Mercedes A-Class Hatchback 2005 - Present

Mercedes have taken time and dedicated more resources to making the new A-Class model a quality motor. It still offers enough room for five to travel in an element of comfort but the quality of the materials used within gives the feeling of luxury as well. In essence it feels more like one of the Mercedes family rather than a slightly impoverished and distant relative.

The A-Class is still a small family car in a city slicker body. The external dimensions have been expanded slightly to give a roomier feel inside the car which just adds to the comfort throughout the car. Improvements made to the materials inside have really put the car into a much more desirable place. They feel much more solid and refined, which does also extend to the fit and the doors and general feel of the bodywork. There is a decent level of equipment as standard too with electric windows, tinted glass and a multifunction steering wheel as standard. Other extras as you move up the range include CD player, alloy wheels, automatic headlights and wipers; and even luxury upholstery. These options can be expensive thought so keep them in hand as a bargaining tool.

Sat in the A-Class it's easy to forget you are in a small car. The seats are a decent size and offer good support and comfort both front and rear. There is room for three adults in the rear although the middle seat will be the ‘bum' seat of the three, especially on long runs. That said many bigger ‘family' cars would suffer in the same way. The leg room is pretty good throughout too and adds to the comfort factor. Head room is good and the shape of the cabin really contributes to the sense of space offered to the occupants. Visibility is good throughout.

On the road the A-Class comes with and array of good, efficient engines. There are four petrol units and three diesels. The entry level 1.5L petrol engine offers adequate performance, with enough power to be a reasonable drive. It tops out at 109 mph and can reach 60 mph in 12.2 seconds. The 1.7 and 2.0L offer progressively more taking around a second and a half off the sprint time and adding eight mph top end; and nearly three seconds off the 0 - 60 and adding fifteen mph at the top end, respectively. If you're looking for performance you should be sitting in the 2.0L turbo model though. 0 - 60 of 7.6 seconds and a top end of 141 mph are the sort of figures that will shock people as you waste them at the lights. They pull up thinking you are in a Merc equivalent of a smart car, OK slightly bigger but hey, you lave them for dead as the lights go green, contemplating the flat spot at the middle of their rev range. The Fuel figures, as ever correspond with the amount of fun they are to drive with the super turbo edition chugging in last place with 34 mpg. Throughout the rest of the range it's all pretty respectable with forties and fifties the norm. The oil burners offer the weakest numbers in terms of performance but the figures don't reflect what torquey, tough little units they are. They don't offer stellar performance, although the 2.0L CDI can get to 60 mph in less than ten seconds (9.2), and tops out at 126 mph; but they are useful, honest engines that pull throughout the rev range.

Mercedes have worked hard to make the A-Class something of an all round family car. The boot space isn't huge but it's as big as could be hoped for and they can offer a rewarding drive to all but the fussiest driver. The price is pretty keen too, so look for upgrades and you could bag quite a bargain. Not something you necessarily associate with Mercedes.

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