What's the difference?
Meet the world’s most aerodynamically efficient passenger car. Mercedes-Benz says the drag co-efficient for this new sedan version of its fourth-generation A-Class is the lowest ever measured for a passenger vehicle.
Which is quite a claim, but you only have to look at it to see how much work has gone into marrying good looks with slippery aero performance.
The A-Class sedan is substantially longer and fractionally taller than its hatchback sibling, but does that mean it’s better, or simply different?
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter range of vans and cab-chassis models competes for buyers in the Light Duty (3501-8000kg GVM) segment of Australia’s highly competitive Heavy Commercial vehicle market.
In 2024 the German manufacturer expanded its diverse turbo-diesel van range by launching a full-electric variant called the eSprinter, which for the first time offered local buyers the opportunity to drive with zero tailpipe emissions.
We recently spent a working week with this unique offering to assess how competently it could fulfil the diverse job requirements of private tradie buyers and fleet operators.
Mercedes-Benz knows its way around a sedan, and this A-Class is a well-equipped, comfortable and efficient city-sized four-door.
But more than that, to my eyes anyway, it’s a perfect example of restrained form matching aero function with beautiful results.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel and meals provided.
With the convenience of back-to-base charging the eSprinter would be well suited to last-mile logistics or other urban delivery roles, as its driving range is ample for many of these urban tasks with the added benefit of zero tailpipe emissions. However, at more than $100K it is a big spend (like its full-electric rivals) so only a thorough cost-benefit analysis can decide if it’s the right choice for your business.