Mercedes scores an A for ride comfort

HERE’S the all-new A-class, a hugely important car for Mercedes-benz because it’s the German firm’s top-selling model in the UK.

Visually there’s nothing radically different, although the new car is a substantial 120mm longer thanks to a brand new bodyshell.

It’s slippery shape will be fuel efficient thanks to an extreme attention to detail, which included stipulating tyre suppliers mustn’t allow the lettering on their sidewalls protrude more than 0.2mm!

Merc had three different engines for us to try at the car’s launch. There was a revised version of the current A-class A180 diesel, a completely new 1.4-litre petrol (actually 1,330cc) developed with Renault and which features cylinder de-activation and turbocharging for an output of 163bhp, and another new 2.0-litre, the 224bhp petrol engine.

All UK A-classes get Merc’s seven-speed dual clutch transmission as standard. A good thing as it’s slicker than the old car’s transmission, and manual Mercedes-benz A180d AMG Line five-door hatchback

Price: £26,885

Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel, 116bhp

0-62mph: 10.5sec

Fuel consumption: 74.0mpg

Mercs have never been brilliant or very much in demand.

All of our test cars were fitted with multi-link rear suspension and only the lowest spec cars have the simpler, lighter and cheaper torsion beam axle. So why bother making the latter version if few cars use it? Because later there’ll be a hybrid version of the car and

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