Test prototypes have become a much too common sight on Europe's roads, as manufacturers have most body styles and engine configurations to develop. However, it's still kind of awkward to see a fully camouflaged car creeping up on your left side.
What do you do, do you lunge for your smartphone to film it or sit idly, afraid that you might damage a million euros worth of development? Thankfully, Walko ART never misses any opportunities to film the myriad of Daimler and Porsche models testing around Stuttgart.
Today, he caught a glimpse of a car we've seen on multiple occasions, the 2018 Mercedes-Benz A-Class, codenamed W177. And just like before, it's wearing full camouflage, including a huge piece of foam that disguises the entire shape of the hood.
Between the provisional taillights that are glued on top of the camouflage and the disguised bumpers, Mercedes are sparing no expense to hide this brand new generation of the compact hatchback.
But you can tell they've learned a lot from their previous mistakes. For example, the suspension uses taller springs, no doubt to compensate for the unnerved ride of the W176.
Meanwhile, the trunk opens wider, cutting the taillights down the middle. This will give customers better rear visibility, increase cargo room and make carrying larger items like baby strollers and flatpack furniture possible.
Everything is an evolution of the current A-Class, including the platform. But the styling will evolve to copy the latest E-Class. At the front, we'll see a grille that's placed further down in the bumper and an oversized emblem that houses the radar system. We know that some models will have semi-autonomous functions as well.
On the powertrain front, many of the engines will evolve from their current iteration. However, Mercedes have made it clear that no more money will be invested into the 2.1-liter diesel that powers the A 200 d and 220 d, so those will likely get a 2.0-liter mill instead.
The Germans have recently outlined a new twin-turbocharged two-liter four-cylinder engine called M264. It sounds a lot like what we've been hearing about regarding the 400 horsepower A 45 AMG model. But Mercedes isn't releasing any specs.
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. Full profile
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