2021 Mercedes-Benz A250e plug-in hybrid arrives with price hike up to $13,000

Mercedes-Benz has announced a plug-in hybrid version of its A-Class small car range is now available in Australia offering up to 73km of electric driving.

Dubbed the A250e, it’s available in both hatch and sedan body styles and pairs a 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine offering 118kW/250Nm with a 75kW/300Nm electric motor.

Its combined system output is 160kW and 450Nm — driving the front wheels — sending the hatch from 0-100km/h in 6.6 seconds and the sedan 0.1 seconds behind.

It’s also the only A-Class variant apart from the AMG A 45 hot hatch to score an eight-speed automatic transmission, while it’s the only Benz to use the electric motor to start the combustion engine, rather than a separate 12-volt starter.

Claimed fuel consumption is 1.6L/100km, while emissions are measured as 34 grams per kilometre.

Prices start at $63,400 for the hatch and the sedan adding an additional $2600 — making the A250e the most expensive non-AMG A-Class variant.

It is specced the same as the front-wheel-drive A250, meaning the plug-in hybrid tech adds a rather eye-watering $12,700-$13,000 to the price, despite the A250 FWD offering a comparable 165kW/350Nm.

Owners can spend extra installing charging units in their home, either a $1250 7.4kW wallbox or, fir the first time for a Benz plug-in, a $1490 DC charger which can charge the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 25 minutes.

Unlike some other plug-ins based on conventional cars, Merc says the A-Class was designed to accommodate a PHEV drivetrain from its conception — resulting in little compromise.

To minimise the impact on boot space, the fuel tank has been reduced from 43 litres to 35 litres and the exhaust system and a rear muffler is housed in the transmission tunnel, with a centrally positioned exhaust outlet under the floor.

The result is the A250e hatch’s boot space dropping from 355 litres to 310, while the sedan is harder hit with a 75-litre drop to 355 litres.

Drivers can select the usual comfort, eco and sport modes, but also ‘Electric’ and ‘Battery Level’.

Electric uses the electric motor as often as possible, only engaging the combustion engine if the driver plants the accelerator.

The braking recuperation strength can also be selected via paddles behind the steering wheel when in this mode, while Battery Level will maintain the battery’s current level of charge.

Both the hatch and sedan are on sale now.

2021 MERCEDES-BENZ A250e SPECIFICATIONS

• Price $63,400 (hatch); $66,000 (sedan)
• Engine 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol plug-in hybrid
• Output 160kW/450Nm (combined)
• Transmission Eight-speed automatic
• Fuel Economy 1.6L/100km
• Electric range 73km