Mercedes A-class facelift review, test drive

What’s it like to drive?

The 134bhp, 30.59kgm ‘200d’ engine is the same 2.1-litre, four-cylinder engine used in most Mercedes-Benz cars, but in a lower state of tune. It’s still a huge improvement on the old 107bhp ‘180 CDI’ version the A-class was launched with. The A 200d doesn’t feel punchy or rev-happy, but what it does instead, is deliver a strong, linear surge of torque. It’s decently refined too, unless you really rev it up, at which point, it sounds a little coarse. The best part of the powertrain package is the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. It rushes through the first two gears to get the car off the line quickly when you want it to, and this doesn’t affect low-speed driveability much either, because the shifts are so smooth and quick. The responsiveness of the gearbox really lets you get the most out of the motor.

The thing about those new 16-inch alloys is that they wear higher-profile tyres than the older wheels – 205/55 R16 – and that plays a huge role in turning one of the harshest-riding compact luxury cars around into one of the best. Yes, the suspension was raised and tweaked from its original state in a previous A-class update, but the tyres are the final piece in improving the ride. You can feel the suspension’s inherent stiffness (in fact, this helps it corner quite tidily), but the taller tyres absorb a lot of the sharper edges. That said, for all the stiffness, you do get a bit of vertical movement driving over a rutted road. The steering is reasonably sharp and makes diving into corners with the A-class quite a lot of fun.