Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2016 Review

Mercedes-Benz A 200
Road Test

Stylish, refined and capable, the A-Class is a worthy member of the Mercedes-Benz club and plays a big role in the company's extensive influence on the prestige market. As to whether the $42,800 (plus on-road costs) A 200 qualifies for the $5000-plus price jump over the base A 180, that's for customers to decide.

Perhaps Mercedes-Benz was too clever by half when it introduced its quirky A-Class in 1998.

Disproportionately tall, awkwardly narrow and shorter overall than a Holden Barina, the front-drive Benz thumbed its nose at convention. Justifying the clumsy looks were a surprisingly large interior, ground-breaking levels of safety, reasonable performance (depending on variant) and light-car economy.

But the original A-Class was a bit too much for most would-be buyers to bear. It proved, to an undoubtedly peeved Mercedes-Benz, that clever packaging and hitherto unheard-of small-class safety levels were not the direction in which the market was headed. More's the pity.

The clever, pragmatic Benz gave way in 2005 to a longer and wider re-think that, although it continued to follow the basic philosophies of the original, edged closer to the mainstream with a bigger cabin, greatly improved ride quality and more acceptable aesthetics. But it was still the same formula at heart.

Fast-forward to today's third-generation A-Class and we have a different animal altogether. Eschewing previous attempts at being a sort of mini prestige MPV, the A-Class now matches its major competitors in overall proportions, on-road ability, passenger comfort and street cred.

And where the first and second-generations struggled for attention in showrooms, the A-Class and its multiple derivatives are now closing in on the ultra-successful C-Class for best overall Benz sales.

With the fabulous A 45 AMG as the halo model, and other variants including the CLA wagon and the GLA SUV sharing equal proportions of overall sales, the A-Class is a big presence at Mercedes-Benz.

The recently facelifted version hasn't quite forgotten its more proletarian roots though: At base A 180 level it is tagged at $37,200 (plus ORCs), which is either slightly above or slightly below the fluctuating prices of the base A-Class (between $36,109 and $39,900) during the original model's seven-year lifecycle.

And sitting another $5200 above today's base model at $42,800 (plus ORCs) is the up-powered, up-spec'd A 200 which wrings another 25kW out of the 1.6-litre turbo engine to produce 115kW, while bumping torque from 200Nm to 250Nm and quickening 0-100km/h acceleration from 9.1 to 8.3sec.

On top of the A 180's pretty comprehensive list of standard gear (nine airbags, semi-autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, active parking assist, climate-control, sat-nav, keyless start, reversing camera and rain-sensor wipers), the A 200 gains upgraded interior trim with power lumbar adjustment for the faux-leather front seats, an electrochromatic rear-view mirror, a leather-trimmed, flat-bottom steering wheel, folding rear-view mirrors and a lift in wheel size, from 17 inches with 225/45 run-flat tyres to 18 inches with lower-profile 225/40 run-flats.

Both models use the Benz seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, complete with steering wheel paddle shifters.

Given that this doesn't sound like an awful lot for the extra $5K, the A 200 has a bit of work to do justifying itself. In addition to the extra spec, it attempts this by offering the promise of more performance, as well as an extra degree of driver engagement via the bigger wheels and tyres.

On top of that, the test car added close to $10,000 of optional equipment including the AMG Exclusive package (with adaptive suspension, leather trim, dual-zone climate-control and faux leather upper dash for $1,900), the COMAND package (including COMAND Online, DAB radio and a Harman Kardon sound system for $2,990), the Seat Comfort package (including heated and powered front seats for $990), AMG Line (including lowered suspension, Sports Direct-Steer, AMG wheels, and body add-ons for $1,490) and the Vision package (including LED headlights and sunroof for $2,490).

So, how does the littlest Benz, in A 200 form, go about adequately flaunting the three-pointed star?

Perhaps the biggest surprise is that the A-Class tends to fail on delivering the back-seat legroom that would normally be expected of a front-drive package. In effect, the Mercedes is not all that different to the often-criticised rear-drive BMW 1 Series and falls short of other front-drivers including Audi's A3 hatch, and even Volkswagen's Golf.

The seats themselves are excellent and the cabin actually never feels squeezy, particularly in the front where there's plenty of Benz design language going on – right down to what I reckon is still among the most intuitive and easy to use cruise control systems located on its own lever to the left of the steering column. As well as being dead easy to use, the system also maintains speed by braking on downhill descents – a road fine-saving feature not all prestige brands bother with.

There's also the optional door-located Benz power seat controls (part of the Seat Comfort package), the iPhone style sat-nav display sitting proudly at dash centre and a simple control panel below the middle air-con vents with just the right amount of buttons to provide appropriate tactility while easily flicking between functions such as radio, navigation, phone and climate settings.

The A-Class, though not the most capacious in its class with a seats-up luggage capacity of 341 litres (1157 litres all seats folded), is a practical small hatch. It will hold a decent amount of cargo in a largely unobstructed space with a good gap between the wheel arches, as well as a wide-opening hatch.

On the road, the test A-Class proved a bit less hushed than expected with a degree of road noise filtering through to the cabin, as well as some wind whistle from the right-hand mirror. We did note that the road noise was more noticeable with the rear seat folded down – it was a lot quieter in the five-passenger configuration.

But with its smooth transmission and the ready response of the turbo engine the A 200 is a quick, decisive performer with a generally fault-free disposition. The transmission shifts quickly and with gratifying smoothness, challenging the best conventional transmissions in terms of operational smoothness, particularly when moving off from a standing start.

And the test car's lower, adaptive-damped MacPherson strut front and four-link rear suspension helped it point with great precision, helped by the Sports Direct-Steer system which needs just two and a quarter turns to travel from maximum right to maximum left lock, and is nicely weighted into the bargain.

The test car's handling was pretty commensurate with the strong engine. It was characterised by the sure, steady grip of the larger wheel/tyre combination, with the only suggestion of a downside being the AMG suspension's contribution towards a certain abruptness in the ride quality.

And although it's no A 45, the A 200 – particularly with all the AMG gear on our test car – is more a sporty hatch than a soft-edged urban runabout. It's a great drive on tight and winding roads with enough grip and enough acceleration to keep the driver entertained.

Fuel consumption was a little disappointing. While we never expected to match the official combined fuel consumption figure of 6.1L/100km, the best we could manage on a freeway-biased week was 7.4L – a figure exacerbated by the requirement for 95 RON PULP.

But it should be said that, in terms of officially quoted consumption figures, the A 200 is right in the middle of the ball park with BMW's 120i, Audi's 1.4-litre A3 and Volvo's 1.5-litre V40 T3.

As such, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class is not only the cheapest way of gaining entree into the three-pointed-star fraternity – it is also an unquestionably worthy member of what still remains as an exclusive club.

2016 Mercedes-Benz A 200 pricing and specifications:
Price: $42,800 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 115kW/250Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 6.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 141g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

Also consider:
>> BMW 1 series (from $36,900 plus ORCs)
>> Audi A3 (from $36,500 plus ORCs)
>> Volvo V40 (from $36,990 plus ORCs)

*A 250 pictured for illustrative purposes