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

[gumpy]

My boss just ordered a 125i. hope he doesn't get order envy...

Okay i'm going to get hate here but i really wanted the 1 series hatch... it's just that the value equation of the A-Class that won me over... and the looks...

 

[kaktusdigital]

Okay i'm going to get hate here but i really wanted the 1 series hatch... it's just that the value equation of the A-Class that won me over... and the looks...

no hate from here... completely agree with the value! just couldn't look past all those goodies I've always wanted in a car - but could never really afford/justify. It's funny, in the pictures the 125i looks a certain way, but I found that in person it was completely different (much better)

 

[alebonau]

how many K's did you get on your first tank?

hi kaktus, thats 59.3 km since filled up, that means 606.7km from first tank. though I usually dis regard 1st tank as you dont really know whether was topped up by the dealer, trip computer reset etc. so will probably look more closely at tank filled up myself. my driving style is all over the place though. really enjoying the cars, zipping around town, and the odd long drive so probably not typical

 

[alebonau]

Okay i'm going to get hate here but i really wanted the 1 series hatch... it's just that the value equation of the A-Class that won me over... and the looks...

i was seriously looking at the 125i myself. but no contest, in price or overall car both inside or out the a250 is a quantam ahead. bmw going to loose a ton of sales !

 

[Kdcorp]

i was seriously looking at the 125i myself. but no contest, in price or overall car both inside or out the a250 is a quantam ahead. bmw going to loose a ton of sales !

Same here... A3 being the same car as 5 years ago I was considering the 1 series.. i went as far as actually liking it .. A class won me over from the second i saw it though.. can't figure how i could ever have liked that 1series interior

BTW, car not arrived at dealership yet.. so not getting it before the weekend.. Official delivery date is April 15th, which is monday, and don't think i'll be getting it on Monday ever...
A tad pissed...6 and a half months of wait and not on time! wtf?!

 

[Wolfgang]

Mr Wolfgang, do you know why the 6th gear is the same as the 4th gear ratio? and why the 5th gear is taller than the 6th gear?

Suspect it has something to do with the dual use of the drive gearwheels for 4th and 6th as well as 5th and 7th gear.

http://techcenter.mercedes-benz.com/en_MY/7g_dct/detail.html


MB published some numbers in ATZ a while back:

 

[clip]

I sincerely hope the mb DCT is better i.e. more relaible, than the vag dsg e.g. a work colleague bought her dream car, a new Audi A3 and had to have the clutch pack replaced last week at 6000k's. They don't know any thing about them, but are now selling it and won't be buying Audi again. Shame really.

 

[clip]

Okay i'm going to get hate here but i really wanted the 1 series hatch... it's just that the value equation of the A-Class that won me over... and the looks...

I too looked at the 125 hatch, nice drive, plenty of tunable power but couldn't get passed the poor quality finish, especially paint -or lack of - around rear hatch opening etc. combined with cramped driving position and dated looks, I was very happy the a250 came along.

 

[Wolfgang]

I sincerely hope the mb DCT is better i.e. more relaible,

Agreed. Mercedes director of transmissions explained some stuff the other day.


"The decision to develop and produce both gearboxes in-house opened up new possibilities for an advanced gearbox technology, something previously not available on the market."

The decision to go against the small car trend and equip the 7G-DCT with a wet clutch system was a fundamental one and, says Henning, was based on two important requirements - those for thermal robustness and low rotational inertia.

Henning's team felt that achieving the target torque capacity of 350 Nm with a dry clutch system would result in a larger and heavier package with higher moments of inertia, pointing toward inferior shift quality. An oil-cooled multi-plate clutch design would, on the other hand, allow greater torque capacity and a subsequent upgrading to 450 Nm for future and more powerful all-wheel drive derivatives. Specifically, said Henning, the wet clutch system is 10 kg lighter and has 50 percent less inertia than a dry counterpart would have been.

Perhaps even more importantly, Henning felt that a wet clutch arrangement was essential in order to ensure thermal robustness in "critical situations" such as when towing a trailer, giving an all-up train weight of over 3 tonnes, and when stopping or moving off on steep inclines.

This also cuts down on foaming and, says Henning, leads to improved acoustics and a higher gearshift quality. "We've come up with something very clever," comments Henning.

Here's a link to the ATZ article:

http://www.atzonline.com/index.php;...13438651690c636210c882606979/alloc=3/id=14073

 

[Bknight]

I too looked at the 125 hatch, nice drive, plenty of tunable power but couldn't get passed the poor quality finish, especially paint -or lack of - around rear hatch opening etc. combined with cramped driving position and dated looks, I was very happy the a250 came along.

I also had planned on buying a 125i coupe ( hatch was just to dated) until I drove a A250 sport.

By the sounds of it BMW is going to lose alot of sales to Merc.

 

[Benzino]

Congrats for all the Aussies on the forum... You made the right choice.
Defenitely the A class is the most interesting hatch on the market right now. Great package, flashy looks and fun drive. That's what this segment is all about.
This is just the begining of Merc's effort in the compact segment.

 

[gumpy]

I dont' think the value equation is this insane in other places of the world...

I think we are very lucky that MB decided to pass on the fx savings.

Good luck to BMW, AUDI and even VW...

 

[kaktusdigital]

I sincerely hope the mb DCT is better i.e. more relaible, than the vag dsg e.g. a work colleague bought her dream car, a new Audi A3 and had to have the clutch pack replaced last week at 6000k's. They don't know any thing about them, but are now selling it and won't be buying Audi again. Shame really.

\ thermal robustness in "critical situations" such as when towing a trailer, giving an all-up train weight of over 3 tonnes, and when stopping or moving off on steep inclines.\

I come from a 7 speed Dry clutch in the Golf MK6. VW & Audi have had numerous clutch pack issues with slippage and general mechatronics failing. The 6-speed Wet clutch DSG's seem to be much more immune to the issues. Another director where I work has had clutch slippage on his A6, so it seems like quite a widespread issue.

Thank you Wolfgang for finding that piece on the MB DCT. It's incredibly encouraging to hear the specific points that Henning touches on - all of which are real problems that I faced in my golf. Clutch slippage on take off from inclines and almost all take off's after the car has warmed up. The clutch packs in the Dry 7 speed have apparently been re-designed for the Mk7 golf. My car has since had it's replaced with the updated design, so far it's feeling pretty good. But it's probably a matter of time before the shuddering issues come back. I believe it's an inherent design flaw where no real solution exists.

I hear lots of feedback on how the 7G-DCT isn't quite as quick as the VW DSG, but darn it, I value a long lasting and robust design over .1sec (or whatever it is) faster shifting!

 

[clip]

I also had planned on buying a 125i coupe ( hatch was just to dated) until I drove a A250 sport.

By the sounds of it BMW is going to lose alot of sales to Merc.

Agree, I think the a250 and cla250 will do more damage to bmw than to vw.

 

[W201]

Few weeks ago, I've visited car show and have checked few other cars (primarily 1 Series and A3), and, in my view, these are top 5 models in this class:

1. A Class. I'll leave the owners who visit this thread to explain why
2. Volvo V40. (I was driven in it, and I can say it has the most comfortable seats in this class. They are... amazing, and interior quality is very, very, veeeeeery good (Albeit, in higher trims). Trouble is, it is unbelievably expensive, in my country even more than the A Class.)
3. VW Golf. Perhaps not premium, but it was always The King of the hatches, and its interior quality is on par with V40 and A (in Highline, the best trim. But even Trendline (basic trim) isn't that far away). What a masterpiece of interior from a car that starts from around 15.000 Euros. VW knows what it is doing, and they have done it again. Not to mention practicality. Or efficiency. Or versatility.
4. 1 Series. There are squeaks at some places in cabin: front armrest, for example. Unacceptable from a premium car, in my view. Also, sun-blocker for driver feels like its made from a piece of paper. Huge disappointment. But, engine-wise and drive-wise - I think Bimmer nailed it. Ofc, when the next generation arrives, 1 series will also be FWD car, so it will lose one of its defining characteristics.
5. A3. What a stupid, boring, dreary car that is. Saw a Sportback, it looks ok. Saw 3dr, it looks ok. Interior - looks ok. Engines - ok. Everything about this car is simply - ok, and that's about it. There isn't a single thing about this car that makes your heart beat just a little bit faster. The biggest drawback of A3 is - Der Golf. In the past, there was indeed difference between A3 and Golf, mainly in interior style and (perceived) quality. Nowadays, Golf (in its best trim) is on par with A3, and one would have to be die-hard-fan of Audi, to buy one over the Golf.

Ofc, this is all from my subjective, sitting-in-car point of view.

So, to conclude, in my view too, the A Class is a big problem for its competitors, as few of you have pointed out.

 

[fortuner]

Hi....Guys My Red Ride comes soon...

A220 cdi.

 

[Bknight]

Agree, I think the a250 and cla250 will do more damage to bmw than to vw.

I am glade that MB is shacking up the prestige hatch market, both Audi and BMW needs a design refresh not just a new grill.

 

[SKY]

My family is planning to order the A250 Sport. Can we order it with alu, instead of the trim that looks like CF?

 

[Kdcorp]

My family is planning to order the A250 Sport. Can we order it with alu, instead of the trim that looks like CF?

I so wish that was possible! the alu in CLA looks awesome.
Currently not possible on A class, perhaps on MY14 they'll make it possible..

 

[alebonau]

Few weeks ago, I've visited car show and have checked few other cars (primarily 1 Series and A3), and, in my view, these are top 5 models in this class:

1. A Class. I'll leave the owners who visit this thread to explain why
2. Volvo V40. (I was driven in it, and I can say it has the most comfortable seats in this class. They are... amazing, and interior quality is very, very, veeeeeery good (Albeit, in higher trims). Trouble is, it is unbelievably expensive, in my country even more than the A Class.)
3. VW Golf. Perhaps not premium, but it was always The King of the hatches, and its interior quality is on par with V40 and A (in Highline, the best trim. But even Trendline (basic trim) isn't that far away). What a masterpiece of interior from a car that starts from around 15.000 Euros. VW knows what it is doing, and they have done it again. Not to mention practicality. Or efficiency. Or versatility.
4. 1 Series. There are squeaks at some places in cabin: front armrest, for example. Unacceptable from a premium car, in my view. Also, sun-blocker for driver feels like its made from a piece of paper. Huge disappointment. But, engine-wise and drive-wise - I think Bimmer nailed it. Ofc, when the next generation arrives, 1 series will also be FWD car, so it will lose one of its defining characteristics.
5. A3. What a stupid, boring, dreary car that is. Saw a Sportback, it looks ok. Saw 3dr, it looks ok. Interior - looks ok. Engines - ok. Everything about this car is simply - ok, and that's about it. There isn't a single thing about this car that makes your heart beat just a little bit faster. The biggest drawback of A3 is - Der Golf. In the past, there was indeed difference between A3 and Golf, mainly in interior style and (perceived) quality. Nowadays, Golf (in its best trim) is on par with A3, and one would have to be die-hard-fan of Audi, to buy one over the Golf.

Ofc, this is all from my subjective, sitting-in-car point of view.

So, to conclude, in my view too, the A Class is a big problem for its competitors, as few of you have pointed out.

looks like you considered same options as me. am previously mk6 golf gti owner. and the vw golfs are really for bang for buck very hard to beat. couple of weeks of owners ship and the a250 is a definite step forward in every way.

your right the volvo v40 T5 was closest thing but few things was unsure of. the auto box. the volvo styling interior and that it is a volvo even my wife said you sure you could own/drive one of those hehe. resale on volvos is very bad here as well.

the 1 series inside and out was a real bother for me ! and overall packaging. your right re the audi was my biggest dissapointment, as a golf gti owner would have loved to step upto an a3 but unless spend some huge crazy amount the performance is actually a step back from the gti. the rs version is also a touch bland in stylign and priced more in a45 territory.