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.
The high driving position gives a good view of the road ahead, and the relatively narrow, sloping windscreen pillars do not obstruct vision - unusual, these days. With the A-Class's wheel-at-each-corner stance and short overhangs, it's easy to judge its length and place it into a parking space, but if parking's not your strong suit, the (optional) Active Park Assist system can take over. This sizes up the space using ultrasonic sensors, sorts out the steering into it, and all the driver needs to do is work the accelerator and brakes. Also new is hill start assist in manual models, to prevent you rolling backwards.
The natural environment for the A-Class is in the city, but it's perfectly capable of holding its own on the open road. Its adaptive suspension copes well when pushing on harder, and body roll is well-contained; standard stability control (ESP) guards against a repeat of the infamous 'elk test' rollover which embarrassed the 1999 original. The A-Class is hardly a hot hatch, but it's more rewarding a drive than you'd think. The speed-sensitive power steering draws a good balance between around-town lightness and feedback when going faster.
Mercedes isn't going to import the speedy A200 Turbo (193bhp) to the UK, but the A180 CDI diesel (109bhp, 184lb ft) is a fine alternative range-topper. It does 116mph and 0-62mph in 10.8 seconds with the six-speed manual gearbox, and is only marginally slower with the responsive, smooth and easy-to-use Autotronic CVT transmission: 112mph and 0-62mph in 11.1 seconds. The A160 CDI (with the same 2.0-litre engine as the A180, but tuned for 82bhp and 133lb ft) has less impressive figures - 106mph and 0-62 in 15 seconds with five-speed manual, 102mph and 0-62 in 15.3 seconds with Autotronic - but should prove perfectly adequate for most buyers' needs.
The petrols feel a little weedy mid-range, comparatively, but are a bit quicker off the mark initially. The 1.5-litre A150 (95bhp, 103lb ft) does 109mph and 0-62 in 12.6 seconds (manual) or 106mph/0-62 in 13.5 seconds (Autotronic) and the 1.7-litre A170 (116bhp, 114lb ft) promises 117mph/0-62 in 10.9 seconds (manual) or 114mph/0-62 in 11.5 seconds (Autotronic).
The stop-start system - in models badged Blue Efficiency - cuts the engine and restarts it again almost imperceptibly, once you get the hang of lifting the footbrake and dipping the clutch just before the traffic lights turn green. It's a handy way to save fuel without dramatically changing driving style or hindering performance.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mercedes A-Class
wrote on 16 08 2006