Although Mercedes wants its new A-Class to appeal to a younger audience, it does not intend to alienate its hardcore buyers who have been loyal to the brand for so many years. Pierre Fava explains further.

When Mercedes launched its entirely new A-Class, its intentions were not to revamp the previous model. It simply wanted to make a bold statement and create a new, younger vision for the brand. And they certainly managed to, as the current A-Class is a far cry from its boxy, MPV-style predecessor that we had got accustomed to seeing on our roads. This new version is sleeker, wider and meaner looking than ever before.

So why did Mercedes steer away from a winning formula that ultimately produced sales of approximately 1.5 million units during its lifetime? Simple; they wanted to appeal to drivers that would have otherwise looked at similar-sized models from other popular brands such as Ford, Volkswagen and Opel, just to mention a few.

Putting it in simple terms, Mercedes wanted to produce a car that would be the premium alternative to, say, a VW Golf, a Ford Focus or an Opel Astra. This strategic approach had long been adopted by other premium brands such as BMW (with the 1 Series) and Audi (with the A3). Indeed, it was high time that Mercedes put on its punching gloves and threw itself into the ring.

The new A-Class looks stunning and is a great adversary to all its rivals. The obvious finesse and quality that the marque brings with it is evident the moment you get into the car. It is solid and very well put together. It also feels expensive, with bucket loads of driver appeal. Mercedes is one of the premium car manufacturers that has demonstrated that it is capable of keeping up with the times, offering a product that appeals to a very discerning and technologically up-to-date clientele.

Getting into the new A-Class is when things start to get interesting. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the comfortable, sporty-looking front seats and to the seven-inch LED screen resting on the well-sculpted dashboard (available on all models).

The car comes with all the basic needs that one would imagine from a car in this category, including air-conditioning and Bluetooth. You’ll also find two USB ports, one to connect to the car’s sound system and another to enable you to charge any mobile device that takes a USB charger. Sitting behind the well-proportioned steering wheel is both comfortable and appealing and gives one a feeling of being in a qualitative environment that is built to last.

From a driving perspective, the A-Class’s steering is both light and precise. The car has a sporty feel; its drive is not at all hard and responds very well to our rough road surfaces.

Indeed, the smoothness of the drive exudes the level of quality that the car has to offer on the inside. It is built to last with high quality materials throughout. Nothing is left to chance.

There is a wide range of diesel or petrol engines to choose from, all of which provide the right amount of power and torque. And with a CO2 level starting below the 100g/km mark, it is clear that Mercedes have given a lot of thought to the A-Class when it comes to both economy and emissions.

With a starting price of just over €30,000 for the basic model with manual six-speed transmission, the A-Class is truly affordable, placing Mercedes in new territory and making it available to a much wider audience than ever before.