NEW Mercedes A-Class Review: Best Premium Hatch? 4K 

The "weird mouse touch pad" in the middle is what I use 99% of the time to control the infotainment in my A35. Just look how you have to lean forward to use the touch screen. This is not only uncomfortable, but also dangerous while driving.

the exterior colour showing on the inside of the doors looks entry level imo

Unacceptable build quality from a premium manufacturer when you're going to be handing over at least 30k for a decent spec model.

The trackpad on the old A Class is one of my favourite ways of using an infotainment system on a car ever! I use it everyday. This is coming from someone in their 20s too. This seems like a step backwards! I also love the old A class steering wheel - most luxurious steering wheel I have used and most intuitive. I won’t be moving from my current A class to the new one

The body color on the inside window frames looks bit cheap

Best car in class by far. Loaded with amazing technology and safety features. Interior design blows its rivals out of the water. Driving is very good on any kind of road. It’s a great premium hatchback.

Interior feels like a downgrade from the older car? The touch pad made it so the entertainment screen was fingerprint smear free, the physical buttons on the steering wheel were just a lot easier to get along with as well as looked better and more expensive. To me the only thing that’s an upgrade is the new UI styles on the MBUX.

I've got a 2020 A45S and I think some things are a step back on this face-lift. Doing away with the touch pad was a mistake, it's really handy to swipe between tracks and navigating the menus, as you have more control over the touch buttons on the steering wheel, and you don't have to get the screen covered in finger prints. But the option is still there to use the touch screen if you want. What do we get now on the face lift instead? A tiny coin tray 🙄, how is that a step forward? The headlights, personally I prefer the old tick style ones, rather than just a line at the top. Couldn’t get anymore basic looking than just a line! At least the tick give it a bit of character. The tail lights, again the old version looks much better to me with the ring of light, instead of just a simple line. Just these 3 things alone make the old version feel and look more like the face lift. It's like Mercedes got it the wrong way around. Not that I'm complaining 😅

I agree with the build quality issues, that’s not premium.

I see a auto trader video i click

Rory. Brilliant review as always. Don't think the 1 Series has much to worry about. Quality and Mercedes are increasingly " distant ". Not what you would expect in a German premium brand.

I've moved on from my a200 w177 and I can't believe they've removed the trackpad from the facelift model. I always found the touchscreen to feel really far away. Nice to see CarPlay is no longer a £200+ option too. Subtle improvements on the exterior but really like the new look steering wheel.

IMHO, I think the best *_premium C-segment_* hatchback is the *Mazda 3* (BP). Since BMW dropped the ball hard after the F20/F21...

I really love your style of commentary cause it’s genuine, and real. That’s what makes a big difference. when looking to buy a new car.🎉

Resetting the transmission control module will help it learn the way you like to drive the car, based on how much throttle you like to use, etc. Should make the drive a bit smoother with less delays.

I have a 2019 A250 and tbh they’ve made a few things worse with this refresh. Capacitive buttons only on the steering wheel is a massive mistake and no trackpad so you have to operate the left screen with your hand? Madness. It is so easy to navigate that screen whilst driving using the trackpad. You hardly have to look. Now you’re forced to stare at that screen when using it. Insanity

As a former Mercedes Benz employee, and having experienced these cars on a daily basis, I can honestly say that this years generation of A Class have missed the mark by a long shot. Charging customers upwards of £40,000 for what is considered to be a ‘premium hatchback’ is anything but. When your put in front of a car that’s in excess of £40,000 with a Renault engine under the bonnet. And with cheap, tacky materials inside… I’m not sure that’s going to cut it. I’ll stand by Mercedes and say that they make some stunning cars in their current lineup. However, a lot more needs to be done to it’s lesser models in order to give them that premium touch. Save yourself £5,000/£8,000 and get an A3 or a Golf👍🏼

Had my 68 plate A class A200 AMG for 18 months now ,the best car I have ever owned. Every time I drive it feels so good

Previous gen had the worst bucket seats ever. Terminated the lease early to get rid. Most uncomfortable car. Omg it's the same seats! ☠️☠️☠️

Mounting components on bushings does allow for a bit of movement, but the method is to eliminate any annoying creaking that often occurs when they are mounted without any bushings.

Happy with my 2019 A Class AMG line premium 🔥💪🏽 for now

He is correct the rear diffuser is different

I went for the Mazda 3 Skyactiv X, after seriously considering an A200 and taking one for an extended test drive. The Mazda's interior was just about on par with the Mercedes, but with a nicer exterior, better performance, and dynamics and vastly better economy, easily getting 50mpg all while being a lot cheaper. For me the Mazda is the natural competitor, and anyone considering one should go for a test drive before buying.

My family has a 2019 A35 in Greece, what a great car. We bought it used with 17,500 km for around 24k. It’s a great car for the tight city streets and my parents love it. But, I absolutely love my 2017 Audi S1, we got it brand new and it now has 76,000km on it. Such a plucky little car. Good value, cheap to run and insure, haven’t had any major problems with it, and I drive it everywhere. I even put it on an 8 hr ferry to Italy and drove it to Switzerland to visit my friends.

I had a 21 plate A class AMG line and moved to a 21 plate Seat Leon. Wouldnt look back! I find the build quality to be much the same but the Seat is leagues ahead in terms of practicality, comfort and smoothness when driving. Take away the glitzy air vents and ambient lighting and the A class is actually a very poor day to day car, just made to look good with some extra tech.

Previous generation w177 also had not only touchpad but touch control 10'' screen as well

You should try driving in Eco mode but configured as the custom setting, the regenarative process is shocking! It jerks violently when you slow the car down and bring it to a stop. The MBUX is shockingly bad to use, they've buried menus under menus, under further menus and you're expected to use your fingers to operate them. The previous gen MBUX was far better to use in conjunction with the touchpad, but the new one, not so!

I don't think I've ever seen Rory so bored reviewing a car 😅

8:06 - the last gen was the same. I had an A220 for years and loved it but there was always this like "half a second" delay on the throttle pedal pulling away, not usually an issue but you notice it at roundabouts and stuff (although weirdly you get used to it and forget it was even a thing). Strange, most people wouldn't understand unless they have driven or owned one but that jerkyness is part of that, it's never fully fully smooth pulling away and if you press the throttle a bit harder to try and counteract that "delay" you just end up almost wheel spinning. I'm making it sound worse tha it is so it's easy to understand what I mean but it's definitely there and it's definitely annoying, I'm sure others reading this will know what I mean!

An excellent review Rory. Personally I think it’s shame they don’t make a full self charging hybrid and the interior still looks very gloomy like our GLA 4Matic was.

Been a happy a200 AMG line Premium owner the last 3 years but ordered a new a200 launch edition yesterday

Let’s be serious, they’ve put less ways to interact with the UI, clearly made the elements cheaper and despite the steering wheel looking better, it performs worse. Couple that with no other major improvements and a much higher cost (I got a premium 200 model in 2018, cost me £31000 - it costs £38000 and its worse).

Love the yellow but I could see people in Manhattan hailing the driver down as a cab....and then flipping out when you drive right past them. Some might find that a feature, though.

I have a 21 plate and I’m surprised no one talks about the poor really hard plasticy rest point for your elbows and uncomfortable sport seats and how poor the boot is tbh just for the most uncomfortable sport seats I would go for Audi or bmw next time

In my C-Class, I use the middle roller more than the touch pad, in fact, I turn off the touch pad and have never used the features.

Got my new Facelift A35 and when I got it i really really missed the touchpad because I could always use It while having one hand on the Steering wheel and on hand on the armrest 😢 but after 1 month I got used to it a really great Car

I have a 2021 AMG A220d. I love it, it's like a rocket. Having the AMG body kit, AMG multilink lowered suspension and AMG wheels makes it look very sporty. The one problem I have is the lack of ground clearance, it is so easy to catch the body work on kerbs or potholes. Great little car though.

For a facelift how many changes are expected? I counted 9 maybe 10 for the outside, 7 for the inside… I do not know how many changes other manufacturers make for a mid-life facelift. Anyone know?

Can’t wait for all the manufacturers to put buttons back on cars on the next version

The most important bit that they should to update for this "new" version is to solve the issue of fuel sloshing.

I'm on my 3rd AMG/35/45. I see(hear) It still has that trademark rumbling when driving down that perfect road.

Does anyone know if the fancy grille on the facelift model would fit my 2019 car?

I would get a Civic Type R for the price and it’s a better investment for the future.

I have the A250 and my two complaints are how uncomfortable the seats are and the jerky initial pull away. Otherwise it’s a great car for city and long trips

Does anyone know if in this new FL you have to turn off the Speed Warning every time you enter and start the car? I have the A200d where I just enter and drive. No annoying speed warnings to turn off.

Good review. Soon as you said haptic buttons on the steering wheel it's a no from me

The 2020 had multi beam headlights too. And the screen was full size too. Might ONLY be the uk who doesnt come with led as standard

Fun fact the A180d and A200 use Renault engines 1.3 is the same engine in the Clio 1.3 TCE and the 1.5 diesel is again from Renault it's known as the 1.5 DCI 1.3 is a great engine if you have that engine in a Clio it will be like a hot hatch 0-60 time is good for the engine too And actually most of the Merc models use Renault engines CLA has them GLA has it GLB has it B class has it A sedan has it the cheaper cars have them 180 and 200 code named engines are from Renault

My current A class is the same, wish they have tuned the starter motor, it’s very jerky at low speed- A200 that is, hard to pull of smoothly

A second hand standard spec Aclass is selling for over €40k in Cyprus, and no wonder the 1seriea is outselling it

Does anyone know if any of the engines for this A-Class are from Renault?

that they removed the halogen as standard is more than needed. I could not believe it that when I ordered the A35, that they wanted 1k extra for the headlights. haha overall, the old a35 was one of the best sedans I ever owned! Hence, this will remain a super car!

I prefer my 2019 A220 AMG to what they have done to the car.

Don't get me wrong, I own a merc, but what's with the droopy lights these days? I feel like 2018 was the sweet spot for Mercedes. Don't think any of the new ranges will be for me unfortunately.

The facelift is light but for me, this new class A is better than all premium hatch 👍

Previous gen A35 Premium owner here. This car, other than the improved CarPlay integration, is a step down in every single way, in my opinion. Looks worse, capacitive buttons, worse build quality and ridiculously expensive.

“Yeah, this feels premium” you can literally see the exposed metal painted door panels on all the doors behind him 😂

Ive had a 2018 A launch edition for almost 3 years now. First of all the build quality in the cabin is second to none compared to what i just saw on the video. The screens are sterdy and the climate control button box does not move at all. Is the A series build somewhere else? I live in Finland and this was build here. The engine and gearbox is another thing. I dont like it when it stays on the smaller gears for longer when driving in town which is something that I do for 90% of the time behind the wheel. Then when it finally changes gear the motor keeps the revs high up just as im coming to a standstill on lights or intersection. Really annoying. Ride is good on motorways but I would not mind some better seats when driving longer drives. Other than the car pretty much has everything that I need apart the cabin preheating for winter. Tech is superb and it works.

Greg, I think, is wrong. There appears to be next to no change to the rear diffuser.

Wow, this new Mercedes A-Class is absolutely stunning!

I wish they bring it to the United States,my favorite hatch back

The previous version also has a touchscreen. I use it often

“They’ve gotten rid of the old basic halogen beams” On the previous model, only the entry level model came with halogen headlights. All other trims were given LEDs, so this isn’t exactly a new feature on the facelift model.

Mercedes used to be all about quality in the past, nowadays neither the enterior, nor the electronics or the engines last as much as they should be... they are getting more expensive tho.

Year the window surrounds on the inside are bothering me big time

Great video! Could be even better if you would cut away to the old version when talking about it vs to new to highlight the differences even more! :)

Didn't they also remove the rear independent suspension, and gave it a basic setup for the engines below 150bhp?

The way this current gen Mercedes A class image has been destroyed by council easte chavs and roadmen is a sad sad thing The interior space was also a huge issue, perfect for females or smaller adults though

I think my 2022 Mercedes will be going up in value after watching this video lol. Why on earth would they get rid of the trackpad? So easy to use in my current model and safer too.

That colour is so sickly. Only seems bearable when it’s an A35/45.

Welcome back 🙏

Great review as usual Rory. Couldn't help but notice you've got 222 messages! Whats going on? 🤔😜

Honestly, Corolla gr sport hatchback 2.0 hybrid simply kills all premium hatchbacks . This yellow thing it’s a Renault Clio with a Mercedes badge

Does it still come with the Renault engine for the entry level models?

Rory, does a consistently good job with presentations. Kudos. This A Class looks nice and too bad no longer available in the USA ( correct?)

I must say Mercedes did everyone dirty in the pre face lifted A class, CLA’s with the half sized Apple CarPlay, why on earth have they not pushed out an software update that make them full screen sized, make a premium brand look, a little less premium

Could you try also AMG A35 facelift?

Seems like VW were the only ones that caught slack for the capacitive style buttons and fake exhaust tips but now almost all cars companies are doing the same thing smh the A class is nice but I’ll take a golf R instead

The exposed metal door frames really annoy me on a car this expensive. I know you won't see them driving it, but just look at that rear cabin shot as Rory is driving it. BMW would cover this in a 1 series with plastic capping. That's the sort of cost-cutting that makes you wonder what else have they scrimped on that you can't see?

Massive step-back for Mercedes... what the hell were they smoking? The amazing looking V-shaped frontlights and the touchpad in the mid gone??

Feels pretty cheap to be honest for a not so cheap car.

Looks similar inside to the 2021 CLA my wife has…not a bad thing though!

Is that a power bulge on a non AMG A_class

Thanks for your reviews entertaining and honest!

I love that yellow!

I really thought they would have fixed that loose climate control thing since every car reviewer pointed it out in the old one. Mental😅

The car drives nice, but what I complain more is the build quality, noises everywhere in the cabin. Solution, put your music with high volume.

Love that interior 😻

Old rear tail lights were so nice tho 😭😭

I read somewhere that this is the last ‘A’ class and will be discontinued?

Still the king in its class by far. Beautiful car.

Wouldn't bother! Just purchase a different class! Had an A class & enjoyed it as me first Merc! Upgrade although with today's climate I'd by a different make of motor! 😮

Bought the 2020 a class premium plus as a second car. Don’t think the new one is currently worth the upgrade money for me personally and also i prefer the touch pad and the steering wheel.

well to be fair i was checking 2 times when this video was uploaded.. 🤔😅😂

I like this car in sedan ❤

I recently valeted my partners Mercedes C220d coupe and lol at the build quality outside was dogs*it! My 260E from the early 90's made this look like it was built like an early kia from the same period 😂 that moving on the dash part's just isn't good enough. A very sad time for MB if this is what gets through their QA! Cheers

I've always found the AMG line seats to be horribly uncomfortable in the A class. They're rock hard. Edit* the new civic isnt are refined?

Had the 2020 A200 AMG line premium plus, got rid after 2 years. It’s all tech and not much going on the car side. Ps mine also had CarPlay and touch screen on the left screen. Literally same car albeit a slightly bumper

Nice looking car

Great review, I really appreciate your conversational and knowledgeable style. Too bad we don’t have you reviewing more U.S. spec cars.