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Next-Gen Mercedes A-Class Testing in the City With Lighter Camo

This might seem trivial, but Mercedes did everything it could to avoid showing the A-Class prototypes too much in public until now. But this one not only put-puts around Stuttgart but also does so wearing less camouflage.
Next-Gen Mercedes A-Class Testing in the City With Lighter Camo 5 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Next-Gen Mercedes A-Class Testing in the City With Lighter CamoNext-Gen Mercedes A-Class Testing in the City With Lighter CamoNext-Gen Mercedes A-Class Testing in the City With Lighter CamoNext-Gen Mercedes A-Class Testing in the City With Lighter Camo
Sure, it's mostly covered up by the wrap, but some areas are showing, and the block covering the whole hood is gone. We called that a picnic table when it was first seen.

We think it's surprising that the headlights don't have dynamic turn signal indicators like Volkswagen just developed for its Golf. The taillights look kind of simple too, so maybe we're not looking at a high-spec model.

With the possible exception of the Peugeot 208, almost all new cars launched in Europe in the past years are larger than their predecessors. This holds true for the A-Class as well, which will be noticeably wider than the outgoing W176 model launched in 2012.

The car doesn't appear to be much longer, but it should be roomier thanks to all the engineering work that's going into the new MFA platform. By moving the engines slightly or placing the seats lower down in the car, they can create more headroom. Also, the trunk should have a larger capacity, and it certainly presents a wider opening.

The stuff we don't see

If you're waiting to buy a €30,000+ hatchback within the next year, we highly recommend looking at our interior spy photos first. This 2018 A-Class will have the same double screen configuration as the big Benz models.

No word yet on the engines that will be offered, but we don't see the base 1.5-liter diesel or 1.6-liter gasser going anywhere. Mercedes flaunted a huge development budget for its next-gen powertrains, so we wouldn't be surprised if those hard-earned billions result in a brand new 2.0-liter turbodiesel finding its way under the hood. That's the kind of engine every premium hatch buyer in Europe expects, right?

A plug-in hybrid version of the A-Class is reportedly under development, though it hasn't been seen yet. As for the A45 model, nobody has seen it yet, but there's a hot hatch model (as in "not a hyper hatch") parading around Germany. The "A40" is expected to take on the Golf R with about 300 ponies.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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