The Mercedes A-Class Saloon Is A Tech-Laden Mini E-Class
“The Mercedes A-Class saloon?” We hear you cry with befuddlement. “Isn’t that a CLA?” We can see why you’d think thusly, but no - Mercedes, the great lover of niches, is apparently still making a CLA, along with this new A-Class Saloon.
It actually gets more complicated, too: the car you see is actually the A-Class L Saloon, a Chinese-market specific model revealed today at the Beijing Motor Show. The version for the rest of the world will look pretty much the same, but have 60mm shorter wheelbase.
Other than the styling, a slightly bigger boot (420 litres as opposed to the hatchback’s 370) and more knee room for the rear-seat passengers, it’s mostly as-per the regular A-Class. Not necessarily a bad thing - we drove one a few weeks ago, and found it to be a much more impressive package than the old car.
There’s the same MBUX infotainment system based around two big display screens (the left one is there in place of a traditional instrument cluster), the option of 64-colour ambient lighting, and that lovely trio of “turbine-look’ air vents.
In terms of engines, you can have a Renault/Mercedes joint-developed 1.33-litre inline-four with either 134bhp or 161bhp, and there’s also a 188bhp 2.0-litre unit with clever-sounding things like “trumpet honing” and “Camtronic variable valve timing.” Neat.
The car will be built via a joint venture between Daimler and BAIC Motor called Beijing Benz Automotive Co, going into production during the second half of 2018. Around the same time, the shorter wheelbase version for other markets will be revealed.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Audi A3 sedan is that you?
No, just a worse version. (Except maybe the design of the interior…)
Honestly
Although I actually like the design of the new A-Class (the hatchback), I think this saloon is ugly, especially the rear.
I’m actually the polar opposite of you. I despise the styling of the new A Klasse but the ass on this saloon looks pretty decent
Did someone take a E-class saloon and washed it with too hot water, or how else could anyone come up with this design?
Or the designer showered too hot and his brain shrank due to that XD
Uhm, what about cla then
Erm, opening paragraph…?
meanwhile in China…
“b-b-but we still make the 2-series…”
Well the 1 series sedan is a 4 door, and the 2 series a 2 door, so there is at least a difference. But both the cla and the a sedan are 4 doors, which makes them the same…
Audi is calling and they want their rs3 back
A-Class saloon alongside the CLA…. what a mess.
Not really, A class sedan is sedan, CLA would be a liftback
People these days, we are definitely too spoiled
Why does chinese have many cars with “Long wheelbase”?
Makes it more appealing, so more people are willing to buy them. The Chinese have a thing for saloons
The design of many new mercedes models is really disgusting for me , boring lines without any form of originality, they’re just the shadow of the incredible designs of the older mercedes :/
I agree 100%
Heard you wanted a smaller Mercedes…so we made a smaller one and then made it bigger