Mercedes launches A-Class, AMG A 45 S

Mercedes-Benz India has launched the A-Class Limousine facelift at ₹ 45.80 lakh (ex-showroom, India) and the AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ hatchback facelift at ₹ 92.50 lakh (ex-showroom, India). ). As of now, the automaker has launched only the A 200 petrol sedan in India and the A 220d diesel sedan will be launched later this year.

At the front, the headlights of the facelift A-Class limousine retain the general shape of the pre-facelift model, but have a new design for the LED daytime running lights. It also gets a new-look bumper with redesigned air intakes, and the restyled grille has a slightly thinner chrome slat and honeycomb mesh pattern.

On the sides, the A-Class facelift gets a new design for the 17-inch alloy wheels, but everything else remains pretty much the same. At the rear, the A-Class facelift gets restyled taillights and a chrome trim on the bumper. Previously, this trim was nestled between the two exhaust tips, but now, with the redesign, the trim connects the two exhaust tips.

Moving on to the AMG A 45 S 4Matic+, the handsome hatchback also gets a restyled front bumper with the same headlights as the sedan and the same double-spoke design for its 19-inch alloy wheels. At the rear, the changes have been minimal and the hatchback has a redesigned bumper and taillights.

The interior of the refreshed A-Class hatchback and limousine is very similar to previous models. However, neither feature the touchpad on the center console that was used for the infotainment system. The hatchback and sedan also get new steering wheels with capacitive touch controls. What has been retained from the pre-facelift model are the two 10.25-inch screens, where one is the digital instrument cluster and the other is the touchscreen for the infotainment system. However, both cars now have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay wireless connectivity.

As mentioned, the A-Class Limousine is currently available as the A 200 petrol, with the A 220d diesel coming later. It has the same 1.3-liter turbo gasoline engine that develops 163 hp and 270 Nm of torque. Power is delivered to the front wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It can do the 0-100 km/h run in 8.3 seconds and can reach a top speed of 230 km/h.

On the other hand, the AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ gets the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol to produce 421PS and 500Nm of torque. Power transmission to all four wheels is an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Mercedes-AMG claims that the A 45 S can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 270 km/h.

Like the pre-facelift model, the A-Class Limousine continues to rival the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe (₹43.50 lakh to ₹45.50 lakh). However, the AMG hatchback still has no direct rival in India.