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2014 Mercedes-Benz A-Class | new car review
Posted on Feb 13, 2014 by Martin Fullard
AEDAED 140,000 - 270,000
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Reviewed by: Martin Fullard
Last modified: December 10, 2014
Editor: 90%
The third generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class is a ten-fold improvement on its predecessor. Bold new looks, great feel, and well equipped, what's stopping you? The price?
Looks and feel
Price tag!
The old A-Class was divisive; some thought that its tall, stubby appearance lacked typical Mercedes-Benz grace. Well, whatever your thoughts on the old one were, they no longer matter; this latest version is fabulous looking. It looks like a proper hot-hatch this time, and from front to back it drips style. The creases in the sides are particularly smart, and the front bears a keen resemblance to the AMG.
Elegant style is continued inside, with traces of carbon-fibre swooping beneath a handsomely stitched leather or suede dash. Mercedes have struck a chord here; they have made a car that really feels like a hot-hatch. You don't feel like you are sitting in a smaller car surrounded by bits picked from the C-Class parts bin. It's all original, it's all hatchback.
Unsurprisingly, the engineering on the A-Class seems to tick all the right boxes. It comes with a 7G-DCT-speed double clutch transmission, which coupled with a direct select shift lever; which in simple terms basically means you get wonderfully smooth gear changes. Other features include automatically adjustable headlamps and sports suspension.
What's on offer?
A 2.0 litre turbocharged straight-4 engine that produces 211 horsepower and does 0 – 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds is on offer in the A250, and costs AED 140,000 to AED 170,000. But then there's the mightier A45 AMG that coughs up 360 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque, but for that your pockets have got to deep; deep enough to dish out between AED 217,000 and AED 270,000!
Summing it
With a price tag that ranges from AED 140,000 to 270,000, that is an awful lot of money for a hatchback, in fact it's AED 25,000 more expensive than the king: the VW Golf GTi. For that reason alone, I can't think of why you would pick an A-Class over the legendary GTi, but the longer you stare at it, the more you'll love it. It's an achingly pretty car, this, and if I could afford it, I'd buy one.
Tags: 2014, Hatchback, Medium Size Cars - C, Mercedes AMG, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, mid-size car
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