Remind me why I don't want an A or B class.

[skemball]

I have driven several differant A class dealer loan vehicles in the past 2 years ranging from diesel - petrol, manual and auto.

Overall they are reasonably comfortable and the interior quality is above the competition but not by much. Certainly nothing to write home about. The diesels are refined until you give them some stick - as we all do when driving a loan car and then they just sound and feel tinny. Petrol engines ditto.

They dont excel in any area and only really differentiate from the rest by the styling/shape.

Second hand owners beware though looking at the cost and work involved for clutches and water pumps - and MAF sensors.

 

[hawk20]

I have driven several differant A class dealer loan vehicles in the past 2 years ranging from diesel - petrol, manual and auto.

Overall they are reasonably comfortable and the interior quality is above the competition but not by much. Certainly nothing to write home about. The diesels are refined until you give them some stick - as we all do when driving a loan car and then they just sound and feel tinny. Petrol engines ditto.

They dont excel in any area and only really differentiate from the rest by the styling/shape.

Second hand owners beware though looking at the cost and work involved for clutches and water pumps - and MAF sensors.

Well the interior finish on my Avantgarde A class and on my Elegance A class are at least as good as on the E class I owned. The seats are just as comfortable and there is as much room inside the car as the E class had. More in some ways. Yet the depreciation is less than half as much. And parking in congested Britain is a real joy. Plus we get over 50mpg on a run. Great cars.

Yes old models had some problems but according to my dealer the new model has had less faults than any new Merc they can remember.

 

[hawk20]

Just to get the clutch replacement into perspective. On the A class most clutch replacements have come at 60-80k miles according to my dealer. Seven hours to change the clutch should be compared with 4.7 hours to do the same job on a conventional rear-wheel drive car.
For a C 180 manual W203, the time for gearbox removal/fitting and clutch replacement is 4.7 hours (includes removing/refitting battery earth cable and teaching in window/sunroof memory if fitted, 0.2 hours for this)

So the difference in cost over say 70k miles is 2.3 hours labour. Many dealers offer 30% or even 40% off labour on older cars but even at the full £100 an hour this £230 over 70k miles costs a mere one third of a penny per mile. Chicken feed.

Compared to the advantage of having the engine slide out beneath the car in a head-on crash, which contributes to the car getting safest in class at NCAP, I consider this a tiny price to pay.

My brothers A 160cdi has just reached 3 years old and 30k miles with not a single fault from new. And he has just been quoted £41 per month for service plus (plus vat) which will cover everything of note.

 

[BTB 500]

Seven hours to change the clutch should be compared with 4.7 hours to do the same job on a conventional rear-wheel drive car.

No it should be compared with the time taken to do the job on other equivalent small/medium hatchbacks, IMO.

 

[hawk20]

No it should be compared with the time taken to do the job on other equivalent small/medium hatchbacks, IMO.

Why? Is a Golf, for example, easier and quicker than a C class?

 

[BTB 500]

Why?

Because it's the labour cost compared to other cars in the same market segment that's the issue.

 

[hawk20]

Well for some that would be a Golf I suppose. And I don't know the recommended hours for the Golf. Personally, I found the Golf too small with inadequate legroom in the front. And I, and the rest of my family who bought A's, wanted Mercs so really the C class was the obvious alternative. But as AutoExpress said the new A class has as much interior space as an E class so there are no direct comparisons IMO. I suppose some would compare with the BMW 1 series but I found that incredibly cramped.

I gave the C class clutch time because it was next on my short list and because of comments about the complexities of FWD so I was interested to see what a simple front engine/ rear drive involved for clutch changing.

To me now, if I couldn't have our two A's, I would choose two B's. They offer the interior space of an S class, and a boot just as big too. One day people will realise just how good a car it is.

 

[whitenemesis]

I find it hard to believe that a B class is as spacious as an S class. The dimensions don't add up!

I don't think people buy S class Mercs for the space?

 

[hawk20]

I find it hard to believe that a B class is as spacious as an S class. The dimensions don't add up!

I don't think people buy S class Mercs for the space?

Well they do add up. Several reviews noted that the legroom front and rear in the B class was equal to that in the S class. Go and try one. It is amazing but true. And the boot size on Mercs quoted figures is the same as the S class. I have owned a B class and an S class and I can confirm that the space in both was a factor in the decision to buy. My wife called the B class 'an S class you can park'.

The A class has wonderful legroom too, not quite as much as the B but better than any rivals. There is no other small-on-the-outside, easy-to-park car, that does over 50mpg even in auto mode, that offers the interior space of an E class. There just isn't.

 

[Dieselman]

I find it hard to believe that a B class is as spacious as an S class. The dimensions don't add up!

I don't think people buy S class Mercs for the space?

You need to look at the interior dimensions, not exterior. The A is tall, the S is long.
Interior room in a LWB A is amazing considering the exterior size and I am slightly bothered about the amount of rear legroom in a W220 S class, it's less than a W211 E class I think.

 

[grober]

wrong thread oops!

 

[grober]

Just thought I would bring this topic back up again after mixing up the 2 threads by mistake.

 

[fuzzer]

Sorry, I must have taken up your somewhat terse statement in post#4 of that thread too literally.

It was said in a little jest with the theme of the post.

They do what they say on the tin , with a car so small obviously there are going to be some drawbacks when it comes to how the manage to package it.

 

[A210AMG]

Still love our little A class

OK if it needs the engine removed to fix a job maybe I will not be as happy...but over 2 yrs and 25K miles its had two services, front discs and pads and a pair of front tyres.

There IS more leg room, a LOT more than my Dads 2003 E class estate and my ML. The boot is also a reasonable size even with the seats pushed back.


We looked at Golf type cars when chosing it and nothing looked that different or had as good use of space. Scenic came clase but that would just fall apart around us and zero image.


The new A class has come on a long way and does make ours look dated (inside) but still think ours is a nice shape and smart..

 

[Smiley]

Maybe there was a collaboration with a french designer for these models? They seem to win the usual "o my gawd" design prizes - like the engine has to come out to change the cambelt on the Renault Avantime and Espace.

 

[mart2453]

We have had an A150 classic se manual since june / july last year it had covered 21k and was 35 months old on purchase. It has been a very poor experience and is being dumped / p/exd in the morning..... would not touch annother with a barge pole, in our tenure it has done less than a thousand miles and suferred with clutch drag and gearbox faults. Sorry to anyone who owns one but be prepared for fun anytime around 20k milage wise. Also be prepared to be told it's not an item covered by MB warranty etc........Rusty input shaft.

 

[Robbo]

No problems at all here after 3 years trouble free motoring. Way better quality than the C class.

Ours had some recall work done during the first service, they put a drain hole in in the clutch bell housing. maybe rusty input shafts are a result of moisture build up on unmodified cars.

 

[hawk20]

We have had an A150 classic se manual since june / july last year it had covered 21k and was 35 months old on purchase. It has been a very poor experience and is being dumped / p/exd in the morning..... would not touch annother with a barge pole, in our tenure it has done less than a thousand miles and suferred with clutch drag and gearbox faults. Sorry to anyone who owns one but be prepared for fun anytime around 20k milage wise. Also be prepared to be told it's not an item covered by MB warranty etc........Rusty input shaft.

Well my broither's is from 2005 is 4 years old and has done about 40k miles and had no problems. Manual A160cdi. I've never had anything turned down under MB warranty on any of the many MBs I've owned. Did it have full service history? Best to buy full MBSH as if not many of the updates, recalls and service campaigns may not have been done.

Friend of ours had a significant repair out of warranty, but a good service history, and MB paid 80% of the repair cost (parts and labour).

Here's what JD Power said: -
The A-Class ran a very close second to the Corolla Verso. It seems Mercedes has got its act together on the reliability front and, like the Toyota, it performed extremely well in this area.

Interior build quality proved to be the A-Class's major strength - owners reported no nasty niggles, rattles or glitches. Heating and ventilation systems, the stereo and the seats also got the thumbs-up, and the engine and transmission proved to be strong.

The A-Class scored highest for exterior styling. On the downside, owners felt costs of service and repair were too steep.

 

[hot_property]

** same problem **

We have had an A150 classic se manual since june / july last year it had covered 21k and was 35 months old on purchase. It has been a very poor experience and is being dumped / p/exd in the morning..... would not touch annother with a barge pole, in our tenure it has done less than a thousand miles and suferred with clutch drag and gearbox faults. Sorry to anyone who owns one but be prepared for fun anytime around 20k milage wise. Also be prepared to be told it's not an item covered by MB warranty etc........Rusty input shaft.

I have this same problem, can anyone tell me what to do? I have a 06 plate A150 and in the cold mornings the 1st, 4th and reverse are really stiff! You have to put the car into other gears before it will accept the 1st gear! When it warms up its fine! Mercs themshelves charged me £116 and no improvement, they greased the gearbox? What shall I do now?

 

[steve-o]

I had an old model A Class and it was a 1.4, it was neither unreliable nor expensive to run, unlike my Golf Gt tdi, which needed an engine rebuild at 38,000 miles. It wasn't too slow either by the way.
I now have a 2.0 190 and a C Class 1.8, the older cars like the 190 and the lowly C Class models with "part history" are as cheap as chips and people are silly not to buy them in my opinion but the newer A Class like my father has are great cars.
My Father is 76 years old and he likes a car in which he sits a little higher and visibility is good, his current car is an 08 model A 160
( i think it's a 1.6 ?)
Clutch replacement may be a pain but how often do you need to do it?
It's not like for instance the front suspension wearing out on an Audi A4 or an Alfa 145/156, every 50 or 60,000 miles or a cam belt on a Clio sport is it?
Post 38 and 39 get some backbone, tell them you are leaving it with them to sort and you don't expect a bill. Ten inform them that trading standards will be informed as a matter of course.
You did (both) buy the cars from Mercedes dealers didn't you?
Renault quoted me for an 8 hour job with my old 04 reg. Clio 172 £1200.
The Clutch on the A Class will, if used correctly last for over 90,000 miles. If you are looking at an A Class with that sort of mileage then budget for a clutch. If you have an A Class with 70,000 miles on the clock.....think on.
I really can't see the problem, sell it or keep it and sort it!