I’m old enough to remember the hubbub back when Mercedes introduced their “Baby-Benz”, the 190E (W201) in 1982, and the doubters that weren’t sure if it could be a “real” Mercedes. Of course that was over here in the US, where we were mainly used to relatively large and luxurious offerings, at least in the most recent decade or so. Even (especially?) the four-cylinder aspect came in for scrutiny, never mind that Mercedes has a long history of offering more utilitarian as well as smaller-engined wares in conjunction with the “Executive Express” class of cars that we are used to. Over the years though the 190E acquitted itself well and eventually became the now well respected C-Class.
However when it came time for Mercedes to again go smaller, this time with its new A-Class back in 1997, North America wasn’t part of the plan. In fact three whole generations of A-Class would debut before we were deemed worthy with the fourth generation launched a couple of years ago.
I’ll confess that I didn’t exactly go into this week with the highest of expectations, however I kept an open mind and in the end came away with a bit of a mixed opinion. There are aspects of the car that I ended up loving, and other aspects that gave me a bit more pause, however even that could be overcome.
First impressions were good. This A220 has a purposeful stance and to one not familiar with the minutiae of the Mercedes model line-up a quick glance could leave that person wondering exactly which model this in fact is. From the front it has a very similar look to the rest of the sedan (and four-door coupe) lineup. Without appearing overtly aggressive there is a little spice around the front edges but nothing to cause undue concern. Similar is the view from the rear.
From the side however the forward 80% or so appears as expected, with only the tail portion looking perhaps a little bit truncated (or is trunkated a better term?). It has a bit of a bob-tailed look, as if it wasn’t sure if it should sport a full trunk or a hatchback at the rear and in the end a compromise was reached. I don’t know that I’m the biggest fan of that aspect of it and came back to it several times over the week to ponder it, but at least it now lets me quickly recognize an A-Class from afar. The trunk itself though is quite spacious inside, contrary to exterior appearances.
This one, while not an AMG, does have a couple of AMG-branded items on it that let it at least look a little more sporty than the normal A-class. The 19″ multispoke wheels work well with the AMG Line package that adds a few items to the body to accentuate a few areas, lowers it a bit, adds perforated front brake discs with MB lettering and a signature AMG Diamond-block front grille. A little sizzle, if you will.
Inside the sporty theme continues with the red and black leather seats and genuine brushed metal accent pieces. The front seats were comfortable at first seating although the console could be a little less intrusive. More annoying at the beginning, by the time the week had passed we had formed a sort of truce and it was less of an issue. Seats in this one were heated but not ventilated, as was the steering wheel, which worked out perfectly due to a cold spell.
Headroom for me was borderline acceptable with the panoramic sunroof with just my hair brushing the surround at times. I’m 6’1″ with a 32″ inseam and tend to like to sit a bit more upright than some if that helps to gain a mental picture of the space available. Legroom, as in every Mercedes I’ve ever been in, was more than acceptable.
The back seat was trimmed out the same as the front, however legroom is quite a bit tighter with little space for my knees before touching the front seatback. Head and shoulder room were snug but alright for short distances. It’s not the car for four large people, but for almost any two under six feet tall the front would be great.
Backseaters, well, the smaller in stature the better but at least it’s better than most coupes or “four-door coupes” that pretend to be something they aren’t.
The view ahead from the driver’s seat and visibility all around is quite good, and right ahead of the driver a double flat panel display is mounted to the dashboard. It’s a smaller version with two panels at 10.25″ as opposed to the 12-plus inchers I sampled last week in the AMG GLS63 but curiously had the same visual effect, i.e. it didn’t feel smaller, presumably due to the cabin overall being more diminutive although I was seated the same distance from the wheel.
The screens operated the same as they do elsewhere with this Mercedes MBUX system and menus can be called up by swiping, pushing buttons, or via voice command. Having practice and memory from last week, it was all immediately second nature without any kind of learning curve and let me dive into the menus to see if some of the same features were present rather than stumbling upon them or having to read about them first. Apple CarPlay and AndroidAuto are included as well and the MBUX voice command system is excellent at understanding even my nasal tonality.
The dashboard and door panels are soft on top and about halfway down and then are more rigid materials as you get lower. In the picture above the red and upper black are soft, and the lower portion of black plastic is rigid. Looking at the dashboard, the large black bolster across the dash below the metal trim was superbly soft, not quite nerf-ball, but softer than most dashboard materials anywhere else.
Pressing the starter button fired the turbocharged 2.0l inline-4 right up and using the small column mounted lever the transmission slots into Drive and off we go. Everything is smooth and quiet, and although I was concerned that the 188hp and 221lb-ft of torque might feel insufficient I was soon disabused of that notion. In fact I believe it may be underrated, it certainly feels like it has more power than those published figures.
While this is an all-wheel-drive car, it is front-wheel driven until the computer figures some of the power needs to be apportioned to the rear, this alone is different than most of Mercedes’ offerings over here until very recently. However, the process was seamless and I was never able to catch it out of place, even though a significant amount of my time was spent on wet roads.
While a rear wheel drive car will ostensibly provide a more “pure” driving experience, I’ve always felt that’s not necessarily true, there are plenty of front wheel drive as well as all wheel drive cars that perform very well and are a hoot to drive in real world situations. This is one of those cars.
The engine was smooth as a sewing machine, and several times had me thinking this really sounds and feels more like a good, small Honda engine (I mean that in the best way, not at all as a slight), light, free-revving, with a good sound and a joy to wind out, there is no gruffness present as with many German fours (which I also like, but in a different way).
This part of the car’s character (along with the FWD/AWD) was perhaps the biggest surprise to me here, and completely not what I was expecting. The power was usable, easily attainable, and perfectly controllable with a lot of refinement baked in; Mercedes really seems to have sweated the finer points here rather than just trying to get something out the door at a lower price point.
If it wasn’t clear already, higher speed cornering was drama-free, the car simply went as directed with the caveat of the tightest, most ham-fisted maneuvers showing the front end to plow at the limit, but really that required driving in a way that is not sensible and basically trying to see where the limits were such as turning into a side street at a very high rate of speed with an abrupt wheel maneuver. In the end it’s not really a VW GTI/GLI beater in tighter areas, but on the open road such as the highways of Northern Colorado and Southern Wyoming it’s easy to make very satisfying progress while feeling completely secure and relaxed.
The transmission is a 7-speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), and the shifts occur quickly and precisely. At low speed it was smooth as well as at higher speeds, there was no lurching or other inappropriateness observed at any time. I did push it into manual mode and tried the shift paddles behind the wheel but in the end found that the computer did it as well or better than I was doing so set it back the way it was. A manual box may have been even better but that’s not happening so no need to pine for it.
There is also a mode selector switch (Sport/Comfort/Eco/Individual), and I ended up in Comfort most of the time as I found it to be the best compromise for how I used the car. I sampled Sport several times at length and while it made the suspension stiffer it also made the ride deteriorate to a greater degree than it helped the handling. I also didn’t care for the way it kept the engine in a lower gear as well as hanging on to the gears for much longer.
Don’t get the idea that Comfort was just a pillowy soft cloud of taffy devoid of any connection to the road, it wasn’t at all, but overall was much more usable and enjoyable 95% of the time and for me at least removed the inclination to use the “Individual” mode in order to pick and choose different parameters and combine them in a different way. If I was in Sport mode the majority of the time though I think I’d be looking to upgrade to the actual AMG version of the car.
Driving comfort was very good once settled in, the sunroof glass panel opens up and out rather than being housed within the roof and buffeting was minimal although it did create a fair bit of noise the few times I used it that the weather was good enough to. When closed the cabin is very quiet, it’s a proper luxury car in that respect, and there are other aspects as well such as the seats that have an interested technology that Mercedes calls Energizing Seat Kinetics.
The theory here is that the most comfortable seating position is always the next one that the user chooses, but the way it works in practice is that when turned on, the seat back and bottom separately and independently make minute adjustments to the angles of both at separate times and adjust those settings every minute or so.
You notice the seat changing position minutely but not to an extent that is objectionable. It never gets far from the original position but it does keep the body more energized with greater blood flow and longer term comfort. It’s a very interesting technology and a great example of “what will they think of next” as engineers continue to innovate aspects of driving that you wouldn’t think could or would ever change.
Fit, finish, and material quality were very good with no noticeable flaws. This A-Class is built in Mexico at the joint venture plant that Mercedes runs with Nissan at Aguascalientes, although both the engine and transmission are built in Germany before being installed in the car.
Fuel Economy is rated at 24City, 34Highway, with a 28Average mpg. I drove this car 420 miles, which consisted of two round trips via different return routes to Laramie, Wyoming which accounted for 320 miles, then another 60 miles on local highways to the east and the balance of 40 miles around town. This is a greater percentage of time spent on open roads (albeit at higher altitudes and in poorer weather) than normal rather than in traffic and I attained a displayed average of 31.8mpg. That seems to be more or less in line considering how I drove it and is a decent result.
As happens routinely, here is where I discuss the base price and then detail the options and a few seconds later you all express shock at the optioned-up price. Well, this A220 4MATIC starts at $34,800. This includes the AWD, as a front-driver it is available for a bit less. The thing is, I think it’s a great value at that price. For example I believe it to be a higher quality car than a Jetta GLI at only a slightly higher price point (once you remove the AWD portion, but that’s precisely one of the advantages it has). However that’s comparing a fairly basic A220 to an optioned up GLI.
The rub is that as equipped (and I’ll detail it in a moment), this rang up the register at a total of $48,295. At that point I think many people would reasonably start to look at a C-Class across the showroom. Or at least wonder who else makes a FWD or AWD car at perhaps a more attractive price although the Audi A3 ends up at a fairly similar price point when optioned similarly and is also FWD based as is the BMW 2-series GranCoupe. Perhaps the goal is to lease these rather than outright sell them, I don’t know. But let’s take a look and see what might be stuff that we can live without, perhaps that will help.
The base price includes the engine, DCT, and AWD system as discussed. It also includes the Panorama Sunroof, AppleCarPlay/AndroidAuto, Power Driver Seat, Folding Rear Seats, Rain-Sensing Wipers, Keyless Start, Dual-Zone Automatic Climate Control, LED head and taillights, safety tech such as Attention Assist, Brake Assist System, Active Brake Assist (different system) and the normal power everything etc…
The Digital White Metallic Paint normally costs $720 but for some reason is credited back to the buyer in the Option section (good) but the red and black leather adds $1,450.
The 19″ AMG wheels with 225/40 Pirelli P-Zero tires are a very reasonable $500, Heated Front Seats are $580, the Heated Steering Wheel is a further $250 and Wireless Phone Charging is $200. I think I’d want all of those, the prices are all small enough to be palatable when each item is considered separately.
I’d also want the Exterior Lighting Package consisting of Active LED Headlights with Adaptive High Beam Assist for $900 as well as the Premium Package which includes the dual 10.25″ screens, Keyless Go Package and Mirror Package for $1,650 although I think including it as standard would go a long way toward making the car be more premium, I can’t really imagine it without.
I’d really want the Driver Assistance Package that consists of Active Brake Assist with Cross Traffic Function, Active Distance Assist (Distronic), Active Steering Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Active Lane Keeping and Lane Changing Assists, Active Speed Limit Assist, Active Emergency Stop Assist, Evasive Steering Assist, Route-Based Speed Adaptation and Extended Restart in Stop&Go Traffic. However it’s priced at $2,250 which to me feels like something that a premium brand that prides itself on its safety engineering and technology should be building into the car from the beginning and not as an option.
The AMG Line package that I detailed above is nice but for $1,950 might need to stay in the bin although then you have to settle for different wheels, and the MultiMedia Package with Navigation and Augmented Video for it as well as Traffic Sign Assist would also stay on the factory floor priced at $1,150 as Apple CarPlay can handle things if needed.
The 64-Color Interior Ambient Lighting was cool in how it continually changed the soft color emanating from various parts of the interior trim (or could be set to any one color) but I also like the green color of 310 dollar bills in my wallet, and as much as I love SiriusXM, charging $460 for the tech is a lot. Lastly the Dynamic Body Control (adjustable suspension) is $850 and I didn’t enjoy the stiffer setting, hopefully the standard springs and shocks feel like the Comfort setting.
Destination is $995 so with everything I feel I would want and withholding the stuff I could do possibly without I’d still be at more than $45,000. The problem is at that point you might as well get everything you’d want or conceivably feel you need, I just wonder how many people think it’s still a good value at close to 50 large, although it certainly appears so in the $35 to perhaps the $40k range. Perhaps leasing would end up the better approach here, that’s more of an individual decision though.
As an explanatory side note, this was a 2020 model year car and I was working from the supplied Monroney, while the car itself hasn’t really changed for 2021, some of the options and ways features are bundled do seem to be different going forward when attempting to build the same thing on the company’s web configurator.
After all is said and done though, Mercedes has provided a very, very good car here to anchor their range. It is far better than I’d have assumed, and well worth a close look if the size, styling and budget work for a buyer. After all, the intangibles can count for a lot as well, money doesn’t always drive every decision. There really aren’t any corners cut here to get to this point, beyond unfortunately not being able to include as standard some no longer really considered premium features in a premium badged car.
Thank you very much to Mercedes-Benz for letting us sample their car and providing a tank of fuel as well.
Lurve the 60s Jetson air vents.
So much bling, whatever happened to restrained Mercedes class.
As someone who regards electric windows as a long term liability, I reel in horror at the potential for future expensive bills for all that electronic gimmickry. The only sane way to get this car is on a lease. The ultimate in throwaway consumerist technology. Won’t see many of these around in 40 years unlike older Mercs.
agree completely, this car may be fine but it’s outrageously overpriced and it will be a nightmare when it’s off lease
Glad I’m not the only one who recoiled at the continuously moving power seats. I had a car that would automatically move the driver’s seat back when you turned the ignition off to make entry/exit easier.
Even just that I disabled immediately. I might adjust my power seat 5 or 6 times a year, no need to make that 1000 times a year & wear everything out faster just for some asinine feature.
Your electric window is far more likely to cause problems than a power seat, which is a motor with a track, about as simple as it gets. There’s an electronic brain telling it to move minutely in this one (which can be turned off). I don’t think I have ever had an electric seat issue in any car I have ever owned or driven, it’s tech that has been perfected for probably longer than I’ve been alive. No need to fear it or call it asinine without perhaps trying to understand the benefit.
That actual car ended up having an issue with the power seat about a year after I got it, the driver’s seat would no longer move on the outside track. I just picked a “square” position and left it. I suspect years of going back and forth unnecessarily with gunk in the track from the previous owners.
Not all fears are unfounded…
Audi’s koala nose grows bolder by the model and BMW’s kidneys now have hydronephrosis. Mercedes-Benz must hasten to introduce a grille of the like in its own image, namely, a three-pointed star the size and shape of a 1910 Spyker radiator, perhaps likewise brassed-up. The weeny 6-inch one here is quite inadequate.
This car, somehow both over-styled and generic, is a badge-bauble, a shiny trinket bought for display to others, and a trick is surely being missed by not making the purchase shout its identity with a a medallion the size of a garbage bin out front. In the generically-competitive expensively-indebted taste-deprived upthrusting burbs of drear where they cluster, it would be without merit were it to be mistaken by a neighbor for a Hyundai, and it might well.
To be fair to Benz, the car world is in a long and dispiriting pandemic grip of slashes and angry eyes and false diffusers and general gaudy directionlessness in styling at all brands, but one does expect the oldest maker to at minimum match the best of this worst. It doesn’t: it extends it lower.
I should add that this cheap little FWD hatch – which looks kinda half-ok in honest basic hatch 1.3 litre form – may not, on balance, be the car for me.
But I also add that I admire and appreciate our Mr Klein’s skill in mustering the enthusiams to find the good bits in this ugly, cramped, overpriced and entirely undistinguished machine.
Wow.
What a masterfully written diss.
I dont wear a hat but I will find one so I may take it off to you.
.
I too enjoy reading Jim’s reviews regardless of the topic.
Masterfully written indeed. Reading Justy’s counterpoints is a literary highlight of my day, and I think he’s outdone himself here.
Totally agree. This thing is devoid of all class. A stubby little wannabe with a loud interior, like bowling shoes on wheels…
Mercedes-Benz must hasten to introduce a grille of the like in its own image, namely, a three-pointed star the size and shape of a 1910 Spyker radiator, perhaps likewise brassed-up. The weeny 6-inch one here is quite inadequate.
Something like this, perhaps?
To be fair to Benz, the car world is in a long and dispiriting pandemic grip of slashes and angry eyes and false diffusers and general gaudy directionlessness in styling at all brands, but one does expect the oldest maker to at minimum match the best of this worst. It doesn’t: it extends it lower.
Very much unlike back in the late ’50s, when the oldest automaker desperately contrived to match the worst of American styling trends with gobs of chrome, wrap-around rear windows, fins, 13″ wheels and marry it all with their traditional grille, because they were too chicken-shit to drop that absurdly outdated traditional grill, afraid that their snobby customers would be greatly displeased. The word’s most expensive taxi cab, priced in near-RR territory, and looking more like a 1957 Rambler, the 1963-1965 300SEL.
I always thought the 1966 Rolls lost it and borrowed elements of styling from Nash Ramblers, the ones before 1958
I always thought that the 1966 Rolls looked like a Pinin Farina-designed Nash Ambassador with the Rolls Royce radiator added.
This car, somehow both over-styled and generic, is a badge-bauble, a shiny trinket bought for display to others, and a trick is surely being missed by not making the purchase shout its identity with a a medallion the size of a garbage bin out front.
Like the tens of thousands of clattering, slug-slow, cramped, stinking, vibrating 240/300 Diesels that young aspiring professionals bought in Southern California (and elsewhere) for exactly the same reason. Except it was a ridiculous 1920’s throw-back upright “radiator” grill on the front that they were grossly overpaying for back then.
Ralph Stein, in 1967, writing about the fabled 540K’s:
“They were fat and heavy and vulgarly curvilinear. I thought at the time that if you had draped them with medals, they’d look like dear old Hermann Goering himself. If he’d had wheels.”
So yes, as you point out, my complaints have pedigree.
Have to agree on the Finnie – and the dullard Ponton, come to that – and the comedy of rich Californians in airconditioned 240D automatics, but up until a certain point in history, at least the company was in earnest about what they sold.
That is, they really did think the way they did it was best, and the customer either paid, and adapted, or not. (Sometimes, to further comic effect: their “orthopaedic” seats were for years surely from the evil pen of an orthopaedic surgeon seeking business, for example). After that point, as the engineers retreated, they began increasingly to sell only the badge, and looking at that original 300SL, one could argue that the star began to regrow in inverse proportion to the peak excellence that that car represented, like a person shouting ever louder to cover a lack of ideas, perhaps culminating in the outsized one on this chintzy trifle A class.
But you know, perhaps the A220 IS the car for me after all – I’ve always been quite taken in by the bling and sparkle of the fabulous and ridiculous 540K.
After that point, as the engineers retreated, they began increasingly to sell only the badge, and looking at that original 300SL, one could argue that the star began to regrow in inverse proportion to the peak excellence that that car represented,
You’re missing my point, about the 300SL above. Its star was almost certainly bigger in diameter than the one on the featured car today!
While I do find your humor humorous sometimes, it really only seems to come into play when you don’t like something. I do try my best to present the car to the audience on its own merits without introducing my own biases and preferences as much as possible and further try to avoid reading other reviews prior to writing my own so not to fall into the groupthink mentality which I think has unfairly trashed some cars that are perfectly fine to their intended audience.
Now, not every car presents well in pictures, and some cars “feel” significantly different than what a set of specs would make one think. I can’t obviously make you or anyone else like something (nor would I want to or need to) but was thinking about your comments today as I drove to Denver and back.
Mercedes, like all automakers, look forward, and sometimes glance backward for inspiration. It seems that you would prefer they keep on making the W110 or W123 or W124 or something else, not sure which, in perpetuity. While I like a W123 as much as the next guy, the ONLY reason I like it these days is because seeing one is a rare treat, as opposed to the late 80’s when I saw literally dozens a day and they were usually clogging up the lane in front of me while emitting clouds of particulate matter and I couldn’t wait to get past them and not see them anymore. The W124 at that point was the future. I owned a 400E and the future became the past when the back seat proved to be too cramped in the rear to fit a rear-facing child seat. W124 out, and a 2005 Civic in, which had no problem with the seat, both are in my COAL section. Such is progress. Now there have been several new generations of MB and they are looking different than before but no more different than the W123-W124 shift etc.
My question to you is – of ALL of the mass-produced Mercedes car models to date that you could choose from, which one would you like to see them still make and would also actually BUY with your money and happily drive every day with the price adjusted to today’s dollars? I really am curious and this isn’t a trick question or something, there’s nothing wrong with liking the old stuff (but that’s often largely because it’s no longer common), however the reality is that shit gets old and people stop buying it, so makers change things and offer new stuff.
I loved my 1986 VW GTI and at various times “think” I would like another. However, driving down to Denver today in a new economy car at a steady 75-85 and getting 40mpg had me reflecting on how that GTI would have the dashboard bounce up and down anytime I went over 75 in it and you could barely hear yourself think at higher speed than that, never mind the music from the four little speakers. Conversely today I was at higher speed, AC blasting, twice the fuel economy, great radio quality, obviously much safer at a price that is less than the adjusted one of the old thing etc. Never mind the past, the future is getting better and better.
I can’t think of a single comedian who can make me laugh by talking about things he or she likes. That is kind of a comedic dead end. But I understand what you mean.
It’s the difference between a read and shade.
Calling someone fat who is is a read. No effort, obvious.
Smiling at them with eye contact while they eat a cookie is shade. You make them question their intention (am I in on this joke or paranoid?).
Complaining this car is relatively expensive is reading. You mean a Benz isn’t the wisest of purchases you could make when in need of a car? Shade.
It isn’t so much about liking or disliking in comedy, but the irony you find within life. Just my opinion.
Jim, insofar as there were ever good old days, I don’t want them back.
I’m not some Roman, believing we are in a constant descent from a golden time. I know that a moments thought shows the world to be an ever-better place as we crawl faster and faster away from the shackles of primal (and primate) instinct, even in our current shadowed times. There were good things when I was a kid, partly because I WAS a kid and my world necessarily smaller: there was a great deal that was not, some of which even as a child, I knew to be so. (My mum, for example, was not a fan of how women were treated and shared such inculcation freely with her offspring). I am subject to nostalgia, as it part of the mortal condition, but I don’t believe in it.
Old cars are essentially rubbish. The least fleabite undesirable from the bottom of some maker’s cheap range is a vastly better thing than any car 30 years its senior. I don’t want a admirable W123 – I’ve made a bit of fun of them here before – or even a svelte190 (too cramped entirely). For practical use, I don’t even want a 540K!
I think it’s Paul who has caught me out here, and caught me acting in nostalgia. Predictably for nostalgia, my point of comparison was a chimera.
This A class strikes me as poorly styled (a wholly subjective thing, so not relevant). It strikes me as gaudy and straining and appealing to a certain type I don’t like – again, not relevant. It is overpriced – but I am not about to buy it. As to its virtues as a modern car, you have reviewed that with typical dispassion and thoroughness, which IS relevant, and deemed it perfectly good.
Mercedes cars, which, after all, are just inanimate consumer products of a company who wants to make money, have been thought of as gaudy flash since at least the 1930’s, considering Stein’s comment I quoted above. And Paul points out the many gargoyles since, and the snobbery involved in purchasing one. In short, I am wrong. Ofcourse, I still do not like the car, but that is a different thing.
I do persist with one idea, though. I really do think Mercedes was earnest, or honest in the post-war cars they sold, right up to the W 140. They weren’t always right, or even anywhere near it on some fronts, like their concrete-tyred suspension’s noise, or their awful seats. But I do believe the undertaking was serious, and their sharing of safety innovations across the industry without patent is real evidence of that mindset. The company making this A class, a car I subjectively dislike as gaudy, is not that same company, and, again subjectively, this perfectly-ok product seems emblematic of that decline.
Don’t ever take it that I am being flippant about the effort you put into these reviews. I always try to make it clear that I think the opposite.
Which I do, before sometimes having a locked-down-curfewed borderline-insanity-driven bit of self-indulgence on the keyboard, and yes, it is usually when it is a machine I don’t much like. In my flimsy defence, I’ll try this: famously, Monty Python sat down to write a satire of Jesus’ life, but found him a wise and proper human being and thus there was no fun to be had, so they turned to the only bad part, the idiocy of too many of his followers since, and there found the pickings rich.
“Over the years though the 190E acquitted itself well and eventually became the now well respected C-Class.”
I remember the reviews too, they noted there was less interior space than a Honda Civic and that it was rated by the EPA as a “subcompact”
I’d bet that a contemporary Civic not only has retained its value better, but are generally worth more now than the Mercedes Jr., if you can find one of the latter still running
The stylists have managed to make the car look bigger than it likely is. I like the white with red/black combo. They seem to have done a credible job of transferring the things a MB buyer likes into an A class car. Although I still rankle at an A class car in that price range, but that could just be me. Thanks for the look at something I would otherwise not look at.
I have to confess that every time I see that “4Matic” badge on the butt of a Benz my brainstem reflex shouts “4 speed automatic”, which has not been a thing worth advertising via nameplate in a very, very long time. 🙂
This is a Mercedes “A Class”, but it’s very much not an A Class car as used internationally to designate car sizes. Examples of A Class cars include the Chevy Spark and Fiat 500. This is a C Class car.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_classification
That clears it up. It didn’t look like an A class car in the way I was thinking, but that’s what Jim was calling it, so who am I to argue. 🙂
I guess a C class A class would be better than an A class C class.
Sorry for the confusion, I used the hyphen to try to keep it as one unit rather than using the A as a descriptor of the class it fits in. If it was an S550 4MATIC I’d call it an S-Class.
I wonder if they’ve caused themselves a little grief once they started with E-Class and C-Class. There was so much room with other letters below S-Class but now with the B and the A how do they go even smaller if they wanted to (and there’s theoretically obviously room since the A-Class is in the C class of cars. 🙂
Every one of these cars I have observed driving near my home clatters like a diesel. The BMW N-20 does the same. My Golf has a much quieter motor.
An interesting car. If going for a German car that size (ie, small) it would likely be a nicely equipped Jetta. But I know that is like substituting watermelon for cantaloupe.
However, reading this got me curious about how equipped these are when found in the wild of dealer inventory. There are three nearby, in a relatively small, medium, and large price points as there is a $9k spread from $39k to $48k with the third at $43k.
It’s always interesting to know what is available in the market.
https://www.columbiamercedesbenz.com/new-inventory/index.htm?search=&saveFacetState=true&model=A-Class&lastFacetInteracted=inventory-listing1-facet-anchor-model-0
I highly doubt a base model is even available.
A Jetta GLI is a hugely better buy and oven a Golf R.
No doubt. I suspect that $39k example I found is as close to the base $34k model as one will find.
That’s one full engine bay, looks like they didn’t have room for the airbox so they just lay it on top and slammed the hood on it.
And yes my inner luddite still pines for a manual transmission in a small car, I can’t help myself…
Another good review on a car that wouldn’t normally interest me. There’s a lot of “Look At Me!” packed into the interior details, which would appear perfect for shorter term leased vehicles versus long term owners.
The greenhouse looks squat and sporting signs of gunslit “Camaroitis”. Does it feel that way inside or is it just an optical illusion?
No, not at all, visibility was surprisingly good. Overall, the car felt roomier than it appears. I was far more comfortable in this than the BMW 228i I reviewed recently. If I was a couple of inches shorter in the torso it would have been perfect in that regard.
Excellent review Jim, as always. I feel like I need to step in and defend the subcompact luxury car buyers as a “Wannabes”
Not everyone buying a subcompact luxury is “slumming” it. Nor does everyone want to drive a big car. I currently own four cars, two of which are two-seaters, one subcompact luxury car (Audi A3) and one subcompact luxury SUV (Audi Q3). I certainly have the means of purchasing larger luxury vehicles (and have in the past – check my COAL series), but I presently have no need or desire for anything larger.
My A3 is a “Prestige” trim, which is the top of the line, stickering for close to $50K. I had to purchase it in Chicago, as my local Audi dealer didn’t stock the Prestige trim, claiming that no one wants to spend $50K on an A3 when they can get an A4 for the same money. I beg to differ.
I love how easy small cars are to park, how effortlessly nimble they are because of their inherent small size and light weight. Most of the time it is just me driving (or me and the Mrs.), so the small size doesn’t even come into play. It might as well not even have a back seat (in fact, two of my cars don’t). Am I not entitled to get a luxury car just because I prefer subcompact over midsize or fullsized cars?
I’m finally glad that Mercedes and BMW are entering the subcompact space in the US. Audi has pretty much had the subcompact luxury car segment to itself for decades in the US with the A3. Competition should improve the breed for everyone.
Thank you, you are exactly right. Obviously the car isn’t for everyone, but if you can afford it and the size works for you, then why not, let’s applaud the freedom to choose. The smaller size and weight paid dividends in driving, the interior was plenty big enough and styling is subjective in any case.
Thanks for a great write-up! Have to say in profile it reminds me a lot of the Suzuki Kizashi.
I hadn’t noticed the resemblance before, but now that you mention it I can’t unsee it. Not necessarily a bad thing – I for one liked the styling of the Kizashi.
…except the Kizashi would only cost a bit over 23,000 in 2020 dollars, based on its last -year MSRP in 2013.
I kind of get the above logic, but other than AWD is it really better than a VW? (Full disclosure: VW owner here). I get the idea of an A3 or A4 as a premium VW, and probably with a much better dealer experience, but these Mercedes (and the X2 BMW) seem like diminishing returns. That said, I drove a rental first-gen A Class hatchback in the UK years ago and really enjoyed it, but that was someone else’s car 😀. At the Hertz counter at Heathrow, I was offered the MB or a Corolla, of all things, so the choice was easy.
Also, as a kid I spent many hours in the back seat (and later, a few stunts behind the wheel) of my friend’s parents’ 190 Heckflosse with 4 cylinders and 4-on-the-tree (and 13” wheels) so my image of a small Mercedes is a bit more spartan.
As always, an excellent review Jim, and some insightful commentary.
At least in my case, the A4 has a lot of goodies not available in the Jetta that I wanted, like AWD, Bang & Olufsen 5.1 sound system, DSG, more powerful 2.0T engine, power passenger seat, and the like.
But yes, a $28K Jetta SEL Premium is probably a better choice for a lot of people. That’s why we have choices.
Yeah but if you start to go that route, how is a Prius or a Corolla not a better choice? Or if you want a little more “driver engagement”, a Civic? Or a Hyundai Elantra? Really the only way to compare them is to its actual competion, i.e. what actual buyers or intenders realistically compare them to, in this case most likely the Audi A3 and the BMW 2-series with perhaps a less equipped version of whatever the next higher car in the range is and maybe one or two outliers.
Nobody in the U.S. who has a real intention of buying a new Mercedes ends up with a Jetta or Golf, just like nobody who is shopping for a full size truck ends up with a Cab Over Engine delivery box truck. That’s not a knock on any of those, but they are not really cross-shopped.
Is it just me, or does anyone else see this in the profile?
I was thinking Chevy Cruze
Makes sense. Both the Sebring/200 and Mercedes A class were made by Daimler, so its technically not copying.
Regular folks who are not car enthusiasts will probably be willing to fork out another $100 a month on a lease to get a Mercedes over say a Camry or Optima just to live the dream. Things like the heated seats and steering wheel should be standard on this car.
Actually what I think should be standard is every bit of safety tech that is an option currently. As one of the pioneers and leaders in vehicle safety, I feel MB should incorporate it all into the car and not let someone choose between paying for a heated rear end and the safety of themselves and the other occupants of the vehicle.
While I applaud the fact that they offer red in the interior in this case it just looks cheap. I think some of is the color, which of course may look different in person. However the way the seats are cut look like cheap aftermarket dealer installed leather. The door panels look too busy in the tri color and the fact that there is no red on the dash combine to make it look cheap to me.
It’s a little more subdued in real life. At least they offer it but there’s also black, beige, brown and two grays and various other options such as colored stitching. The way it’s done here is a little loud for my own tastes too but presumably some will like it. Red on the dash looks cheap, loud and screams 1950’s Chevy to me (emphasis on “to me”) which just goes to show that there’s no pleasing everyone…which is why there are options to choose from which is something you can’t say for the VW or whatever that some would choose instead. At this price level, lower volume option availability is presumably part of what drives the unit cost up rather than being forced to take an all black interior or nothing at all.
Well the tri-tone door panels say 50’s to me so might as well have a dash to match.
Even if this isn’t to my taste I think it is great to see red (and blue) coming back to vehicle interiors.
In the desert, where AWD is unnecessary, my local dealer has 51 of the FWD model in stock, vs. 48 of the AWD.
There are even 3 (almost) stripped out cars, with MSRP under $37k. I am surprised.
I was a fan of the original Vision A 93 concept. Reminds me some of my xB:
Wow – windows rather than gunslits!
It’s an easy car to make fun of for a number of reasons (not least of which is the awful last-generation CLA), but I think Mercedes has done well making this generation of CLA and A far more appealing. The styling works well, even more so on the new CLA. I’m mixed on the interior–the design stands out in a good way but the overt glossiness and dazzle of the dash lends a bit of a cheap glitz vibe, in pictures at least. Regardless, I find this far more appealing on the surface than the BMW 2 series Gran Coupe.
Apparently, that little 188hp engine produces a 94mph quarter mile speed, so you can race neck and neck with a new Civic Si. Whether that’s a pro or a con is going to depend on what one expects a $50K “entry-level” Mercedes to be.
As a luxury brand in the US, a high price is a given. I wouldn’t personally sink this much money into such a trinket when I find a base GTI so satisfying, but I’m also the wrong income bracket. The Merc USA website shows a 36 month lease special for a base A220 4Matic at $3800 down and $370/month. Maybe that’s a good deal. I honestly have no idea since all I see is the same monthly outlay I used to own a 4Runner outright.
Mercedes tried the hatchback thing in the US with the C230 about two decades ago, it didn’t go very well…hence the current focus on sedans, coupes, and more importantly SUVs.
The GTI is satisfying, but there is still a large portion of the US market that thinks a hatchback is jsut not “classy” enough (yes I know about CUV’s). Europe has not been a fan of the sedan form factor for decades.
You didn’t though own the 4Runner outright after three years of $370 payments with only $3800 down. By my math I believe you’re still on the hook for around $20,000 if you have a 4WD SR5 and more with anything but the base model. What’s a 4Runner lease cost, last time I checked it was more than the MB lease you quoted, not that anyone is cross shopping those two either as we both know.
Oh, absolutely it’s not paid off after 3 years. I’m just noting the impressions that go through my head when I look at serially leasing expensive entry-lux cars versus purchasing something with a very long potential ownership horizon. It’s just an extension of my own bias and how, despite my liking this Merc, it probably isn’t for me.
Current equivalent lease on a 4R is $370/mo with $3300 down for an SR5 with a $40K MSRP. The quoted A220 lease was for a base model with $36K MSRP. The 4R is 12K miles per year, the Merc only 10K. I was surprised to see identical monthly payments. The lessee is paying for a higher expected depreciation with the A220 given the lower sticker price and mileage limits, but they’re getting something that doesn’t feel fifteen years old right off the lot.
So, is Merc continuing to sell the CLA (which to my eyes seems to have been mostly thrashed in the auto press) underneath the A Class, or is the A Class the new entry-level Benz?
As a former Benz owner who loved the car but hated the maintenance costs (not much went wrong in 120K; it was a GLK), I’d say to anyone who asked “Buy a GLI instead”, but I understand those who won’t listen. I wanted a three-point star car at least once in my life, and while I’ve been cured of that particular itch, experience is the best teacher.
There’s still a CLA Coupe. Starts at about $4k more than the A Class.
Thanks; that is interesting in that the seemingly better A Class is less expensive than the CLA Class.
IIRC, the engine in the CLA (while still a 2 liter turbo), makes more HP in the CLA Class, and the CLA is a bit larger. I’m betting more folks will go for the A Class.
It’s on the website under Coupes as opposed to Sedans even though it’s a four door…Go figure.
I believe the engine is basically the same, just tuned a little different, however I also think the A-Class is underrated as to power, I should try a CLA to compare. The A-Class, at least the one I had, performed far better from a performance standpoint than the specs would indicate.
Having now googled these two cars as well as gone to the Merc site (which admittedly I should have done before posting questions to which I could have myself figured out the answers but didn’t, probably because I enjoy being even a small part of the dialog among the more august intellects here), I see that Merc via AMG has managed to pull 355 HP out of two liters for one version of the CLA. That just blows my mind, and also makes me worry about the long-term ownership prospects of such an engine.
I think the thoughts here about these cars being better lease cars than purchase cars, apply doubly to the AMG models!
I examined the A-Class at the LA Auto Show last fall. I could not get past the shift wand – it looks and feels so cheap and toy-like – and is something you come in contact with all the time. Doesn’t belong in a car that costs that much.
I don’t know if you realized but it’s meant to just be used with a fingertip, you don’t grab it like it’s an F-350. You don’t even put it in Park, it does it automatically when turning the engine off.
I used it twice every time I had the engine running. Once to tap it up into reverse to back out of the driveway, then again to tap it down to Drive to go wherever I was going.
It’s the same unit used in I believe every Mercedes currently, and I am 99% certain that Tesla uses this same exact part on their products as well. It works well.
Of course I compared it to the other Mercedes cars on the floor. No, it isn’t the same as the other models. Compare this picture of the shift control of the C-class with a chrome ring and button – much nicer. How it works and how it looks/feels are separate issues.
Ah, that seems to be the older style, similar to my ’11 GL, the C has been around for quite a while now. The new GLS from the review a week or two ago had one very similar to the also newer A-Class albeit with a little metal garnish on it. It’s visible in the steering wheel pic in that review.
In the September issue of Car and Driver they had a comparison test with the Cadillac CT4-V, the BMW M235i and the AMG version of the A-class, the A35 The Benz was criticized for “structural jitters” and an “awkward infotainment interface”.
The most embarrassing thing for MB is they got beaten by the Cadillac, a GM product.
Hmm, here’s what C&D said about the regular CT4 in the first paragraph:
“Unfortunately for Cadillac, the CT4’s somewhat down-market cabin doesn’t quite hit the same target as entry-luxury compact cars such as the BMW 2-series Gran Coupe and Mercedes-Benz A-class.”
https://www.caranddriver.com/cadillac/ct4
Scroll down a little more and they rank the Cadillac below even the MB CLA-class which seems to be panned by everyone, although I haven’t tried it.
I don’t think Mercedes is too concerned about any threat from Cadillac. Cadillac has already announced that they will be cancelling the CT4 and everything else in favor of electric cars, didn’t they?
Another great, very thorough, well-balanced review…
That bob-tail rear-end is what caught my eye first and is interesting…have to wonder if that will become a styling theme for all their sedans…
Well slap my face and call me “Not A Car Guy“, but I found this car very attractive indeed. I was particularly taken with the subtly moving driver’s seat (not to mention the red and black leather!). I am of an age where I no longer require a large car and greatly appreciate luxuries such as a quiet cabin and comfortable seats, while still being able to thoroughly enjoy long road trips that include some challenging driving conditions. So a small car that includes most of the amenities described in this excellent review, is a compelling choice, despite the high price tag. It seems to me that the notion of the dynamic driver’s seat is a triumph of the imagination of it’s designers/engineers, for it is something quite compelling, to me anyway, that actually sets Mercedes apart from less expensive cars. Thank you Jim for yet another enjoyable and informative read!
Another thorough and even-handed Jim Klein review. I especially appreciate the lengthy assessment and pictures of the interior styling and features, as that is where the driver spends his time with the car and these can can end up being the critical factors that determine an automobile purchase decision.
I struggled mightily to place this car in its proper context. I understand the point made above that not everyone wants or needs a large car yet might want a C Class sedan from a luxury make as comprehensively equipped as the test car here was. But that price tag…is it really worth $48k and aren’t there better vehicles available for the same or less?
Well, I got my answer while on our daily walk with the dog this afternoon. My auto-oblivious daughter, 25 years old and temporarily displaced by COVID from her New York roost, saw a new A-Class sitting in a neighbor’s driveway and was quite taken with it. The car still had its Monroney sticker, which showed an MSRP of…$48k. For any sort of car to have attracted her attention, it must have been special indeed. At least one young professional understood that car with a just a glance, though at that price, it’s more an aspirational than realistic purchase.
I think the styling is spot-on with these, and I especially like the rear window line into the trunk transition. Like a crisp starched and pressed suit or top? Maybe tight is a better description, but they have style, for sure.
Ha, there you go, CC effect. It’s for the youngsters. Or at least the youngsters at heart.
Thank you for the feedback re: interior photos etc, I’m never sure if I dwell too much on that.
The obvious competitors are the Audi A3 and BMW 228i GranCoupe, both of which when equipped the same are priced similarly. And start in the same ballpark too. There’s the Lexus IS line which starts higher but is similar if equipped similarly and apparently there’s a new Cadillac also although even though not knowing your daughter would guess she would recoil at that. While some variants of VWs might not be out of line to compare from a technical viewpoint (besides AWD which is important for many but not where you are), for most of the public they don’t play in the same space. I think that’s about it though. A bigger issue would be looking at this and then thinking about the next car up the ladder, a C-Class or A4 or 3-series can be had for the same or less but some of the options may be left behind.
Definitely keep the detailed analysis and photos, Jim. It’s rare to see a car review that errs on the side of thoroughness. Every other outlet seems to tailor the reviews for short attention spans and I’m usually left wanting for detail.
This is a proper Mercedes (’72 250), elegant, minimalist, and maintainable for ever.
Our other car is a three year old Focus with self parking and other gizmos. Cheap depreciated, throw away technology. That’s the only way to buy technology unless you’ve got money to burn.
Ever since they went with the banana styling, Mercs have appeared slab-sided to me, and it looks even worse when downsized. A good objective review, but not my cup of tea.
I have this same 2.0 litre turbo engine in my 2015 M-B B250. The horsepower is rated at 208 and the torque at 258. Can’t understand why this car is rated so low. Does it run on regular 87 octane unleaded?
No, it says it requires 91 in the fuel filler lid area.
It’s likely detuned a bit from the factory. Audi and VW (and I believe BMW) do/did the same thing with their 1.8t and 2.0t over the years, there are various tunes, sometimes it’s just the boost and sometimes the actual internals of the engine are different as well.
However, it certainly didn’t feel like it only put out what they said and the acceleration seemed faster than what they publish. Car & Driver also got faster times than the factory so who knows. It was a very smooth and drivable engine though, I liked it a lot.
This thing is an embarrassment to the marque. The interior looks like a child designed it and outside it’s so anonymous that most people would glance at it and think “generic Asian sedan”, especially in fleet white. I did, anyway.
Fleet White would be what the supposedly “Proper Mercedes” pictured two comments above yours is, the ’72 250. Or perhaps the first Mercedes that I owned: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/coal-1992-mercedes-benz-400e-the-sleeper/
The paint quality on this test car was quite good and had a deep pearlescent metallic luster, you’ll hopefully forgive my camera skills and the bad weather for giving a different impression.
In case you perceived that the red interior was too bright as someone else did, below is the red interior from a 1962 MB 230 Sedan that I found the other day, basically the same exact hue.
There’s been an interesting mix of opinions about this car. Some disliked it and seem to think that the same cars sold decades ago should still be available (Not that they’d buy them at the adjusted price of course), others thought it looks like either a Suzuki, a Chevy, and maybe a Chrysler (so fairly international), some thought it was thoroughly modern (it is). Of course you don’t have to like it, that’s your prerogative, but a car that gets so many people talking about it is a car that makes a statement and isn’t just forgettable, and therefore a success on at least one level. Which Mercedes in which color is your favorite of their current or historical selection?