In this, the era of SUVs and crossovers taking over the automotive landscape, the compact sedan would seem to be an endangered species, especially south of the border where most of Canada’s product offerings are determined just because of the sheer size of the American market.
But, buyers in this country continue to want smaller two- and four-door cars, and we say hooray for that. Couple that with people liking aspects such as luxury, technology and style, no matter the type of vehicle, and it should be no surprise that Mercedes-Benz has a presence in the compact car market.
Over the last decade or so, as the previously entry-level C-Class gained in size and price, Mercedes had to fill in its line-up underneath it. Most recently, the B-Class was the lower end of the range, and while it still appears to be for sale in a smaller variety of trims, the new A-Class has taken over as the brand’s entry-level car. Of course, there has been an A-Class for a couple of decades in other markets, just not in North America. The latest A is the fourth generation.
In the big picture, the product planning strategy is to offer the A-Class in both A 220 sedan (FWD or 4Matic) and A 250 hatchback (4Matic) form, the A 250 having the more powerful engine. Not surprisingly, it being a compact hatchback, it is not available in the U.S. These models are brothers to the existing CLA sedan, the big difference being they are more traditionally-styled and roomy than the swoopy CLA.
All of these models come equipped with the engine that has become ubiquitous in the industry, a 2.0-litre turbocharged four. In the A 220, it generates 188 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque, while the A 250 gets the more highly-tuned version with 221 hp and 258 lb-ft. Both engines put the power through a 7-speed dual-clutch manumatic transmission (7G-DCT in Benz-speak), which ups the sportiness factor significantly over a full automatic. Having said that, one might have thought that if only one Mercedes could have a manual transmission, it might be the base A 220 front-wheel drive, but no, that is not the case. Nevertheless, the DCT gets the job done, with claimed 0-to-100 km/h times of 7.2 seconds for the A 220, and 6.2 for the A 250. Around town or up in the hills, the abundant mid-range torque in either makes the A an enthusiastic performer.
The A-Class rides and handles as you might expect a compact Mercedes sport sedan to. It is firm but not jarring over regular pavement bumps. Steering is direct, braking is confident, and the 18-inch tires have plenty of grip to complement the AWD.
Indeed, the A-Class meets any expectations one might have on the mechanical and performance side; but there are other areas where it might exceed them. Mercedes has not held back on the design aspects of the A-Class, and that is most apparent in the interior. Our A 220 test unit had the Sport Artico (vinyl) trim, in quite stunning black-and-white, while the A 250 hatch had rich-looking black leather seats and trim. Other than the obvious compact dimensions of the interior, one might have thought one was in a larger Mercedes.
Sitting in the cars was a pleasure, too, thanks to the very supportive Sport Seats that come in the Sport or Night Packages. You can’t have both packages, and nor would you want to, as they are essentially the same package with different names. Quite odd, that is, but if you are at a dealer looking at an A-Class, maybe someone there could explain that. The rear seat area is reasonably roomy as long as the front seats aren’t all the way back, while the trunk in the sedan is among the least capacious in the compact class, it must be said. If cargo capacity and versatility are important, the A 250 hatch will be the version to look at.
As we’ve come to expect with media test vehicles, these two cars were, as we say, ‘loaded’ with options packages, and the Premium Package (for $3,000) is the initial one that must be ordered if you want access to all the other packages. It includes some items that Mercedes doesn’t include in the base model, doubtless to keep the price down, and a few items that most will want anyway, including mobile phone integration, a larger (10.25-inch) upgraded Central Media Display, and voice control of the MBUX system. To say nothing of interior mood lighting with 64 different colours.
And just what is MBUX, you ask? It stands for Mercedes-Benz User eXperience, and it is a cloud-based infotainment system. It knows so much about so many things, that there needs to be two 10.25-inch LCD displays, one in front of the driver and one over the console. What looks cool is that they are side-by-side, creating a sweeping display that almost reaches the right side of the dashboard. You’d swear you were in a much more expensive Mercedes, except that most of those have the tablet-style screen perched up on the dashboard. There are four ways to control MBUX – via steering wheel buttons, by a track pad on the centre console, by touching the screen, and by just asking it a question with voice. Those questions can go way beyond the operation of the car or the entertainment system, too; you can ask it almost anything and get some kind of answer.
The car itself may be compact, but to charge many thousands of dollars more than all the other run-of-the-mill compacts out there with the same performance and size, and quite likely better fuel efficiency on the regular gasoline you aren’t supposed to use in a Mercedes, there have to be a few special aspects to the A-Class. The MBUX system, and the design of the car inside and out, will be what sells it in showrooms. That, and, of course, the brand cachet of Mercedes.
The A 220 4Matic sedan starts at $36,990 and our optioned tester was over $46,000, while the A 250 4Matic started at $37,990, and our tester (2019 model, unchanged for 2020) was over $50,000. And at those prices, neither car had the Intelligent Drive Package with all the really high-end electronic safety gear. For the technology lover who is sold on the MBUX features, this package, too, will be a must – at another $1,900. So there you have it. The most technology-laden, stylish, prestigious – and yes, most expensive – small compact car on the market is the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. In this era of declining market share of small cars, it is certainly an interesting approach.
