Hi
today we have 2015 MB A class 250 Sport
This Shape available since 2013
looks very good but if you see the older generation you’ll not think about it in a better way
the 1st model came in 1997 and the 2nd generation in 2004 and the last generation in 2013
you can not compare the last Gen with the older models, actually they were so ugly
they changed the design to compete with the new pretty BMW 1 series and with the best in this class the VW Golf
I can say MB succeeded in this new design, it is very cool & sporty
also loaded with a long list of optional equipments
1st we will start with the engine
only two models coming to GCC, A250 Sport & A45 AMG
they all have the same engine 2.0 Turbo with no turbo lag at all
the car is very responsive
A250 has 211HP and 350 NM
A45 has 360 HP & 450 NM
gear is double clutch 7 speed with fast shifting
gear lever still in the steering column as MB want to make it very simple and it is
but as a sport car you prefer the traditional gear in the ground to have better control
the car suspension is hard so if you are planning to travel you need to rethink again
specially the sport model since it has sport suspension that is lower than standard by 1.5cm
the Sport also coming with AMG 18″ wheels with 235 tires with low profile as an extra option
so you can understand also why the car is hard and also it means you need to change tires frequently
A250 Sport is front wheel drive, the A45 is AWD
we will find the A45 weight is heavier by 90 kg than the A250 Sport with 1550 Kg and 1460 Kg respectively
from these numbers I can say it is a heavy car but from behind the wheels you’ll feel it is very light and you think it is almost 1200 Kg
this means MB worked so hard on this car
let us talk about the sport exhaust
it is very silent and engine sound is not good also, actually it sounds like a cheap japanese or european 4 cylinder cars
it does not sound like the very good 4 cylinder BMW engine
A45 is coming with a sport exhaust and it has a better sound notes
brakes in this car is very good however i did not find anywhere the size of them on the A250 Sport
A45 has bigger 350mm brakes front and rear and they should be even better
gas pedal feel is good and very responsive
gear shifting is fast and you’ll see how fast the RPM needle is
brake pedal feel is very good and give you more confidence on them
steering is very sensitive to any input at any speed so you might think of the optional variable steering for more relaxing driving
interior of the car is spacious however it looks compact from outside
they took the design of the AC vents from airplanes with a carbon fiber look dashboard but it is not carbon fiber
the Sport is coming with Red accent every where with nice and hard sporty seats combining fabric and leather
the standard screen is 5″ small that looks very basic and the A45 comes standard with bigger and better 7″ screen with Nav
the car is full LED front and rear lights with high and low beam xenon
the chasse of this car is used also in the CLA that looks like A class but Sedan and the GLA that has higher ground clearance and AWD
driving the car is very fun and you’ll see who is driving it will try to break the rules by going faster
on curves the car is very stable even if you floor it, it will not understeer as other standard front wheel drive cars
you’ll never feel it is FWD, thanks to the advanced electronics, until you do hard acceleration then wheel spin will happen
MB claims A250 0-100 km in 6.6 s but we will test it today
A45 MB claims 0-100 km in 4.6 s
MB options are almost the same in all GCC but you can order your car as you wish
this A250 Sport has optional AMG package (wheels, front grille, side fins, two exhaust pipes, Red accent including front headlights…etc)
you also add more options but the price will become so crazy
Its starting price is 140,000 Dirhams/Riyals, this car with few options become 160k-170k Dirhams/Riyals
if you add more options then it will be reach 200,000 Dirhams/Riyals
A45 AMG starting price is 210,000 Dirhams/Riyals but you’ll find it in dealers with extra options around 260,000 Dirhams/Riyals
you can order it less or more than that price tag but the car is already above 200,000 Dirhams/Riyals
MB warranty in GCC is the same with 2 years factory warranty and your local dealer will give additional 3rd year free with unlimited mileage covering every thing in the car
if you would like to extend before the 3 years expired additional 1 or 2 years then you pay around 3000 Dirhams/Riyals but it will not include every thing just engine, gear, axles
the car mileage must be below 105,000 km to get the extended warranty up to 105,000 km
I noticed something strange with MB regarding warranty
if something broken like the door latch accidentally but not you broke it intentionally , they will not change it even during the factory warranty
they just change things that broken by itself which is very strange
but if anyone has such incident with MB, it’ll be helpful if he shares it in the comments
when you buy the car new it is coming with free service 3 years or 45,000 km
I can say free 3 services since the car service period is due every 15,000 km
1 minor called service A and major called B service
AMG models are not coming with free service
who are the competitors of this car?
all hatchback cars are trying to compete with VW Golf which is the 3rd most selling car around the world
may be in GCC we do not consider it as a popular car but globally it is
MB A250 sport compete with the Golf GTi, the new BMW 1 series that is very pretty, better than its predecessor and I thing it will be better than the A250 until I drive test it, Audi A3 and Alfa Romeo Giulietta
Now it depend on your taste, do you need German or Italian?
Do you need luxury brand or normal brand or styling?
if you need styling and to be different you’ll not go wrong with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta
if you need brand then MB or BMW
if you just need a useful car without the complicated electronic and with reasonable spare parts prices then the Golf is for you
Spare parts prices as I published this episode are as follows
ok, we drove test this car for around 3 days so let us conclude
frankly and honestly it exceeded my expectations
it is pure sport car no doubts, who will buy it will be very satisfied but he needs to pay more to get some extra options like cameras, sound systems, Nav…ect
I really recommend this car without discussing the price
the car is an expensive car really, if you need the A45 you’ll pay quarter million Dirhams/Riyals but do not forget you are buying MB
personally if I have the money I will not buy it, I’ll buy the BMW for me
I think it is a better brand, engine and performance, however the BMW usually has harder ride but not harder than the A250 Sport that has kind of softer front ride but very hard in the rear like a pickup
I hope you found this episode very helpful about this car
comments are welcome and anyone has any kind of experience with Mercedes Benz and would like to share with us in the comments are welcome
Thanks and see you next with another sport car
Bye Bye
