Next-gen Mercedes-Benz A-Class interior revealed

Ever sat in a Mercedes-Benz A-Class and thought that it didn’t quite align with the rest of Mercedes’ passenger cars as far as quality and design was concerned? Did that iPad-esque infotainment screen, seemingly slapped onto the dashboard as an afterthought, ever jar you?

Well take a good look at the cabin of the next-generation A-Class. Set to arrive in Australia around the middle of next year, the new A-Class will add a sedan bodystyle for the first time in the nameplate’s history and kick its interior presentation to new levels of luxury.

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While it won’t carry the same sloping centre stack design that Benz has applied to the C-Class, E-Class and S-Class, the A-Class will benefit from plenty of trickle-down luxe elsewhere in its cabin. The jet tailpipe-like air vents, for example, should be familiar to anyone who’s been in an E-Class or S-Class, while the twin-screen instrument panel and infotainment display treatment is another E- and S- hallmark – albeit without the binnacle enclosure to shield those big high-res screens from the sun.

The infotainment interface has also been comprehensively rejigged, with the familiar Comand jog dial replaced with a flat touchpad surface on the centre console. A slimline ventilation control switch block sits between the cupholders and centre vents, and the steering wheel is an S-Class item.

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The dashboard demos Mercedes used to tease the new A-Class are, of course, intended for high-grade variants, however it’s expected that all variants will utilise a twin-display configuration – it’s just the size of the screens within it that will vary, with base grades receiving seven-inch displays, mid-spec variants getting a seven- and ten-inch combo and flagship models taking a twin ten-inch setup.

Cooled seats will also be available for the first time in an A-Class, but Benz hasn’t just focused on toys and gadgets. Responding to criticism of the current car, it has pledged that the new A-Class will boast more rear seat legroom, improved outward visibility and more luggage space than before.

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