The 2020 Mercedes-Benz A-Class replaces the outgoing CLA as the least expensive new car available from the brand. The A-Class is better than the old CLA, and it’s less expensive: win-win.
It’s an 8 on our features scale for good standard items and a good touchscreen infotainment system. The standard warranty on all A-Class models is better than many rivals, too. A 4-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty gives new owners peace of mind.
The base A220 sedan costs $33,795, including destination. All-wheel drive is a $2,000 option.
All 2020 A220s get vinyl upholstery, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control, keyless ignition, a panoramic sunroof, 17-inch wheels, and a pair of 7.0-inch screens—a driver information display and an infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
We wouldn’t stray far from those base cars, but a $1,650 premium package upgrades those 7.0-inch screens to a pair of 10.3-inch screens and adds blind spot monitors. Heated seats are a standalone $550 upgrade, and Burmester sound checks in for $850 more. At $36,845 for a front-drive A220, we think we have a pretty good model but would consider $850 more for adaptive dampers, too.
With all the bells and whistles an A220 can cost more than $50,000, and that’s before we’ve even considered the AMG A35, which has an uprated turbo-4.
Mercedes offers heated and cooled front seats, exterior accents, a lowered suspension, driver-assistance features beyond the standard active-safety suite (covered above), satellite radio, a wireless smartphone charger, summer tires, 19-inch wheels, and ambient lighting as upgrades.
The A220 is equipped with Mercedes’ latest infotainment system, called MBUX, that can recognize natural voice commands and, when in range of a cellular data connection, deliver internet-based search results such as where to eat or where to get gas.
MBUX can be controlled via the touchscreen, steering wheel-mounted buttons, a trackpad, or voice commands. The latter is especially finicky; passengers can say “Hey Mercedes” to activate the system but in our experience, just saying the word “Mercedes” can turn it on.
The word “Mercedes” comes up a lot more frequently than you might expect, driving one around and all.
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