I first drove the Mercedes-Benz A-Class limousine back in February this year and it was the first media drive done after a long time. The A-Class is the German luxury car maker’s entry level sedan to the three pointed star club. The car I drove in Goa was the A200d diesel and due to shortage of time, I could not sample the petrol. So the nice guys at Mercedes-Benz India sent the A200 petrol over to me to drive. This write-up will focus only on the A200 driving experience. For a detailed review of the A-Class limousine you can click here. So on with it then.
Powering the A200 is a 1.3 litre four cylinder turbo charged engine. This motor has been jointly developed with Renault and is used by both manufacturers. Now a 1.3 litre, isn’t it too small an engine? But don’t let the displacement fool you at all. It makes a nice 163 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque. A 7 seven speed dual clutch automatic gearbox drives the front wheels. And oh for the fuel conscious folks, Mercedes claims a fuel efficiency figure of 17.5 kpl, which is pretty impressive and does the 0 to 100 kph sprint in 8.3 seconds. (claimed)
Push the Start button and the motor settles into a refined idle. Start driving and refinement levels are intact with light throttle inputs. The 7 speed dual clutch is smooth in its shifts and turbo lag is hardly noticeable. Power delivery is instant but the engine does tend to get noisy once you cross the 3000rpm mark, and is pretty audible inside the cabin. But the beauty of the engine is that you forget the size when you are going faster. You do get drive modes: Eco, Comfort Sport and Individual. Sport mode does feel enthusiastic and does change the character of the car. And while there is no running away from the engine noise in this mode, this is no doubt that it’s a very likeable motor and suits the A-Class perfectly. That, said the gearbox does tend to lag a bit during kickdowns and response isnt pronto.
Ride quality on city roads is quite impressive, inspite of the high ground clearance. The road undulations are handled without a sweat and even sharp bumps are well taken care of. Straight line stability is also excellent. The only grouse I had was the excessive road noise that filtered into the cabin.
It was a fun few days with the Mercedes A200 petrol and I’ve quite got myself to like it quite a bit. The diesel that I drove was impressive but this petrol has been quite a revelation. The engine is punchy and there is always power on tap. Yes it does tend to get noisy at the higher rev range but that isn’t a deal breaker. It looks like a proper Mercedes-Benz and gets a nice interior and a load of features too. To end, I have to admit that I now prefer the A200 over its diesel sibling. The A200 is strong contender if you are looking to buy your first Mercedes-Benz.
Mercedes-Benz A200 photo gallery:
