USED Mercedes-Benz A-Class MPV (05 - 12)

My car

We've had our Mercedes A-class for over a year and half now and it hasn't let us down once. Seems everyone has the 5 door model, which i understand has greater convienience, but our 3 door model looks absolutly beautiful! We have the 150 on Avantgarde trim, with a sports package; that adds sports suspensions and 17 inch alloys which makes it look stunning!

The 150 engine has enough power to move this heavy vehicle in town and overtaking on motorways isn't too much of a problem either, though there is a slight lag on the throttle when you press it down. The sports suspensions are great for country lanes - cornering at high speeds with lots of grip. But are over firm in town especially with the amount of speed bumps in Edinburgh. The car is still nippy in town and is small enough for city parking.

This model with all options was reaching the £18K mark, but the quality of Mercedes makes it worth the money in my opinion. The 150 engine doesn't cost a bomb to run either; we manage about 32-38mpg in town. Though servicing costs were quite steep for us.

Cabin materials are all superbly finished, with alluminium fittings on the dash and doors which adds to the sporty feel of this car. The boot is big and theres addequate space for 3 adults at the back too.

Overall it's been a real pleasure owning this car. Price initially was steep but it's brought smiles to our family since the day we bought it and it's yet to give us any real problems. PS 3-door looks stunning!

My car

Great car, ride is excellent and on the motorway it's hushed at speeds way over the legal limit. Very comfortable seats and driving position. Not overly impressed with the fuel consumption (28mpg!). But very cost effective as a company car, much cheaper than a golf or Audi A3 because of the low CO2 emissions. The expensive sunroof is worth the cost but MB's dealer charge of £125 per hour for fitting an ipod integration unit is a joke! I I used an independent audio fitter for half the price. Build quality is definitely an improvement over the old A Class. The interior looks and feels like a proper Mercedes now. Have had the car for 3 months and really like it.

My car

A-Class wasn't even on my shortlist of small cars, but after test driving the usual Japanese/Euro affair, decided I wanted to stick with solid build quality - i.e. something German.

I dislike the looks of the A-Class, especially from the front. The price tag wasn't great either. These were my only concerns.

The build quality on this car betters everything else out there. Equipment levels on the Special Edition model I viewed far exceeded my expections for a small car - air con, alloys, on-board computer, auto headlights, auto dimming mirror, auto wipers, cruise, leather steering wheel + gear knob + handbrake lever etc. etc. The car also comes with all the electronic safety gizmos as std - ABS/ESP/BAS Even the std stereo betters any other small rival. (It betters many std systems in cars costing twice as much!) The car is very spacious, very comfortable and has a decent size boot. It drives well, corners better than I would have expected and I can hold a normal conversation at 80mph. The only time I realise I'm driving a 1.5 is the need to change down for more power. It also benefits from a variable servicing program.

Most surprising of all though was the deal I made. After only a few visits to Merc dealers, I was offered an outstanding deal on a pre-reg model (40 miles on the clock). I paid only £1500 more than the best deal I could get on a 1.3 Yaris Zinc! Apart from those so-so head-on looks, I'm delighted with my purchase.

My car

Owned this model for 12 months and found it to be an excellent car.Previously owned the SLK 2OO model, but the A Class performace is on a par with this.Take a test drive - you won`t regret it.