After a launched troubled by the infamous Scandanavian ‘elk’ avoidance test, three and a half years and 550,000 units produced, Mercedes-Benz has updated its tiny entry-level A-class but you’ll have to look closely to spot the changes.
Four grille bars instead of three, clear headlight lenses, new bumpers and wheels, reshaped side mouldings and restyled tail lights (with smoked lenses on the sporty Avantgarde version) are the main exterior changes.
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Inside, customer gripes about an awkward-to-reach stereo and cheap-looking plastics have been addressed by swapping sound and heater system control locations and using swish-looking new plastics made the same way as the furnishings in the plush S-class.
Door casings have been restyled and wood veneer inserts also make an appearance in Elegance versions for the first time.
Mercedes has enhanced the standard electronic stability programme with a new version of its Brake Assist help-you-stop-in-time feature and added new options including side window airbags, air conditioner with humidity sensor, automatic windscreen wipers, auto-dip interior mirror and heated screenwash nozzles.
The petrol engines are unchanged but the power output of both diesel engines has been boosted and their fuel economy improved.
