Mercedes-Benz A250 to launch in limited numbers

BY JUSTIN HILLIARD | 12th Oct 2018

MERCEDES-Benz Cars Australia/Pacific has confirmed its warmed-over A250 small hatch will join the A-Class range before the end of this year, with it to be priced sharply from $49,500 before on-road costs but only “available for a limited time”.

Speaking to GoAuto, Mercedes-Benz Cars Australia/Pacific head of media relations and product communications Jerry Stamoulis explained the reasoning behind the limited nature of the A250 from launch.

“We’ve managed to secure some stock which is the same specification that we have with the A200 currently, and we managed to secure some stock with the A250 engine and 4Matic (all-wheel drive) to see out the rest of this year,” he said.

“Next year, we will announce some other models in the A-Class range, including the A180 and other A250 variants, but we won’t go into that just yet.”

While Mr Stamoulis could not be drawn on how many examples of the A250 launch variant will be available to Australia buyers, he suggested supply is strong.

“It’s a significant amount that we’re confident will appease the demand … in the market for an A250 model before the end of the year,” he said.

Given it shares its specification level with the current A-Class range-opener, the A200, the A250 could return on a full-time basis next year with more standard equipment and a higher starting price.

This would explain why the cost of the A250 launch variant is $5700 – or a massive 10.3 per cent – lower than its predecessor’s, making it just $4010 dearer than the forthcoming 180kW/370Nm Volkswagen Golf GTI.

As reported, the A250 is motivated by 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 165kW of power (+5kW) and an unchanged 350Nm of torque.

Thanks to its 4Matic system and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the A250 can sprint from standstill to 100km/h in 6.2 seconds (-0.1s), while its fuel consumption on the combined cycle is 6.6 litres per 100 kilometres (-0.1L/100km).

In this application, 4Matic is front-biased but capable of sending up to 50 per cent of torque to the rear axle. Additionally, the driver can use the A250’s Dynamic Select driving modes to adjust all-wheel-drive settings while on the move.

The A250 also trades in the A200’s torsion-beam rear suspension for a four-link set-up but still comes standard with the latter’s 18-inch alloy wheels and LED headlights.

Inside, two 10.25-inch displays are powered by Mercedes-Benz’s new MBUX infotainment system, while satellite navigation, keyless start, wireless smartphone charging and nine airbags are also found.

Advanced driver-assist systems extend to autonomous emergency braking, active lane-keep assist, active blind-spot monitoring, park assist, high-beam assist, traffic sign recognition and a reversing camera.

Sales of the A-Class have taken a significant hit this year in the lead up to the fourth-generation model’s release, with the 3221 examples sold to the end of September representing a 15.3 per cent decrease over the 3802 deliveries made during the same period in 2017.

Despite this downturn, the A-Class continues to be the best-selling small car in the $40,000-plus segment, outpacing the Audi A3 (3180 units) and BMW 1 Series (1969), among others.

2018 Mercedes-Benz A-Class pricing*