Mercedes A Class reviews

I find this car very reliable and economical fuel wise but I just can't understand why it is so expensive to insure and tax

Economical, reliable useful and comfortable

Never thought I would buy one. This came up at right price at right time. I love it. Showing its age in places but then again so am I.

Nice car; easy to drive; don't like having to get the manual out for simple functions (e.g. remove flat message)

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.

The Mercedez A series is a comfortable car that is reasonably fuel efficient. However it is expensive to maintain. I live in a small town in Devon and travel in the country regularly. This car is not good at negotiating country lanes....it is too low slung. I will not buy another.

It is a lovely car to drive

most unreliable and expensive car to maintain i have ever owned. boot lid and nearside door full of rust Mercedes refused to acknowledge. recovered 3 times due to breakdowns . leaks like a sieve

Happy with A class Mercedes had my first one for five years present one for four when I change it will almost certainly be a similar product move up to a B-class a comparable product.

I am very pleased with the car as it suits my needs well. I bought the car from Simon Light Ltd, Mercedes specialists of Ware, Herts. I would expressly mention them for the excellent service they provided by their pleasant and very helpful staff. It was a pleasure doing business with them. Paul Freeman

I have the car only for a week therefore I think is too early for a review. So far I can say that I am happy . One seatbelt is not operational.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

Owned for 10 years, very few problems and great reliability. Independently serviced by Merc specialist for the last 7 years. Main dealers less interested in my older car and more expensive.

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.