More than 15 years back, when Mercedes unrolled the A-Class, the reception was not what the Stuttgart marquee is used to: it was mixed, even muted. The tall-ish stance was kind of confusing. Ditto the second variant before big changes came about last year with an all-new design.
Mercedes has over the years yearned to change the image of being a CEO’s – and therefore, more of a senior people’s – car to something more youthful. To that goal, the designers were given a completely free hand to come out with something that’s far more sporting yet retaining the eternal virtues of the brand.
That quest led to the all-new A-Class, which has had quite an impact – with company officials calling it their most successful launch ever.
So, how good is it? To know, we thumped it through the Black Forest – yes, the place where the eponymous cake comes from – belt and the high-speed autobahns of Germany. Here’s what we found:
The looks
The oversized three-pointed star on the front grille defines the nose job and all character – muscular, sporty and very stylish – flows from there. Motoring mavens will also find some hints of the SLS AMG here. Those features get accentuated by the low-slung, long-wheelbase stance, adding to the car’s great looks. Sharp character lines lead to scooped in and bowed out metal spaces that wind into a taut tailgate crowned by a massive, cantilevered spoiler. The design screams youth, above all, with those LED clusters in the aggressive headlights and taillights. Twin tailpipes are a first too, and add a lot of the sportiness.
The interiors
This is pure Merc territory. Plush and high-tech with beautiful chrome accents. The centerpiece of the carbon-fibre-finish dash is a nearly 18-cm LCD screen activating a host of functions by touch or through a rotary controller near the leather-bound shifter. The circular, four-spoked air vents look great. There’s a leather multifunction steering wheel and a host of bells & whistles – you name it, it’s there – topped by the first full iPhone integration system in a car. A large wheelbase means there is a lot of legroom in both front and rear. The front seats are snug buckets in leather – it could be optional in India with a fabric trim as standard – with contrast-coloured double-stitching.
The sporty sloping roofline means headroom is quite tight for the rear passenger – a 6-footer would be worried. Overall, the narrower glass areas – including a very little daylight opening in the tailgate – is a spot of bother, but then, that’s the sporty accent Mercedes wanted. Three average Indians can sit in the rear comfortably, but it could be a squeeze if they are slightly well-built. Legroom, however, is very comfortable. At 340 litres, the boot is great for a hatch, but there’s no spare wheel or space saver as of now.
The performance
There were three variants tested – the A180, 220 and 250, both petrol and diesel, but the Indian roads are likely to see the A180. It’s a front-wheel drive mated to a crossways engine but despite the construct, are a bomb to drive. Quite simply, it’s as much a driver’s car as it is a normal commuter – and that’s an awesome combination, all thanks to a slew of engineering feats.
The sportiness comes through right at ignition with the car eager to do your bidding and the way it sticks to the line speeding into curvatures and inclines is reassuring. The gearshifts are timed beautifully and the wide power band makes it a dream to drive. The variants should do 100 kmph from a standing start in about 8-9 seconds and that’s quite fast for city traffic manouevring. The ride is completely planted due to a stiff and light chassis and great suspension. We stomped it over 200 kmph on the racy autobahns and the A-Class remained a paradigm of composure. In Sport mode, it does even better, but that’s something one wouldn’t need on local roads. The steering homes in like a laser, but the set-up is on the heavier side.
The verdict
The A-Class may seem like a rather large hatch, but is one hell of a sporting machine with dynamic looks the likes of which don’t exist on Indian roads currently. The muscular, aggressive – and un-Merc like – stance and performance should appeal to a wide swathe of youngsters. The only problem is the pricing – which should be around the cheapest Merc in town, the B-Class, at around Rs 20-24 lakh. You get the bang and C-Class luxury for that sticker, but it will be only for a chosen few.
Mercedes A-Class
Price: Estimated Rs 20-24 lakh
Engine: 4 cylinder, 1796 cc diesel
Kitna deti hai? Estimated at 12-15 kmpl
Max power: 134 bhp at 3600 rpm
Max torque: 30.55 kgm at 1600 rpm
Transmission: Front-wheel drive, 7-speed automatic
Dimensions in feet: L/W/H14.08/5.84/4.70
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