SCORES ON THE DOORS(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 59

Mercedes wants its A-Class to meet a wide cross-section of customer needs. That's why as part of this updated fourth generation model line-up, the company continues to include this Saloon body style. To compensate for the lack of a hatch, you get a little extra rear seat room and a big 420-litre boot. And arguably, a little extra style.

Background word count: 155

You'd have thought that the market for really compact premium brand saloons might be a little bigger than it is. Normal 'D'-segment premium brand four-door models like the BMW 3 Series, the Audi A4 and the Mercedes C-Class have, after all, become fairly expensive in recent times, with prices starting at well over £35,000. If in contrast, you could get much the same thing for a ferw thousand less, that'd have to be an interesting proposition for middle managers. Wouldn't it? Audi thought so, launching its A3 saloon in 2015. But BMW didn't respond at all and Mercedes initially fielded only its CLA four-door Coupe - which wasn't quite the same thing. In 2019 though, Mercedes decided to do the job properly, introducing a proper notchback four-door version of the fourth generation A-Class, a model variant updated three years on to create the car we're going to look at here. Let's check this saloon out.

Driving Experience word count: 328

Probably the most significant change with this updated version of the MK4 A-Class Saloon is that all the mainstream petrol engines now come with the brand's 48V mild hybrid system including the usual MHEV belt-driven starter-generator: that'll give you a 13hp boost when moving off. There are now only three mainstream engines, all of them four cylinder units driving the front wheels. As before, the petrol powerplant portfolio kicks off with a 1.4-litre powerplant, offered with either 136hp (in the A 180) or 163hp (in the A 200). Both must be had with 7-speed 7G-DCT auto transmission. The alternative is the A 200 diesel, which uses a 2.0-litre powerplant in a 150hp state of tune and must be had with 8-speed 8G-DCT auto transmission. A cleverer choice if you can afford it though, is the A 250 e Plug-in Hybrid powertrain offered in the Saloon version, which combines a 1.3-litre petrol engine with a 75kW electric motor and offers an EV driving range of up to 58 miles. If you need a more sporting A-Class Saloon, you'll turn your attention to the two Mercedes-AMG 2.0-litre petrol turbo hot hatch variants. There's the A 35 4MATIC which gains the 48V mild hybrid system, uses an 8-speed DCT auto and offers a potent 306hp. And the un-electrified A 45 S 4MATIC+, which has 421hp and is really wild. What else do you need to know? Well the suspension is the usual torsion beam rear set-up on most models, but if you go for a Mercedes-AMG sports variant with 4MATIC AWD, you'll get a more sophisticated multi-link rear set-up. Across the range, the 'DYNAMIC SELECT' driving modes system is standard, as usual enabling you to tweak steering feel and throttle response. Some of the autonomous driving capability from larger Mercedes models has been built into this one, meaning that, in certain situations, your A-Class Saloon, if appropriately equipped, will effectively be able to drive itself on dual carriageways at cruising speeds.