Mercedes-Benz Malaysia teased two new models over the weekend, and the images are above. One says ‘Time To Turbocharge Your Every Day’ and the other reads ‘Discover A Class Of Your Own’. What could these two new ‘Coming Soon’ entrants be?
The turbocharged car comes with the caption “Make a statement on the road. Experience maximum driving pleasure and exhilaration that perfectly introduces you to the thrilling world of Mercedes-AMG,” so we know it’s an AMG model. The other post caption reads “Meet your new every day companion and bring a touch of class to your drive. From intuitive tech to inviting luxury – elevate your every day into something special”.
Our guess is that this is the A-Class facelift, which first surfaced in October 2022. Currently, the A-Class is sold in Malaysia primarily as the V177 sedan with three variants: A200 Progressive Line, A250 AMG Line and the AMG A35 4Matic, all of which are CKD locally assembled. The only way to get the W177 hatchback is to take the big step up to the CBU imported AMG A45S 4Matic+.
One detail that might have made the teaser more difficult to guess is the LED daytime running lights – the ones here are single brows, while this generation of A-Class is known for inverted L-shaped DRLs. Well, that’s one of the biggest changes for the facelift, which otherwise is very mild.
The revisions include new headlamps (optional LEDS) that have been slightly reshaped and feature the said new DRL signature. Elsewhere, the bumper gets a different lower intake shape, while the hexagonal main grille has been resized.
The standard non-AMG package look features small ‘side intakes’ at the edge of and a black grille insert. With the AMG package, the bumper sports a more expressive ‘A-wing profile’, larger faux side intakes and a grille that’s full of tiny three-pointed stars. At the back, the AMG pack sports faux corner outlets and a diffuser element sandwiched by chrome exhaust finishers.
Both the hatch and sedan retain their taillight shapes, but the LED signatures have been tweaked, just like at the front. All facelift A-Class variants, AMG pack or not, get two power bulges on the bonnet.
Inside, it’s a familiar dashboard layout, but the touchpad linked to the infotainment system has vacated the centre console. In its place is a shallow storage cubby, buttons to access Dynamic Select and parking assistance systems, a volume dial and a new fingerprint sensor. The latter allows for quick biometric authentication of the driver, but we’re not sure if it will be available in Malaysia.
The conjoined screens are powered by the latest version of the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX), which delivers a range of connected services, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, as well as selectable display styles. With the optional Driver Assistance Package, Lane Keeping Assist is improved with the support of Active Steering Control. The Parking Package now supports longitudinal parking and offers, among other things, a 360-degree camera with 3D images.
Under the hood, all petrol engines now come with a 48-volt mild hybrid system that integrates a belt-driven starter-generator (RSG), providing up to 14 PS of assistance when setting off and improved coasting. Full details on the W177/V177 A-Class facelift here.
No change in output for the facelifted AMG models – the hatchback-only A45S 4Matic+ persists with 421 PS/500 Nm for a 0-100 km/h time of 3.9 seconds and a 270 km/h top speed. The ‘regular’ S version with 387 PS/480 Nm has been scrapped.
As for the A35 4Matic – available as a sedan and hatchback – the M260 engine gains the RSG of lesser models but quoted outputs remain unchanged at 306 PS/400 Nm. However, the previous seven-speed AMG Speedshift 7G dual-clutch transmission has been been replaced by an eight-speed unit. 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds and top speed of 250 km/h – both unchanged. More on the high-performance models here.
For a recap on the outgoing A-Class models in Malaysia, check out the A200 Progressive Line, A250 AMG Line and AMG A35 4Matic sedans, as well as the AMG A45S 4Matic+ hatchback. Stay tuned for the impending launch.
GALLERY: 2023 Mercedes-Benz A-Class facelift
GALLERY: 2023 Mercedes-AMG A45S 4Matic+ facelift
GALLERY: 2023 Mercedes-AMG A35 4Matic facelift
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Nothing special
But poor reliability
250k for a car that looks like a early 2000’s hyundai. pass. a class tak ada class.
Why would i buy this over Mazda 3?
Yeah. Mazda 3 interior still looks fresh and reliable than this tin kosong car
why mercedes and bmw facelift look so mehh. want to copy hyundai and kia ke? look audi. evergreen design. even 2015 audi a5 looks better than this.
Mercedes is one of the ugliest design in its class. Not really pretty mercedes cars nowadays
Front wheel drive ?!? Speechless……
Not pretty car for sure. BYD Atto3 is better than this. Even Porsche, BMW and Audi looks way better than tis rubbish car
250K for a timebomb and money pit?? No thanks. I can buy a BYD and still have plenty of spare change and minus all the maintenance headache an ICE car would have especially European made ICE cars