New Merc A Class takes the fight to VW Golf

[Scratchyratface]

Great write up, would be awesome to see it - any chance you can make the meet on the 19th @ Newmarket?

[alebonau]

hey mate sorry, I would love to come to a "meet" however I think newmarket is in sydney isnt it or is that qld where you are ? am in melbourne. anyways maybe another merc a250 owner reading might be able to make it

hopefully get some time tonight and rap this up wiht my overall impressions

[Scratchyratface]

ha ha, sorry I didn't even see you weren't in QLD!

[lakeman]

A45 admirer

hopefully get some time tonight and rap this up wiht my overall impressions

Thanks for posting your experiences.
I look forward to your next installment.
I have been chasing forums looking for discussion on the A class and blow me down if this forum doesnt have the best info in australia.
I am looking to get an A45 and had a quick look at one of the 250 sports and immediately put a deposit down for the A45.
Just for interest , I modified the Golf R Price calculator and thought I may as well post it here

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/10856745/Mercedes%20%20Price%20Calculator.xlsx

Here is the dealer letter detailing the A45 specs

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/10856745/A45dealer%20specs.pdf

[alebonau]

hi lakeman, that is going to be one awesome car the a45 ! I have a friend whom did the same driving an a250 and with confidence of what its like pre ordered an a45 as well.

if looking for a forum for all things merc the best have found with a real friendly bunch of guys keen to share the joys of these cars is german car forum. do a google will take you there. I havent been following the a45 talk as such but plenty there a series related

[lakeman]

if looking for a forum for all things merc the best have found with a real friendly bunch of guys keen to share the joys of these cars is german car forum. do a google will take you there. I havent been following the a45 talk as such but plenty there a series related

Thanks for the tip

[alebonau]

my overall thoughts...

the golf gti for me over 3 years of ownership was something I very much enjoyed, its a lovely mix of practical 5 dr hatchback, and ideal family car for us that covertly as it does is a hot hatch within. A huge amount of fun. A perfect mix of handling and performance. The merc A250 is all that and more .... but no theres nothing covert about it, this thing shouts out HOT ! and within its a very comfortable car which serves very well as a long distance cruiser and yet is all mercedes through and through with lovely touches both inside and out. As a performance car the a250 feels amazingly safe, and always feel that your working well within its capabilities not pushing the envelope. It is blindingly quick, handles and puts power down like your glued to the road. Somehow or the other mercedes with the a250 have pulled off a hat trick, combining the hot hatch with comfortable practical everyday car and yet given it all the elements of owning mercedes and look feel of driving something really really special !.

The A250 is the first mercedes have ever owned, I suspect just like this is a first for mercedes it will also be a first for many as an introduction to the brand and wow .... what an introduction !

[TuNeS]

Great write up, would be awesome to see it - any chance you can make the meet on the 19th @ Newmarket?

If I had myn, I wpuld turn up. Only 5 mins away from me.

[TuNeS]

my overall thoughts...

the golf gti for me over 3 years of ownership was something I very much enjoyed, its a lovely mix of practical 5 dr hatchback, and ideal family car for us that covertly as it does is a hot hatch within. A huge amount of fun. A perfect mix of handling and performance. The merc A250 is all that and more .... but no theres nothing covert about it, this thing shouts out HOT ! and within its a very comfortable car which serves very well as a long distance cruiser and yet is all mercedes through and through with lovely touches both inside and out. As a performance car the a250 feels amazingly safe, and always feel that your working well within its capabilities not pushing the envelope. It is blindingly quick, handles and puts power down like your glued to the road. Somehow or the other mercedes with the a250 have pulled off a hat trick, combining the hot hatch with comfortable practical everyday car and yet given it all the elements of owning mercedes and look feel of driving something really really special !.

The A250 is the first mercedes have ever owned, I suspect just like this is a first for mercedes it will also be a first for many as an introduction to the brand and wow .... what an introduction !

Great review mate. Provides a lot more info from ownership experience, that doesn't get captured in other reviews.

[rexjamo]

Thanks alebonau for the excellent review. As an ex GTI owner, I'm looking at the A250 Sport too. I'm in the process of trying to improve the price, with little luck!

Do you think the command package is worth getting?

Thanks.

[alebonau]

Great review mate. Provides a lot more info from ownership experience, that doesn't get captured in other reviews.

thanks tunes

yes thought probably a few reviews around but you dont get much from owners perspective and rarely ever comparing back to last car you loved hehe

Thanks alebonau for the excellent review. As an ex GTI owner, I'm looking at the A250 Sport too. I'm in the process of trying to improve the price, with little luck!

Do you think the command package is worth getting?

Thanks.

thanks rexjamo glad you like it. yeah the a250 is a great car as previous gti owner definitely one you'll enjoy I think

the command package is the only option I got on the car, I learnt a bit from previous cars not to option up too much as you never get your money back the command brings full iphone/ipod integration, an excellent harman kardon speaker system and plus sat nav and dab + digital radio. all those combined together well worth getting for the $3k extra merc charge for the option

[bagerk]

I'm in a similar position to Rexjamo. Considering whether to go for the Comand Package or not... One thing the GF and I decided was a requirement was the Driving Assistance (DA1) package. The Blind Spots are bad on this car.

Talking numbers at the moment but I'm not liking the quote - they even priced in Luxury Car Tax (which I knew was wrong straight away). For Alebonau and Tunes, did you guys walk away with much in the way of discounts? The price I was quoted was close to A45 RRP territory.

[walbjj]

I'm in a similar position to Rexjamo. Considering whether to go for the Comand Package or not... One thing the GF and I decided was a requirement was the Driving Assistance (DA1) package. The Blind Spots are bad on this car.

Talking numbers at the moment but I'm not liking the quote - they even priced in Luxury Car Tax (which I knew was wrong straight away). For Alebonau and Tunes, did you guys walk away with much in the way of discounts? The price I was quoted was close to A45 territory.

I was quoted 87k drive away for the a45 delivery in Oct. I'm still not sold on the auto Gearbox

[alebonau]

I'm in a similar position to Rexjamo. Considering whether to go for the Comand Package or not... One thing the GF and I decided was a requirement was the Driving Assistance (DA1) package. The Blind Spots are bad on this car.

Talking numbers at the moment but I'm not liking the quote - they even priced in Luxury Car Tax (which I knew was wrong straight away). For Alebonau and Tunes, did you guys walk away with much in the way of discounts? The price I was quoted was close to A45 RRP territory.

as with any car depends if you load it up isnt it ! but yeah if loading up so much costing upto next model up, should ask yourself if better off buying the next model up instead !

in my case I just got the base a250 and command pack which was plenty for me. I dont think should expect much discount if any. these cars are sold out months in advance. maybe if they have one where a pre order has fallen through might get lucky

ps there is no lct on the a250 or the a45 as far as I know

[bagerk]

I dont think should expect much discount if any. these cars are sold out months in advance. maybe if they have one where a pre order has fallen through might get lucky

I'm not much for quibbling on price of anything, but paying retail is silly (to me) for just about anything. Unless you're dead set on the particular model (type/brand/whatever) then there's always room to move. No sale vs a discounted sale; most dealers are going to opt for the latter.

I basically set myself a price for this particular car and will see if they meet it. I was just curious what others had paid/were quoted (like the Golf GTi/R threads that abounded for the Mk6 on price and what discount people were able to get).

ps there is no lct on the a250

Yep, I knew that one straight away. Was a bit perplexed that they'd factored it in, but let it slide at the time.