For A frisky 154bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged engine powers the A200. It’s smooth, happy to rev hard and packs a decent amount of punch. As a result, it’s well suited to the A-Class’s sporting attitude.
Against Even the Comfort suspension is firm, while the Sports set up is rock-hard. Overall, it looks expensive next to more powerful rivals.
The engine is smooth and flexible, but it’s not that powerful. While the suspension is very firm, it’s more forgivable in this warmed up version of the A-Class.
There are three choices of suspension on the A-Class; Comfort, AMG Sport and Engineered by AMG.
Even the Comfort suspension will be too firm for many tastes, feeling jittery on any road that isn’t perfectly smooth. The AMG Sport is even less comfortable, but it does provide better body control to complement the car’s strong grip. Don’t even think about the Engineered by AMG arrangement; it’s so firm, you’d have to be a masochist.
The diesel engines are disappointing because they’re noisy and generate too much vibration. The petrols are better, being smooth and happy to rev, but they’re also relatively underpowered compared with key rivals.
The standard six-speed manual gearbox is fine, although the twin-clutch gearbox is also worth considering. This is standard with the 1.8 diesel and 2.0 petrol, and a cost-option across the range.
We reckon a A180 petrol car, on Comfort suspension with 16-inch wheels and a manual gearbox represents the best compromise.
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