Mercedes-benz A250e

I was never a good science student, but I’ve learned a lot from a Mercedes-benz A-class in petrol/electric technology.

Mercedes-benz’ A250e – a hybrid petrol/ electric (PHEV), five door hatch – does top the price table of the ‘regular’ (non

AMG) A-class line up of three, which is unfortunate, as the A-class should represent the ‘entry level to Benz-ship’ – after all, the A180 comes to the market at $55,700, a premium price pill, but sweet enough to swallow.

In New Zealand it is a sad state of normal that sees consumers paying a premium for e-hybrids, which means there is still a $16k disparity – based on list RRP – between what gets you into a Benz and the Benz Jacinda and the polar bears want you in – the ‘cleaner, greener’ A-250e.

PHEV’S make a lot of sense – for now – based on our long distances between cities, electric infrastructure, topography and weather. They are also typically cheaper than

EVS to buy, and eliminate range anxiety, making them more attractive to the ‘normal’ vehicle user.

The PHEV will run happily on its little electric motor for up to 60km, (conservative) which is double what most driver’s do during a normal day, and then it comes home for a plug-in charge up.

This is the way we have to relearn to drive EVS apparently: come home, switch off, plug in and relax. It can be the same for PHEVS too, though with the latter, you won’t outdrive your coppertop.

When you run out of ‘pure buzz’, the petrol engine will seamlessly take over and give you a fuel consumption figure of 1.6 litres per 100km. For about 40km.

See, you’ll have used 60km or so on battery power, so you’ll need another 40km on 1.6 litres of recycled dinosaur to get to that 100km mark.

After that, the fuel figure will go up because you will be dragging a battery and motor around in addition to the car, and the weight of the ‘leccy bits comes to about 150kg, or a person and a half.

Thus, you might see – more realistically – 2.7 litres per 100km if you are going over 100km in distance. Still pretty good… and the output in terms of CO2? About 34gm per km. Happy polar bears.

The ‘regular’ heart of the A250 is a

1332cc, four-cylinder, direct injection engine with a turbocharger to help get the most out of your petrol, in this case 118kw of power and 250Nm of torque.

Combined system outputs for the A250e are 160kw and 450Nm to give you the all the advantages a PHEV. The only thing left is the transmission with the ability to deal with all that torque.

Mercedes-benz answer is the development of a dual clutch, eight-speed automatic, which keeps its performance close to the legendary 7G-tronic for shift speed, flexibility and durability.

But is it still a Mercedes-benz? Oh yes, and with everything a modern Benz should have, style, sophistication, build quality, contemporary, big 12.3-inch screens and ‘Hey Mercedes’ AI voice recognition, which allows you to verbally command a comprehensive and diverse range of functions.

And on the basics of vehicle handling, the A250 e delivers on the overall Benz promise of excellence, in fact, some would suggest it goes further.

Certainly, the acceleration – a result of the instant torque availability provided by the electrics – is impressive, and not just from a standing start. While it may not be an AMG, the A250 e is snappy enough to humble a petrol-powered car with greater power output.

Aided perhaps, by the battery pack, the smooth, unruffled and ultra-refined Mercedes-benz A250 e delivers a more confidence-inspiring drive than the regular model.