Shrugging off the cheap tag
by ANDREW KOCH
When Mercedes launched their A-class in 1997 it took the world by surprise -” a baby Mercedes-Benz? Mercedes 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 eight 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/goods carriers, tall hatchbacks -” call them what you will -” the A-class does it with a lot of style. Pop the back seats down flat and the amount of room will blow you away.
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 driver’s seat is also height adjustable, to further customise the driving experience.
The A-class is doubtless best around town but also does the trick on the highway. The original A-class was a bit unstable at speed: rumours of it having a nasty tendency to fall over were a little 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 that of its direct competitors. The car is very comfortable to drive. I have driven an A-Class from Melbourne to Sydney a number of times and have never felt tired or stiff at the end of the trip.
The baby 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 in our test car had plenty of grunt for everything we put it through, yet returned a fully acceptable 6.9-litres per 100km 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.
The new A-class has a choice of a three-door version in addition to the already familiar five-door layout. The new designs are fresh and edgy. 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 five adults with a decent level of comfort.
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 is worth paying the extra -” you get a good car out of it, and the three-pointed star badge is a bonus.
AUTO FACTS
Price -” $34,700-$48,300
Engine -” Petrol: 1.7-litre 4-cyl, 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Power -” 85Kw, 155Nm; 100Kw, 185Nm; 142Kw, 280Nm
Transmission -” 5-speed manual, CVT
Fuel -” 6.9 7.4, 8.1-litre/100km combined
