Mercedes-Benz A170

Road Test

Your Say

Test Date 22 February 2005 Price When New £18,030

Verdict

If the A-class is currently off your radar because you want a car that is enjoyable to drive, you need to try this new version. Sprightly where the old car was stodgy, it’s an entirely different experience from the car it replaces. Mercedes set out to retain the space-efficiency and functionality of the original while blending in some driver enjoyment and interior finesse. They have succeeded. There are so few gaps in the A-class’s overall performance that it is a remarkably complete car.
It is also a machine cruelly undermined by an optional extras pricing policy from the Dark Ages. As a £15,505 car the standard A170 Classic retains the basic excellence, but there’s no avoiding the extra polish the £1800 Elegance SE trim and £3040-worth of extras on our test car bring. Without some of those toys it would feel very basic indeed. And we’d also be tempted to go for the A180 CDI diesel or the A150 petrol (£18,115 and £16,055 respectively in Elegance SE trim) instead.
To a certain extent, you’ll suffer the same problems with any other German brand. And whereas they justify their price premium with the kudos of a badge, the A-class has that and is a genuinely clever small car. We suspect its many abilities will work their charms on any owner, and the car will become irreplaceable.