mercedes A250

A250

WHAT IS IT?

This is the penultimate Benz A Class with a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine and front wheel drive. It's a practical five door hatchback and this one gets the ultra-cool diamond (dot) grille.

HOW MUCH?

The price is $49,990 with a bunch of option packs available to customise your Sport and... spend a lot more money.

WHAT ARE COMPETITORS?

Renault Megane RS265, Golf GTi, Ford Focus ST.

WHAT'S UNDER THE BONNET?

Power comes from a 2.0-litre direct injection, turbocharged four cylinder with variable cam timing and other tech stuff. It's good for 155kW, up to 165kW on overboost driving the front wheels through a seven speed dual clutch manumatic with torque vectoring and a tricky front diff to eliminate torque steer.

HOW DOES IT GO?

Like a rocket. Rapid transport in the tight stuff, predictable, stable, responsible and safe. It's quite amazing how good they've got front wheel drives to handle, steer and feel these days. You don't need all wheel drive.

IS IT ECONOMICAL?

Surprisingly light on 95 octane rated at 6.6-litres/100km but we reckon you can do better than that on the highway driving carefully.

IS IT GREEN?

Fairly green as the engine passes EU6 emissions regulations.

IS IT SAFE?

Full five stars and more thanks to clever driver assist features, new body/chassis and the inherent safety of a car that behaves like this. Will get you out of trouble with a flick of the wheel or a dab of the brakes.

IS IT COMFORTABLE?

Surprisingly good in this respect even though multiple modes are provided that alter the dynamic calibration. You could easily do a long interstater without flinching.

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?

Awesome. Super quick on the proverbial mountain road and excellent in the dash/dart of traffic. Makes mug drivers look good and delivers a tonne of fun.

IS IT VALUE FOR MONEY?

At under 50 grand it's a lot of car for the money but there is plenty of kit left out to get it there, satnav for example.

WOULD WE BUY ONE?

Yes, pity the options you'd like would hike it well over 50 grand...

Mercedes-Benz A-Class A250 Sport
Price: from $49,900
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder, 165kW/350Nm
Transmission: 7-speed dual clutch manumatic, FWD
Thirst: 6.6L/100Km, 152g/km CO2