Four years after its introduction back in 2018, Mercedes-Benz has now unveiled a mild mid-cycle update to the fourth-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class, which continues to be offered in both hatchback and sedan body styles.
In this case, however, the term ‘mild’ actually means a little more – in a literal sense. Because in addition to the light facelift with several minor design tweaks, the updated 2022 Mercedes-Benz A-Class is also now offered with 48V mild-hybrid electrification across all petrol powertrain options, the only exception being the AMG A 45 S.
While actual output figures are unchanged from before, the new 48V MHEV powertrains come with an additional belt-driven starter-generator (RSG), capable of providing up to 14 hp of temporary boost when needed. Additionally, the RSG also allows for a quieter and smoother engine start-up, as well as a ‘sailing’ feature where the combustion engine is shut off during steady cruising.
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The powertrain offerings for the standard A-Class are unchanged from before, including four petrol, three diesel, and a plug-in hybrid variant. For us Malaysians, we are more familiar with the 1.3-litre turbocharged inline-four-powered A 200 with 163 hp and 270 Nm, as well as the A 250 with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, making and unchanged 224 hp and 350 Nm.
The A-Class’ AMG line-up has also been updated. The AMG A 35 gains the same RSG mild-hybrid system as its other petrol siblings, alongside a new eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox replacing the old seven-speed unit, while the “regular” A 45 model has been dropped, leaving the A 45 S at the top of the pecking order. Just like the other variants, output figures are unchanged for both of these AMG models.
As for looks, it really is just about as mild as it gets. New to the 2022 Mercedes-Benz A-Class are the new headlamps, which have been slightly reshaped and now come with a new single-line daytime-running light signature, alongside a slightly resized front grille, redesigned LED tail lights signature, and reworked bumpers.
The bonnet on the A-Class now comes with two power bulges on all variants for a more aggressive look, while the new wheel designs round up the exterior visual changes. Specifically for the AMG models, the round badge on the bonnet edge now shows an AMG emblem instead of (another) three-pointed star.
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The interior of the new 2022 Mercedes-Benz A-Class is largely unchanged compared to the pre-facelift model, save for the new steering wheel that was first introduced on the new E-Class back in 2020. On the AMG models, the steering wheel also comes with an additional rotary dial for quick access to your performance settings.
Sharp-eyed viewers will notice that the touchpad panel on the centre console has also been removed, replaced by a shallow storage cubby for your smartphone, and joined by a small island of buttons for the Dynamic Select driving mode selector, parking assistance systems, a volume dial, as well as a new fingerprint sensor.
Mercedes-Benz says the new fingerprint sensor is expected to be available from the 1st quarter of 2023, and will function as a quick switch for driver profile selection in the central display, as well as driver-specific settings like seats adjustments. Presumably, the fingerprint sensor will also help authenticate payments in supported countries in the future, as previewed on the all-new S-Class.
Order books for the facelifted Mercedes-Benz A-Class will start in the final few months of the year in Europe, with market launches expected in Q1 of 2023. The model’s Malaysian launch should follow not too long after, although likely to be widely available in the sedan form only; the A-class hatchback is currently only available on an indent-order basis for interested customers, with a higher price tag due to the hatchback model being fully-imported only.
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