Mercedes A Class Saloon review

At the turn of the 1980s, the UK fell in love with the hatchback. In place of the impractical luggage compartment found on a traditional three-box saloon, a hatchback gives far easier access to your stuff and the ability to carry much bulkier items. After all, you’d never get your old washing machine to the tip in a saloon.

However, with people opting for smaller cars to reduce their tax and fuel bills, recent years have seen compact executive saloons growing in popularity. That leads us on nicely to the subject of this review, the Mercedes A Class Saloon.

Sitting above the A-Class hatchback in the range, it requires that you pay a little more for the privilege of having a bigger bottom. It’s also worth pointing out that the saloon comes only in Sport or AMG Line trim, with all but one engine available exclusively with an automatic gearbox. You can even have four-wheel drive if you want or need it.

Although there’s hardly any gearbox choice, you can still choose from a huge range of engines. There’s everything from a fleet-friendly 1.5-litre diesel with low CO2 emissions and a modest 114bhp right up to the AMG A35 with a thumping 302bhp. Of course, there’s a selection of other petrols and diesels that fill the gaps between.

As for rivals, you’ll probably be looking at the Audi A3 Saloon, but there’s also the slightly sleeker Mercedes CLA, too. Alternatively, you might want to consider the Hyundai i30 Fastback or Mazda 3 Saloon if your budget is a little more modest. However, it's also worth pointing out you can buy far larger cars such as the Volkswagen Passat and giant Skoda Superb for even less cash.

So, to find out how plush the A Class Saloon is inside, how spacious it is and what it’s like on the road, keep reading for our comprehensive review. And if you want to buy one or any other new car for that matter, have a look at our New Car Buying pages for some stonking deals.