Mercedes A, B & CLA-Class get more frugal engines & new 4MATIC 4WD options

The Mercedes A,B & CLA-Class get more frugal and get new 4MATIC options

The new Mercedes A-Class, B-Class and CLA-Class may not have been with us very long, but that’s not stopping Mercedes playing with what’s on offer with more frugal engines being launched and the option of 4MATIC 4WD being extended to the Mercedes A 200 CDI and 220 CDI. With an official fuel consumption of 54mpg and emissions of 125g/km, the latest Mercedes CLA 250 manages to improve emissions and economy figures by 7 per cent using a lean-burn process, without affecting performance.

The Mercedes A 200 CDI gets a bigger engine – up from 1.8 to 2.2 litres – and 136hp and 221lb/ft of torque and, with the 7Speed DCT ‘box fitted, manages official consumption of 72mpg and emissions of 102g/km – 7g/km less than the old 1.8 litre A 200 CDI.

Mercedes has also played with the A 220 CDI, B 220 CDI and CLA 220 CDI to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy without impacting on performance.

What we also get is new 4MATIC 4WD options for the A-Class, with the arrival of the A 200 CDI 4MATIC and A 220 CDI 4MATIC as the first diesel-powered 4MATIC models in the A-Class range.

The 4MATIC 4WD system for the A-Class has the power take-off for the back axle in the 7G-DCT gearbox and the back axle gets an integrated hydraulic clutch. That means the system is light and can direct torque as needed between the front and rear wheels.

The new and tweaked engines for the Mercedes A-Class, B-Class and CLA-Class are now available to order, but the A 220 CDI 4MATIC won’t be available until June 2014 in the UK, and the A 200 CDI 4MATIC not until early 2015.

By Cars UK