Mercedes A Class reviews

This vehicle has been a joy to drive since I bought her new in 2006. There is an excellent view of the road ,the seats are comfortable, easily adjusted and with the back seats folded down there is a very large space for carrying any large object. The extras are very useful----Automatic turning on of the windscreen wipers when raining, the lights when getting dark and the parking sensors when getting a little bit too close to any obstacle !! On the whole the running costs are fairly low ( I do a very low mileage per year) but this year, when I took the car for her yearly service and M.O.T. the bill was £521.00 .I have always taken the car back each year for servicing to the Mercedes dealer garage where she was bought( John Weir)----this franchise was sold this year to Arnold Clark and the bill was about £100 more than usual! The difference in price could be attributed to the fact that because of 'loyalty' in taking your car each year for servicing John Weir had allowed a discount(probably about 20%) off the bill. Arnold Clark does not do this, but if you take your car into them at any time they will top-up your windscreen wash liquid or engine oil!! Hardly a £100 's worth !! I think that in future that I may have to find another garage to carry out the servicing.

This is the "mark 2" A Class. It is not as reliable as the previous "mark 1" that I owned. Various and continuing problems with the Parktronic system. Same system was trouble free in the previous car. Also had problems with rear wash wipe system. Cannot get a decent spray on the screen. Wiper not much use in cleaning window despite much adjustment and new blade. Dealer has been unable to fix. Breakaway coupling also parted resulting in a wet rear door and boot floor. Servicing costs are now astronomical with the main dealer for even the most basic service. The quality of service from the dealer has also diminished, particularly this year. The heating system is very poor. It is impossible to get a fully comfortable all over temp. If your top half is warm the feet freeze. If the feet are warm the top half is cold. On cold days need to continuously vary the settings to give each part ample heating. Internal lighting on switches are not logical with important switches (ie lights, ventilation louvres) not lit while unimportant ones are lit up. General finish poorer quality compared to old A Class. Much cheaper looking materials used. Difficult to distinguish between more mass market hatchbacks. So why pay a quality premium? This will be my last Mercedes.

I've had my AClass for fifteen years and am very happy with its performance and running costs. It's nippy, easy to drive and has excellent road-holding. It's very economical on fuel and insurance. Road tax is quite high, but that's due to its age. The seating position and the interior of the car are excellent. It's let down slightly by the stiff suspension that means you feel every bump and pot hole on our poor roads. It's still running well after fifteen years apart from some issues with the battery and suspension. Apart from that there have been some minor niggles but no problems with anything major. There is plenty of storage space. The hatch style boot is small but the rear seats roll forward, or fold all the way forward, or even come out completely. When it finally needs replacing, I'd definitely have another Mercedes.

I bought the A Class from my mother as she needed the money to pay for nursing home fees. It is awkward to get into and out of, it is very bumpy as if it had no suspension and it doesn't feel stable; I do not have confidence in it to drive fast. It is, of course, very small but, despite that, it is very difficult to park as I can Se neither the front nor the back. However, it is economical (40 - 44 mpg) and the engine seems to be well built but the gearbox is notchy, the interior fan has just failed and the radio switches itself on and off. The rear tyres are castellated and nothing can be done about this as the rear suspension/tracking cannot be adjusted. The car has done some 61k and I am not impressed. I will be trading it in within a year.

Very sorry to having seen Mercedes discontinuing this model, being replaced by just another estate version. I enjoyed the higher driving position of the three A Class models that I have enjoyed owning. While the easy entry is particularly suitable to a person of my age (65). I immediately fell in love with the car viewed and enjoyed the test drive and the attitude James Hindle at Marshall's of Preston. Having paid a deposit I anticipate collecting the A160., on or about the 30-06-2014. Many thanks for having pointed me in the right direction. Regards Geoff Cave

I bought one of the last old style A class cars. I love it. The new A class looks like a Golf - if I'd wanted one, I'd have bought it - clearly the new design is aimed at the go faster young male driver. I am female, like a bit of luxury and want a smart, realiable car with flexible use. The new one just doesn't suit - and it is a bigger car, most women want smaller cars. Nothing wrong with that. Why are so few cars aimed at the discerning female with money to pay for it. I despair of what car choices face me when I come to change my car in a couple of years.

Have had this car from new. It is the long wheelbase version and so has excellent interior space. The rear seats can be removed entirely thus converting it into a little van. I have moved house using this vehicle and the amount it can carry is incredible. I have kept it for all these years because Mercedes in their wisdom revamped the A class which meant the rear had "wells" in the back which my dog could not cope with. Hopefully I will have it for another twelve years as I do not see any other to compare with this model.

Whilst the Mercedes A Class is economical, it is not a comfortable,car. It bounces over uneven surfaces as if it had no suspension and it does not give a smooth ride. The gearbox is notchy but the engine is willing even if lacking in power. It is a small car so luggage space is not expected but it is unnecessarily high: definitely not up to Mercedes' usual standard. It suffers from castellation of the rear tyres - a fault which cannot be rectified. Most disappointing. I would not buy another one.

My car is now 12 yrs old but still running well for its age . Have never found the drivers seat particularly comfortable and now with back probs is one of the reasons I need to change my car . However visibility from drivers seat very good being quite high . Acceleration in first gear has never impressed me but it runs well in all other gears and cruises along motorways very well at good speeds . Fuel consumption good . Would consider updating to a more recent model if seats more comfortable

The Mercedes A class is a lot of car in a small package. Large on space inside yet small on the outside for the practical things like parking. Plenty of room for adult rear seat passengers. Fully loaded it only lose's minimal acceleration with no difference when maintenance speed reached. Despite being a small car is still has the refinements expected with a larger car. Economical, low insurance, minimal running costs would happily buy another.

Owned this car when I had my first baby and it was great for me then but wouldn't suit if you had a bigger family. The boot is very small but if you don't need much space then this is a great little car. Very easy to drive and park and pretty economical too. Good quality and a solid built car. Not much power unfortunately which isn't ideal if you need to overtake quickly! Great if you just need something to get you from A to B.

It is just the right size and dimension for me as a middle aged woman with a small dog. Sometimes I can't get all the shopping in the hatch but the back seats are easy to get down even with arthritic hands. Easy to get into with my dodgy hips. It is higher up and feels spacious inside. I no longer feel intimidated by the Chelsea tackers as I feel just as high up as them. I have also found it economical on petrol. Love it!

My car is very old now, it's had a few things fixed on it, but it has never stopped running!! It's become very noisy when driving but I think that's due to its age. It's a very big, small, car so I love the fact that all seats go flat and I can get lots of large items in it, which saves me on any delivery costs!! My car looks like its 20yrs old not 12yrs, but that's due to 2 kids, a dog and a husband!!

My car is very old now, it's had a few things fixed on it, but it has never stopped running!! It's become very noisy when driving but I think that's due to its age. It's a very big, small, car so I love the fact that all seats go flat and I can get lots of large items in it, which saves me on any delivery costs!! My car looks like its 20yrs old not 12yrs, but that's due to 2 kids, a dog and a husband!!

I bought this car as it has a lot of space, and you can remove most of the seats, so it is like a little van. But it is small enough to park it really easily. Apart from replacing things like exhausts etc, I have not spent that much on it, and it has only broken down once, after 120,000 miles. I like its quirky shape, and am sad that the newer models have designed out all that I love about it.

Fantastic car - I chose the Sport version with the normal suspension having researched prior to ordering - the hard suspension would be too harsh. The reversing camera is far better than a gimmick - highly recommended. The auto lights & windscreen wipers are excellent. The auto gearbox brain uses excellent logic on gear changes. The only problem is "all round visibility".

PROS:- Cheap on road tax (£35) low emissions, Good on diesel (appx 50mpg),low insurance group, reliable, spacious (all seats except drivers can be removed to make van space). High seats (giving a jeep/4x4 feel). Cons:- very expensive repair costs, mirror is quite low down windscreen so can block clear view at times, diesel engine is noisy (sounds like a bus.

1) Visibility partially obstructed by windscreen frame design 2) Wheels too smsll 3) High road noise 4) Uncomfortable ride over rough roads or terrain 5) Battery size inadequate 6) Front wheel drive traction not as good as say, the Mini 7) Tendancy to over-steer 8) Reasonable petrol consumption 9) Useful load carrying with seats removed

This is a nippy little car which is very suitable for my needs which include school runs with my grandsons. It is a bit of a bumpy ride probably because of the smaller wheels. However, as it is higher than a normal hatchback it gives very good road views. My only real gripe with it is the blind spot of the front windscreen when cornering.

We bought our 5 year old 'A class' Mercedes in January 2013 and it looks, feels and drives like a new car. It returns 42+ mpg on local journeys, and to be perfectly honest I get 125 mls per quarter tank (more if I'm careful). That included the hot weather during the summer when the air-con was on all the time! I just can't fault it.