MERC’S FEMALE TOUCH
MeRCeDeS-BeNZ’S new A-Class hatchback is a real lesson in how to capture the hearts of women and younger drivers. Some 40 per cent of customers for the outgoing A-Class are women, and I predict that will rise with the fourth-generation model which oozes premium luxury and style.
Britain is the world’s largest market for the A-class — with more than 43,000 sold here last year — ahead even of Germany. More than three million have been sold globally since launch in 1997 — of which 334,000 were bought in the uK.
The original wedge-shaped model on launch failed the ‘elk test’ manoeuvre by flipping over onto its side, after which Mercedes- Benz added electronic stability controls. The test is designed to determine how well a vehicle can swerve to avoid a moving obstacle, such as an animal.
But the outgoing model, on sale since 2012, more akin to a hatchback has proved a hit and has brought down the average age of owners by ten years. On sale now with first deliveries from late May, it’s not a radical departure.
There’s a lovely tactile quality to the upmarket interior — fresh, contemporary and yet grown up, and a clever, but rather creepy, onboard voiceactivated intelligent driving assistant similar to Siri and Alexa for the home.
It comes in three trim levels — Se, Sport, and the highest AMG Line. Three packages of extras add more than £3,500 to the bill.
More than half of sales are expected to be automatics and in the top-level trim.
There are three engines at launch: two petrol, one diesel, all linked to seven-speed automatic gearboxes.
The A- Class 180d diesel is smooth and quiet, does almost 70 mpg and starts at £25,800. The A200, powered by a sprightly 163 brake horse power (bhp) 1.4-litre four- cylinder turbocharged petrol averaging 51.4 mpg; from £27,280.
For more oomph — and a £30,240 price tag, there is the A250 with a 224 bhp 2.0-litre four- cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a claimed 45.6 mpg average.