The article was originally produced on September 27, 2012, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Mercedes A Class

The model that got one of the car industry's biggest companies on its back.

Almost exactly fifteen years ago, a tragedy happened to Germany's pride in the automotive industry. At one of Technology World car tests, an evasive test was done with the new Mercedes A-Class. The car was a completely new design and among the first front-wheel drive models the brand built. During a classic "moose test", Robert Collin overturned with the brand new A-Class. The reason the car overturned was a too bad chassis and lack of an anti-skid system. The incident cost quite a considerable amount of money in revising the car as well as delaying production. The brand also had to be embarrassed for quite a while when they first tried to wriggle out of the situation that had arisen. There were even plans to sue the Test team for trying to stage the accident. But once the A-Class rolled out on the roads, it had a better chassis and anti-skid system as standard. It quickly became a very popular model. With its small dimensions, only 3.6 meters, and high seating position, it was considered a practical and comfortable car in the everyday traffic of the city.

Now the A-Class has entered its third generation. The step

between the first model and the one that Cars Collection testing today is very large. The length has grown by as much as 41 centimeters and that is quite a big step for such a small car. At the same time, the height has decreased, the small practical city car with good visibility has changed significantly. The new A-Class is 4.29 long and has a longer wheelbase. What changes in terms of driving when a car grows like this is the stability and it is much better on the new A-Class compared to its predecessors. Nowadays, the new A-Class finds itself in the golf class with competitors such as the BMW 1-Series, Audi A3 and Volvo V40 to name a few.

The engine options for the new A-Class are many, a number of frugal diesels with environmental classification and a couple of stronger petrol engines. Eventually, an AMG version is also expected to be released. Cars Collection chose to drive the second strongest petrol variant at 156 horses. Nowadays, it is not possible to determine the size of the engine by the model designation as in the past. The A200 as the model we drive has a 1.6 liter engine. But the 156 horsepower that this car sits on feels perfectly fine and not powerless in any way. If you look at the performance figures for the A200, the 0-100 sprint is completed in 8.3 seconds. Top speed is reached at 224 km/h.

The test round is laid out around our capital, both country driving and city traffic are included. On the country road with which the route begins, the A-Class feels much larger and more comfortable than expected. At speeds where the driver's license starts to hang loose, the A-Class is still safe and calm. Good marks for such a small car and a sign that many hours have been put into producing a well-balanced chassis. Even the noise level is low despite well-sized rims shod with low-profile tires. The model we chose today is equipped with an AMG package. Sporty skirts and rims are the attributes that differ from the standard version on the outside. Inside, you'll find a pair of oversized bucket seats and a sporty steering wheel covered in nappa leather. In addition, tasteful carbon fiber panels adorn the dashboard in a very tasteful way. You quickly feel comfortable in the driver's environment of the new A-Class!

When the country road is replaced by denser afternoon traffic into the city, the A-Class feels smooth and easy to handle. Instead of the existing 6-speed manual gearbox, we have chosen to try the version with a so-called double clutch gearbox. The changes happen without sleep and very smoothly. If you want, you can choose to shift with the paddles behind the steering wheel. 

With an app that can be downloaded from iTunes, you can have full access to your iPhone via the car. You then bring up the phone's menus in the car's screen and then control with the knob on the center console between the seats. The system is currently only available for the iPhone, but will eventually also come to other smartphones. 

Despite the fact that this is Mercedes' smallest model, they have not cut back on the safety systems. The A-Class is and can be equipped with a number of assistance systems. As standard, the car will have a collision warning system. Not to be confused with, for example, Volvo's automatic emergency brake. The Mercedes system warns the driver in the event of a collision from the front and prepares the brakes, but the driver must brake himself. Optional and new for the A-Class are blind spot warning and lane change warning. There is also a fatigue warning and knee airbags in the driver's seat as standard. If you want to extend security further, there is an optional package called Pre-Safe. The package means that the car prepares itself in the event of an accident and closes the windows, sunroof and tightens the seat belts and straightens the front seats. 

The little rowdy model that for a while seemed to do more harm than good to the brand has now grown up and become more controlled. The overall impression of the new Mercedes A-Class is very good, in fact better than expected. You quickly find your way around the car with buttons and controls. Even after a couple of hours of driving, the A-Class feels comfortable and does not tire. To achieve these things, it is quite easy to understand that more engineering hours have been put into the new A-Class than when the first generation overturned and made headlines all over. Thanks for that Mercedes!

+ Practical and comfortable car for both city and long journeys.

- Has grown a lot since its predecessor, which has reduced the flexible format.