kinds of tech, you can easily spec your A-Class to become very pricey, very quickly.

Make no mistake - I love the new A-Class. It's glamorous, sophisticated and better-looking than ever, and it's sure to sell in droves. But for me, personally, there's nobody who can beat Volvo where user-friendly semi-autonomous tech is concerned. And where the A-Class cabin overwhelms me a little with all its buttons and bling, the Volvo V40's cabin is clean and serene. It may not have the same show-stopping looks, but it's starting price is a R100 000 less...

Pricing

Mercedes-Benz A200 (120kW/250Nm) - R499 000

Mercedes-Benz A250 (165kW/350Nm) - R593 300

The new A-Class sedan as well as the A-Class diesel models will only become available in 2019.

* To read Chad Lückhoff's driving impression of the new C-Class, click here.