Mercedes-Benz A-Class (2012 – 2018) Review

It might have been a more conventional small hatch than the sandwich-floored previous Mercedes A-Class models, but this car brought more sophisticated looks and equipment. The diesel engines are notably frugal and you can also have this Mercedes A-Class with four-wheel drive for added all-weather ability. Downsides are few, although limited rear headroom is one of them, and it’s not as crisp to drive as a BMW 1 Series. Read on for our full Mercedes A-Class review.

After two incarnations of sandwich-floor mini-MPV, it was decided that the Mercedes A-Class should be a conventional front-wheel-drive premium hatchback.

It’s lower and wider with a more muscular look as it aims to take on the likes of the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series of the same period. The Mercedes B-Class retained the mini-MPV design for those who wanted it.

The more purposeful look wasn’t all for show, though. Mercedes put considerable effort into ensuring the body is stiff. This improves cornering and agility, providing a more engaging drive, and makes it safer in a crash.

Refinements to the suspension and steering were made with the aim of offering an involving, fun car. It’s effective – the Mercedes A-Class can be driven at speed with confidence.

While the shape of the car was a radical departure back to the class norm, that doesn’t mean it’s impractical for those buying used.

The boot is more than big enough for a trip away or a family shop, plus the rear seats offer enough space for adults, even if headroom is a little tight.

There’s plenty of technology on offer, too, and even basic models get a collision mitigating brake system designed to prevent and minimise low-speed accidents.

Engines use the traditional Mercedes naming system. Six are available – A180 petrol and diesel, A200 petrol and diesel, A220 diesel and A250 petrol.

The most efficient engine in the range is the A180 BlueEfficiency Manual which has CO2 emissions of just 98g/km. There’s also a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes.

Enthusiastic drivers will go for the A250 ‘Engineered by AMG’ model which can accelerate from 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds.  

Read our review of the latest Mercedes-Benz A-Class here.

You’d be disappointed if the Mercedes A-Class didn’t have the handling to match its style.

The German company increased body rigidity and fitted multi-link rear suspension, and what that effectively did is make the car more agile, balanced and nimble through bends. The steering feels heavy but precise, and the driving position – much lower than on earlier Mercedes A-Class generations – suits the handling.

Unfortunately, the ride suffered as a consequence. It feels unsettled over undulations, while it clatters over potholes. Balancing comfort with enjoyable handling is always tricky, and the issue can be mitigated somewhat by choosing a base, SE grade or Sport model, which come with Comfort suspension.

Cars in AMG Sport trim and above have a stiffer set-up.

There are three CDI diesel engines in the range – the A180, A200 and A220. The most efficient of these is the A180 BlueEfficiency manual, which is actually a 1.5-litre Renault engine.

If that puts you off, don’t worry – it’s smooth and offers official fuel economy of up to 74.3mpg, along with free annual VED thanks to 98g/km emissions. Rather confusingly, the automatic version of the A180 diesel isn’t the same engine. Instead it’s a 1.8-litre Mercedes engine, and is less efficient.

The A200 CDI offers a balance of economy and performance. It produces 136PS and 300Nm of torque, with emissions of 118g/km when coupled to the smooth seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

The diesel line-up is topped off by the A220 CDI, with a slight performance hike over the A200, but without any real hit to the economy. It’s only available with the automatic gearbox though.

The petrol range consists of the A180, A200 and A250, the former two of which are actually the same engine, but tuned for different power outputs.

Picking between these two comes down to preference, but both have average claimed economy of around 51mpg and emissions between 131g/km and 134g/km.

The pick of the petrol crop is the A250. It produces 211PS along with 350Nm of torque and can sprint from 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds. It makes a characterful burble and on the road it’s pretty versatile, offering a good amount of torque across the rev range.

It suits the firm, stiff chassis quite well and is the choice for keen drivers. It is only offered with the dual-clutch automatic – which is generally fairly smooth and can be overridden by the driver with steering mounted paddles. Emissions are 145g/km and economy is 45.6mpg. 

In our opinion the A250 AMG Sport 4MATIC has proven to be the best Mercedes A-Class. The dual-clutch transmission is not overwhelmed by the power and torque, and never irritatingly hesitates when entering a roundabout or exiting a side street. The handling is fine and acceleration strong. 

Mercedes equipped the A-Class with Collision Prevention Assistance, which helps in the event of an emergency, but is not full autonomous emergency braking.

This car also comes with Mercedes’ Pre-Safe set-up, which delivered useful features such as tightening of the seatbelts if the car sensed impending danger.

Later Mercedes A-Class models from this generation came with cruise control as standard, and the option of extra safety kit such as lane keep assistance and traffic sign recognition tech.

The Mercedes A-Class scored a five-star rating from Euro NCAP when tested in 2012.

It might not be the most obvious tow car, but this Mercedes A-Class can tow an unbraked trailer of up to 710kg and a braked trailer with a maximum weight of 1200kg.

The boldly styled exterior creates high expectations for the cabin. Thankfully, the interior matches it for the most part. The bucket style seats look the part and are comfortable, easy to adjust and supportive.

The driving position is low down, the controls are all easy to reach and everything is laid out in a logical fashion.

There are plenty of cubby holes and storage bins for keeping your odds and ends, while the big storage compartment between the front seats includes connections for USB devices and phones, so you can keep them out of sight.

There’s plenty of room for luggage too, with an ample-sized boot and split-folding rear seats for bulky items.

The rear seats themselves offer a reasonable amount of legroom, and headroom is adequate. However, the tapering roofline means taller passengers might hit the side of their head through twistier roads. That said, access isn’t too bad and that issue won’t affect children as much as it does taller adults.

While the cabin is comfortable, well designed and of high quality, it can get a little noisy over rough road surfaces, with tyre noise intruding noticeably.

There’s a fair bit of noise from the suspension over bumps. It’s not so intrusive that it’s distracting or problematic, but it does detract from an otherwise first-rate cabin.

The controls are pleasingly solid to operate and give a high-quality feel, with neat Mercedes details like the ‘cross’ air vents.

That quality feel is present in the materials, too. There’s a soft-touch dash covering and most of the plastics feel as though they’ll stand the test of time.

Higher grade models get some top-quality seat coverings that further add to the upmarket ambience.

The sat-nav and infotainment screen could have been better integrated – it looks ‘plonked on’, like an iPad propped on the dash.

That said, it’s a good system to use. Navigating the menus is as simple as turning one chunky dial and it’s easy to access the features you’ll need.

Key information can be displayed in a small screen in the instrument binnacle, so you can keep your eyes on the road more easily.

Reckon on paying from £8000 for an early example of this generation of Mercedes A-Class, which will get you a petrol or diesel A180 with around 80,000 miles on the clock.

A later car will come in at about £15,000 for a low-mileage version of the AMG-Line model.

You'll be hard-pressed to find any Mercedes A-Class of this generation that doesn’t have a claimed fuel economy of less than 50mpg.

The best of the lot is the A180d with the 1.5-litre turbodiesel engine, which can return a claimed 74.3mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of just 98g/km.

That means free road tax for any example registered before 1 April 2017.

Even the more potent A250 petrol offers 42.2mpg and 156g/km CO2 output when you choose it with an automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive.

Insurance for the Mercedes A-Class falls into groups 13 to 33, so most models are very reasonable when it comes to arranging cover.

Only the more powerful, high-spec models will challenge that.

On the other hand, servicing a Mercedes A-Class of this generation should be affordable and plenty of independent garages will offer savings over a dealer’s prices.

All Mercedes A-Class models come with stop/start, Comfort suspension, electrically adjustable door mirrors, air-conditioning, electric windows, and multi-function steering wheel. 

There’s also an adaptive braking system, hill start assist, automatic headlights, ABS, attention assist, collision prevention assist, Bluetooth, USB and aux-in and daytime running lights.

Mercedes A-Class SE models add cruciform air vents, a leather gear lever, sports seats, 16-inch alloy wheels, artificial leather and cloth upholstery.

The Mercedes A-Class Sport trim adds cruise control with speed limiter, chrome twin exhausts, automatic windscreen wipers and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Mercedes A-Class AMG Sport trim brings sports suspension, a dynamic handling package, selective damping, AMG styling, retuned power steering, run-flat tyres, flat-bottomed steering wheel with perforated leather, carbon-fibre look trim, artificial leather trim with red stitching and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Mercedes A-Class Engineered by AMG models come with the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, lowered suspension, LED tail lights, xenon headlights and diamond pattern radiator grille.

Introduced in 2105, the Mercedes A-Class AMG-Line is similar to Engineered by AMG and offers 18-inch alloy wheels, AMG bodykit and Comfort suspension, but lowered by 15mm.

There’s also two-zone climate control in the cabin.