A-Class (W176) [Official] Mercedes-Benz A-Class (W176)

[Shillo]

I dont like the sounds of a 'Happy Wash', Shillo.. I'm hoping its not one of them..One would think ( hope ) that Mercedes would take great care when handling these cars.

LOL well it was definitely a foaming brush I saw being used !!

 

[Shillo]

My dealer told me my A250 is on track for delivery end of May to Mid June. Would you think he would have the VIN yet? Are there still any Australian bound A250 made in Germany or are all A class made in Finland now?

I wonder if I am the rare few who ordered the car without the comand pack? I always use my phone for navigation which has far better google search/calendar integration than any GPS out there. I was tempted to include Comand because I wanted the bigger screen but I can''t justify spending $3300 for just the screen size upgrade. Anyone else thinking of swapping the factory 5.8" screen to a bigger screen?

It's a bit more than just a "bigger screen" FYI see below;

The Sound of a New Generation
The all-new Mercedes-Benz® A-Class has been equipped by Harman Kardon® with an individually adapted sound system that offers greater efficiency and increased dynamics. The sound reproduced by the Harman Kardon surround sound system has been tailored to suit the music tastes of a younger target group and optimized for smartphone integration. The sound files stored in the smartphone are specially processed by the 450-watt, 9-channel, high-performance DSP amplifier using integrated Logic 7® surround sound audio processing for a perfect sound experience. Twelve optimally positioned speakers bring rock, pop and dance to life – dynamically and with perfect spatial qualities, crystal clear trebles, impressive midrange tones and a powerful bass. The increased efficiency of the speakers and the digital amplifier technology also deliver excellent sound quality at higher volumes, without distortion and with reduced energy consumption.

Powerful Bass, Greater Dynamics and a More Spatial Feel
Twelve highly specialized Harman Kardon speaker systems deliver a stunning and dynamic sound experience in the all-new A-Class. Located in the doors at the base of the exterior mirrors and in the rear doors, four 43 mm tweeters brilliantly present the high-frequency sound range that is crucial for the spatial correlation of voices and instruments. A brand new 80 mm ALumaprene center speaker in the dashboard defines the mid-section of the acoustic sound stage, while each of the four doors also houses a 165 mm ALumaprene low-midrange speaker with rapid membranes and powerful magnet systems for the precise, dynamic sounds of guitars, horns and drums. Two 80 mm ALumaprene surround sound, midrange speakers in the C-pillars bring a stunning live atmosphere to every seat in the A-Class. A powerful dual voice coil subwoofer in a sealed bass unit in the rear of the vehicle generates a bass foundation that inspires emotion and exudes vitality. Music is transformed into a tangible live experience.

The basis for the high-fidelity, three-dimensional spatial sound is the innovative discrete Logic 7® technology that uses its high-performance sound processors to optimize the sound precisely for every seating position. It releases the full sound potential of stereo and 5.1 surround sound recordings, and even of heavily compressed audio files from smartphones and MP3 players.
The Harman Kardon high-performance DSP amplifier with 450 watts of total output via
9 channels has enormous reserves of power at its disposal and generates the distinctive and dynamic surround sound that technically aware, trend-conscious customers expect as part of their lifestyle.

Taken from: mercedes.harmankardon.com

 

[Shillo]

Got my car back Thursday, they did a software update which seems as though it's improved the sound while on Blutooth Audio, there was definitely a distortion issue with the lower frequencies before the update which seems to now be better.
They said by doing the update it would update everything on the car which was good (normally around $170 in think)
They also fixed up the Hatchback Handle, it was coming unclipped when you used it.
Got a nice loan car for the night/day - C180 Coupe, cream/white Leather..very nice..but I prefer my 250

 

[Brosif]

Got my car back Thursday, they did a software update which seems as though it's improved the sound while on Blutooth Audio, there was definitely a distortion issue with the lower frequencies before the update which seems to now be better.

Interesting that a software update fixed distortion. I was guessing it would have been some interference issue or even a speaker fault. This is much better - Good news!

 

[Brosif]

past 5000km today. Noticed much louder and deeper sound on sport mode. Love it.. Fuel is getting better too. 8.6 on economic, and just under 11 for sport.

Great stuff - I have noticed sound change in the manner you described when fitting aftermarket pipes to motorcycles. When you 1st put em on its like, "Oh yeah that sounds pretty good" then after about 1,000kms the timbre of the sound gets much richer and tougher.

 

[a250w176]

Do you know which ship yours is on?

I didnt ask my dealer regarding a vin number.
Instead i got a eta, end of this month. Ordered in august 2013.

 

[Shillo]

Interesting that a software update fixed distortion. I was guessing it would have been some interference issue or even a speaker fault. This is much better - Good news!

The update was the only solution they offered, I thought it would be the speakers as well, haven't had it back long enough to check it out properly but so far I think it's improved, at least while on Bluetooth anyway, and at least with the update you get the latest programming for everything that's controlled by software, and not just Command.

 

[OZ A250]

I didnt ask my dealer regarding a vin number.
Instead i got a eta, end of this month. Ordered in august 2013.

If you ask him for the VIN, you will be able to track it

 

[soulsolutions]

Put a DVD in the command player today for the first time. Sound quality significantly better then my Bluetooth audio.
Interesting that the sound, in this case Best of Metallica, plays while driving however you get a distraction warning message instead of picture. But... pull up for a red light and you get the picture back, not distracting at all!

And since I just spent 2 hours cleaning here is one for the Brisbane folk.. guess the location?

My car is purple... sometimes...

 

[Shillo]

Put a DVD in the command player today for the first time. Sound quality significantly better then my Bluetooth audio.
Interesting that the sound, in this case Best of Metallica, plays while driving however you get a distraction warning message instead of picture. But... pull up for a red light and you get the picture back, not distracting at all!

And since I just spent 2 hours cleaning here is one for the Brisbane folk.. guess the location?

My car is purple... sometimes...

I asked in JB HI FI if they had any music on DVD Audio as I heard on here the quality is significantly better than CD but they didn't have any and told me it was an old format that never took off so they don't sell it any longer.

Nice shot by the way !!

 

[soulsolutions]

Sorry, you are right that we can play DVD-Audio but in this case it was a DVD-Video, literally all the film clips Metallica ever made.

-Thanks!, still waiting on your promised photo shoot

 

[Bwclu]

Thanks Shillo. Comand/HK system is awesome but personally it's stretching my budget. I would have definitely included it if money is not a consideration

 

[Newmerc]

Put a DVD in the command player today for the first time. Sound quality significantly better then my Bluetooth audio.
Interesting that the sound, in this case Best of Metallica, plays while driving however you get a distraction warning message instead of picture. But... pull up for a red light and you get the picture back, not distracting at all!

And since I just spent 2 hours cleaning here is one for the Brisbane folk.. guess the location?

My car is purple... sometimes...

Looks like Mt Gravatt mountain.
Are you still enjoying the A45 experience?

 

[soulsolutions]

Looks like Mt Gravatt mountain.
Are you still enjoying the A45 experience?

Yes, Mt Gravatt lookout
The a45 experience keeps getting better and better as the engine runs in, 2200km now. Without the aero kit I don't think i get many looks but do feel bad giving it some throttle around the suburbs given the exhaust is not subtle at all. For example you can corner in 3rd and it is pretty quiet but then sluggish back to 60 on suburban 90 degree corners. Or you can downshift to 2nd, the car rev matches, the exhaust pops and you have fun... neighbors are going to hate me.
Accelerating from stop I've got the hang of now, since I only drive in manual mode, I give it plenty of throttle but short shift 2-3-4-5 to the speed limit quickly. If I let it get to 6000rpm on the shifts I can't keep track of the speed and will be well over the limit.

Keen to go for drive with other owners. Any excuse to go for a drive

Today I'm going to play with the audio, see what sounds better on the exact same track between DVD, CD, Bluetooth, hard wired iPod and loaded onto the hdd.

 

[joyjas77]

Has anyone heard any word as to likely model updates when the model year changes in June?

Yeah I wouldn't mind knowing this as well if anyone knows what's happening with Aussie spec a class

 

[joyjas77]

Got my car back Thursday, they did a software update which seems as though it's improved the sound while on Blutooth Audio, there was definitely a distortion issue with the lower frequencies before the update which seems to now be better.
They said by doing the update it would update everything on the car which was good (normally around $170 in think)
They also fixed up the Hatchback Handle, it was coming unclipped when you used it.
Got a nice loan car for the night/day - C180 Coupe, cream/white Leather..very nice..but I prefer my 250

You definitely get nice loan cars. I get an old c180 kompressor. But at least I get a car I guess. Did you ever get a little gap sometimes on BT audio? If so had that improved after the update?

 

[OZ A250]

Bwclu - yes there are least some still coming from Germany.

Mine shipped two weeks ago from Germany and is on the Aniara, just pulling into Port Elizabeth (South Africa) this morning, not long to go now!!

I think they are all shipped from Germany. The only way to tell where it was made though is by the VIN. Mine was made in Finland, and then put on the train to Bremerhaven where it is shipped from.

 

[Anastasia74]

If you enter your VIN into this website it will tell you all the details (factory location etc) for your Merc

http://vindecoder.eu/mercedes-benz

 

[Shillo]

You definitely get nice loan cars. I get an old c180 kompressor. But at least I get a car I guess. Did you ever get a little gap sometimes on BT audio? If so had that improved after the update?

Not sure what you mean by "gap" but sometimes lingutronic doesn't recognise the "call" command and just returns to the music, I thought the update may fix this, but it didn't

 

[Shillo]

You definitely get nice loan cars. I get an old c180 kompressor. But at least I get a car I guess

The loan car was nice, but the 2 an a half grand excess wasn't lol