First Sight: Mercedes-Benz A-Class

The first generation A-Class was the first front wheel drive passenger car from Mercedes-Benz and its first compact hatchback. Its revolutionary packaging and infamous encounter with an elk made a big impact in 1997, and since then over a million have been sold.

Specification

The new A-Class maintains its predecessor's innovative sandwich floor concept, where the powertrain moves under the passenger cell in the event of a big frontal impact and thus enables a longer cabin for the length of footprint.

Standard equipment includes power assisted steering that varies in assistance according to speed, head / thorax side impact air bags, a selective damping system and a new 'parabolic rear axle' which shall address the poor ride comfort and handling of the original A-Class whilst also improving anti-roll support. Three petrol and three diesel engines will be available from launch to be soon followed by a top of the range 193bhp engine, and all models will be available with Mercedes-Benz's first CVT (constantly variable transmission).

Design

The A-class continues to be a 'segment buster'; it is as long as a European B-class car (Polo, Clio etc), as wide as a C-class car (Golf, Megane etc), almost as tall as a mini MPV (Touran, Scenic etc) and yet clearly differentiated from the similarly dimensioned emergent micro-MPV class (Meriva, Modus etc) with a very long wheelbase and minimal overhangs, and with graphics and surfaces that successfully disguise its boxy shape. But in its second generation it is less different than the first generation was in 1997; a growth in length by 232mm, the availability of a three door version, and the growth in height of the rest of the market have reduced the extent to which the A-class is an unusual car.

The A-class car inherits from its predecessor a DLO that sweeps up into the C-pillar, a rear window that wraps around to the side graphic and a mono-space profile (impressive given that it conforms to new pedestrian impact regulations), but otherwise has Mercedes' new design values of: dynamism, intelligence and emotion. Relative to its more formal predecessor this 'dynamism' and 'emotion' is evident in its pointy headlamp graphics, arched roof and forward diving DLO echoed by a prominent side feature line - themes common to other recent Mercedes designs such as the CLS and SLK. However, the interior has notably less 'dynamism' and 'emotion' than the SLK, or even the original A-Class, instead it has a more mature and conservative design identity with a strong sense of solidity and as such will give a user experience approximating to that of a C or E-class - a logical strategy perhaps for an entry level car.

Conclusion

Relative to its predecessor, the new A-class is significantly longer, is available with three or five doors, has an exterior design that better disguises its practical shape and an interior that relates more closely to other Mercedes-Benz cars. As such it is slightly more conventional, likely to have a broader appeal and thus sell at a greater rate than the original A-Class when it goes on sale at the end of Autumn.

By Sam Livingstone