When it’s time for updates, with Mercedes this time around it has come in threes, with the refreshed Merc GLC, as well as the A-Class sedan and CLA hitting our shores.
Well, that’s one way of making an entrance.
The GLC, an SUV that has been on the market for four years, is intended as a modern, strong and versatile care encapsulating spaciousness, practicality and comfort.
Sporty on the outside, with elegant lines, the GLC still manages to deliver the muscular silhouette contours you want in an off-roader. This is carried through to the Coupé version.
The redesign includes LED high performance headlamps now as standard and a heavily contoured radiator grille. On the interior, the infotainment system has gone next level, with learn-capable intuitive control including gestures and voice “hey Mercedes!”
MODERN: Infotainment system is really next level. Picture: Daimler AG.
Driving assistance has been extended, with distance and steer assists as well as automatic braking if driver fails to see oncoming traffic. All new is trailer assist, which helps with that tricky reversing procedure.
Engines include the new generation of four-pot petrol and diesels, with a focus on lower operating costs and improved performance, as well as emissions reduction. The updated GLC is set to further strengthen Merc’s already powerful presence in the upmarket SUV sector, with its seven models.
Then we come to the sedans. Bit of confusion here, as when Merc first announced a sedan variant of its A-Class, the question was, isn’t this just a new CLA then?
SEDAN VARIANT: Mercedes CLA 200 Coupé. Picture: Daimler AG.
In common, both share the company’s compact front-wheel drive architecture and a 2729mm wheelbase, but the CLS is 139mm longer, 34mm wider and 7mm lower.
The A-Class ranges between R533 400 and R604 000, with the CLA between R570 500 and R612 800.
The A-Class four-door comes in the A200 and A250 Sport, with the former getting a 1.3-litre turbopetrol and the latter a two-litre turbo, powering front wheels through a seven-speed dual clutch automated gearbox. Inside, the MBUX operating system that virtually thinks for itself, makes in-car control and infotainment a breeze.
CONFUSION: The A-Class Sedan can actually be classified as just a new CLA. Picture: Daimler AG.
The CLA, on the other hand, has been touted by Merc as the “emotional choice”, what with distinctive Merc styling and emphasised curves, inspired by the larger CLS.
Engine ranges include the 1.3 turbopetrol and a two-litre turbodiesel. The cabin is similar to the A-Class sedan, but now with the primary interface being the MBUX system with intelligent voice control.
So, there it is, a trio of updated Mercedes now available in SA, with the obvious next level stuff being the MBUX system, as car manufacturers make in-cabin control more and more intuitive and easy, as well as the upgraded raft of driver assist features, as the motoring world steers its way slowly but surely toward the self-driving car.