What they said when the Mercedes A-Class was new… (Jan 24 2005)
REMEMBER the elk test - that fiendish manoeuvre devised by the Scandinavians to assess a car's ability to swerve around obstacles in an emergency?
It became quite a talking point back in the mid-90s.
Not because this was a new way of demonstrating a vehicle's handling at critical moments - but because one particular vehicle failed to pass muster.
The car in question was the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and it was a bitter pill for the grandfather of German car makers to swallow.
No matter what the Mercedes' engineers did to make the A-Class elk friendly, its ride was always a letdown. That was until now. Come February an all new A-Class takes to the road and this one has everything right.
At a glance there is not much different about Mercedes' new baby, but it's bigger and better in every aspect. Its lines are cleaner and sharper, there are new look headlamps and the rear has been completely re-styled.
On top of that, the A-Class is also available for the first time as a three-door model.
Under the skin is where the real changes have taken place and the improvements are not confined to the suspension and steering.
A choice of six new engines make the latest A-Class perform like it always should have done.
The original A-Class line up featured four engines, two petrol and two diesel. Now there are six - 1.5, 1.7 and two-litre petrol units and 1.6, 1.8 and two-litre common rail diesels.
To be frank, there is not a bad one among them, though the 1.5-litre petrol and two-litre diesel are outstanding.
In fact it is the A200Cdi that delivers the best performance of all the new A-Class models with a reported top speed of 125mph and 0-60 acceleration of 9.5 seconds - almost half a second quicker than its petrol engined counterpart.
But because it is a diesel the real benefit of the A200Cdi is fuel economy of 52.3mpg and very user-friendly exhaust emissions of 141g/km.
Compare that to 39.2mpg and 172g/km from the A200 petrol and it is easy to see why the Cdi is so exceptional.
However fuel economy across the range is excellent, ranging from 39.2mpg for the A200 to 57.6mpg for the 1.6-litre diesel.
Prices start at £13,655 for a three-door A150 Classic and on the petrol side top out at £16,725 for the A200 Avantgarde. The diesels run from £14,445 for the A160Cdi to £19,995 for the top range A200Cdi.
Those prices are very similar to the current A-Class and make the new model a bit of a bargain to say the least.
However the entry-level versions do not include air conditioning. An SE option costing £300 makes all the difference and that not only includes air con, but also includes front fog lamps, an upgraded hi-fi and cooled glovebox.
Inside, the A-Class is as smart and functional as a Mercedes should be. The instrument panel and dashboard echo that of the C-Class saloon and the A-Class' larger body - it is actually some nine inches longer and two inches wider than the original - noticeably creates more space inside.
The A-Class has always been a clever piece of design. It is where supermini meets people carrier but perversely the new car looks best as a three door.
In that guise is not quite as practical as the five door version. Although luggage space is increased by 20 per cent to more than 14 cubic feet minimum, the five-door has the option of a much more flexible seating arrangement called Easy-Vario.
This enables the back seat and front seat, if required, to be removed creating a maximum of some 70 cubic feet of cargo space and the ability to carry objects as long as 14ft. For a car of these dimensions that's impressive.
The "sandwich floor" construction is also carried over from the original. Not only does this arrangement make the floor of the passenger compartment totally flat, it is also a valuable safety aid.
There is an obvious benefit of a double floor making the body more rigid but with the engine and gearbox mounted beneath the occupants instead of in front there is much less chance of anything penetrating the passenger compartment in an impact.
Additional safety features across the entire range include front and side airbags, pretensioned seatbelts for all but the middle, back passenger, belt force limiters for the front occupants and a device which can switch off the front passenger airbag automatically if a baby seat is fitted.
The most impressive feature of the new A-Class, though, is its handling. The car has inherited suspension and steering improvements from upper echelons of the Mercedes range and special attention has been paid to the rear axle so that the A-Class drive is rock solid and absolutely responsive.
The A-Class now embodies everything that makes a Mercedes so desirable and that not only includes the famous three pointed star, great engines and performance, superlative levels of equipment but also the bonuses such as a warranty which covers the bodywork and provides breakdown cover and the enjoyment of free travel to Germany to collect your car direct from the Rastatt factory.
At last this is the enjoyment of real Mercedes' motoring at a price which makes it available for all.
Words: Chris Russon
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