As With Any Premium German Auto

As With Any Premium German Auto

One of the best cars ever is Mercedes A 220 from Germany. Mercedes always involved technology in it's manufacturing operations as well as it's cars. The newest silver star marks the first time Mercedes-Benz has offered its A-Class in the United States. A significant factor in the interface鈥檚 attraction may prove to be its integrated voice control. Instead of summoning Alexa, Siri or Google, the initiating phrase is 鈥?big surprise 鈥?鈥淗ey Mercedes.鈥?Those who grew up with tablets, game consoles and smartphones will likely take to MBUX like ducks to water. For the rest of us, Star Trek鈥檚 tricorder suddenly seems quaint. Mercedes also said MBUX鈥檚 artificial intelligence will, to a certain extent, learn driver preferences and adapt to operators, providing customized suggestions. 2,100 for the A-Class premium package and blind spot assist not only upgrades you to 10.25-inch displays but power-folding side mirrors, auto-dimming driver鈥檚 and rearview mirrors, and hands-free keyless entry. 1,150 multimedia package, meanwhile, adds navigation with augmented reality and traffic sign assist.

The A 220鈥檚 camera detects speed-limit signs, displays the limit and can alert the driver if the sedan goes over that posted speed. The navigation system overlays live images from the forward-facing camera on to the map in real time. 鈥淢illennials will like it. It鈥檚 got great technology,鈥?said Derek M. Brown, vice president of marketing at Mercedes-Benz of Sugar Land. The dealership celebrated the new A-Class with a lively preview Wednesday night at its Creekside at Town Center showroom. 鈥淲e put out an invitation to Instagram influencers, social media influencers, and our First.Class.Access members,鈥?Brown said. With 41,000 Instagram followers and 12,000 fans on Facebook, he said Mercedes-Benz of Sugar Land has the largest social media following of any independent Mercedes dealership in the country. Looking over the A 220 on display, blogger Lynne Caine said the A-Class was 鈥渃ute inside. Marketed as an executive compact, the 2019 A 220 spans 179.1 inches nose-to-tail, sits on a 107.4-inch wheelbase and is 70.7 inches wide. Since we suspect some of you may be wondering, the 1993 Mercedes 190 sedan, its last year in the U.S., was 4 inches shorter than the 2019 A-Class but had a longer 110-inch wheelbase.

The new sedan is almost 3 inches wider and taller than the 鈥渂aby Benz.鈥?The 3,285-pound A-Class is 400 pounds heftier. America鈥檚 A-Class all come standard with a 2.0-liter four that鈥檚 pressurized by a twin-scroll turbocharger and paired with a seven-speed dual clutch automatic. The engine makes 188 horsepower and 221 lb.-ft. The suspension, struts up front and multi-link in the rear, is lowered. The rack-and-pinion steering has electromechanical assist. The front-wheel-drive A 220 is rated 24 mpg city, 35 highway and 29 overall. The A 220 4MATIC鈥檚 EPA fuel economy numbers are close at 25/33 and 28 respectively. As for performance, Mercedes said the 2019 A-Class will do 130 mph, tops, and either version takes 7.1 seconds to hit 60 mph from a dead stop. As with any premium German auto, consumers can outfit their A-Class with a merry-go-round of options. 2,250 driver assistance suite includes dynamic cruise control, steering assist, evasive steering assist, rear-cross-traffic braking, speed limit assist, blind spot and lane keep/lane change assist. 1,090 parking assistance package.

The keywords to activate are: 鈥淗ey, Mercedes鈥? In the presentation, Mercedes explained that the system recognizes plain English statements like 鈥淚 am cold鈥?and casual questions like 鈥淐all my mom鈥? After saying these sentences, the car is expected to act accordingly by raising the temperature or calling mommy. In the time I had with the car, the test failed nearly three out of five times, using various similar questions, even suggested ones. The A220 and I need to spend more quality time together. Being old-school, this is where I always begin when considering a car. It鈥檚 not a question of power or even handling, it鈥檚 about matching expectations. Given the prominent three-pointed star symbol on this car, it needs to behave in a certain way. While I was not-so secretly hoping the A220 to be sharp and dynamic, I can report that it feels every bit like a Mercedes-Benz should. Sounds obvious does it not?

Fact of the matter is that I found the two or three CLAs (excluding the AMG 45) I鈥檝e driven over the years to be so far below Mercedes standards that I鈥檝e simply never liked the car. The A-Class drives big and powerful. It seems purpose-built for cruising and it is far quicker than the turbocharged 2.0-litre鈥檚 188-horsepower and 221 lb.-ft. The twin-scroll turbo-4-cylinder engine produces lag-free torque as of 1,600 rpm and pulls strongly all the way to 6,000 rpm. Meanwhile, the standard 7-speed ducal-clutch transmission 7DCT is constantly working in your best interests. FWD is standard, while 4MATIC AWD is a must-have option for we Canucks. I enjoyed carving country and mountain roads and covering many highway miles in the A220. It is a good driving car. All luxury car brands are striving to put their best foot forward with their entire line of products. Even so, one can always tell where one car stands against another in a showroom. The gaps between the 2- and 3 Series BMW are clear, far more than between the Audi A3 and A4. As I鈥檝e said, the A-Class outclasses the CLA, matches the C-Class and nudges ever so slightly against the E-Class. While that can poses some issues for buyers of all but the A-Class, walking into a showroom and driving away with an A deals no shame. Not only will you have a gorgeous car in your driveway but it鈥檒l have more technology and gadgets than your neighbour鈥檚 6-month old BMW 5 Series and your other neighbour鈥檚 year-old Lexus LS. The A-Class is the full package. Priced right, Benz dealers may have to hire guns to keep rowdy crowds in check once the car arrives. Oh, and in my opinion, the A250 hatchback is an even more tempting prospect. This is the A Game with a one-two punch.