Mercedes has officially revealed the interiors of its fourth-gen A-class, showcasing a largely revamped cabin that is meant to provide a more premium feel.
The new A-class will debut at the 2018 Geneva motor show in March and spearheads Mercedes’ expanded, eight-car line-up based on the same platform.
One of the major highlights of the new A-class is a redesigned interior that borrows bits and bobs from the larger E-class and S-class. The German brand believes that adding luxury and features seen on larger models to smaller ones has great potential in markets that see a growing trend towards downsized cars and urban living.
Speaking to our sister publication Autocar UK, Christoph Eberlein, Mercedes’ compact cars product manager said, “Some people want a small car because they live in a city or need to save space, but they still want to have all the luxury features and options. This is a luxury design for compact cars. Small doesn’t have to be non-premium.”
The model will also come equipped with a greater level of in-car technology and options. Hartmut Sinkwitz, the brand’s director of interior design, says that this was driven by average A-class buyers being younger than those of other Mercedes models.
“There is a general trend for people to spend more on interior options rather than, for example, spending money on a better engine. People spend more time in their cars and want comfort, so their willingness to pay for interior options is growing.”
The redesigned dash features two horizontal sections, split by a divide featuring ambient lighting to create a sense of space. The upper section sports Mercedes’ distinctive twin-screen widescreen cockpit. The entry-level variants will feature two 7.0-inch screens, but a combination of either a 7.0-inch and a 10.25-inch screen, or twin 10.25-inch displays is optional.
Turbine-style air vents feature adjustable ambient LED lighting, which is available with up to 64 colours and 10 mood programmes. The three-spoke, multifunction steering wheel has been borrowed from the S-class and the seats, which now feature optional seat heating and climate control for the first time, are new.
Mercedes will offer the new A-class in three trims in international markets - entry-level Style, performance-themed AMG-Line and Progressive.
Eberlain said the variants, which are customisable with a range of exterior and interior trim and colour options, have moved away from strict price bands. “Style is the most affordable, and AMG-Line and Performance are more fancy, but they’re not directly in a hierarchy,” he said. “They take different inspirations of design depending on your appeal.”
A weakness of the outgoing A-class was its comparatively smaller boot, which has increased by 29 litres to 370 litres. The brand also claims the luggage space has been made more useful by a 200mm wider loading aperture.
Slimmer A, B and C-pillars are meant to improve visibility while Mercedes also claims that maximum headroom in the front has increased by 7mm to 1,024mm.
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