Countless months of spy photos are finally coming to an end as Mercedes is unveiling the A-Class facelift. Seen here in both hatchback and sedan body styles, the compact luxury car plays a game of spotting the difference with its mid-cycle revision. Mildly reworked headlights with optional LEDs flank a redesigned grille with tiny three-pointed stars. At the back, the German premium brand has installed a new diffuser and standard LED taillights.
Four new wheel options have been added and these go up to 19 inches, including an AMG Line set with a glossy black multi-spoke design. Mercedes is also offering a variety of fancy paint jobs from the Manufaktur catalog with matte and metallic finishes. Inside, the updated steering wheel comes wrapped in Nappa leather as standard while the center console gets some minor revisions. The latest MBUX continues to work with a seven-inch driver's display that can be upgraded to a 10.25-inch diagonal to match the touchscreen.
2023 Mercedes A-Class facelift
As far as the oily bits are concerned, the gasoline engines have received the mild-hybrid treatment and work with seven- or eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions as standard. The 48V tech provides an extra 13 horsepower (10 kilowatts) of power at the start. For the plug-in hybrid, the electric motor now delivers an extra 7 hp (5 kW) for a grand total of 107 hp (80 kW). Owners can juice up the battery with alternating current at up to 11 kW or with direct current at 22 kW, in which case it takes 25 minutes to charge from 10 to 80 percent.
Mercedes is also unveiling the AMG versions with the A35 available in hatchback and sedan formats while the A45 S remains a five-door-only affair. The lesser of the two spicy models from Affalterbach receives styling changes that bring it closer to the range topper. The AMG A35 gets a mild-hybrid system and transitions to an eight-speed DCT replacing the previously used seven-speed transmission. Output remains unchanged, at 302 hp (225 kW) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque.
The 2023 AMG A45 S receives a Street Style Edition with an assortment of visual enhancements. The limited-run version is painted in Mountain Grey Magno and gets an aero kit as well as new 19-inch matte black wheels with red brake calipers. You'll notice the retro-flavored body decals along with bright orange accents on the inside where there are aluminum trim elements.
The hot hatch soldiers on with 416 hp (310 kW) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft), but it's no longer the most powerful four-cylinder engine installed in a production car. Mounted longitudinally in the new AMG C63, the very same M139 generates a whopping 470 hp (350 kW) and 545 Nm (402 lb-ft). The lesser version of the four-pot helps the AMG A45 S hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds and max out at 168 mph (270 km/h). It'll be interesting to see whether there are plans to put the more potent motor into the compact car, but we wouldn't get our hopes up too high.
