It's facelift time for the third-generation Mercedes A-Class, with the exterior and interior looks receiving a light going over. The engines are also tweaked and there's upgraded in-car connectivity, but perhaps the biggest news is hidden in the chassis - true adaptive damping will now be an option on the A-Class for the first time. The updated car should be with first customers later this year.
Exterior
Look, we're not going to lie to you: this is minor stuff in the extreme. The diamond grille at the front of the A-Class now has a solitary bar running to either side of the three-pointed star, whereas there were two previously, while the front bumper is more 'arrow-shaped'. LED High Performance headlights are a cost option (standard on the Mercedes-AMG A 45) and at the rear, the light clusters have been refreshed while the exhaust pipes are integrated into the bumper. New colours, including a striking mid-tone metallic green, are offered.
Interior
More new colours and materials, as well as dashboard trim finishers, are on offer inside. The instrument cluster now has the twin-tube look that is found in other Mercs, while some of the switches are galvanised. The free-standing infotainment display screen is at least one inch larger than before, at eight inches - it's a standard-fit item in the Sport and AMG Line specifications. In addition, the ambient lighting can be cycled through 12 different shades and five levels of brightness, while the seats have been redesigned to be comfier than before. Which they are - we've sat on them, you see, and they're very plush (more on this in a minute). Finally, the A-Class will be available from early 2016 with Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink connectivity.
Mechanicals
Starting with the engines, there are three diesels, two regular petrols and two performance motors. All units are four-cylinder turbocharged motors, beginning with a 1.5-litre diesel in the A 180 d. This has 109hp and 260Nm, leading to best eco-figures of 3.5 litres/100km (80.7mpg) and 89g/km CO2. The trusty 2.1-litre diesel is found in both the A 200 d (136hp, 300Nm, 3.8 litres/100km or 74.3mpg and 99g/km) and the A 220 d (up 7hp from before to 177hp, 350Nm, 4.0 litres/100km or 70.6mpg and 104g/km), the latter available as a 4Matic all-wheel drive model. These three are joined by the 1.6-litre petrols, the A 180 (122hp/200Nm) and the A 200 (156hp/250Nm). Doesn't matter which of these you choose from, the economy and emissions are 5.1 litres/100km (55.4mpg) and 119g/km CO2. Top speeds of all these models range from 190- to 224km/h, while 0-100km/h takes anything between 7.5- and 11.3 seconds.
Above are the A 250 AMG and the Mercedes-AMG A 45. Both are 2.0-litre petrols, the former turning in 218hp (also up 7hp), 350Nm, 6.2 litres/100km (45.6mpg) and 143g/km, with a 0-100km/h time of 6.3 seconds and a 240km/h top whack. But the A 45 is the speed king, having been uprated from its former 360hp/450Nm glory to 381hp and 475Nm. That leads to 6.9 litres/100km (40.9mpg) and 162g/km, but more pertinently 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds and the 250km/h limited maximum. In your face, Audi RS 3. The final point on drivetrain - on many models, a seven-speed DCT (dual clutch) automatic transmission is offered.
But the big news is the adoption of adaptive damping as an option. Dynamic Select is available on various models, which modifies the engine, transmission (if a DCT), steering and air conditioning through four modes (Comfort, Sport, Eco and Individual), but if buyers specify the adaptive damping, the suspension gets included in this too. And it has its own two modes - Comfort and Sport. We've sampled these settings in a simulated environment at Mercedes' Sindelfingen R&D centre (it's where we also sat on the comfy new seats) and we can say there's a notable difference in the car's behaviour between each mode. And it's also a reasonably supple ride, so we look forward to trying it in the real world.
Anything else?
There's a special Motorsport Edition trim you can specify on the A 220 d upwards (bar the A 45), which paints some of the front and rear bumper trim petrol green, then repeats that hue on the rim of the AMG light-alloy wheels. Inside, petrol green can be found on the air vent surrounds and the topstitching is the same colour too. The sports seats in leather and Dinamica microfibre, and the seat belts, also sport this shade. This is to mark the successes of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team, apparently.