Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £14,290 to £18,645
Economical diesels; stop-start technology; clever parking aid; easy to drive; safe; Mercedes image.
Cabin not very versatile; not really a five-seater; very expensive for what it is.
A ground-breaker in its time, but rivals can now do the job as well - and cheaper.
While the original A-Class was some way short of expectations, build quality was better for the 2004-on model. A few owners have reported electronic and electrical problems, including issues with the Autotronic gearbox, and easily worn clutches in hard-driven city cars, but the A-Class seems to have been much-improved in recent years.
The cabin has had a few updates for '08, but does now look rather dated, conservative and somewhat low-rent for a Merc. It lacks either a fashionable feel or a reassuringly-expensive atmosphere as in larger Mercs - it's all a bit grey, plasticky and dismal.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mercedes A-Class
wrote on 16 08 2006