Mercedes-Benz has expanded the fourth generation
A-Class family with the introduction of the A180d. The model is powered by a
turbocharged 1.5-liter (1,461 cc) diesel engine, made by Renault, and it’s
essentially the same unit used in the Dacia lineup, bar the different ECU,
alternator, AC compressor, start/stop function and some other parts.
It comes with a slight power bump and delivers 116 PS and 260 Nm of torque to the front wheels, through a
dual-clutch seven-speed automatic transmission. That’s 16 PS and
20 Nm of torque more than what you’d get in the new Dacia Duster dCi
110.
Mercedes-Benz claims the A180d needs 10,5sec for the
0-100 km/h acceleration and has a top speed of 202 km/h. In
this flavor, the A-Class burns 4.1-4.5 l/100 km (68.9-62.8 UK mpg / 57.4-52.3
US mpg) on average and emits between 108 and 118 g/km of CO2.
Dubbed the OM 608, it’s already available in
Germany, for a starting price of € 31,395.15, which equals US$ 37,315 at the
current exchange rates, tax included. Besides meeting the Euro 6d-TEMP A
emission standard, and being more powerful than the unit used in the
previous-gen A-Class, this engine is also cleaner and quieter – the automaker
states that it comes with an SCR catalyst with AdBlue exhaust fluid.
The new Mercedes-Benz A180d follows the introduction
of two other diesel engines: the four-cylinder OM 654 in the E-Class and the
six-cylinder OM 656 in the S-Class. This sends a clear message that the German
car brand won’t ditch oil burners anytime soon.
