When Mercedes launched their A-class in 1997, the world press was dumbstruck, and reached for their pen to find something useful to say about it. The consumers were no less shocked, and found themselves reaching for the checkbook. The car quickly found popularity among cheap-car-rental company EasyCar, which meant it was easily available for long-term testdrives for a large segment of the population.
Many of whom went on to buy one, as their Very First Mercedes. The review carOur review car was a Mercedes A-class A170 Avantgarde SE 3-door with a 1.7 litre fuel-injected petrol engine and a 5-speed gearbox. Driving experienceMercedes were immediately under fire when they launched the A-class. The then-current owners of the prestige brand were appalled to see the three-pointed star appearing on the cars of their neighbours on all sides, and the A-class had a tricky job to shake off the stigma of being the 'cheap Merc'.
They did so the only way Mercedes knows how: Sheer quality - and 6 years later, they did the same again, with the new A-class.The A-class was one of the first true compact crossover vehicles - micro-people-carriers, tall hatchbacks - call them what you will, but the A-class quickly cornered the market, and did so with a lot of style.The upside of the form factor is that the driver sits very high up in the car. This gives it an airy driving experience, with plenty of overview and a feeling of relaxed luxury, not least because the car is very easy to get in and out of. The drivers' seat is also height adjustable, to further customize the driving experience.
The A-class is doubtlessly best around town but also does the trick on b-roads and motorways. The original A-class was a bit unstable at speed: rumours of it having a nasty tendency to fall over were a tad exaggerated, but Mercedes-Benz quickly introduced an electronic stability system as standard on all vehicles to counter the bad press. The new version feels like a far larger car - it has significant presence on the road.The interior has all the toys you would expect from a Mercedes - including a good trip computer with steering-wheel controls - and the build quality is better than its direct competitors. The car is very comfortable to drive.Mini-Mercedes is a surprisingly heavy car, and a decent-sized engine is necessary to whip it into the desired performance. The 1.7 litre petrol engine had plenty of grunt for everything we put it through, yet returns a fully acceptable 42.8 MPG fuel consumption on a combined cycle.The A-class has the Mercedes touch when it comes to quality and handling. It isn't quite as executive-cruiser as some of the other Mercs, but then again, that isn't to be expected at this price. Design and usabilityThe new A-class introduces an aggressive-looking 3-door version in addition to the already-familiar 5-door layout.
The new designs are fresh, and have more than a little 'bite' to them. For a car that is half a metre shorter than a Focus, its utilisation of its footprint is nothing short of amazing - the taller design means that it can seat 5 adults with a decent level of comfort, but also a massive 430 litre boot. The seats fold flat for a wild 1330 litre boot space. Who is it for?Mercedes has been making prestige cars for years. We would be lying if we said there were no cars that could do the job as well as the A-class (the Golf Plus or the Renault Modus spring to mind), but they fail to have the same presence as the A-class Mercedes.Want to drive something quirkier than a Focus to sales meetings? Have an urge to be the coolest mum on the school run? Do you want a very good hatchback that ticks all the boxes and happens to be a prestige brand? Well, the A-class is for you.
So, should you buy one?First off, let us point out that you would be paying a premium for the badge. On the other hand, in this class, there are few cars that come close in terms of build quality. Reliability also seems to be extraordinary. For many, it may be worth paying the extra - you get a good car out of it, and the three-spiked badge would be a bonus, rather than the main reason choose the Merc over one of its competitors. Which model would we choose?The 1.7 litre petrol engine we tried was very sweet indeed. There is a smaller 1.5 litre engine that works well, but feels under a bit too much stress on the motorway. There is also a 2-litre petrol engine and an additional 2-litre turbo.
The latter is a proper hot hatch in sheep's clothing, and the former seems to be aimed more at markets that have a more liberal approach to speed limits than the UK.The diesel engines are actually all the same power unit - a 2 litre common-rail injection engine tuned to different levels of performance. They are good engines - the best for motorway cruising - but can be a bit jerky around town.