Mercedes A 250 AMG Line
Behind the wheel of fastest A-class in the range
IT’S 21 years since the odd-looking original A-class failed the infamous Elk test, but the fourth generation of the model really has grown up. Thanks to a glitzy interior that almost puts the S-class limo to shame, this car no longer feels like a cheap, back-door entrance to the world of Mercedes ownership.
So far we’ve tried the predicted bestseller, the diesel 180 and the A 200, which uses a new three-cylinder petrol engine. Both impressed but neither could dent the Volkswagen Golf’s all-round polish. Now we’ve had the chance to drive the range-topping A 250.
Until a wider A-class line-up arrives next year, the A 250 packs the most powerful engine – a 2.0-litre fourcylinder petrol with 221bhp, linked to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The raw figures are encouraging, with a 0-62mph acceleration time of 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 155mph.
Approach the A 250 as a hot hatch, though, and you’ll be disappointed. While it may race to 62mph in the same time as a Golf GTI with the Performance Pack fitted, it feels nowhere near as quick as the VW. It doesn’t handle as neatly as the Golf, either, because the Mercedes favours understeer a little too readily, and its steering feel is just too remote. The gearbox is as sharp-shifting as the VW’S seven-speed DSG, at least.
Comfortable
But the A 250 isn’t really trying to be a hot hatch; that role will be filled by the forthcoming AMG A 45, with a ludicrous 400bhp on tap. If rumours are to be believed, there’s a milder but still rapid A 35 model on the way as well.
Yet when it’s viewed as a quick, comfortable and easy-to-live-with hatchback, the new Mercedes starts to make a lot more sense.
It’s agile enough, the steering is light and weights up nicely as your speed increases, and there’s a plush compliancy to the suspension. Turn into a corner and the Mercedes settles on its springs and feels surefooted – and probably even more grippy in slippery conditions if you opt for the 4MATIC fourwheel-drive set-up for an extra £1,600. Even the engine makes a nice noise.
That extra comfort is mostly due to the different suspension fitted to the A 250. Lesser A-classes come with a torsion beam that has an unpleasant tendency to bobble around over rutted roads and thump into potholes. It’s one of the largest chinks in the A-class’s armour and one of the main reasons why a standard Golf makes for a better buy.
But the A 250 is fitted with multi-link suspension and it deals far more neatly with scarred asphalt, because it irons out bumps and is more consistent in town and on fast-flowing roads.
The A 250 only comes in AMG Line trim, which means 18-inch alloys, LED headlights and sports seats front and rear are thrown in on top of standard-fit sat-nav, lane-keep assist and the firm’s intuitive MBUX multimedia system. This features an Amazon Alexa-style “Hey Mercedes” function, which is one of the best voice-recognition set-ups around.
At £29,980, it’s around £500 less than a Golf GTI Performance, but a good chunk cheaper than a lesser-powered (and noticeably more dated) Audi A3 2.0 TFSI S line. But to get Mercedes’ clever augmented navigation you’ll have to fork out £450 and the slick, crisp-looking dual 10.25-inch screens cost an extra £2,395. The latter should arguably be standard equipment on the top-rung model in the range.
“Raw figures are encouraging, with a 0-62mph time of 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 155mph”