Our sister has a Mercedes-Benz A-Class, it's an A180d in its AMG-Line spec and it looks fantastic! It genuinely is a very good car; it drives very well, is rather comfortable, premium feeling, well equipped and ridiculously economical. Even with rather uneconomical driving, we got 56mpg out of it and on a good run down to Portsmouth and Arundel, we achieved 68mpg yet it can still do 0-60 in about 10 seconds. I agree that the exterior looks absolutely gorgeous and so does the interior, it feels pretty plush for the most part but I do have some complaints. In certain areas, they use very cheap and tacky material (although it's mostly areas you won't really touch), in certain areas, bits and bobs do creak a bit if you press down hard on them and we really dislike the headrests on those seats, it's very uncomfortable for us on longer journeys but other than that, the interior design is fantastic and quality is generally good. Unfortunately Mercedes doesn't give you the big screens as standard so we just have the smaller 7.5 inch screens which are still great nonetheless but if you're getting an A-Class, I recommend upgrading to the bigger screens but as said before, the infotainment system is still very good and the navigation is very easy to follow and comprehend. Mercs are better at automatics than manuals and the same goes for this car; definitely get the automatic as its smooth, well refined and economical. I wouldn't say it's as fun as it's competitors but it still holds onto the road well. Road noise is a major issue with this car unfortunately, there's a lot of it at speed on anything that isn't smooth and freshly paved road. It's a shame really because the ride's pretty comfortable and there's very little engine and wind noise. I do recommend getting this car if you want a Benz although I would buy one used. As usual, keep up the good content JB and congratulations on your engagement!
I never really liked too much the A class but 0-60 in less than 10 seconds even on the most basic A180 is quite fast. I recently did a Stage 1 to my 0.9 Clio and got the same acceleration out of that with 130HP, and the car is wicked fun to drive as it is. I think however its a bit too "flashy" as a daily and definitely costs quite a lot when you think of it for a car thats gets you to places. Definitely would go for an older A45 or RS3 rather than a brand new A180. Not that the car is bad or anything, I just think there are much better options out there for the money. If were talking about only buying brand new hatchbacks I would consider a fully equipped A3 or even A1 tbh if its cheaper than the Merc.
Looking at cars in this price range atm for myself, I think im leaning towards a 2.0L R line scirocco. Plenty of style and fun, shouldn't have massive running costs too. If I get one I'm happy for you to do a review mate!
The 4th gen is a car I kind of like, it hasn't got the hideous screen from the 3rd gen which was my only real issue with it as a car. The image is the only issue I have, it's "I should have bought a cheap hatchback, but I'm a tosser" - feels like anyone buying one of these could have bought something much better for the same money, or just saved a few grand and bought an i30 or something. That said, it'd make a perfectly passable company car. Edit: The one thing I'm not sure I agree with is the A45 instead, those never floated my boat at all...all the performance, none of the fun.
Exactly as above - I really don’t see any major purpose, but company car would make sense! A45 I only say as if you’re looking for an A class, why spend the same amount for something so uninteresting!
@@CarsWithJB Fair point about the A45, if it's the same cost and someone wants an A class then why not! I'd guess the lower depreciation offsets some of the extra running costs too.
Most people don’t care about performance, I’d take this over any old hot hatch that’s falling apart and going to cost a bomb in repairs etc, I’d much rather a ‘boring’ luxury car
@@BIG2hats I didn't say hot hatch, but an i30 of similar age and performance as the A Class will be better to drive, equally comfy, better equipped, cheaper to run and infinitely more reliable. The only downside of the Hyundai vs the Merc is the badge, if you consider that a downside. If you don't care about fun but prefer luxury, well get a used IS300h that's 1000x more reliable, far comfier and better in essentially every way. For people who do care about fun, there are plenty of cars that also beat a low spec A Class in every single way - again, except badge snobbery. Hence my original point - the only reason anyone buys one of these is because they want to be seen in a Merc, it's not a good look (at least, unless it's a good Merc, which these aren't).
I enjoy watching your videos. It’s great good content. Everybody’s got their own opinions. Just to let you know am a driving Instructor. And I have a Mercedes a class amg line. my students prefer this to any other brands. As it’s a lot easier to drive than any other brands and as you said it does look more premium than any other brands. And technology in this car is amazing. The 1.3 petrol engine which is a Renault engine if people don’t know with a seven speed dual clutch fitted, the fuel economy is just ridiculous it’s amazing 😎😁
I've had a A250 AMG was fast great handling but eats tyres badly is a awfully hard ride and wasn't economical the 2017 was better looking from the back than new version especially lights ,Aclass is definitely over priced and I had big issues with loss of power when accelerating took Merc over a year to find fault but I ended up selling it when prices shot up making a extra 4k but still not replaced it as yet as will never deal with mercedes ever again bad customer service.
@@CarsWithJB keep up the great work tho always love your reviews especially when I'm looking for a second car to keep me going till prices stability comes back .. had a great GLA200 AMG SUV the new version for a few months now that I was impressed by economic and very quick got average of 44 mpg around town but mercs do have good interior s unlike boring BMW tho the 330 or 335 is definitely on my lists to purchase second hand as performance and economical go hand in hand .. your doing a great job JB.
I've never sat in one of these before, but from what you've explained, it seems like I would describe this car and compare it to a special occasion. You dress up, come together with family, have a good time and go back to living a normal life. Its a one-off experience, but a pleasurable one. One that you would remember. Whereas, driving around in a Golf, is more remenicent of happy, fun enjoyable and thrill-seeking life. Not an occasion, but daily life. If that is true, you've done a cracking job portraying how it feels to drive the car. 🙌 You should maybe start a second channel, (or even just on this one) and do more care reviews and content like this. Loved it, mate!💪 Your videos are wicked btw. I've even recently got my younger 10 year old brother watching you videos. 😆 Remember us guys, after you hit a million, as the OG subscribers! 😆 Btw, a video suggestion: differences between I2, I3, I4, TDI, VVTI, GTR, TFSI and all the rest! Keep up the sick content btw! ✌
Exactly that - couldn't have put it better! I've been thinking about doing more explanatory videos, and will definitely be doing more car reviews in the near future... Appreciate the support!
Congrats man! I got engaged to my girlfriend back in November on our 6 years to the day of being together. Such a good feeling. Wish you both all the happiness 👍
Not driven the most recent gen but have been in and around, I prefer the look of the interior on the Merc, the 1 series is a bit more functional but still nice - need to get a chance to drive one then I can give you a fair opinion! Currently I think I’d have the 1 series between the bmw merc and Audi though
@@CarsWithJB I agree my friend has a 2021 A class the interior is very nice compared to other hatchbacks. Would be good to see a 1 series review I might get one as my second car
Like your take on it, I think others have had the same feelings. It doesn't seem to be able to tick the right boxes 😕. And of course as you mentioned A45's being similar ish prices! Although the ones I've seen, seem to be ragged around by less thoughtful people 🤔 lol.
Lovely cars, well now anyway, totally agree about the earlier ones but these new generations are just beautiful, never really been a Mercedes fan to be honest but an AMG A45s is top of my !one day" car list :) Just had a new Vauxhall Grandland X on hire for a couple of weeks practical but unbelievably boring and had nothing tech or anything else wise apart from LED headlights (very very cool) and Android auto (that i get passed using Alexa Auto) that my 10 year old Citoren does not have, was a bit disappointed to be honest as I don't get to drive new cars often, bit of a treat lol but this was just, boring is probably the best word to use. Congratulations on the engagement, living the dream hey, good for you :)
I drive an 07 Mercedes A150 plate around town. I love the seating position, decent mpg, the good all around visibility and small footprint. But I wouldn't call it a Mercedes. I drive an 01 CL500 a couple of times a year and that is indeed a merc. I personally don't see anything bellow an e class as a proper merc.
The A class hatchback has moved Mercedes to the postion occupied by the BMW 3 series a few years ago. Meanwhile the 3 series has moved upmarket. A Class says chav. The saloon and cla are much nicer.
The CLA looks awkward, as if the boot was an afterthought, just stuck on. As for the 3 series, far too common. Not upmarket in my opinion these days like they were in the 1980s. I had a nearly new one then, 318i.
My A-class has a lot more aluminium in the interior then this car. Interesting that you say the sat nav could be better as I find it the easiest sat nav I've ever used (you need to try a VW lol) the sat nav is voice controlled so it's really simple. The interior does have some plastics, but nowhere as bad as other brands and it's by far the best interior in it's class. Let's not forget it's still only a 35k car. There's 50-60k Audi's out there with worse interiors.
The Sat Nav issue may have been partially caused by my own incompetence and the fact we were in Switzerland! I've used the Audi Sat Nav and similarly didn't like that, and I do like the BMW one but it's useless when it comes to traffic... basically I just prefer to stick to Apple maps!
04:50 You can have it in black on the A-class too, just order the ”Night package”, its Mercedes version of Audis ”Black edition”. Its a must IMO, got it on my A200.
From one Skoda fan to another, the ultimate bargain up market A3 or Golf GTI is a Skoda Octavia VRS TSI, preferably with manual transmission ! They are very classy inside and have many Audi RS like features, but for less than a GTI costs ! And pretty Sleeper too, who would suspect a Skoda ! J
I think for a little bit less money a VW Scirocco would be a better shout in the "warm hatch" category, just picked one up 2 weeks ago and for a 20 year old i could ask for a better car
The saloon (which my wife opted for in 200d guise) is much better looking, albeit less practical. It’s 150bhp is enough and the glass dashboard is great. 60mpg (actual)on motorway runs with over 50 on Urban cycle.
It’s a very tough question - if I was looking for a daily that does what the A180 does I wouldn’t spend that kinda money, it just feels super unnecessary considering I felt the 2020 Skoda Fabia I drove before was way better value for money (and is now available in great condition under £10,000). I reckon a daily above 10k with a better value for money ratio would be a Golf GTI, mk7 or 7.5 - likely to hold value better, not horrendous in terms of running costs, and just something I’d be much happier owning personally!
@@CarsWithJB want to upgrade max £25,000 and I’m looking at BMW, Audi and Mercedes. But I want one that will holds its value so I can part exchange in a few years, which model of brand should I get? Max mileage 40k and automatic.
I would urge you to do a thorough test drive first, and aim for the best value you can to safeguard against depreciation as best as possible! It's a lovely car, but I can't say it was particularly engaging to drive, and I didn't think it was great value for money, but then that's just my opinion!
@@CarsWithJB thanks for the advice, I had it as rental in Greece for a month and felt in love with it. Continue the good work, I enjoy watching your vids
I currently drive a Mercedes E class coupé which we want to change for somthing smaller that is the wife's choice this model year has a smart interior but not sure about the materials used
A220 AMG-Premium Line owner here. I'd say don't get one. Its fun and nice for about 3 months, then the small niggles get to you, the gearbox is annoying, whilst driving around in comfort it hangs on gears, you can reset the the throttle sensor which resolves it for a bit. But eventually you get back to crap hanging on gears when it should really change up. The interior looks stunning, but the build quality is awful. It looks as though Mercedes decided they would spend everything on infotainment and leave the rest to Dacia to put in. The sat-nav, as you mentioned is crap, I have had it take me off the motorway, then bring me straight back on again, not find alternetive routes for closed roads and having to just drive and hope it recalculates, augmented reality seems cool, but for the most part it cannot keep up with normal driving speeds and doesn't help all that much. My previous car was a BMW F21 1 Series, though the tech in that was old as it was the last year of production, the build quality was solid, no creeks or cunching from the plastics. The sound insulation for a cheaper premium car was also great, the merc you sound like you are on a motorbike at motorway speed. Overall, if you are looking for a premium level hatchback. Look elsewhere, the price does not warrent the low build quality in my eyes and other offerings give you more bang for buck.
@@plebgevalorant9410 I noticed the gear hanging too - appreciate the insight from an owner! I also found the manual mode a bit unresponsive compared to the A3 - all things I spoke about in the onboard footage I lost!
As a C Class owner I’m really not a huge fan of the A Class and would rather have an A3. Haven’t spent any time in a 1 series so couldn’t compare against that fairly. There’s not a lot of options outside of Germany in this space that I know and would consider, the pug looks cool but they tend to age poorly and the Hyundai just doesn’t hold its value well enough to justify buying one over an A3…
Having driven the C Class I way preferred it as a car to drive too, way more engaging and fun than the A class somehow! But strangely for me I didn’t find the black edition A3 to be much more interesting than the Merc, I actually thought the handling really let it down in particular
Considering every other 1 series apart from the latest gen is RWD and has the option of the 6 cylinder there’s just no comparison between any version of the A class and the 1 series especially considering the A class is sadly nothing more than a rebadged PSA product these days. I
The A class is a subpar product. Their selling point is "technology", especially the cabin goodies. The issue with that is that after a couple of weeks most of the gimmickry just isn't interesting anymore. You configure it once and pretty much proceed to forget about it and the cars becomes one just like any other. Interior design is nice, but quality is at best shoddy. Rattles and creaks everywhere. Don't trust me? Join any owners group and read the complaints for yourself. Dynamically they are quite flavorless. Even with the fancy rear suspension on the higher trim models. I can't even fathom how a solid rear axle of a 180 must feel like. Their gearboxes, by comparison to other brands on the dual clutch game for far longer, feel like prehistoric. Clunky, especially in the first gears and they are not in any way responsive or quick. MBux software is riddled with bugs. I know. I have one. Don't waste your time with these cars. Save your money. Plus, audis aren't premium in any way whatsoever. They're rebadged, overpriced, parts bin VWs, marketed towards braindead badgewhores. If you're considering an A3, save your money and buy a Golf. Same car and everything is cheaper. If you're not worried about badges and what others thinks of you, get a Leon. The main competitor is the 1 Series. Not and A3. Even the Golf is more of a competition to the A class than an A3.
The badge is more than half the fun though! Branding and what it means to people is VERY strong, more important than features and performance to non-car people.
All car manufacturers make almost lookalikes of their hottest versions with ordinary performance. Even VW have their R line and I kind of get it …… provided it has some sort of decent performance. You could easily spend real hot hatch money on a sheep in wolf’s clothing though and some more basic hot hatches offer a whole heap of fun.
A200d amg premium here.. I give it to drive to my girl every day cause she need to drive to London via m4.. the car is stunning, I love it too. Anyway till you race on a track why you all complaining? Everyone should buy what they like with them money.. If you like a benz buy a benz if you like a bmw buy a bmw.. stop be the kid of the block who say this is good this is shit..
