A Class - Pleasantly Surprised

Seeker_UK

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While my baby is off being given some TLC by Castle Coachworks, they've given me an A150 Classic to drive around in.

I was expecting a car which felt like an absolute nightmare to drive when compared to my CLK. Wrong! It's actually a very pleasant drive and doesn't feel as slow as the raw figures would suggest.

If only they made an A220CDI, I could be seriously tempted. ;)
 

Rory

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You really must have had low expectations, I was given one and thought it was simply dreadful. Although a B150 which I was subsequently given was substantially worse.

An A180CDi I've also had a courtesy car wasn't toooo bad. At least that was an auto.
 

psmart

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There not bad though for Flashed up Trabants :D

....there are those that will always argue that the A-Classes are not proper Mercs, but the new crop are much better than the old W168's. The CVT box didnt impress me, neither did the Diesel engine comparing it against the 220 in the C-Class, but for this type of car and the target market it is aimed at, its worth trying out to see if it fits your needs and requirements.
 
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Geezer

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I had an A150 as a loan car and I thought it was dreadful! I was embarrassed to be seen in it........ :Oops:
 

rf065

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You really must have had low expectations, I was given one and thought it was simply dreadful. Although a B150 which I was subsequently given was substantially worse.

An A180CDi I've also had a courtesy car wasn't toooo bad. At least that was an auto.

You've had the same courtesy cars as me, I agree with your conclusions!
The B150 was extremely bad in my opinion, totally underpowered to the extent that the mpg figure was woeful as you had to plant your foot to the floor to keep up with normal traffic.

Russ
 
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PanzerMcGrory

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The roller skate de-values the brand, let the common car builders build this kind of sh#t.
 

Alex M Grieve

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Balance

Hawk20 had two A classes on his fleet at one point IIRC. Perhaps he can offer a balanced view?
 

hawk20

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Greatly under-rated IMO. I had an S class at the time and meant to get the A class for Mrs Hawk. We collected just as we were going on holiday to France and ended up driving through France and into Spain and back. I was most impressed. We had the the A180cdi with cvt box. Pulled 40 miles per thousand revs so only doing 2,000 revs at 80. Quiet and pleasant. And the legroom is amazing for a car you can park so easily. About the same as my E class front and rear. I know some MB fans like to knock them, but they are fine cars IMO and even Clarkson said: -
“The first thing you’ll notice when you step inside is that this doesn’t feel like a cut-price Mercedes. There’s no sense of going to Barbados’s west coast and staying in a two-star hotel. You will find that the quality of the trim and the texture of the upholstery are pretty much exactly the same as they are on a £100,000 S-class.

Then there’s the size. This new A-class is bigger in every dimension than the original, so you’d expect more space. But not this much more. The back, in particular, is hugely roomy, and if you remove the rear seats completely — well, it’s a van.

It doesn’t look like one, though. I always rather liked the style of the first A-class but the new version is in a different league. The three-door model, especially, is the funkiest thing to have come out of Germany since . . . um. Crikey. I suspect it may be the funkiest thing to come out of Germany ever.”

And Autocar said: -
“The driving position is very adjustable, visibility’s good, and the cabin has a quality feel in both its construction and ambience. It’s also spacious and offers great versatility; there’s even an optional removable front passenger seat.

The new A-class is everything the old one should have been: an individual, practical, prestige-badged small car. And it’s a real Mercedes.”

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=48220 gives costs of 4 years in an A class.
 
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A180 Dream

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As a relatively new member to this forum, I cannot believe how snobbish the attitude of some club members is toward the A Class.
The current (W169 and C169) model is a well engineered vehicle which upholds the true Mercedes tradition of engineering excellance.
My A class has been purchased privately as a cash purchase as I do not have the "company vehicle allowance" that some of the drivers of the larger models on these forums have.
I think it is time for some on here to accept that the A Class has grown up and recognise that fact.
 

Splatt

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It`s not snobbish, yes MB have tried to build a small quality comfortable car with some innovative features such as the sandwich floor construction for safety and in many respects it is very good. Unfortunately along the way they also built in some flaws which detract from the package, some in the conversion from left to right hand drive , some in not vectoring in the lousy state of the British minor roads. The result is a car which does not satisfy the discerning driver and has some hefty costs in store for the long term owner. There are better packages available elsewhere.
In the current market I got a depreciation of £9,000 in selling when only 2years old (bought new at discount) I tried all ways and that was the best available and it takes in a hefty discount on the car I was buying.
 
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teddycatkin

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Hi Seeker--took one for customer (an MOT) yesterday 2003--the inside was a bit cramped and you seem to sit high up off the road but the trim and seats were as per Mercedes quality--missed the long bonnet and star it was reasonable around town but not (nippy) quick--also did not like the stepped gateleg type auto gear change with only D at the end and no 2/3 option --it passed of course!
 

rhud

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As a relatively new member to this forum, I cannot believe how snobbish the attitude of some club members is toward the A Class.
The current (W169 and C169) model is a well engineered vehicle which upholds the true Mercedes tradition of engineering excellance.
My A class has been purchased privately as a cash purchase as I do not have the "company vehicle allowance" that some of the drivers of the larger models on these forums have.
I think it is time for some on here to accept that the A Class has grown up and recognise that fact.

Well said. It is now almost universally accepted that MB got the A Class wrong - and then got it right. This is snobbishness at work here. Those with bigger MBs want to maintain their 'exclusivity' and resent a more affordable model which brings the marque a wider audience. The B Class has more trouble justifying its higher price but the A is now a perfectly acceptable member of the Mercedes family.
 

Alex M Grieve

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I had an A Class hire car in Spain a couple of years ago, and thought it was fine - roomy and versatile.

OK, it was left hand drive, manual and dashboard warning messages were in German but it worked correctly. It did however feel like a very wide car and I apparently gave passengers an excellent view of the verges or anything we were overtaking.

Where users might be less forgiving is that it could not waft along effortlessly at 90 mph, and accelerate briskly from that speed if asked. You definitely felt the slow down on long motorway hills and occasionally it was necessary to change down. You don't expect that with your day car, and you come to take such performance for granted.

But let us be fair - it is a smaller car with a smaller engine. MBs make lots of cars that will eat motorways, indeed continents for lunch. The A Class is a smaller car and has great advantages in other areas (compactness, parking, versatile seating, ease of adjustment), so why not celebrate these features, rather than try to compare it with much larger cars?

After all, if you had a Ferrari, you wouldn't take it to Tesco's, would you?
 
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PanzerMcGrory

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As a relatively new member to this forum, I cannot believe how snobbish the attitude of some club members is toward the A Class.
The current (W169 and C169) model is a well engineered vehicle which upholds the true Mercedes tradition of engineering excellance.
My A class has been purchased privately as a cash purchase as I do not have the "company vehicle allowance" that some of the drivers of the larger models on these forums have.
I think it is time for some on here to accept that the A Class has grown up and recognise that fact.

I wouldnt call it snobbish, there are people on here with cars worth no more than a tank of fuel but its a real Merc none the less,
i just think they de-value the brand when they build the likes of the A-Class and should have slapped a smart badge on it aswell as the other dinky toys they build.

Just my worthless opinion, one member keeps insisting my V6 is doomed to falling to bits but wont say how or when and that is just his worthless opinion.
 

A180 Dream

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I had an A Class hire car in Spain a couple of years ago, and thought it was fine - roomy and versatile.


Where users might be less forgiving is that it could not waft along effortlessly at 90 mph, and accelerate briskly from that speed if asked. You definitely felt the slow down on long motorway hills and occasionally it was necessary to change down. You don't expect that with your day car, and you come to take such performance for granted.

But let us be fair - it is a smaller car with a smaller engine. MBs make lots of cars that will eat motorways, indeed continents for lunch.

I agree with you to a point Alex, however the current 1.7 petrol engined A Class is capable of 0-62 in 10.9 seconds and a quoted top speed of 117 mph..........That will permit motorway cruising at 90 mph (Where legally allowed) and leave a little for acceleration if needed.

I am happy to accept that in my everyday car as it meets and exceeds my expectations :)
 
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