The New A Classs

[whitenemesis]

Saw one in my dealership this morning. Must admit to doing a double take, I thought someone had parked a Vauxhall Astra in the showroom!!

The "in the metal" view only reinforced my initial impressions. Very Euro-box styling and not at all Mercedes like. Not for me :neutral:

 

[toby1]

Agreed. It's another clone of something else nondescript. I had a peek at one in MB Newbury. A missed opportunity to make something distinctive

 

[daveyjp]

Harrogate dealer has been taken over by them - launch event is Thursday. With this you can at least see a few models to compare.

The 250 AMG on display is £32,000 and that's before you start ticking any of the expensive option boxes

 

[SunnyDee]

Saw one in my dealership this morning. Must admit to doing a double take, I thought someone had parked a Vauxhall Astra in the showroom!!

The "in the metal" view only reinforced my initial impressions. Very Euro-box styling and not at all Mercedes like. Not for me :neutral:

oi....... no dissapoint marks about a Astra PLEASE! I am a Astra owner too...

 

[whitenemesis]

The Astra is a perfectly good vehicle.

Just not a Mercedes!!

 

[Developer]

The TV advert is rubbish.

 

[Ricardo_e220]

There was a German registered one in my local, not impressed tbh. Very nothing and bad on space. It's lost it's charm which my wife likes, it'll be a b class or an MVP to replace it

 

[Uncle Benz]

I quite like to look of it, but it has the same smell inside as the Vito vans. It's the same smell that I first noticed in fiat vans of mid nineties vintage. That's not to say it's a bad smell, but I personally don't like it.

 

[hawk20]

Sad how many traditional MB owners like to knock the A class.
In my view it is distinctive looking (as far as one hatchback can be from another) and most of the Press have been complimentary about the looks.

More important, the initial launch has been the most successful launch that Mercedes have ever had, with 70,000 orders taken already in Europe alone.

I'm a huge fan of the old A class, which I have owned, as has my wife, daughter and brother. A small car on the outside with the interior room of the E class- it was a wonderously clever design. The new A is something quite different (much lower and a lot less roomy) and I am sad to see the end of the old A class. But it is quite clear that the market for the new A is going to be bigger by far.

The old A sold over a million. Looks like the new A will top that by a considerable margin.

 

[Gkinghorn]

@hawk20 .... Cars are subjective topics.. Not objective.... It's like marmite... You love it or hate it.... Old A class was ugly and for pensioners in my view .. New A class is for a different younger market and looks much nicer ....again in my view...

You may disagree completely ...

2 very different cars for different markets though .... Same badge...

 

[st4]

I'd have a new a if it were rwd. As its not I'll stick to c classes or above.

 

[rhud]

Sad how many traditional MB owners like to knock the A class.
In my view it is distinctive looking (as far as one hatchback can be from another) and most of the Press have been complimentary about the looks.

More important, the initial launch has been the most successful launch that Mercedes have ever had, with 70,000 orders taken already in Europe alone.

I'm a huge fan of the old A class, which I have owned, as has my wife, daughter and brother. A small car on the outside with the interior room of the E class- it was a wonderously clever design. The new A is something quite different (much lower and a lot less roomy) and I am sad to see the end of the old A class. But it is quite clear that the market for the new A is going to be bigger by far.

The old A sold over a million. Looks like the new A will top that by a considerable margin.

I agree with most of what you say. But I think the disappointment some have expressed arises from the fact that people expect MB to the be the great innovator of the industry. The original A was innovative (though admittedly it did take them seven or eight years to get it right). It also had a widespread influence on small-car design from many other marques - the Honda Jazz being the most conspicuous example. The new A gives the impression of MB trailing in the wake of others.

 

[three pointed star]

@hawk20 .... Cars are subjective topics.. Not objective.... It's like marmite... You love it or hate it.... Old A class was ugly and for pensioners in my view .. New A class is for a different younger market and looks much nicer ....again in my view...

You may disagree completely ...QUOTE]

Old A class was a nicely proportioned vehicle with class leading engineering, incredible packaging and distinctive lines. The new A lacks innovation, space/practicality and it’s over fussy styling smacks of a SEAT, not Benz like at all IMO. So yes, looks like we don’t agree

 

[GeeAy]

I had a look at the Newbury offering too the LHD model. And I quite liked it until I looked inside. Definately a tilt at the younger market. And why not?

 

[hawk20]

@hawk20 .... Cars are subjective topics.. Not objective.... It's like marmite... You love it or hate it.... Old A class was ugly and for pensioners in my view .. New A class is for a different younger market and looks much nicer ....again in my view...

You may disagree completely ...

2 very different cars for different markets though .... Same badge...

Agree entirely that taste is subjective. And as I said the new A will probably sell much better than the old one. But it doesn't detract from the fact that the old one was a remarkable, original design offering the space of an E class saloon in a car shorter than a Focus. And the safety of an E class in a crash. And lots of young people with children liked it -like my daughter- because being higher up it is much easier to get children in and out of car seats etc. And lots of people of all ages like high driving positions -look at how many 4x4s there are.
Longer and lower appeals to many stylistically. But less legroom front and rear and a much smaller boot mean that functionally the new A is a country mile short of the old A.