A-Class (W176) [Official] Mercedes-Benz A-Class (W176)

[alebonau]

Any options fortuner?

Gumpy, I think you can save a small fortune by taking the vehicle elsewhere for paint and interior protection. We had our W204 done elsewhere and the leather and paint are like new, 5 years on. It's a Sahara Beige interior by the way, which is very light and bright and probably harder to maintain than grey. Any marks would be highlighted on it.

was it any of the particular chains you used mr merc. thats pretty amazing on the leather protection. 3 years in on my golf gti you can see the difference between the driver and passenger seat which gets used less. ps only after market thing have been tempted on is tinting the front passenger and driver windows to match the rear privacy window tinting but maybe something for down the track !

 

[alebonau]

Shouldn't be a problem as the a250 does not come with run flats just a can of goo.

looking at fortuners options and standard features it doesnt look like its an a250 ?

 

[alebonau]

guys the merc a250 is thrown up against a base model golf gti, opel astra OPC, megane RS 265 in the latest april edition of the australian wheels magazine,

just finished reading the article. definitely performance orientated comparison that one. but they do highlight other aspects. ie they actually say the gti is a stiffer ride than the a250 ! the megane seems the worst for comfort and opc a bit more compliant. handling wise the merc is very well commended saying

"The benz changes direction sweetly and hunkers down nicely in the bends" "its not highly strung, nor does it demand close attentionevery moment, or suprise those who dont pay it enough respect. This is the hot hatchyou could safely buy for your son or daughter. It rides bumps without getting upset or loosing its way, although it does follow undulations a little too faithfully. It has body control to get through corners without excessive lean, yet is pliant enough to not be skittish over rough surfaces" - I must say the sure footedness self assured nature of the merc to me was a real standout.

interiors the merc is commended well, the golf easiest to interact with but is also described as "Bland" the megane as "cheapest" they are quite complimentary of the opcs interior but is a bit overladen with buttons it seems.

the OPC is huge in the power stakes it seems but appears suffers badly with turbo lag and be overtaken by a bus if get stuck under 4000 rpm !

I like the conclusion -

"As for the undercard bout, 10 years ago I never imagined I'd enjoy driving an A class. But I really enjoyed the A250 sport. Somebody in stuttgart did their homework, because it nails the hot hatch fundamentals . Its less malleable at its limits than the golf, but still packages good, fun driving in a nimble chasis.

This is a front drive mercedes-benz you will want to drive. Fast. And it lays some impressive foundations for the 260kw, all wheel drive A45 AMG to build on. The A250 is a worthy hot hatch, but its not quite the equal of the golf gti. Especially not at $10k more."

and thats the thing I'll say again if want bang for buck grab the golf gti. but if spending more loading up options the a250 a great alternative. am sure some will buy one of the others for their own reasons ie the more hard edged handling or out right straight line performance. or even because a couple of them are coupes or some other aspect.

ps amazing they never threw the ford focus in this lot

 

[gumpy]

was it any of the particular chains you used mr merc. thats pretty amazing on the leather protection. 3 years in on my golf gti you can see the difference between the driver and passenger seat which gets used less. ps only after market thing have been tempted on is tinting the front passenger and driver windows to match the rear privacy window tinting but maybe something for down the track !

definitely get tinting... better for many reasons starting with looks

 

[fortuner]

Hi guys mine is a A220cdi

 

[Bknight]

a250 vs gtis vs 125i round a track :
http://www.germancarforum.com/commu...-a250-sport-vs-volkswagen-golf-gti-dsg.47473/

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

guys the merc a250 is thrown up against a base model golf gti, opel astra OPC, megane RS 265 in the latest april edition of the australian wheels magazine,

just finished reading the article. definitely performance orientated comparison that one. but they do highlight other aspects. ie they actually say the gti is a stiffer ride than the a250 ! the megane seems the worst for comfort and opc a bit more compliant. handling wise the merc is very well commended saying

"The benz changes direction sweetly and hunkers down nicely in the bends" "its not highly strung, nor does it demand close attentionevery moment, or suprise those who dont pay it enough respect. This is the hot hatchyou could safely buy for your son or daughter. It rides bumps without getting upset or loosing its way, although it does follow undulations a little too faithfully. It has body control to get through corners without excessive lean, yet is pliant enough to not be skittish over rough surfaces" - I must say the sure footedness self assured nature of the merc to me was a real standout.

interiors the merc is commended well, the golf easiest to interact with but is also described as "Bland" the megane as "cheapest" they are quite complimentary of the opcs interior but is a bit overladen with buttons it seems.

the OPC is huge in the power stakes it seems but appears suffers badly with turbo lag and be overtaken by a bus if get stuck under 4000 rpm !

I like the conclusion -

"As for the undercard bout, 10 years ago I never imagined I'd enjoy driving an A class. But I really enjoyed the A250 sport. Somebody in stuttgart did their homework, because it nails the hot hatch fundamentals . Its less malleable at its limits than the golf, but still packages good, fun driving in a nimble chasis.

This is a front drive mercedes-benz you will want to drive. Fast. And it lays some impressive foundations for the 260kw, all wheel drive A45 AMG to build on. The A250 is a worthy hot hatch, but its not quite the equal of the golf gti. Especially not at $10k more."

and thats the thing I'll say again if want bang for buck grab the golf gti. but if spending more loading up options the a250 a great alternative. am sure some will buy one of the others for their own reasons ie the more hard edged handling or out right straight line performance. or even because a couple of them are coupes or some other aspect.

ps amazing they never threw the ford focus in this lot

I actually thought the comparison was ridiculous and the writer had it up against the A-class from the start. He can see the old A-class in the hood and the 1-series in the profile? Please how utterly absurd. Furthermore if you find Mercedes Command System and instrument cluster display difficult to use, well then frankly you're an idiot. And the Opel with a classier interior? It looks like any multitude of Korean vehicles.

The article was extremely poorly written and didn't really compare the vehicles well. A thorough in depth comparison to the GTI would have made more sense then throwing the Renault and Opel in there, which are clearly more focused and less 'premium'. Regardless those two lost no points for their poor rides and NVH yet the GTI and A250 were handicapped for their less focused performance.

It also appears that the tester was caught out by the Benz's 'intelligent' transmission, because from the behaviour he describes the transmission was still learning his driving style. That's not his fault of course but Mercedes should be making testers aware of the way it works and the need to break it in and allow time for the behaviour to adapt.

The performance numbers for the A were very disappointing, so I'm not sure what was up with that either.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

was it any of the particular chains you used mr merc. thats pretty amazing on the leather protection. 3 years in on my golf gti you can see the difference between the driver and passenger seat which gets used less. ps only after market thing have been tempted on is tinting the front passenger and driver windows to match the rear privacy window tinting but maybe something for down the track !

Hi Al. When we did the C, it was an independent guy but he was using 3M products. I'll take a photo of the seats when I get a chance, but they're holding up very well.

By the way, just be careful about the tint you select. Make sure it's not metalised, because it may cause disturbance with the vehicles radio reception.

 

[clip]

Guys, that wheels review was rubbish and contradicted a previous review where they compared just the gti to the a250. We all know Aussie journos will always favour the gti, they just can't help it for some reason. Added to that, most wouldn't know if their bums were on fire, let alone the difference between a good car and great one. Most still rate commodores as good value!

For anyone that's reading this, and a bit unsure, go and drive a gti and an a250 back to back over the same road and conditions. There really is little comparison, the a250 is the standout in ALL areas IMHO, it's just a more sophisticated and rewarding drive.

Of course the best and probably only true "hot hatch" in this group is the Megan. Killer engine and awesome track-focussed chassis and suspension. An absolute thrill to drive, and the harder the better!

 

[linkumpoot]

Guys, that wheels review was rubbish and contradicted a previous review where they compared just the gti to the a250. We all know Aussie journos will always favour the gti, they just can't help it for some reason. Added to that, most wouldn't know if their bums were on fire, let alone the difference between a good car and great one. Most still rate commodores as good value!

For anyone that's reading this, and a bit unsure, go and drive a gti and an a250 back to back over the same road and conditions. There really is little comparison, the a250 is the standout in ALL areas IMHO, it's just a more sophisticated and rewarding drive.

Of course the best and probably only true "hot hatch" in this group is the Megan. Killer engine and awesome track-focussed chassis and suspension. An absolute thrill to drive, and the harder the better!

Really have to agree with you..but seriously, how often is one going to drive it on a track. Also to add, I think driving on a track voids the warranty of the car.

 

[clip]

Its less malleable at its limits than the golf, but still packages good, fun driving ...

Just reading that pretty much confirms to me that he either; didn't actually drive it very hard (eventhough he indicates he did); he has no idea how to rate chassis and sus dynamics; can't actually drive a car to its limits; or all of the above.

 

[clip]

Really have to agree with you..but seriously, how often is one going to drive it on a track. Also to add, I think driving on a track voids the warranty of the car.

Agree, not many do, although I like to on ocassions. And really, most people don't have any idea how to get their car to anywhere near its capability, let alone shaving 10ths of a 0-100 time. It's just silly IMHO, and all just marketing ploys aimed at journos happy to take on a bias.

 

[gumpy]

I really doubt changing from run flats will effect your warranty. Just confirm it with your dealer. Just get a tire repair kit to stick in the boot undercarriage, and you'll more than appreciate the drive without run flats.

agreed, my dealer even suggested it when i showed disdain over run flats...

 

[gumpy]

Guys, that wheels review was rubbish and contradicted a previous review where they compared just the gti to the a250. We all know Aussie journos will always favour the gti, they just can't help it for some reason. Added to that, most wouldn't know if their bums were on fire, let alone the difference between a good car and great one. Most still rate commodores as good value!

For anyone that's reading this, and a bit unsure, go and drive a gti and an a250 back to back over the same road and conditions. There really is little comparison, the a250 is the standout in ALL areas IMHO, it's just a more sophisticated and rewarding drive.

Of course the best and probably only true "hot hatch" in this group is the Megan. Killer engine and awesome track-focussed chassis and suspension. An absolute thrill to drive, and the harder the better!

personally, when buying a merc i'm looking for a luxury vehicle so i don't take too much notice of all their comments...

lets face it if driving dynamics were the be end and end all we'd all get a toyota ft86... now would we do this??

 

[gumpy]

Agree, not many do, although I like to on ocassions. And really, most people don't have any idea how to get their car to anywhere near its capability, let alone shaving 10ths of a 0-100 time. It's just silly IMHO, and all just marketing ploys aimed at journos happy to take on a bias.

I find 0-100 to be a stupid stat, the key one is 80-120 as it is tested often during highway merges...

anyway, from a pure performance perspective just wait for the A45

 

[Emex]

personally, when buying a merc i'm looking for a luxury vehicle so i don't take too much notice of all their comments...

lets face it if driving dynamics were the be end and end all we'd all get a toyota ft86... now would we do this??

Not while I have an MX-5 in the garage and a large disdain for all things toyota.

 

[Bknight]

personally, when buying a merc i'm looking for a luxury vehicle so i don't take too much notice of all their comments...

lets face it if driving dynamics were the be end and end all we'd all get a toyota ft86... now would we do this??

If everyone thought like that AMG would not exist.

 

[kaktusdigital]

Hi all! Current VW owner looking to invest in the A250, but a few things to consider.
As far as i'm aware, there are 3 options (here in aus) to get a sat nav in the car.

1. the comand addon system (2990AUD)
2. drive kit plus (1,500+/- AUD)
3. becker pilot. (1,200AUD)

My initial thoughts are that the comand system offers the best value for money, but other than sat nav and a better sound system, I don't think i'd use anything else (facebook, twitter dont really appeal at all) Most of my music is streamed via bluetooth with Spotify/MOG. The current range of Benz apps on the comand system seems really quite limited as well.

Has anyone had much experience with the 3 different sat nav options? I understand some require mobile internet connection, which for some reason doesn't support the iphone 5 (yet)

I hear that the comand system doesn't even include any sort of iphone integration - which would require an additional purchase of the drive kit plus, is that an accurate assumption?

It's all a little confusing as there's not a huge amount of info on the web and even less info from the dealers.

Also, is the Harmon Kardon sound system really that much better than the standard? I'm a bit of an audiophile so it's something i'd love. I don't think you can get it as an individual add-on in australia though.

your thoughts are very much appreciated!

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Hi Kaktus. I don't believe the drive kit system is available in Australia and from what I've been told there's not plans to make it available either. Have you heard differently?

The Command System is supposed to be upgraded to support the iPhone5 for the 2014 model year A-class which starts production around June/July (Command Online NTG 4.5 V3). MB Australia however will not say whether or not the online functions will work properly or quickly enough. They say this is due to our poor mobile internet coverage. So waiting for the upgrade is a bit of a gamble.

 

[kaktusdigital]

Thanks Mr Merc.

I haven't heard directly from mb re: the drive kit plus, I just assumed it would be avaliable as it's on the website. Can't recall whether it was the Australian website though. It's a bit dissapointing if its not an option, considering siri support on the a250 would be a very nice feature.

I think I may have to give the command pack a miss and just get the becker pilot.

but then I want the larger screen from the command pack... but to have a possible non-functioning feature (internet) after having paid 3K is not a great prospect.

decisions...