A REAL STAR
THE 2019 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS IS A DIFFERENT BREED OF ‘ENTRY LEVEL’
SPLIT, CROATIA •Whether it’s trying to reason with a five-year-old demanding chocolate chip pancakes for dinner, or trying to understand why a luxury automaker like Mercedes-Benz insists on pushing its lineup down-market into more, shall we say, “realistic” price points, you can’t help but ask ‘Why bother?’
The main issue with this niche is that it’s difficult to see the value in these cars. Where a base B or CLA start just above the $35,000 mark, many lesser-priced compact cars match these two in terms of refinement, and handily outdo them as far as standard equipment goes.
But the A is a different breed of “entry level” Benz. It seems as though Mercedes has learned a lesson or three from the B, CLA and GLA, because the A is legitimately worthy of the badge.
When it hits Canadian dealers this November as a 2019 model, the A-Class will be available in one flavour: the A 250, powered by a slightly evolved version of Mercedes’ familiar 2.0-litre turbo-four.
But that’s OK, because the A 250 makes a healthy 221 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. It’s a punchy little engine, more than enough juice.
It drives like a Benz should. Fitted with the upsized 19-inch wheels, the A 250 can get a little jittery over rough patches and you might notice some extra whistling around the sunroof, but it’s otherwise fairly quiet and it soaks up bumps quite well. On twisty roads, while there are more fun cars out there for the price, the A 250 takes a corner quite well. Base A 250s will have front-wheel drive, with four-wheel available as an option.
The A-Class is not flawless; there’s some hard plastic in a few places, and the sun visors and steering column stalk feel chintzy. But the bits that do matter are soft to the touch, the knurled switchgear on the steering wheel and climate controls add character, and the seats are supportive.
The A-Class is roomy; headroom is plentiful all around, but tall front occupants might compromise rear-seat legroom. The A can swallow 370 L of cargo behind the rear seats. It doesn’t have the supple leather of an S-Class, or the classy open-pore wood of pricier Benzes, but the A’s cabin is miles ahead of its entry-level siblings. Don’t expect a standard heated steering wheel; it’ll be optional. Come on, Mercedes — a heated wheel is standard in a $20,000 Kia Rio.
What is lifted straight out of pricier Benzes is the pair of crisp digital displays spanning most of the dashboard. Two seven-inch screens are standard, but you’ll have the option of upsizing them to 10 inches. This is the basis for MBUX, the automaker’s new infotainment system. You can configure the all-digital gauge cluster to display a ridiculous amount of information, from almost nothing at all to full or partial maps, trip information, fuel consumption data, etc.
The central screen is more traditional in its operation, handling climate control — don’t worry, there’s a set of hard buttons below — along with GPS inputs, vehicle settings, etc. It’s controlled via touch screen — finally! — or a touchpad on the centre console. It’s intimidating at first, but if you’ve spent any time with a smartphone, you will get the hang of it.
Best of all, MBUX will be standard. No analog gauges for base cars. No COMAND system for base cars. No forcing you to pony up extra cash for a higher trim just to get the good infotainment system. This almost makes up for the lack of a standard heated steering wheel. A sharp and equally customizable head-up display, that admittedly doesn’t take too kindly to polarized sunglasses, will be available as a special-order option.
MBUX also includes a new voice-command system, activated by saying, “Hey, Mercedes.” If you can accept the somewhat creepy fact that it’s always listening to you, it’s actually one of the more natural voice-command systems out there, in that you don’t have to speak to it like a robot to make it function properly. It lets you handle most functions hands-free, such as phone calls, climate control, and setting navigation destinations. It even tells a joke or two, and learns certain habits. So, if you call your parents in the car every day or drive to the gym often, it’ll remember the time of day and suggest you do those things. That said, the results can be spotty and phrasing certain commands a certain way will trip it up.
Naturally, the A-Class is full of active safety features: Adaptive LED headlights, blind-spot monitoring, a 360-degree camera … you get the idea. Certain features, such as an overzealous lanekeep assist system, won’t be available in Canada. Other features, including Mercedes’ semi-autonomous Distronic cruise control and traffic-sign recognition, won’t be available at launch. And other features, including LED headlights, will be standard.
The 2019 A-Class won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. It has appeal for those inseparable from their smartphones. Plus, with the 2019 model year being the last (in North America, at least) for the B, Mercedes needs a hatchback. But not all of the A’s impressive tech will be standard for the estimated $35,000 base price. Mercedes is still working out the final details and packages for Canadianspec cars. The only way to fully appreciate the 2019 A-Class is to go all-out with the options. This is an entrylevel Benz finally worthy of the three-pointed star on the trunk. And grille. And wheels. And steering wheel.