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 A-Class is a tough little thing, and Mercedes knows how to make safe small cars: its tiny Smart Fortwo, for example, has surprised the sceptics with its good performance in crash test programmes. The 2005 A-Class achieved an excellent five-star result in the Euro NCAP crash tests, with four stars for child protection though a less impressive two for pedestrian protection. Its so-called 'sandwich' floor has been developed for the engine and transmission to slide underneath, and not into, the cabin in a front-end impact, thus compensating for its short snub nose.
New equipment for 2008 includes the hill start assist, brake lights which flash under emergency braking and automatic deployment of interior lighting and hazard flashers in the event of a crash. All models have front and side airbags, Isofix child seat mounting points and seatbelt pre-tensioners for front and outer rear seats, with rear side airbags and window curtain airbags further options.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mercedes A-Class
wrote on 16 08 2006