[Akshay1234]

Great review, though Rehaan can you clarify a few things from Mercedes? As far as I know customer cars do not have parking sensors, and they charge 70k for diamond grille.

[neofromcapone]

Excellent pics, esp this one
http://team-bhp.com/carpics/mercedes...ss-a180-21.jpg

The quality of this review is so crisp and taut, I am super impressed. Coming back to the pics, the best that I have seen

Thanks and all the best for future such reviews.

[Tats07]

Great crisp review! I'm highly impressed by the premium interiors, and more with the fantastic photos which really bring out the 'premiumness'!! :-)

I however maintain my stand from the A Class Preview thread. 400 bookings in 10 days is just because the car looks great, has great interiors and has the Merc badge (sum these up as novelty value), in that order. These numbers won't sustain at this price and power output figures. Also, I'm surprised that Merc choose to detune the diesel to 108! This is no fast hot hatch.

Can anyone tell me what extra things does B-Class have other than the looks, since I see the power and torque figures are exactly same as A for the turbo petrol?

[ByDesign]

What a stunner of a car. Love the way it almost matches the Innova in length. Now that's a massive hatchback. The ambient lighting in the cabin etc. really got to me. If this car was priced around 22 on road, 23.5 ish, it would've been a deal clincher. I'm a bit hesitant about the 26L price on road.

My family and I are waiting for the launch of the BMW 1 to see how it fares. But this car is definitely on the test drive list along with the 1 and possibly the S60 for the next purchase. Entry level luxury comes to India

[W.A.G.7]

Very 'premium' review ! It will be interesting to see the sales figures of this car next month. The car is packed with features and at the quality of materials used is great. Another twist, petrol is priced higher than diesel version of the car. If the car sells well, I feel that it will be more because of the Mercedes snob value @~25L than any feature or performance of the car.

All in all, a nice car and a great review. Rated the thread 5 stars.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by parrys

Also, the official BMW 1 series website is live...

A reason why i'd be more interested the 1-Series (even if we compare the AWD A45 AMG to the 1 //M) : Rear wheel drive!

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

Apparently, even though the vRS is the cheapest it will leave all others biting the dust,right?

Correct. Look at the power-to-weight ratio comparison. Even a 7-speed DSG can't really change that.

More shockingly, the A-Class has a power to weight ratio thats lower than most of our B+ segment hatches.

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

Also, no pneumatics to hold the hood up at 90 degree like other Mercs?

Mentioned in the Engine post.

Originally Posted by gautamkhadse

What am about to say might sound like total crap, and this is strictly my personal opinion . Somehow , when i look at the pics of the A class , am reminded of the Hyundai Veloster.

At a time when people say iOS 7 has started to look like Android -- this isn't too far fetched. But its mostly just the body-style which is similar.

Originally Posted by ACM

So vs. the X1 (which has the dynamics spoilt vs. the normal 3 series) and this A Class - Which is a better drive? Which offers better comfort.

I haven't spent much time in the back seat of an X1, and i've only driven / sat in the F30 328i 3-series with the massive 18" wheels. I'd say the new 3 would have better ride quality and is more fun to drive too.

Originally Posted by Pancham

Does the diesel variant come with the pana sunroof and diamond grill as standard?

I believe the diamond grille comes standard on the diesel too, but let me confirm that! Regarding the sun-roof, i've added the following point to the review:

• The A180 CDI (diesel) does not get the following features: Twin exhaust pipes, panoramic sunroof, chequered flag design on the instrument cluster with red needles. Interior upholstery used is slightly different too.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Great review, though Rehaan can you clarify a few things from Mercedes? As far as I know customer cars do not have parking sensors, and they charge 70k for diamond grille.

I did clarify about the parking sensors (front and rear) and reverse camera after reading kbk_75's post. I was told that all 3 are present on both the petrol and diesel.

Will have to check about the diamond grille, though this is the first i'm hearing of this. From the launch it sounded like it was offered as standard. Maybe the additional charge is only on the diesel? Will get back to you.

cya
R

[Sonubbsr]

Okay, here comes a question, that might seem lame to many enthusiasts, even to other sane people, but I got to ask, a 27 lac Pajero Sports, or a 26 lac Merc!! Which amongst these would be a wise choice!!

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

I did clarify about the parking sensors (front and rear) and reverse camera. I was told that all 3 are present on both petrol and diesel.

Will have to check about the diamond grille, though this is the first i'm hearing of this. From the launch it sounded like it was offered as standard. Maybe the additional charge is only on the diesel?

cya
R

Member S320l-E240 picked one up and has done about 2k kms already on his A180 petrol. His doesn't have parking sensors and they made him pay 70k for the diamond grille.

[Marauder]

Amazing review Rehaan,along with great pictures.Especially the pictorial representation of the airbags

Its good that companies are launching large hatchbacks in India and hopefully brands like VW,Renault,Ford will launch their respective products to hot up this space.

One query regarding the sedan version,CLA.What would be it's positioning with respect to the C-class in the Merc lineup as in all probability their price points will overlap?Will the CLA be the sportier,coupe-ish offering whereas the C will be the entry luxury car.

[srishiva]

You feel happy that you get so many premium features in a hatchback and suddenly realize the price they want for this. I hoped the CLA to be a little less in price than this . Good luck MB!

[ACM]

Originally Posted by Sonubbsr

Okay, here comes a question, that might seem lame to many enthusiasts, even to other sane people, but I got to ask, a 27 lac Pajero Sports, or a 26 lac Merc!! Which amongst these would be a wise choice!!

From an enthusiast point of view actually a Pajero Sport might be better. -May even be more exclusive if one considers the reported sales order book of the A Class.

The A Class for all it's sporty looks seems to be all about a luxurious and peaceful drive but not in the rear seat as is normally the case, instead rather in the front seat. The Driver better not be looking for a smile in the face with a push down the back - possibly even a Pajero Sport may give more of that.

To me the A Class somehow seems all show but very very limited go. If one does want a merc then a few lacs more will get a proper engine and power matching the brand. It just can't be about the quality of the presentation but must have some substance as well.

[suhaas307]

Top work Rehaan and Rudraji. The text is crisp and the lens-work, as always, is brilliant.

As for the A, it is a stunning bit of kit. When a car looks this good, performance isn't a huge deal breaker as long as it's adequate. What's disappointing is that it doesn't ride as well as a Merc should. Before this review went live, I'd watched a few international video reviews of the A and the presenters explicitly mentioned that the quality isn't up to scratch in some areas like the foot well and a few other plastic bits.

A family friend is looking to pick up the A very soon but was put off by the high asking price. It is apparently 31 lakhs OTR w/o options in Bangalore! That's exorbitant! Options like the Diamond Grille and the metallic silver paint would drive the price up higher. But the fact that it looks like the hatchback variant of the CLS is good enough for me.

[dkaile]

Nothing less than a E class is Mercedes to me. Rest is all show. The grille seems to be the best part of the design but much better options exists at lower prices to warrant investing so much on the 3 pointer.

Great review nonetheless.

[SkyWalker]

Looks are awesome, and so is the rest of the packaging. But the engines are utter disappointment.

How much would Merc have saved by having the 2.2L Diesel in a lower tune? This, when a lot of new C+ segments cars are providing 140+ bhp.

[4nd3r50n]

Great review, Rehaan! I'd hoped that the A-class would match it's performance to it's looks. Sadly, from your review, it sounds disappointing and doesn't seem to cater to the enthusiasts heart. Wonder how it would compare to the Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL 4? Any views on that?