The facelifted Mercedes A-Class has been spied again, with a slightly camouflaged test car spotted on public roads. However, it’s evident that whatever external changes the Three-Pointed Star has in mind for its compact hatch, they’ll be kept to a minimum. There’s evidence that both the headlights and taillights will be tweaked, but from what we can see the overall shape of the units will stay the same. The front bumper will also be reprofiled to keep the A-Class — which was launched in 2018 — fresh for a few more years.
Also upfront appears to be a new grille. However, on closer inspection, it looks like that is merely a dummy cover to hide a possibly revised section. As with other Mercedes models, the grille design has been a key visual element used to differentiate between models and trim packages. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a camouflaged grille on an A-Class either.
The rear section too will receive a new rear bumper, although it would appear only the lower-most section features any design changes. The car spied in these latest images appears to be a true entry-level model, as it lacks the subtle design differences that were seen on the last A-Class prototype spied last month, which may have been an AMG-Line version. Differences include a less aggressive design and the lack of (fake) vents on either side.
We can expect the brunt of the updates to occur inside the A-Class, with updates to the MBUX interface (the A-Class being one of the first Mercedes cars to debut the new tech), and likely a redesigned approach that fits in with the interior design language shown in the new S-Class and C-Class.
Aside from that, the A-Class may ditch the Renault-sourced petrol engines for a new line of Mercedes-Geely co-developed units for hybrid cars. However, these aren’t expected to arrive until 2024. What is possible is the replacement of the 1.3-liter Renault engine with the mild-hybrid 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine found in the new C-Class.
