2013 Mercedes A 180 CDI review, test drive

If there’s one thing that cements the A-class’s credentials as a seriously luxurious product, it’s the quality of the interiors; after all, if it doesn’t make you feel privileged, what’s the point? Every surface feels properly premium – the soft-touch dashboard front, the beautifully finished, SLS-style air-con vents and the perfectly damped buttons on the steering wheel, to name a few. This may be an all-black cabin, but there is enough metallic brightwork in here to liven things up. The 5.8-inch COMAND screen ‘floats’ above the air-con vents, but isn’t big enough to be distracting when you’re driving. Because the gear selector is on the steering column, the central tunnel has been used for cup holders and cubbyholes; but they aren’t very big.

This is a car designed around the driver rather than the passengers, and it really shows. The front seats, with their snug, single-piece backrests, are a great place to spend time. They’re comfortable and supportive, and the driver’s side has full electric adjustment. The only downside is the visibility which, thanks to the sharply angled windscreen, low seating position and small glass area, is quite poor. The focus on the driver is even more apparent from the back seat, though. You have to duck under the curved window line to get in, and then you’re greeted to an upright bench that’s designed for two; there’s a third seat belt, but not much room to sit. There are no rear AC vents, the windows are tiny, and the big, curvaceous front seats are right in your face. Although the legroom is decent, the headroom is tight, and the combination of a low seat and short squab means you’re forced into a knees-up seating position.

It is equipped like a Mercedes though, with a big focus on safety tech. There’s no less than nine airbags in this little cabin, and a host of active and passive electronic aids. On the infotainment front, Merc’s dated COMAND system soldiers on; it’s not as intuitive to use as its more evolved competitors, but it gets the job done. There’s Bluetooth, Aux and USB connectivity here and most of it can be controlled from the buttons on the steering wheel. Surprisingly, in such an expensive car, there’s no climate control.

The A 180 CDI manages 11kpl in the city and 15kpl on the highway, and again, Indians would expect better from a ‘hatchback’. The thing is, this Merc is a big and heavy hatchback, and this really takes its toll at the pumps. And by luxury car standards, it’s pretty good.