I think it’s fair to say that aside from a few hits like the 190E, Mercedes-Benz’s entry level car offerings tend to not be as inspiring as the bigger sedans, coupes and roadsters. The best thing about the AMG CLA45 is the motor, and as for the non-AMG CLA... I’d advise you to pass on that one. But Mercedes has a new A-Class small sedan coming soon and it’s headed to America too. We know one thing about it: on the inside, it looks pretty sharp.
We haven’t seen the full A-Class yet beyond that sedan concept, but today Mercedes dropped interior photos and they’re pretty impressive.
Right off the bat, we see it apes the wide rectangular screen that debuted on the much more expensive E-Class and S-Class sedans, and that includes a digital dashboard screen. Also, the steering wheel itself is lifted from the S-Class. It’s hard to call it for sure, but right off the bat it seems to cut down on the cheap, hard plastics and outdated interfaces on the CLA, which has been on the market a few years now.
The CLA, GLA crossover and A-Class hatchback are all mechanically related, though the A-Class has never been sold in the U.S. before. It’s been surmised the A-Class sedan will be sold alongside the CLA sedan, but I don’t expect that to last long given the CLA’s age.
Other tweaks inside include ambience LED lighting, more room and visibility compared to the previous-gen A-Class, available air fans in the seats, and in general less of a rental-car feeling than the CLA has.
I’m eager to see the real thing. I hope they AMG it, too. That’d be fun.