Baby Benz now packs more punch

Wednesday, 28 November 2018

A bigger engine and AWD, but only a relatively modest increase in price, makes the A 250 an enticing package.

MERCEDES-BENZ A 250 4MATIC

Price: $63,990

Powertrain: 2.0-litre turbocharged four (165kW/ 350Nm, 6.6 litres per 100km), seven-speed automatic, full-time four wheel drive.

The A 250 gets the same level of standard equipment as the A 200, but with added grunt.

Body style: Five-door hatchback.

On sale: Now.

Small with immense star power neatly sums the A-class; the baby of the Benz brood has a crucial role to play.

Hence why the latest rich-kits with technology, and core in-cabin fittings, from the far pricier, plutocrat-aimed S-class large limo.

Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?

High quality and high tech interior sets the A-class a notch above the rest in the segment.

Conjecture the A 250 4Matic might attract even more attention than the first of the new A-team to arrive, the warmly-received A 200, seems solidly based. It costs just $3,090 extra and, in trading front-drive for all-wheel traction and upgrading to a 2.0-litre engine, does seem to offer so much more.

* Baby Merc is a heavy hitter with their new A-class

The A 250 gets a more complex four-link suspension set up, making it more agile than the A 200.

* Bigger than Texas: the new Mercedes GLE**

Why such a modest premium? Because it has the same equipment level as the A 200. That's no bad thing – for starters, the state-of-the-art MBUX infotainment system comprising two 10.25-inch displays with voice control is snazzy even in this category. There's quite a bit more to cement its status as a petite prestige player. Eighteen-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights with high-beam assist, keyless start and wireless phone charging. On the safety front, you get nine airbags, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition and a rear-view camera.

Of course, there are options; some provisioned individually but in the main offered as packages: Six in all. The examples I drove provided good insight into potential up spend patterns. With AMG Line, seat comfort and driving assist packages, the car No.1 represented a $68,970 spend. No.2, with all those extras plus an AMG Exclusive package (which delivers suspension in a sportier tune) and 19-inch wheels, ka-chinged at almost $74k.

The A 250 costs $63,990 but you can easily load it up with options to take it well beyond $70K,

The investment involvement might alter. Without giving too much away, Benz here suggests the launch specification will avail for a limited time, an adjustment occurring next year.

What the revision entails remains to be seen, but we're picking at least one pack will be immersed into the specification, the price reconfiguring accordingly.

Where did you drive it?

From the local distributor's headquarters in Mt Wellington, Auckland, to Mangawhai, via main and secondary roads. Heavy rain made for interesting conditions but nothing the car couldn't cope with.

Whereas the A 200 makes do with a torsion-beam rear suspension, the A 250 adopts a more complex, performance-favouring four-link set up. This benefits agility but what has more influence is the all-wheel-drive. This 4Matic allows the 250 to be essentially a front-drive car in good conditions, but is very swift in reallocating to 50 percent of power to the rears through an electro-mechanically controlled central clutch.

So it's up for taking on a certain rival brand's Q cars and Subaru's WRX? You'll at least want to invest in the AMG Line enhancement with its firmer springs and lower-profile 19-inch rubber. This sharpens dynamics and sweetens turn-in, the trade-off being heightened surface sensitivity.

Actually, even in that format, the A 250 didn't seem ready to go crazy. The steering lacks incisiveness and, for all the available traction, it isn't always on-rails neat, with understeer when you push that little bit too hard. That's not to say it doesn't have a sweet spot. Just a reminder that, ultimately, it's more committed to comfort over cranking on. And that makes sense: With the AMGs set to be that much better, the A 250 only has to be so good.

First impressions?

This is clearly not the full steak and chips Mercedes performance hatch, but for those who are cagey about corralling outright AMG-level aggression it should have just enough zing and character to be of interest.

In addition to being quickish off the mark, it patently has more to give than the A 200, not least in respect to mid-range muscularity. It doesn't ask to be revved as hard, though you'll want to hear it work due to the exhaust building to a nice rasp, moreso in Sport. Clicking back to Comfort is worthwhile if all you want to do is cruise. The mechanicals become impressively refined.

The seven-speed dual-clutch auto's action is also affected by those settings; it's asking for hands-on when you wish to stir things up and prefers hands-off when being driven quietly.

What else? The interior is super comfy – up front, the rear is a bit tight for legroom - and very stylish; insofar as tech goes, there's nothing else in the category to touch MBUX, though this exposure again raised questions about how everyday-useful the 'Hey Mercedes' voice control is. New Zild accents too easily fluster it.

Why would I buy it?

Because you see it as a more reasonable, liveable and affordable alternate to impending Affalterbach products are going to next time be presenting between 225kW (A 35) and – gulp – 400kW (A 45).

Why wouldn't I buy it?

Because you cannot see it being an acceptable substitute for a small sports utility. Even though it is.