USED Mercedes-Benz A-Class MPV (05 - )

My car

Previous car: VW Polo 1.4SE. Have owned this A-Class for 2 years. It's a perfectly sized compromise car for me and my ultra petite wife to drive. CVT is brilliant (I couldn't return to a manual box), alongside park assist and sensors. Folding mirrors are essential for getting into modern house small garage. Accurate GPS in Audio 50 ICE. Drive is smooth, quiet, powerful and effortless. It points and shoots in traffic (you decide you want to move, blip throttle, and it moves there without effort). Handles extremely well. The cabin is a really nice place to be in.

More importantly, this car saved my wife's life when she was t-boned at a road junction. Despite the severe damage to the car my wife emerged completely unscathed. The car was rebuilt at a Mercedes-approved body-shop, as new. However, Mercedes own insurance company leaves a lot to be desired, with little help offered given the enhanced premium asked for alongside lack of promised courtesy A-Class in their policy document.

Service costs could be much cheaper, and less confusing. One might expect a B service to follow A - but if you reach 2 years ownership (even with less than average mileage) you fall foul of a much more expensive C service.

Even so, both of us would have no hesitation in buying another - despite the insurance and service issues - and would strongly recommend the car to others.

My car

A practical small car with tardis like dimensions. Good driving position. Fuel economy hasn't been brilliant but we have achieved over 50mpg on longer journeys! The styling is also surprisingly nice in the flesh - interior quality is also good with no complaints; all the switchgear and knobs work well and are satisfyingly well put together. Overall a great car if you want a lot of space and a car with a prestige image.

My car

I had an A160 Classic Blue Eff for 4 weeks as a courtesy car. I was initially pleased I wasn't given a Corsa/Fiesta type. However, a few days later I was wishing for a proper car! Firstly the good: It is roomy. The visibility is excellent and it is a bit more upmarket than a Ford/Vauxhall. The bad: Design wise it feels unstable and unsafe. The extremely light steering, which appears to get even lighter at speed, adds to the unsafe feel. It is the first car I've owned in 33 years of driving that I just didn't want to get back into. The fuel economy is disappointing. Official combined figure is 45.7mpg. I received it with the computer showing 33.5 over 5500 miles. I am notoriously light footed and averaged 38 over 1200 miles. The best I managed was 42.2 during a trip to strive for that elusive 45.7. It is also grossly underpowered. It is a small car but will not go in my garage (where my Volvo V70 lives) as it is too wide and the mirrors don't fold, not even manually! It has steering wheel controls, supposedly to aid safety. Buttons are multi-function so you have to cycle through menus on the dash. My wife and I agreed it was quicker and safer to just reach down to the dash to make selections. Finally it went back to the garage early when the electrical gremlins which were ever present rendered it unusable.

My car

This car was obtained mainly for my wife who is disabled: it was the only small car with enough front legroom for her. I have driven it mostly. Verdict: hard, uncomfortable ride; CVT irritatingly vague (I like automatics);steering too light; poor turning circle; difficult to get into the back and very uncomfortable (a cause of backache for some); boot too small (with wheelchair in, only room for a few Waitrose carrier bags)- it cannot possibly be 435 litres!And, door mirrors that do not fold in - on a Mercedes! In short, horrible. The worst drive I have ever had and that includes an Allegro!