When Mercedes Benz released the A-Class in 1997, it had one purpose in mind: to be a mid-level entry car that was affordable, and had the reliability associated with Mercs.
I hated it. The styling, the engine, the simple suggestion that Merc would make a car which looked like they had taken a C-Class and repeatedly rammed the front and rear end to give us the A-Class.
When I heard that Mercedes would be reintroducing the A-Class in 2012, I was skeptical. I did not give it the time of day, simply because I never imagined them giving us anything more than a two-bit knock-off of a true Merc… I was wrong. (For the first time in more than ten years)
The newly styled A-Class burst onto the motoring scene like a breath of fresh air; it did not just ask for your attention- it commanded it.
The car is absolutely gorgeous! Some people would say it’s sexy, but I feel gorgeous is more appropriate. In my opinion it is the best looking hatchback on the market at the moment.
The two metallic strips that run across the front grill just seem to tell you, ‘look out I bite’, while the front bumper reminds me of a smirking person.
The strip of LED in the headlights is simple- elegant. The lines across the car form a perfect styling feature.
The rear-end is breath-taking. The old one looked like it had been squashed and made anew. This model looks as if it had been crafted by Da Vinci himself.
This car just keeps getting better and better from every angle you look at it.
I’ve prattled on about styling for quite some time, but I’m going to continue for just a tiny bit longer before I get into the actual road test.
Merc has decided on a directive to make the driving of their vehicles as simple as possible. Sat-nav, power steering and even social media capabilities are all chucked into the A-Class’s systems.
The interior of the car is sublime. It strikes the perfect balance between minimal-elegance, and fun when you chuck in a pair of AMG bucket seats. The part that really got to me though as I sat down in the A220, courtesy of Stucky Motors, was the lack of a gear lever.
I know most car companies are moving in this direction, by giving you a flappy paddle or DSG gear box, but I honestly do not know if it really working. Maybe this is the purist in me, but I just prefer having a stick shift, with a clutch pedal on the left-hand side.
The idea is that without the stick shift you have more space, to kit out your car. Mercedes wants to put everything the driver would need, right at the tip of the fingers on the steering wheel. It works relatively well, but I think you will need some time to get used to it.
Honestly, I cannot deny that the automatic gearbox in the A220 was superb.
In full auto, the car is refined, it looks elegant and poised and ready to go at a moment’s notice, daring you to put your foot down.
In manual, it becomes a bit more of a rabid-dog as you tear through the rev counter, reaching 6 000 to 7 000 RPM before yanking the paddle and boosting off into the next gear.
The A220 CDI Blue Efficient that I drove uses a 2.1 litre engine that boggles the mind.
It produces 125Kw and 168BHP @3000-4200.
In sports mode, the car stiffens up and this engine really works. You can feel every bump and jut in the road, but it’s still soft. You don’t feel uncomfortable, you know that you’re still in the lap of luxury, even if you’re hurtling round a really tight bend at 120Km/h.
What’s more is that in sports mode, you can still manually change gears if you feel the need. Who says you can’t drive fast and save petrol at the same time?
On the road, the car is serene, easing through the bends like a genetically advanced fox darting away from hunters.
You can feel every turn, and you know you can go faster, pushing the car harder, every step of the way.
Even in wet weather when I took the car out, it effortlessly glided through the bends. There was only one time when it misbehaved, and that was purely because I pushed too hard in terrible conditions.
But here’s the thing. For the average driver, no matter what you do, this car will always be ready for it, and if you ever find yourself in a sticky situation, the ESP and other mechanical wizardry will kick in to save your life.If I had to look for a fault in this car, I would be hard pressed to find one.
Aside from my personal preference regarding the flappy paddle gearbox, which works extremely fast and smoothly, I would have to say I personally do not like the mags that come with the standard car.
Those mags do not accentuate its looks in any ways. Just sell it with AMG rims standard, and chuck the extra cost on the overall price, no-one will really notice.
I once hated this car. Today, I love it. It is hard to imagine a better hatchback than this on the market at the moment.
Let us not forget that the model I drove was not the AMG version of the A-Class. Let that sink in for a while.
So, if you are in the market for a new car, Merc has a car for you. In fact, this car is for everyone who can afford it. At just under half a million Rand, the A-Class is not a ‘cheapy’. But if I had a million rand, I’d buy two, one in South Sea Blue, the other in Jupiter Red.
Simply put, The new king of hatchbacks: The A-Class.
