The Mercedes A-Class looks and feels like a premium product. It’s stylish inside too, including a large 5.8-inch infotainment display screen. Quality is good, although there are more cheap-feeling pieces of plastic than you’ll find in an Audi A3. A sloping roof means headroom in the back is tighter for rear-seat adults than it would be in the A3 and the boot is also smaller.
The Mercedes handles corners with subtle body lean but it’s not as engaging to drive as the BMW 1 Series. There’s a decent range of models from the extremely frugal A180 d diesel to the fierce A45 AMG petrol four-wheel drive for all-weather grip. All models come fitted as standard with 16-inch alloy wheels, leather interior and air-conditioning.
The plush cabin is befitting of a modern-day Mercedes and although there are a few plastics used on lower-specification models the general material feel is good and feels like it will last. Further up the range it becomes a classier affair if not as well put together or ergonomically designed as its Audi A3 rival. Tall passengers will also find access to the back seat trickier than in the Audi A3, which has wider-opening rear doors. The small rear windows can make it feel quite claustrophobic.
The 340 litre boot is quite frugal – an Audi A3’s boot has a 365-litre capacity, the Golf 380 litres and the BMW 1 Series has 360-litres. A small opening and a high lip mean loading heavier items can be quite tricky, although capacity increases to a more practical 1,157 litres with the rear seats folded down.
Unless you choose a model with AMG suspension the A-Class will lean into corners and its steering doesn’t feel as direct as the BMW 1 Series. Unlike the BMW, the Mercedes is front-wheel drive and as a result it loses grip quicker than the 1 Series does in corners. While the stiffer AMG suspension solves the problem of body lean it also intensifies bumps in the road making the Mercedes less comfortable than its rivals. The A-Class can however be specified with optional adaptive dampers with two modes – Sport and Comfort – and their adaptive nature means they constantly adjust to the way the A-Class is driven making the A-Class more comfortable than ever.
Around town the small rear window can make it tricky to reverse or park although sensibly a rear view camera as standard. Diesel models are noticeably noisy at high revs, although the Mercedes is a happier cruiser once you get up to speed on the motorway but the diesel engine always sounds more intrusive than you’d like.
Mercedes offers the A-Class with a wide range of petrol and diesel engines, although there’s no hybrid option that you do get in the Audi A3. The already very good seven-speed DSG gearbox has been revised for quicker gearshifts and is one of the best automatic gearboxes in its class.
The pick of the diesel range is the 2.1-litre 134hp engine fitted to the A200d and is likely to be the best sensible option for many buyers. It combines strong performance with excellent fuel economy. Fitted with the seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox, it can hurtle from 0-62mph in just 8.9 seconds (quicker than its rivals from BMW and Audi), but still returns fuel economy of 70mpg. The most powerful diesel is the A220d. The same 2.1-litre engine, but with a more power. 178hp and a 0-62mph time of 7,5 seconds is impressive, but even more impressive will be the low running costs – £20 yearly road tax (before April 1st VED changes) and claimed fuel economy of 67.3mpg. The cheaper 1.6-litre A180 d will return more than 79mpg, but with that frugality comes a significant drop in performance. The upside is that has free road tax (before April 1st VED changes) thanks to its sub 90g/km CO2 emissions.
If performance matter the quickest Mercedes A-Class is the A45 AMG 4Matic. With 380hp and four-wheel drive, its 0-62mph time of 4.2 seconds means the Mercedes can embarrass a Porsche 911 sports car off the lights, but expect high running costs. Aside from the A45, the A-Class petrol engines fall short of rivals, never feeling as quick as the figures suggest. The basic A180 is the cheapest most affordable model to run thanks to fuel economy of 65.7mpg and CO2 emissions of 127g/km for road tax of £110 a year (pre 1st April VED changes). For those who want more performance, but can’t afford the A45, head for the A250 AMG. It uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine producing 218hp, which is enough for a 0-62mph time of 6.3 seconds. That is faster than most performance hatchbacks from Ford, Honda or Renault.
Safety body Euro NCAP awarded the Mercedes A-Class five stars and it has the same features as its main rivals including airbags, stability control and traction control. Mercedes makes the car safer by fitting attention assist as standard monitoring the driver’s alertness. Active cruise control and side airbags for rear-seat passengers are on the options list. It’s easy to get carried away with options such as adaptive headlights, blindspot assist, lane-keeping assist and speed limit assist with sign recognition so restraint should be exercised here.
Basic SE models come with class-average levels of equipment including alloy wheels, climate control and leather seats. DAB digital radio – offered as standard in the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3 – is extra. Go for the Sport Edition model and you get levels of standard kit more befitting of the Mercedes badge, including sat-nav, cruise control, keyless go and a full-leather interior. If you think the Sport edition needs a sporty AMG touch you can spec up to the AMG Night Edition that adds 18-inch AMG alloy wheels, a striking diamond radiator grille, leather sport seats, carbon-look trim and reversing camera.
All Mercedes models come with a three-year/unlimited-mileage warranty that could well prove appealing to high mileage drivers. That matches the warranty offered with the BMW 1 Series and is better than the three-year/60,000-mile cover that comes as standard with the Audi A3.
If you’re after Mercedes quality in practical hatchback body shape then the A-Class delivers on smart looks and stylish interior. The diesel engines are cheap to run and the car is easy to drive and comes with good levels of standard safety equipment.
However, it falls short when compared with some rivals. The BMW 1 Series is more fun to drive, while the Audi A3 feels better built inside, offering more rear legroom and a bigger boot. The A Class is a smart everyday choice but then so are some rivals that arguably deliver more for similar money. So you pay your money and take your choice.
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