For the first time in Mercedes-Benz history, the C-Class isn’t the most affordable saloon it has on sale in Malaysia. That honour now goes to the A-Class ‘Limousine’, which is essentially a W177 A-Class hatch that’s been rebooted… with a boot.
At 4,549mm long, the V177 A-Class is 130mm longer than the hatchback. Within that length is a cabin that offers 944mm of rear headroom and a 420-litre boot with a 950mm-wide aperture for easy loading and unloading. So it’s very practical. But there’s more to the A-Class’s new form than its versatility.
The extended rear end of the A-Class sedan makes it more slippery through the wind than the hatchback. In fact, its drag coefficient value of 0.22 matches the production world record set by the CLA Coupe. But since the A-Class has a smaller frontal area than its sleeker sibling, the sedan technically boasts the lowest aerodynamic drag in the world as far as mass-produced cars go. That’s something to discuss at your next ‘teh tarik’ session…
Such dynamic qualities would make for an interesting car once AMG gets its hands on the booted A-Class. Until then, we have two textbook gasoline engines to choose from: a 1.3-litre turbo for the A200 and a bigger 2.0 for the A250. It’s practically the same selection with the hatchback, with the former developing 163bhp and 250Nm while the latter charges ahead with 224bhp and 350Nm of forced-inducted torque.
On the straights, the A200 will do 0-100kph in 8.1 seconds all the way to a top speed of 230kph while the A250’s stats read 6.3 seconds and 250kph.
In Malaysia, the A200 is offered in Progressive Line trim while the A250 gets all dressed up in AMG Line kit. There are some differences in look and feel but Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has been generous with the standard kit, which includes Multibeam LED headlights, MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience and keyless ignition across the range.
Priced at RM229,888, the V177 Mercedes-Benz A200 Progressive Line costs just RM2,000 more than the W177 hatchback. The A250 AMG Line tops the range at RM267,888 – a RM4k premium over the hatch. All prices are on-the-road without insurance, and include a four-year unlimited-mileage factory warranty.
