Mercedes A-Class

Six word summary

New Merc rival for BMW 1 Series

What is it?

The new A-Class takes a more traditional approach to the small hatch sector than it previous incarnations. Mercedes hopes this will take sales from the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series.

 What’s it like?

Mercedes has reinvented it’s A-Class. Gone are the tall-sided, MPV-ish looks, replaced by sleek hatchback lines that Merc hopes will attract more buyers to its showrooms and deny Audi, BMW and Volvo customers. There is also a small hope the A-Class will tempt in buyers who would otherwise be bound for a MINI showroom with all the temptations that lie therein.

Even so, the new A-Class has a lot to prove after the slightly dowdy previous generation model failed to set pulses racing. Fortunately, Mercedes has been as thorough in its engineering makeover of the A-Class as it has in the styling department.

The driver sits low in the cabin, which has a modern look and feel entirely in keeping with the A’s new direction. An iPad-style display screen is standard and it uses various menus to operate functions such as the stereo from a control mounted on the console between the front seats. It’s a good idea, but the menus are not as logically arranged as expected, so time is needed to become familiar with the screen’s workings.

Another area where the A-Class doesn’t quite live up to expectations, or its predecessor, is rear seat access. Where the old model’s taller styling gave easy entry, the new A-Class’ rear wheelarches butt into the door openings to make it tricky to get in and out easily. Once installed, there’s decent room for passengers, but the boot is not as big as some in this class.

Mercedes compensates for this with plenty of standard equipment. Every A-Class has air conditioning, CD stereo with Bluetooth connection, electric windows and the dash-mounted display screen. Pick of the range is the SE model that adds sports seats for greater comfort, 16-inch alloy wheels and uprated stereo. Contrary to its name, the Sport model sticks with standard suspension but has larger alloy wheels, cruise control and rain-sensing wipers.

The AMG Sport and Engineered by AMG models have firmer suspension for a crisper drive. However, this takes the edge off of the ride comfort of the A-Class and makes it too unsettled for everyday life. Stick with the standard suspension and the A-Class is much more appealing. It’s quiet at all speeds, handles with deft control and is easy to slot through town traffic. The Mercedes is not quite as much fun to drive as a BMW 1-Series, but it’s a great improvement on previous generation A-Class.

There’s a wide choice of petrol and turbodiesel engines. Petrols start with a 121bhp 1.6-litre motor that offers fair performance and economy, but the 154bhp version is much perkier and provides the sort of performance you’d hope for with a car sporting the three-pointed star. If you really want to get a shift on, the 208bhp A250 with its turbo’d 2.0-litre motor offers the same sort of pace as a Volkswagen Golf GTI, serving up 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds. It comes with a slick seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox as standard and feels very much on a par with the hot hatch crowd, if not quite as swift or entertaining as a BWM M135i.

However, the diesels are the most attractive. The A180 CDI offers Mercedes’ lowest ever emissions of 98g/km coupled to superb 74.3mpg. Keener drivers might prefer the A200 CDI for its brisker performance allied to 65.3mpg. For company drivers, however, the allure of the A180’s financial offering is just too much to overlook, especially when the engine offers decent refinement and a broad spread of power compared to rivals.

Verdict

By reinventing the A-Class, Mercedes is now one of the major players in the plush small hatch sector. It might be an increasingly crowded part of the market, but the Merc has the badge to make it a key player, even if the new A-Class is not as good to drive as a BMW.