New A Class

[Belle427]

The missus fancies one of these and we are considering just getting a new one on a pcp deal.
We only do about 6000 miles a year so realistically it will be a petrol engine but I've heard mixed reports about the reliability with it being part Renault engine.
We would be looking at the A200 model with the 168 bhp engine.
Any input about reliability issues would be great.

[WonkeyDonkey]

If you're just leasing I wouldn't worry too much

[quinny100]

Have a good test drive before you commit.

I had an A180 as a courtesy car for a few days whilst my E220d was being repaired last month and really didn't like the powertrain - in particular the throttle mapping was such that you seemed to get pretty much full power in the first centimetre of the pedal travel and the rest of the travel did bugger all. Coupled with the DCT gearbox it was like a hair trigger and I'd a job to get it off my sloped driveway without spinning up the front wheels. This was in Comfort mode too - Eco made things a little better but it was obvious they'd set it up like that to give an artificial feeling of speed. Hopefully the larger engine variants will be better.

The other irritation was the DCT was quite slow to transition between forward and reverse/reverse and forward.

[Belle427]

Yes the online reviews of the petrol engines say they are a little harsh.

[AI1601]

Although the current one is an improvement over the last model I still think it was targeted towards those who have zero interest in how a car drives, ergonomics, build quality etc but purely on looks and badge appeal. I am probably describing the vast majority of the public here hence why you see so many A Classes on the roads. Your mrs may fall into that category and that’s fine but for someone like yourself I really doubt you would be impressed.

On my drive of one, I found the build quality and ergonomics to be questionable to say the least, and the engine (petrol) a bit gruff with poor throtte response. Didn’t steer particularly well either.

[anonymous-user]

I wouldn't worry about reliability if you are PCPing. That engine is basically a 20year old Nissan design with a couple of mods - gruff, no top end, won't break.

There are far better cars for the money, but you don't get the badge. If that's what she has her eye on then the easiest thing is to go along with it. It'll be st.

[Belle427]

Not set in stone but it’s between that and an A3 at the moment.

[AlfaManc]

AI1601 said:

Although the current one is an improvement over the last model I still think it was targeted towards those who have zero interest in how a car drives, ergonomics, build quality etc but purely on looks and badge appeal. I am probably describing the vast majority of the public here hence why you see so many A Classes on the roads. Your mrs may fall into that category and that’s fine but for someone like yourself I really doubt you would be impressed.

On my drive of one, I found the build quality and ergonomics to be questionable to say the least, and the engine (petrol) a bit gruff with poor throtte response. Didn’t steer particularly well either.

We have a petrol A Class and I couldn't agree with you more. It is the car my wife wanted, and she's happy with it but IMO it sells on badge appeal alone. The ergonomics are ill thought out, and the engine is gruff and does not couple well with the auto gearbox. What it does well is to use some soft plastics and electronic displays to create a nicer ambience than many of its rivals when you first compare them. The flaws come out when you have to live with the car on a daily basis. If you enjoy driving and it's a car you will use frequently, then I'd look at other options.

[Belle427]

I'm trying to persuade her to look at something else but you know what women are like!

Edited by Belle427 on Friday 5th February 12:20