CAR companies are forever upgrading their motors. Often the improvements are minimal and only the pedantic among us can speak with confidence about the changes.
But there is no mistaking the new version of the Mercedes A Class. The car, which had a very high roofline, has been flattened and now we get a gorgeous looking motor, which should be well able to compete with rivals like BMW’s 1- Series, Audi A3 and the Volvo V40.
The blue coloured version of the A Class I drove reminded me of a similar coloured V40, but there is no mistaking it was a Mercedes thanks to the famous logo in the grille. I’m told that Mercedes’ three pointed star is now only available in top of the range models and the logo on the bonnet rather than the pointed star doesn’t attract as many vandals.
This is the third version of the A Class and you may remember that the first one in 1997 famously failed the
‘moose test.’ The moose or elk test is used to test the breaking and swerving power of a car. After a Swedish journalist overturned his test car in the moose test, Mercedes added electronic stability control and spent a lot of money rectifying the problem.
Despite sales of over one million, the previous version of the A Class was considered too upright. Now it has been
‘squashed’ down and truly looks like a small family saloon. Apart from new buyers this new version could also attract Mercedes owners who are downsizing.
It looks good, but I have driven quieter Mercs. The diesel 1.5 litre Renault-built engine could get me to 100/km in just over 11 seconds, but it’s a bit noisy.
Inside everything was bright, with cream coloured seats. The dash was dominated by a screen showing off the radio controls and it got a few unfavourable comments from passengers. However, I feel that if the screen was displaying a map rather than radio controls it would have been more acceptable.
I found the sporty-looking seats comfortable, but the head rest did look a bit awkward. There is plenty of leg and headroom at the front, but headroom is a bit tight for back seat passengers. The boot space is average and no spare wheel, even though space was provided at manufacture stage. Once I got used to the electronic handbrake there were no mishaps. I drove a six-speed manual version and found that the stop-start technology meant a very frugal engine.
Prices start at e29,885, but if you have always wanted to get on the Mercedes ladder this is the rung to start on. Traditionally a Mercedes was seen as the car for the managing director of a company, but Mercedes are actively trying to attract younger buyers for their cars, buyers who don’t have to be MDs.