What We Like
Sharper design
Cabin is modern and of high quality
improved tech and safety
Engine is more powerful
Dynamics and comfort are now greatly improved
What We Dislike
Column-mounted signal stalk and gear selector feel a little tacky
The Mercedes-Benz A-Class was never a car I would recommend to anyone simply because the outgoing model was unremarkable. It neither rode the way we expected a Mercedes to, nor was its powertrain as refined as its rivals'.
Still, it's a model that did well as it represented the easiest point of entry into the highly regarded Club Benz. But now, Mercedes has recreated the A-Class almost entirely from the ground up and it's actually really good.
So it's all new, you say?
For starters, it's both longer and wider, with a wheelbase that has grown 30mm for more legroom all around. The miserly amount of headroom of the previous generation car, too, has finally been corrected.
The new A-Class has grown 120mm longer, 16mm wider and 6mm taller, with a wheelbase that's extended by 30mmBoot space has also been swelled up by 29 litres to 370 litres with the rear seats in place and 1,210 litres with them down. That means it has now got more stowage capacity than the BMW 1 Series and is almost on par with the 380 litres in the Audi A3 Sportback.
At the same time, overall visibility from inside out is improved by some 30 percent thanks to thinned pillar claddings and taller, squarer windows.
That cabin design, too, looks mighty impressive!
Taking centre stage are two freestanding, high-definition display screens, one serving as a digital cluster and the other as the new MBUX infotainment system.
The two high-definition, multi-functional display screens are the standout features of the newly designed cabinAlthough not yet as intuitive as Audi's MMI or BMW's iDrive, MBUX allows a virtually endless extent of trip, media, navigation and driver assistance customisation.
It can be controlled via fingerprint-sized touchpads on either side of the steering wheel, or by means of a touchpad between the front seats that replaces the rotary dial controller of the old car.
The system also has a Siri-like personal assistant function, which helps adjust the aforementioned MBUX features to things like the air-con temperature, simply by saying "Hey Mercedes, it's hot in here," for example.
The cabin of the new A-Class is both funky and functional, thanks in large part to the avant garde styling of the dashboardMore importantly, the new cabin design is a well-groomed evolution of the old; futuristic yet understated, especially with its uber cool jet-style air-con vents adopted from the E-Class.Quality of the materials used, too, is excellent, with what the generous amount of high-quality leather slathering and supportive seats throughout.
Still, it's a model that did well as it represented the easiest point of entry into the highly regarded Club Benz. But now, Mercedes has recreated the A-Class almost entirely from the ground up and it's actually really good.
So it's all new, you say?
For starters, it's both longer and wider, with a wheelbase that has grown 30mm for more legroom all around. The miserly amount of headroom of the previous generation car, too, has finally been corrected.
At the same time, overall visibility from inside out is improved by some 30 percent thanks to thinned pillar claddings and taller, squarer windows.
That cabin design, too, looks mighty impressive!
Taking centre stage are two freestanding, high-definition display screens, one serving as a digital cluster and the other as the new MBUX infotainment system.
It can be controlled via fingerprint-sized touchpads on either side of the steering wheel, or by means of a touchpad between the front seats that replaces the rotary dial controller of the old car.
The system also has a Siri-like personal assistant function, which helps adjust the aforementioned MBUX features to things like the air-con temperature, simply by saying "Hey Mercedes, it's hot in here," for example.
Does it have any safety gadgetry though?
Oh it does, and then some. In fact, it boasts the highest level of active safety in its segment with semi-autonomous functions adopted from the S-Class, thanks to camera and radar systems that help it switch lanes, precisely stay in one and mitigate front and rear-end collisions.
What about its on-road characteristics?
It's definitely better in every way and this is perhaps the most important improvement of the A-Class.
Power of the A250 is now bumped to 221bhp and 350Nm, an output increase of over six percentIn the absence of an AMG model, the current top-performing variant is the 2.0-litre A250 you see here.
Thanks to a new engine, the A250 now benefits from a more powerful 221bhp and 350Nm of torque, allowing it to go from 0-100km/h in 6.2 seconds, even quicker than its rivalling Volkswagen Golf GTI.
However, it still doesn't quite have the hot hatch verve of the GTI. Rather, what the A250 truly stands out for is its newfound refinement. The updated engine and seven-speed dual-clutch tranny pairing is remarkably smoother, more responsive and better-sounding than before.
The new A-Class displays the sort of ride maturity, which would rival even cars that are two price brackets upComplementing the powertrain's creaminess is the way it corners and rides, which displays the sort of maturity expected of Mercedes.
The steering feels more natural, the car is more agile and planted through bends and, most importantly, it's impressively calm and composed, gliding over the worst the road can throw at it without sending much of it into the cabin.
So we take it you're now a fan of the A-Class?
You could say so. After all, Mercedes has righted everything wrong about the A-Class. It's more stylish than before, feels more premium on the inside and rides like a magic carpet.
Mercedes' designers have ditched the big face, small butt design of the outgoing A-Class for a much sharper lookIt finally feels like a class-leading premium compact, which people would buy for more than just the badge. Would I recommend this car to anyone when it arrives in the fourth quarter of this year? You bet.
Oh it does, and then some. In fact, it boasts the highest level of active safety in its segment with semi-autonomous functions adopted from the S-Class, thanks to camera and radar systems that help it switch lanes, precisely stay in one and mitigate front and rear-end collisions.
What about its on-road characteristics?
It's definitely better in every way and this is perhaps the most important improvement of the A-Class.
Thanks to a new engine, the A250 now benefits from a more powerful 221bhp and 350Nm of torque, allowing it to go from 0-100km/h in 6.2 seconds, even quicker than its rivalling Volkswagen Golf GTI.
However, it still doesn't quite have the hot hatch verve of the GTI. Rather, what the A250 truly stands out for is its newfound refinement. The updated engine and seven-speed dual-clutch tranny pairing is remarkably smoother, more responsive and better-sounding than before.
The steering feels more natural, the car is more agile and planted through bends and, most importantly, it's impressively calm and composed, gliding over the worst the road can throw at it without sending much of it into the cabin.
So we take it you're now a fan of the A-Class?
You could say so. After all, Mercedes has righted everything wrong about the A-Class. It's more stylish than before, feels more premium on the inside and rides like a magic carpet.
