Merc’s big-selling upmarket hatchback offers dynamic polish and keen efficiency
The Mercedes A-Class is the three-pointed star’s entry point and one of its bestsellers. Among premium compact cars, only the Mini and Tesla Model 3 have consistently outsold it here in the UK.A mid-life facelift in 2023 brought with it mechanical enhancements, equipment upgrades and some subtle but noticeable styling changes, all of which should keep the car on the shopping lists of many compact car buyers. Over the years, the lineup has been made much simpler, in order to put greater focus on those trim levels that have consistently proven more popular.It goes toe-to-toe with stiff competition from other German marques. The BMW 1 Series promises a bit more dynamism, while the Audi A3 has slightly better material appeal.Like its rivals, the A-Class is still fairly conventional and comes with mild-hybrid, diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrains.The Mercedes A-Class Saloon is aimed at business users who would like a junior C-Class, while there’s also a bombastic four-wheel drive 416bhp Mercedes-AMG A45 on offer.