When you can buy the facelifted Mercedes-Benz A-Class in South Africa

Mercedes-Benz has announced the facelifted A-Class, shaking up the formula with new mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid options.

The A-Class will once again be offered in hatchback and saloon body types, with South Africa anticipated to get the A200, A200d, and A250 powertrain options, as well as the AMG variants, just as before.

The new A-Class hatchback and saloon are planned for a South African introduction in the second quarter of 2023, Mercedes-Benz South Africa confirmed to TopAuto. The local pricing and model line-up will be revealed closer to the launch date.

Everything new on the A-Class

Visually, the new models gain a fashionably-redesigned radiator grille with a star pattern, reshaped front air intakes, and the accompanying alloy wheels will now range up to 19 inches in diameter, depending on the variant.

Inside, the new A-Class now has a dual-screen display consisting of a 7-inch and a larger 10.25-inch monitor, which will run the latest Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) operating system.

This system will bring multiple display styles, three modes namely “Navigation, Assistance, and Service”, as well as all previous functions such as media playback, smartphone connectivity, and voice commands.

The option also exists to increase it to two 10.25-inch screens, giving the widescreen unit a floating look, said the automaker.

Standard equipment across all models further consists of a reverse camera, a new fingerprint scanner for the driver, and revised assistance features such as lane-keep assist and active steering control.

The interior now sports a revised Nappa leather steering wheel, too, as well as seats with an embossed Artico upholstery made from recycled fabrics, while the dashboard and instrument panel have a dark carbon fibre finish.

From the Progressive models onwards, LED headlights, seats with lumbar support, a parking package with a 360-degree camera, and a mirror package are also included as standard.

As for the engines, a big shake-up to the A-Class line-up is the fact that the petrol engine range has been electrified, turning them all into mild hybrids.

These four-cylinder drivetrains will be available with either a seven or eight-speed dual-clutch automatic as standard.

A new 48V belt-driven starter generator helps to improve the comfort of the vehicle’s starting procedure, ensuring lower vibrations and noise levels.

Furthermore, it allows for “sailing” with the combustion engine turned off while at a cruising speed with an aim to motivate the owner to drive in a more fuel-efficient way, said the manufacturer.

Another new addition is a set of plug-in hybrid drives, which have an average fuel consumption of between 0.8-1.0l/100km, according to Mercedes.

This is in part thanks to a high-voltage 15.6kWh battery and electric motor working alongside a 1.3-litre, turbo-petrol engine to produce a system output of 160kW and 450Nm.

This ensures that the new plug-in “e” models will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 7.4 seconds and see the speedometer reach 225km/h.

The plug-in models can also be charged with either an 11kW AC or 22kW DC charger, and a 10-80% charge on a DC cable should take around 25 minutes, said the company.

For European markets where the new A-Class will go on sale sooner, the line-up consists of the A180, A180d, A200, A200d, A220, A220d, A250, and A250 e.

However, Mercedes-Benz has not yet confirmed which of these drivetrains are coming to South Africa.

AMG Performance

The new A-Class AMG will feature a model-specific radiator grille, the AMG Affalterbach badge, a reworked front apron, a rear lip spoiler, revised LED lights and exhausts, and a new wheel design.

The interior will additionally have brushed aluminium elements, red contrast stitching on the sage-grey seats, and a steering wheel with AMG-specific features such as a three-stage dynamics controller.

On the technology side, the AMG A35 has the same belt-driven starter generator and mild-hybrid as the petrol A-Class variants, and boasts a total output of 225kW and 400Nm.

An AMG Speedshift eight-speed transmission is then used to send power down to the 4Matic all-wheel-drive sytem, resulting in a sprint time of 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h.

As for the top-spec A45, it packs a total of 310kW and 500Nm, which reduces its 100km/h run to just 3.9 seconds and gives it a higher maximum speed of 270km/h.