It’s interesting how careful Mercedes-Benz worded this teaser of a press release about the forthcoming A-Class Sedan as it will share the lowest drag coefficient value (at 0.22 Cd) with one other production car when it launches end of this year, i.e. the current generation BMW 5-Series.
But because it has a smaller frontal area compared to the BMW, and through extensive sealing of gaps and a clean underbody, the A-Class Sedan ‘thereby defends the original world record of the CLA Coupé’ by virtue of having the lowest drag of any production vehicle in the world. Do note that before the 5-Series came along, the CLA Coupe had already reigned with a Cd value of 0.22, which is astonishingly more slippery than eco-specials such as the Toyota Prius and Hyundai Ioniq (both at 0.24), even the Tesla Model 3 and the Audi A4 at an excellent 0.23.
Which brings us to the second interesting point; does this mean the A-Class Sedan replaces the CLA Coupe? Word on the street says this may not be the case, even though Mercedes-Benz calls the A-Class Sedan a ‘four-door notchback’, which for all intents and purposes describes the current CLA Coupe. Surely, if there’s going to be a replacement for the CLA, it must have a sloping hatch door at the back instead of a boot lid like it has today, or like the new A-Class L sedan we saw a few months ago in China.
Unlike the China-specific long-wheelbase version, Mercedes-Benz also revealed that the new A-Class Sedan will share the same wheelbase measurement as the hatchback at 2729mm – a 29mm increment over the last generation model, along with ‘top of its segment’ rear headroom. More of the A-Class Sedan is expected to be teased in the coming months.
