New Mercedes A Class to get 99g/km
When the new Mercedes A Class was revealed at Geneva last week we got plenty of news about what the cracking new A Class has to offer, including the news that there would be a Mercedes first with the new A Class – a 99g/km option.
At the time Mercedes gave us no detail, but its now appears that they are going to use a Renault-sourced 1.5 litre diesel as the basis for the new A Class Eco version – suitably Mercedes sorted.
Mercedes believe that by effectively bolting a ‘CO2 Package’ on to the 1.5 dCi Renault engine they will create an engine that is very much Mercedes and will create a fuel consumption benchmark in the sector.
If Mercedes are going to set a benchmark then they must be aiming for average economy around 80mpg, which compared to the best you can get from the last A Class of around half that is astonishing, even with the standard Stop-Start available across the new A Class Range.
It looks like the rest of the engine range in the new A Class is entirely Mercedes, but the inclusion of a Renault-sourced engine for the A Class is just a tangible sign of the closer co-operation between Mercedes and Nissan-Renault we reported two years ago.
That co-operation will also extend to the platform for the new A Class being utilised by Infiniti for their own new premium compact car and the next Smart and Twingo sharing a platform and drivetrains.
It’s all becoming one big melting pot.
2012 Mercedes A Class Photo Gallery
[nggallery id=983 template=customlinks]
(44 photos – click any thumbnail for full gallery)
Have your say - leave a comment