A-CLASS DISTINCTION

The popular Mercedes hatch just got a lot smarter

The all-new A-Class revealed in Amsterdam last week is bigger, better looking and brainier than the car it is soon to replace. Mercedes-Benz’s five-seat hatchback will go on sale in Australia in about August.

According to Mercedes-Benz boss Dieter Zetsche, the shouty styling of the current A-Class was a deliberate ploy to attract attention. Audi and BMW had small hatches in their line-ups back in 2012, and Mercedes-Benz wanted its contender to really stand out.

The new A-Class, with its smoother and simpler lines, is classier. It’s also longer, wider and more spacious inside. Mercedes-Benz’s designers have fixed some of the current car’s flaws. Slimmer roof pillars and larger windows improve all-round vision, and a wider hatch opening makes loading easier.

Inside, instrument and infotainment displays appear on a wide slim screen stretching from in front of the driver to the middle of the dash. It’s a wide window into the German brand’s powerful new MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User eXperience) multimedia tech, which can interpret commands in natural speech.

The A200 variant will be the first to arrive in Australia. It will have a new turbo 1.4-litre petrol engine driving the front wheels through a seven-speed double-clutch automatic transmission. Mercedes-Benz Australia plans to import the new A-Class in auto only.

The A250, with a 2.0-litre turbo, will arrive about the same time. Other variants will follow — a low-price A180 with less powerful 1.4-litre turbo, at least one diesel, plus variants with Benz’s 4matic all-wheel drive.

And there will be two AMG versions, not one. The newcomer, the A35, should reach Australia early in 2019, with the more powerful A45 following six months later.

Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy promises prices for the new A-Class line-up will be only slightly higher than for the current models. This means the A180 will remain below $40,000, the A200 will be in the neighbourhood of $45,000, while the A45 may break through the $80,000 barrier.

The new A-Class is the first in a new generation of Mercedes-Benz small cars.

Technology appearing here for the first time will be the base for replacements of the closely related GLA crossover, CLA four-door coupe and Shooting Brake, the B-Class mini-MPV, and more.

Where there are five members of the current family, Mercedes-Benz says the new A-Class eventually will be joined by seven siblings. One of the eight is sure to be a sedan designed to compete with the elegant and strong selling Audi A3 Sedan.

Competing in the small car market has been a huge success story for Mercedes-Benz, a company that built its reputation with luxurious and costly larger cars. Last year the A-Class-based lines accounted for more than 600,000 sales worldwide. In Australia the small models account for 35 per cent of sales.