Mercedes-Benz continues its legacy of innovation and luxury by expanding its compact car family with the introduction of the all-new 2019 Mercedes-benz A-class Sedan. This dynamic four-door sedan, boasting a 107.4-inch wheelbase, combines the sporty proportions of a coupe with the practicality of a sedan, offering impressive interior space and advanced technology. Carrying the torch of the successful A-Class lineage, this sedan model introduces a new level of sophistication to the compact segment, featuring an efficient engine, state-of-the-art driving assistance systems derived from the flagship S-Class, and the revolutionary MBUX – Mercedes-Benz User Experience multimedia system. Set to make its World Premiere in Brooklyn, NY in July 2018, the 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan is poised to capture the attention of the US market upon its arrival in early 2019.
A New Chapter in the Compact Mercedes-Benz Story
The introduction of the A-Class Sedan marks a significant step in Mercedes-Benz’s compact car evolution. Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, highlights the strategic importance of this new model, stating, “Following the successful start of the A-Class, things at Mercedes-Benz are happening in quick succession with regard to the new family of compacts. In response to the wish of many customers, we now offer the A-Class for the first time as a sedan.” This move directly addresses customer demand for a compact yet sporty sedan with a distinct trunk, presenting a compelling alternative in the market and aiming to attract a new wave of customers to the Mercedes-Benz brand.
Mercedes-Benz’s compact car strategy has proven exceptionally successful in recent years, contributing significantly to the brand’s rejuvenation and broader appeal. The launch of the CLA Coupe in 2013 marked a pivotal moment, introducing compact Mercedes-Benz vehicles to the U.S. market for the first time. By 2017, nearly half of Mercedes-Benz compact car buyers in the U.S. were converts from competitor brands, with over 50 percent of CLA customers being new to the Mercedes-Benz family – a testament to the growing allure of these compact luxury vehicles. Building upon the foundation laid by the original 1997 A-Class, which pioneered Mercedes-Benz’s entry into the compact segment, the A-Class Sedan represents the seventh model in this expanding family, joining the ranks of the C, E, and S-Class sedans in Mercedes-Benz’s prestigious sedan portfolio.
Dimensions and Practicality: Compact Outside, Spacious Inside
Despite its compact footprint, the 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan is intelligently designed to maximize interior space and practicality. Key dimensions of the sedan include:
- Length: 179.1 inches
- Width: 70.7 inches
- Height: 56.9 inches
- Wheelbase: 107.4 inches
These dimensions translate to a surprisingly roomy interior, offering generous shoulder, elbow, and headroom for both front and rear passengers. The improvement in rear headroom is particularly noteworthy, ensuring passenger comfort even on longer journeys. Furthermore, the trunk is designed with usability in mind, featuring a large opening to facilitate easy loading and unloading of larger luggage items, enhancing the sedan’s everyday practicality.
Engine and Performance: Efficient Power Delivery
The 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan will be available in two configurations: the A 220 and the A 220 4MATIC. Both models are powered by a responsive 2.0L inline-4 turbocharged engine, delivering 188 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque. This engine is paired with a smooth and efficient 7G-DCT dual-clutch transmission, providing quick gear changes and contributing to both performance and fuel economy. The 4MATIC variant offers Mercedes-Benz’s renowned all-wheel-drive system, enhancing traction and stability in various driving conditions.
Equipment and Features: Innovation and Luxury as Standard
The standard equipment list for the 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan is comprehensive, reflecting Mercedes-Benz’s commitment to providing luxury and innovation even in its compact models. A highlight is the inclusion of the revolutionary MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) multimedia system, featuring a touchscreen interface and advanced Voice Control. Safety is paramount, and the A-Class Sedan comes standard with sophisticated safety systems such as Active Brake Assist and adaptive braking technology, incorporating Hill Start Assist and the HOLD function.
Alt Text: Front view of the stylish 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan showcasing its sleek headlights and diamond radiator grille.
Further personalization is available through unique design and equipment lines, including the standard Progressive line and the optional AMG Line for a sportier aesthetic. An optional Night Package adds further visual distinction with darkened exterior elements. For enhanced convenience, KEYLESS-GO with HANDS-FREE ACCESS will be offered as an option. This feature enables hands-free, fully automatic trunk opening with a simple kicking motion under the rear bumper, ideal for when your hands are full.
Exterior Design: Sensual Purity in a Compact Form
The 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan embodies the Mercedes-Benz design philosophy of Sensual Purity, characterized by clean lines, harmonious surfaces, and a focus on essential forms. The design emphasizes distinct yet flowing surfaces, with reduced lines and precise panel gaps, creating a sophisticated and modern aesthetic.
The sedan’s proportions are inherently dynamic and compact, defined by short front and rear overhangs. The deep greenhouse and compact rear-end contribute to its sporty profile, while the available 17 to 19-inch wheels and pronounced wheel arches give the A-Class Sedan a confident stance on the road. The front-end design is particularly progressive, featuring a low, elongated hood, slim-line chrome headlamps, and torch-like daytime driving lights. An optional single-louvre diamond radiator grille with chrome pins and the iconic central star further enhance the front’s visual appeal.
A precisely sculpted line flows along the shoulder, emphasizing the contoured side volume, while the side mirrors are elegantly positioned on the beltline. The two-part taillamps accentuate the width of the rear, and the rear reflectors are integrated into the modular two-part rear bumper. Depending on the chosen equipment, the rear bumper is available with a black diffuser or with a chrome trim strip and chrome tailpipe tips, allowing for further customization.
Interior Revolution: Avant-Garde Design and MBUX Integration
The interior of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan represents a significant departure from conventional compact car design, embracing a modern, avant-garde aesthetic. Mercedes-Benz has revolutionized the compact class interior, creating a feeling of spaciousness and sophistication that is unexpected in this segment. The dashboard design is the centerpiece of this interior revolution. Designers have eliminated the traditional cowl above the cockpit, allowing the wing-shaped main body of the dashboard to stretch seamlessly from door to door, creating a wide and open feel. The widescreen display appears completely free-standing, further emphasizing the modern design. Sporty turbine-look air vents add another distinctive touch.
Below the main dashboard body, a lower section with floating fenders creates a sense of lightness and spaciousness, with ambient lighting accentuating this free-floating effect. The optional ambient lighting system offers an expanded palette of 64 colors, a five-fold increase compared to previous systems. These colors are organized into ten color themes, enabling spectacular and emotionally engaging lighting displays with dynamic color changes.
Alt Text: Luxurious interior of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan showcasing the advanced MBUX system with dual widescreen displays and ambient lighting.
The fully free-standing cockpit is available in two display configurations: standard dual 7-inch displays or optional dual 10.25-inch displays, catering to different user preferences and budgets.
MBUX – Mercedes-Benz User Experience: A New Era of Connectivity
The 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan is the first Mercedes-Benz model to feature the groundbreaking MBUX – Mercedes-Benz User Experience multimedia system, ushering in a new era of in-car connectivity and user interaction. A key innovation of MBUX is its ability to learn through Artificial Intelligence. The system is highly customizable and adapts to the user’s habits and preferences, fostering an emotional connection between the driver, passengers, and the vehicle.
Depending on the chosen specifications, MBUX offers a range of advanced features, including a high-resolution widescreen cockpit with a touchscreen media display, Augmented Reality capabilities for navigation, a digital instrument cluster display, and intelligent voice control with natural speech recognition, activated by the keyword “Hey Mercedes.” The MBUX touch control concept is comprehensive, integrating touchscreen controls, a touchpad on the center console, and Touch Control Buttons on the steering wheel, providing multiple intuitive ways to interact with the system. A head-up display is also available as an optional feature.
MBUX revolutionizes the in-car user experience with its emotionally appealing features and intuitive control structure. Brilliant 3D graphics with maximum resolution are calculated and displayed in real-time, enhancing comprehensibility and visual appeal.
INTELLIGENT DRIVE: Advanced Driver Assistance Systems from the S-Class
The 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan benefits from technology trickle-down from the flagship S-Class, offering optional state-of-the-art driver assistance systems. For the first time in a compact Mercedes-Benz, the A-Class Sedan is capable of semi-autonomous driving in certain conditions. This capability is enabled by improved camera and radar systems that provide an extended view of the traffic situation, reaching up to 1,500 feet (500 meters) ahead. The system also utilizes map and navigation data to enhance assistance functions.
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC® provides route-based support, predictively adjusting the vehicle’s speed when approaching bends, junctions, or roundabouts. Active Emergency Stop Assist and the intuitive Active Lane Change Assist are also available as part of the Driver Assistance Package, further enhancing safety and convenience.
Active Brake Assist comes standard in the new A-Class, helping to mitigate or prevent rear-end collisions with slower-moving, stopping, or stationary vehicles. The system can even detect crossing pedestrians and cyclists, providing warnings and initiating braking if necessary. Active Lane Keeping Assist warns the driver with steering wheel vibrations if the vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane at speeds between approximately 37 and 125 mph. If a solid line is crossed, the system can actively steer the vehicle back into the lane. In the case of a dotted line, intervention occurs only when there is a risk of collision.
PRE-SAFE® PLUS can detect imminent rear-end collisions. If the vehicle is stationary and a rear-end collision is deemed unavoidable, the system can firmly apply the brakes to minimize the risk of secondary collisions and reduce whiplash injuries.
Passive Safety: Robust Passenger Cell and Modern Restraint Systems
The 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan is the first Mercedes-Benz model developed at the new Technology Centre for Vehicle Safety (TFS), reflecting the brand’s commitment to advanced safety engineering. The vehicle’s structural design incorporates findings from real-world accident research. Every body shell component is optimized for load and stress, considering geometry, material thickness, joining technology, and material quality, resulting in an increased proportion of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel.
The centerpiece of the safety concept is the highly rigid passenger compartment. Extensive use of high-strength, ultra-high-strength, and press-hardened steel results in exceptional rigidity under accident stress, providing robust protection in frontal, lateral, rear-end collisions, and roll-overs.
Driver and front passenger seats are equipped with three-point seat belts with belt force limiters and belt tensioners. Standard safety equipment includes driver and front passenger airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, and window airbags. Notably, the window airbags extend to cover the A-pillar, providing enhanced passenger protection compared to many competitors. Thorax-pelvis side airbags are standard in the front and optionally available for the rear seats.
LED Intelligent Light System: Superior Visibility in All Conditions
The optional LED Intelligent Light System in the 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan exemplifies the transfer of technology from the luxury class to the compact segment. This system enables rapid, precise, and electronically controlled adjustment of the headlamps to adapt to various traffic situations. Each headlamp incorporates multiple individually actuated LEDs. The daylight-like color of the LEDs is designed to be easy on the eyes and enhance driver concentration. The road ahead is illuminated precisely and brightly, improving visibility and safety. LED Headlamps with integrated LED Daytime Running Lamps are standard equipment.
Suspension: Agile and Comfortable Handling
Drivers of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan can choose from various suspension systems to tailor the driving experience to their preferences. Options include a comfort suspension, a lowered comfort suspension with the AMG Line, or an adaptive suspension system. The front axle utilizes a McPherson design, while the rear axle features a multi-link setup. Wheel sizes range from 17 to 19 inches, allowing for further customization of the vehicle’s stance and handling characteristics.
Production and Availability: Global Manufacturing, US Launch Imminent
Production of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan is set to commence this year in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The COMPAS (Cooperation Manufacturing Plant Aguascalientes) joint-venture production plant expands Mercedes-Benz Cars’ compact car production network to five locations across three continents. Production will also begin at the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt Plant in Germany in 2019, which serves as the lead plant for compact cars within the global production network.
The all-new 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan is poised to make its highly anticipated World Premiere in Brooklyn, NY in July 2018, with sales in the U.S. market scheduled to begin in early 2019. This new sedan promises to redefine the compact luxury segment, offering a compelling blend of style, technology, safety, and driving enjoyment.
