The Mercedes A-Class: A Stylish but Practical Car?

When it comes to cars, style is often a top priority. The Mercedes A-Class is no exception, with its sleek design and sporty features making it an attractive option for those looking for a desirable vehicle. But how does it measure up in terms of practicality and driving experience? Let's take a closer look.

As we step inside the car, we're immediately struck by the spacious interior. The low seat position and firm suspension make us think that this is going to be a sporty drive, but as we put the car into motion, we realize that it's not quite as engaging as we expected. The steering feels light and unresponsive, making it difficult to gauge the front wheels' movements. This lack of feedback can be frustrating, especially when cornering or navigating twisty roads.

The A-Class does feel like a Mercedes, however, with its smooth and quiet ride. But this comes at a cost - the manual gearboxes are not particularly well-suited for use, making us wish we had opted for an automatic instead. On the other hand, the automatics in the A-Class are indeed very good, providing seamless shifts and smooth acceleration.

The engine options available on the A-Class are varied, but none of them particularly stand out. The 1.5-liter diesel is slow, while the 2.1-liter diesel is more powerful, but also noisier. The A200 model in this review feels sluggish, barely reaching 68 miles per gallon as promised by the car's computer system.

Another issue with the A-Class is its visibility. The sweeping pillar can make it difficult to see what's behind you, while the small rear window provides limited visibility when changing lanes or reversing. This lack of visibility is exacerbated by the absence of a rearview camera on all but one trim level.

In terms of amenities and features, the A-Class has some notable omissions. The pedals have been set too far to the right, making it difficult for drivers with longer legs to adjust comfortably. The seat back control feels flimsy and unresponsive, while the door trim and dash appear to be designed by two different companies, resulting in a disjointed look.

However, there are some positive aspects to the A-Class that make up for its shortcomings. For example, the car's connectivity system is excellent, allowing users to access various apps, including Twitter, without needing to use their phone. The optional AMG Line suspension upgrade provides improved handling and ride quality, while the ambient lighting system offers 12 different color options to suit individual tastes.

Overall, the Mercedes A-Class is a stylish and practical car that falls short in terms of driving experience. While it may not be the best choice for those prioritizing performance or reliability, its amenities and features make it an attractive option for those looking for a desirable vehicle without breaking the bank.

If you're interested in learning more about the A-Class and finding out how to get your hands on one, be sure to check out our article with more information and details. You can also watch our 360-degree passage drive video and other review content to see the car in action.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe Mercedes a-class now at the end of last year Mercedes gave it a facelift to keep it looking fresh that included some new bumpers so if you look here that's how the car used to look this is the new look you probably see that the intakes they are bigger than they are here personally I prefer the old look but I'll tell you what let me know what you think click up there to vote in our poll to me for the old style or the new style now either way this car is all about its design and of course that badge you don't buy an acres primarily because it's practical because actually it's one of the least practical cars in its class so for starters the doors don't open all that wide which makes it a bit trickier to get in and once you're inside and you shut the door you think mmm god it's a bit dark and dingy in here those windows are quite small and the sloping roof does mean just a bit claustrophobic kids yeah they won't like that another thing with this sloping roof it does limit Headroom I'm okay I'm about 5 or 11 ish but people over 6 foot are going to struggle which is a bit of a shame because knee room is actually pretty decent now this car does have exposed isofix fittings down there so it's easy to fit a child seat base and while there is a hump in the floor it's not that big so with 3 in the back it's just about bearable bit better with her in the back than some of its rivals just not as good as its rivals with two in the back now if you want more details on that click there to watch our in-depth practicality video you'll be able to see how easy it child say and just how much stuff you can fit in this cars boot speaking of which I'll try and summarize now you see the a classic boot is a little bit smaller than its rivals and that limits what you can get into it so does the fact that the opening is quite narrow so it can be a bit of a pain to load wider items it does try make up for these failings with some underfloor storage there below lip isn't too high you've got various Nets about the place 12 volt socket some tether points and this when you fold the seats down the law almost flat you also get a can I do it there we go you can get a ski hatch for the car if you need it and I'll just fold this one down so you can see the full load error flat low Bay that does help now this car it starts from just under 20,000 pounds which isn't bad considering how desirable it is if you click up there to get to car wide at UK you can see the best deal you can get on an a-class now any kind inside this car it does feel pretty posh so the design it's nice and sporty and on the whole you think launch is not bad then you look around a bit and you know some cheap plastics about the place which you wouldn't expect in a Mercedes these down here certainly don't pass out the compound yeah that really hurt the conflict test and you know you can't forgive it in some ways because the practicalities okay you got decent if I can get into it come on there we go we've got decent storage under there large door bins front and back a reasonable glovebox and equipments generally okay though I should point out that se cars get a smaller screen than this so you can upgrade it if you want and you can upgrade to the command online system which well the Navi system yeah I don't think it's all that good you're better off using the standard fit Android auto or apple carplay now if you wanna see our full review of the infotainment system just click up there to watch our interior review and your belt have another good look around this cars cabin so then that's the Mercedes a-class is interior dealt with now let's find out what it's like to drive so when you first open to this car the low some driving position and the firm suspension makes me think hey yeah this this feels pretty sporty but you don't have to go back it's 800 then you seem realize this is not as much a drive as an Audi a3 albeit one series because when you put it into a corner it starts a room wide a little bit earlier than you might imagine and the steering is so yeah that you have no idea what the front wheels are doing and as you bounce down the road on that firm suspension which is made worse if you've got larger hollow wheels or the lowered AMG line suspension you think wait a minute I've been tricked here now you can make it a little bit better than suspension by going for the optional dampers there around 500 quid and they didn't make the car ride better and they make it handle better as well but it's still not as good as its rivals you know one way does actually feel like a Mercedes though is that the manual gearboxes aren't very good to use the automatics are better the ones in the a-class on as good as what did you get in the BMW 1-series that's four engines well the petrels here they're only okay the diesels are better but the 1.5 minute diesel is a bit slow the 2.1 liters are much more powerful and they're the ones to go for but they are bit noisy the one in this car it's the a 200 yeah it should be able to do 68 miles per gallon and I'm looking at the trick computers and what it's saying it's saying 45 miles per gallon which isn't quite as good as I expected that's also not as good as I expected is the visibility so big blind spot by the sweeping pillar big behind smoke mother pillars in the back small rear window so it's little wonder that Mercedes felt compelled to give this car reversing camera as standard now if you click it there you can see if yourself what the visibility is like by joining me for a 360 degree passage right video the a-class has some other annoying traits is v similar to this car just don't see them as solid as you'd expect a Mercedes to be in the UK cars the pedals have set a little bit too much to the right so you've been a bit twisted behind the wheel there's very little room for your hand to operate the seat back control it looks like two different companies designed the door trim and the dash because the two just don't fit together you can only get 60/40 folding rear seats not 40/20/40 like in some rivals bit of a shame you feel like a bit of three-way action however it's not all bad there are quite a few things about the Mercedes a-class which help make up all this thanks to Internet connectivity can get various apps for the car including Twitter so you don't have to use your phone you can get the a pass with all-wheel drive for superior road-holding grip so the switches are finished in galvanized metal for a mmm quality feel you can get the car with 12 different ambient mood lighting colors to see your mood or your lack of taste the car come on it to your attention levels and will warn you who thinks is starting to fall asleep hey come on wake up that it's almost over so then overall what I think of the Mercedes a-class well rivals are better to drive and they are more practical but this is desirable and stylish plus it comes with lots of equipment as standard now if you click up they can get more information and find out the best deal you can get on a Mercedes a-class a car whoa co dot uk' thanks for watching if you enjoyed this video please like it share it and subscribe to our Channel and if you look over there you can watch our detail practicality entertainment and 360-degree pasture drive video the Mercedes a-class now do this what these shown in this video it was the facelifted 18 in the bootsthe Mercedes a-class now at the end of last year Mercedes gave it a facelift to keep it looking fresh that included some new bumpers so if you look here that's how the car used to look this is the new look you probably see that the intakes they are bigger than they are here personally I prefer the old look but I'll tell you what let me know what you think click up there to vote in our poll to me for the old style or the new style now either way this car is all about its design and of course that badge you don't buy an acres primarily because it's practical because actually it's one of the least practical cars in its class so for starters the doors don't open all that wide which makes it a bit trickier to get in and once you're inside and you shut the door you think mmm god it's a bit dark and dingy in here those windows are quite small and the sloping roof does mean just a bit claustrophobic kids yeah they won't like that another thing with this sloping roof it does limit Headroom I'm okay I'm about 5 or 11 ish but people over 6 foot are going to struggle which is a bit of a shame because knee room is actually pretty decent now this car does have exposed isofix fittings down there so it's easy to fit a child seat base and while there is a hump in the floor it's not that big so with 3 in the back it's just about bearable bit better with her in the back than some of its rivals just not as good as its rivals with two in the back now if you want more details on that click there to watch our in-depth practicality video you'll be able to see how easy it child say and just how much stuff you can fit in this cars boot speaking of which I'll try and summarize now you see the a classic boot is a little bit smaller than its rivals and that limits what you can get into it so does the fact that the opening is quite narrow so it can be a bit of a pain to load wider items it does try make up for these failings with some underfloor storage there below lip isn't too high you've got various Nets about the place 12 volt socket some tether points and this when you fold the seats down the law almost flat you also get a can I do it there we go you can get a ski hatch for the car if you need it and I'll just fold this one down so you can see the full load error flat low Bay that does help now this car it starts from just under 20,000 pounds which isn't bad considering how desirable it is if you click up there to get to car wide at UK you can see the best deal you can get on an a-class now any kind inside this car it does feel pretty posh so the design it's nice and sporty and on the whole you think launch is not bad then you look around a bit and you know some cheap plastics about the place which you wouldn't expect in a Mercedes these down here certainly don't pass out the compound yeah that really hurt the conflict test and you know you can't forgive it in some ways because the practicalities okay you got decent if I can get into it come on there we go we've got decent storage under there large door bins front and back a reasonable glovebox and equipments generally okay though I should point out that se cars get a smaller screen than this so you can upgrade it if you want and you can upgrade to the command online system which well the Navi system yeah I don't think it's all that good you're better off using the standard fit Android auto or apple carplay now if you wanna see our full review of the infotainment system just click up there to watch our interior review and your belt have another good look around this cars cabin so then that's the Mercedes a-class is interior dealt with now let's find out what it's like to drive so when you first open to this car the low some driving position and the firm suspension makes me think hey yeah this this feels pretty sporty but you don't have to go back it's 800 then you seem realize this is not as much a drive as an Audi a3 albeit one series because when you put it into a corner it starts a room wide a little bit earlier than you might imagine and the steering is so yeah that you have no idea what the front wheels are doing and as you bounce down the road on that firm suspension which is made worse if you've got larger hollow wheels or the lowered AMG line suspension you think wait a minute I've been tricked here now you can make it a little bit better than suspension by going for the optional dampers there around 500 quid and they didn't make the car ride better and they make it handle better as well but it's still not as good as its rivals you know one way does actually feel like a Mercedes though is that the manual gearboxes aren't very good to use the automatics are better the ones in the a-class on as good as what did you get in the BMW 1-series that's four engines well the petrels here they're only okay the diesels are better but the 1.5 minute diesel is a bit slow the 2.1 liters are much more powerful and they're the ones to go for but they are bit noisy the one in this car it's the a 200 yeah it should be able to do 68 miles per gallon and I'm looking at the trick computers and what it's saying it's saying 45 miles per gallon which isn't quite as good as I expected that's also not as good as I expected is the visibility so big blind spot by the sweeping pillar big behind smoke mother pillars in the back small rear window so it's little wonder that Mercedes felt compelled to give this car reversing camera as standard now if you click it there you can see if yourself what the visibility is like by joining me for a 360 degree passage right video the a-class has some other annoying traits is v similar to this car just don't see them as solid as you'd expect a Mercedes to be in the UK cars the pedals have set a little bit too much to the right so you've been a bit twisted behind the wheel there's very little room for your hand to operate the seat back control it looks like two different companies designed the door trim and the dash because the two just don't fit together you can only get 60/40 folding rear seats not 40/20/40 like in some rivals bit of a shame you feel like a bit of three-way action however it's not all bad there are quite a few things about the Mercedes a-class which help make up all this thanks to Internet connectivity can get various apps for the car including Twitter so you don't have to use your phone you can get the a pass with all-wheel drive for superior road-holding grip so the switches are finished in galvanized metal for a mmm quality feel you can get the car with 12 different ambient mood lighting colors to see your mood or your lack of taste the car come on it to your attention levels and will warn you who thinks is starting to fall asleep hey come on wake up that it's almost over so then overall what I think of the Mercedes a-class well rivals are better to drive and they are more practical but this is desirable and stylish plus it comes with lots of equipment as standard now if you click up they can get more information and find out the best deal you can get on a Mercedes a-class a car whoa co dot uk' thanks for watching if you enjoyed this video please like it share it and subscribe to our Channel and if you look over there you can watch our detail practicality entertainment and 360-degree pasture drive video the Mercedes a-class now do this what these shown in this video it was the facelifted 18 in the boots\n"