new a-class concept at Mercedes Brentford this morning - wow

[hawk20]

What a shame. Over a million A's were sold because they were safest in class, incredibly roomy, well made and different from the normal run of Golf-type cramped hatchbacks.

The prototype looks like it will be all bonnet and no car. Low sloping roof pretending to be a sports car. This is meant to be a family hatchback for goodness sake. Two boxes.

At least the video looks as though somebody has allowed function to play some part in design not just silly schoolboy form. Who wants to compete with the 1 series which is ugly and cramped and not suitable for full sized humans? And it won't really compete with the 1 series anyway because although it is designed to look like it is front engine rear drive, it will actually be front drive as before.

What a shame.

And even the B class is being shrunk like mad. Not just a few milimetres but a massive 100 mm off the wheelbase and a miles smaller boot than before.

 

[corned]

1 series anyway because although it is designed to look like it is front engine rear drive, it will actually be front drive as before.

Most people (including many owners) think the 1 series is FWD. That's about the only thing MB haven't done to the A-class to chase after the 1 series, although I thought they might have done at first. They have abandoned every other aspect of its 'roots'.

 

[grober]

The old one was too expensive to make evidently. i.e. Why have 2 floors when the opposition get away with one? The first A class was targeted to seize the sector of the German market occupied by the VW Golf and judged by sales numbers alone over its lifetime turned out to be a complete failure in that respect. Mercedes must have felt this time round they didn't have the expertise /resource to develop a new small car "in house" so that's why they have this joint development in conjunction with Renault.

 

[rhud]

I suppose us (existing) A-Class supporters ('This car is very much liked by its owners' - Which?) must be grateful that MB persisted with the idea for for 14 years and got it right after 7 years. Unlike Audi who panicked and ditched the excellent A2 long before they should have (see A2 resale values).

However, it is true that MB make little money out of the present A Class, having realised that the initial attempt to build it down to a tight budget was damaging the brand. So from 2004 it began to measure up to what people expect of a Mercedes. But as ever, the bean counters must eventually be obeyed.

I think the current A is extremely well made which is why I bought my 2nd a year ago before the death-knell tolled. I hope the new version will be equally well made and because I wish the marque well I sincerely hope it will appeal to the younger market they are so desperate to get into. But if they have the Golf in their sights,price will be critical.

 

[finisterre]

It is going to have to compete with everything else and tbh I don't see any reason to buy that over any of the other small euro boxes. On a small car the three pointed star is probably worth a fifty quid premium to most people. Me included. I would buy a one series for the rwd in preference even if it is a BMW. So it is going to have to be cheaper than a one. Does it really have a chance against A3/Golf/Skoda or Kia?

The old A class was much more interesting.

 

[st4]

It is going to have to compete with everything else and tbh I don't see any reason to buy that over any of the other small euro boxes. On a small car the three pointed star is probably worth a fifty quid premium to most people. Me included. I would buy a one series for the rwd in preference even if it is a BMW. So it is going to have to be cheaper than a one. Does it really have a chance against A3/Golf/Skoda or Kia?

The old A class was much more interesting.

Agreed and the death of the CLC means if you want a proper wheel drive hatchback you must get a 1 series. The A class might not have offered what I'd have wanted in a car being 26yo but it was an interesting car with some unique strong points. The BMW 1 series is the same but with different unique strong points. This new car offers all the draw backs of the 1 series without any of its benefits whilst not offering the benefits of the traditional A class. Shame.

 

[wemorgan]

This new car offers all the draw backs of the 1 series without any of its benefits .

The new A-class should be able to mount the engine transversely, allowing greater interior package, rather like all the Focus/Golf cars.

I guess this will be more of a competitor to the A3. Whether there's the demand for another small premium family car I don't know. I'm sure MB did their homework before investing in the new platform.

 

[verytalldave]

Not for me.

Simply too much style over practicality.

But it will probably sell much better than the last A Class ever did.

 

[trapperjohn]

And what was TrapperJohn doing there (far right)?

Corned your card is marked sunshine

Cam had it right. Cannot have been me, no sponge in hand and it was not a 124. What was it again you say - A VolvoVauxhallthingie. Looks like it was being pushed too, not the injectors again

 

[corned]

And what was TrapperJohn doing there (far right)?

Corned your card is marked sunshine

Don't worry - I'll not blab to Liz.

 

[Smarties]

Looks like a SEAT, or some other euroclone. I maintain that the current A and B class were class leaders in everything but sales. Clever cars both of them.

 

[wemorgan]

I'll stick my neck out and say that because most people on this forum don't like, it'll be a success. What I mean is, there are quite few mature views here, enjoying their W124 or W211, whereas MB are looking for younger people. Style is king when is comes to sales in that segment. But I drive an old diesel estate Saab, so what do I know about style anyway

 

[nick mercedes]

I'll stick my neck out and say that because most people on this forum don't like, it'll be a success.

It depends how much it costs.

In the past A class have always been far more expensive than their rivals.

 

[Howard]

Lucky it didn't catch on fire at Brentford

 

[nick mercedes]

Where MB got insperation from:

http://www.automotive-gossip.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/astra-gtc1.jpg

 

[finisterre]

That Astra. Ha! Designed by Barry.


and yes Saab have been pretty stylish in their time.

 

[grober]

The first A class had a sandwich floor because it was intended to house batteries for electrical propulsion but MB chickened out. Fortuitously it proved to be an excellent safety feature [ to be fair that was probably also part of its initial design brief] Couple the loss of the main purpose of its original design [ which lead to a car with a higher than average centre of gravity ]with a disastrous press launch accident [ the ELK TEST] and the car didn't get off to a good start. The motoring press as is their wont predictably overreacted as did Mercedes in response with an entire suspension/stability control revision ruining the ride in the process. As it was jokingly said at the time "Ya-- we have now made the A class a very stable vehicle unfortunately we have had to remove the suspension to achieve this!" So off to a shaky start then but surely the design should have brought the buyers flocking in---unfortunately the build quality was very un-mercedeslike although the prices were "traditional" The clever packaging failed to mask the cheap interior trim, intermittent dashboard display, expensive MAF/ECU combo, iffy semi manual transmission and dodgy suspension components and customers stayed away in droves. Mercedes had learned their lesson with the Mark 2 which is a much better effort in every way and retained enough of that innovative engineering to be that bit different. As others have said for this new car to do well it needs to be a bit special in comparison to the rest of the cars in the sector--- clapping a Mercedes badge and a few electronic gismos in the cabin of a car with thinly disguised Renault underpinnings may not be enough. Lets hope it turns out to be a "bit special" like its predecessor.

 

[rhud]

The first A class had a sandwich floor because it was intended to house batteries for electrical propulsion but MB chickened out. Fortuitously it proved to be an excellent safety feature [ to be fair that was probably also part of its initial design brief] Couple the loss of the main purpose of its original design [ which lead to a car with a higher than average centre of gravity ]with a disastrous press launch accident [ the ELK TEST] and the car didn't get off to a good start. The motoring press as is their wont predictably overreacted as did Mercedes in response with an entire suspension/stability control revision ruining the ride in the process. As it was jokingly said at the time "Ya-- we have now made the A class a very stable vehicle unfortunately we have had to remove the suspension to achieve this!" So off to a shaky start then but surely the design should have brought the buyers flocking in---unfortunately the build quality was very un-mercedeslike although the prices were "traditional" The clever packaging failed to mask the cheap interior trim, intermittent dashboard display, expensive MAF/ECU combo, iffy semi manual transmission and dodgy suspension components and customers stayed away in droves. Mercedes had learned their lesson with the Mark 2 which is a much better effort in every way and retained enough of that innovative engineering to be that bit different. As others have said for this new car to do well it needs to be a bit special in comparison to the rest of the cars in the sector--- clapping a Mercedes badge and a few electronic gismos in the cabin of a car with thinly disguised Renault underpinnings may not be enough. Lets hope it turns out to be a "bit special" like its predecessor.

Excellent analysis. It remains true that the current A-Class is by no means cheap. But increasingly when you look around you see really rather ordinary cars from mainstream makers priced at £20k plus and still managing to perform poorly in reliability surveys.

 

[hawk20]

With 40% of the UK population aged 50 and over, the endless targetting by manufacturers of the young seems not entirely sensible.

And the young market is incredibly price sensitive. Mercedes are not. Have a look at the prices for the new shrunken B class -now on the MB website- and marvel at how it starts where other price lists tend to end. Add the 200cdi engine -which is what suits it best- and a few extras and you are way up the scale. No savings at all in price compared with the bigger, sandwhich floor B class. Why not?

Young marrieds tend to have children and need space and room for buggies, toys etc etc. My eldest daughter has two very young children and loves the A because of the amazing space it offers versus other cars. A long bonnet, with a low roofline and a cramped interior, like the A prototype, may look good but it's no damned good as a family car.