Test Drove a 2018 Mercedes-Benz A200 AMG Line W177: In-Depth Review & Photos

[cawimmer430]

Today I visited the HeyMercedes x Taste & Style event at the Munich Aiport. This event allows visitors to experience most cars of the current Mercedes-Benz fleet.




You basically walk up to the Mercedes Team, state which car(s) you like to drive, provide your ID and driver's license and 15 minutes later you can drive the car of your dreams! An employee of Mercedes-Benz will ride along with you to offer guidance, explain the technology and answer your questions.

I went straight for the new W177 A-Class. I've driven the standard A180d (Diesel) and loved it, but I wanted to experience the gasoline-powered models, especially the super fast A250 with AMG Line package. They only had A200s and A180d's at the event, which is cool. The A180d was impressive and I knew the A200 is no slouch.


















My testcar was a Designo Grey A200 AMG Line that was fully loaded with pretty much all the technology currently available on the W177, including Adaptive Suspension! It featured lovely 18" AMG 5-Spoke wheels and Night Package. It would take me all day to explain all the features, but let me just say that the new A-Class just demolishes its rivals in terms of luxury and technology.






EXTERIOR IMPRESSIONS

When I first saw this car in the press photos I actually hated it. Then I saw it in person and warmed up to it. The new W177 is a beautiful compact car, especially with the AMG Line package, which adds a sportier body kit, wider and beefier tires with light alloy AMG wheels.


INTERIOR IMPRESSIONS

Past A-Classes had cheap and dull interiors; not the new W177. The interior materials look and feel premium and so does the build quality. The A-Class finally feels like a proper Mercedes-Benz: solid and well-made.

The interior ergonomics are good, and I instantly felt at home in this car. The seating position is excellent (the AMG seats are firm but comfortable and provide great side support) and as a result the driving position is also excellent. I've sat in cars where the awful seating and driving position feel sent shivers down my spine, but not here.


GENERAL DRIVING IMPRESSIONS


ENGINE

The A200 is powered by the new 163-horsepower 1.33-liter Nissan-Renault turbocharged inline-4. So, what is this engine like? IMPRESSIVE. The first thing I noticed upon starting the engine was the high degree of refinement and quietness. There were no vibrations - just pure smoothness and refinement. Very impressive indeed. Call me crazy, insult me, but I am going to say the engine was as buttery smooth as an... inline-6! Yes, I really just did say that! At least it felt that way. Don't believe me? Drive one! Bottom line, it was a very smooth and refined 4-cylinder engine.

In terms of performance the A200 is also incredibly agile and quick with 0-100 km/h taking place in 8 seconds, which is perfectly sufficient for everyday driving. Also noteworthy - motor is surprisingly responsive, with no turbo lag (at least none that I could feel). The thrifty performance is no doubt helped by an abundance of torque (250 Nm) available at an early 1600 RPM.

I'd say the biggest issue I had with the drive was the Start-Stop system. It worked flawlessly but when the engine shut down and started up it did so with a heavy vibration. To me this wouldn't be an issue since I'd simply turn off this unnecessary feature on start-up everytime. Start-Stop is just extra wear and tear (good for supposedly 500,000 cycles) and the fuel economy "benefits" are marginal at best.




HANDLING

I've driven the new W177 before - an A180d, but this car was driven in the city where you couldn't really push it or have fun and get to know the car. The A200 at this event involved roads on which you could actually drive the car hard and fast and experience it. I was especially curious how the FWD A200 would handle compared to my current RWD 2007 BMW 118i.

Early on during my test drive it suddenly began raining hard, so I didn't want to drive a car hard whose driving characteristics I wasn't familiar with. Needless to say the A-Class offered pleasant and predicatable handling qualities. The steering feedback was a touch vaguer than in my BMW and the brake feedback was likewise a touch vaguer than what I am used to in my BMW. I'd even describe it as "slightly mushy", but just slightly. This didn't take away anything from the driving experience, however.

The suspension was both firm and comfortable and also very quiet overall. In my BMW I am used to the suspension being rather hard (and noisy when on rough surfaces).

Was the car fun to drive? Yes, the A200 was fun to drive - and I am saying this as someone who still drives a RWD BMW 1-Series. Obvioudly the A-Class does not come close to the handling and driving feel of my old BMW, but that's understandable given the different drivetrain layouts. Despite this "shortcoming" (as the RWD purists would call it), I found the A200 remarkably thrilling and enjoyable, even in corners. Understeer? I wasn't pushing it hard enough to feel any, and the W177 comes with a sophisticated limited slip differential for the front wheels - standard on the A250 as far as I know. I wanted to know from the Mercedes consultant sitting next to me if the A200 also had this feature, but they didn't know. I don't think it's a question most people ask!

Overall, the W177 drives very pleasantly, predictably and is fun in its own way. For those who want the rear wheels to be involved in their driving, AWD is available on the A200 and A250. But it is a FWD-based car and therefore will never be as dynamically challenging as a RWD car. Accept that fact and move on!


TRANSMISSION

For purists a 6-speed manual transmission is available on all A-Classes below the A250 model, but the take rate is probably very low. This A200 distributed its power to the front wheels via the excellent 7-speed double clutch transmission (7-DCT).

I had no issues with the transmission. It shifted quickly and smoothly and harmonized well with the 1.33-liter turbocharged motor up front. The Mercedes consultant next to me encouraged me to try the paddle shifts behind the steering wheel which allowed me to manually select gears. Again, impressively quick and smooth. Some reviewers have criticized this transmission for being jerky and rough; I didn't experience any of these issues. In my mind there was also no reason to manually select gears because the transmission did an excellent job in the first place.

Mercedes-Benz has always produced excellent automated transmissions, but the 7-DCT across the A-Class lineup is from the German supplier GETRAG.


THE INCREDIBLE TECHNOLOGY

The W177 A-Class stands out due to the incredible technology onboard. Because the cars are loaded with countless features, I will only focus on the most important ones.

Gamers rejoice! The Mercedes consultant next to me told me the ultra HD graphics card of the system is provided by NVIDIA!


*MBUX

MBUX is standard across the range, and not much needs to be said here except that it's awesome. Think of it as a more capable SIRI or ALEXA. You will not be disappointed when you interact with MBUX.



*PROFILES

The A-Class allows different users of a single car to setup a profile which saves their driving and MBUX preferences. Person A wants green interior lighting but Person B wants pink interior lighting? No problem, just create your own profile with your personalized settings. These settings and preferences range include EVERYTHING you can possibly think off; seating position, A/C preferences, favorite radio station etc. etc. etc. I predict this setup will prevent domestic arguments and divorces! 



*THEMES

MBUX offers a bunch of themes which allow you to personalize your digital screen including the information on it. Some of the themes are EXPERIENCE (sporty), ECONOMY (fuel economy) and LOUNGE (classic and comfortable). There are more, but I forgot their names! As I understood it, selecting a specific theme also changes the suspension settings (if you checked the option Adaptive Suspension). A sporty or comfort-oriented theme will change the suspension and interior mood settings accordingly.
I am still young and have a thirst for speed, so I naturally selected EXPERIENCE (sport). Immediately, the speedometer changed from the classic dark blue with white lettering to a dark green with yellow lettering. There was also a short buzz kind of noise indicating that the suspension just stiffened up to provide you with a sportier driving experience.

What comes next has been seen on other cars before (Nissan GT-R comes to mind); when you select EXPERIENCE the navigation display will show you interesting engine data, such as how much horsepower and torque the engine is currently making, the boost pressure of the turbocharger, battery voltage and a bunch of other information I've never heard of before!













*DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER SCREEN

Do you want to have the speedometer and RPM meter visible in a classic tachometer style or do you prefer it digitally? Maybe you want to have the navigation screen in its place instead? Or maybe you want tips on how to drive economically? Whatever you desire, the speedometer screen in front of you can be configured to your preferences at the flick of a mouse pad on the left side of the steering wheel.





There was so much more, but you need to experience this for yourself. I can talk for hours about this but I only wanted to focus on the important stuff. The futuristic and above all useful technology onboard the new A-Class just makes you want to drive the car. I joked with the Mercedes man next to me that Mercedes' should change their slogan into "Freude am Fahren" ("Pleasure while driving" - a claim used by BMW!)









FINAL THOUGHTS & VERDICT

This is an incredibly impressive and amazing car. Call me biased, call me crazy, but after you drive the A-Class and experience the technology on-board you cannot help but come away impressed - and wanting one. This is hands down the new class-leader in the premium compact segment. It might not drive as good as the BMW 1-Series or Audi A3, but Mercedes went above and beyond where it counts to really make the new A-Class stand out both in terms of technology and luxury. The counter-attack from Audi and BMW will be interesting to observe.

Compared to my current 2007 BMW 118i the A-Class is dynamically inferior (as expected), but at the same time it's not dull to drive at all. It handles great and provides good steering feedback, the suspension is firm and capable (especially with the Adaptive Suspension, which I ordered for my A250) and the 163-horsepower A200 is surprisingly agile, refined and fun. I'm almost wondering if I made a mistake ordering an A250 since the A200 - if we're honest - fulfills 99.9% of my daily driving needs. But hey, you only live once!

For now, Mercedes' has set a standard in the compact premium class, and Audi and BMW have to play catch-up.

Well done, Mercedes-Benz. Well done! And well done to Nissan-Renault, that 1.33-l engine impressed me. 

I can't wait for my A250 AMG Line to arrive!!! 

[Laconian]

Uh oh. I'm picking up some Model 3 or even Mazda vibes with that "tablet prosthetic" look. For shame, M-B!

Why did they use Renault engine? How does the start-stop compare to in-house developed engines?

[cawimmer430]

Why did they use Renault engine? How does the start-stop compare to in-house developed engines?

There's currently an alliance with Renault-Nissan (Infiniti), so they developed the engine to share and minimize costs. I believe the diesel engines for the last generation A-Class (and current model) were also developed by Renault.

I can't comment much on Start-Stop because I've only experienced it on some BMWs and Mercedes'; a GLE350d and a B-Class Taxi. On both occasions the Start-Stop function felt smooth, especially in the GLE350d. In the A200 I drove today it felt a little twitchy and nervous, not smooth. I don't care, though, because Start-Stop will be permanently deactivated on my car; I'll always turn it off in the interests of engine durability and reliability.

[Xer0]

The start-stop in the last generation C-class was hot garbage.  I feel like these systems suck, barely save any MPG in the real world, and always default to on at start up.  So annoying.  I know everyone writes about how "unobtrusive" the next generation are, but that's at best hyperbole and at worst lying to themselves.  Have yet to be in one that wasn't painfully obvious, and combined with lazy throttle in eco mode, made the car a limp turd for 3 seconds.

[MexicoCityM3]

That dash/huge ass screen is impressive on that level of car. Glad you liked it, but you have a built in Mercedes Benz bias. Which is fine.

[cawimmer430]

The start-stop in the last generation C-class was hot garbage.  I feel like these systems suck, barely save any MPG in the real world, and always default to on at start up.  So annoying.  I know everyone writes about how "unobtrusive" the next generation are, but that's at best hyperbole and at worst lying to themselves.  Have yet to be in one that wasn't painfully obvious, and combined with lazy throttle in eco mode, made the car a limp turd for 3 seconds.

Supposedly Start-Stop systems only exist to help manufacturers (on paper) reduce their CO2 emissions, but don't quote me on that.

I view them as annoying and just extra wear and tear on engine components. These systems are supposed to be good for 500,000 cycles - I plan on driving my new car for 10+ years so in the interests of reliability I will not use this system (unless I am somewhere and really low on fuel!!!).

[cawimmer430]

That dash/huge ass screen is impressive on that level of car. Glad you liked it, but you have a built in Mercedes Benz bias. Which is fine.

I think my review was pretty objective.

Right now the A-Class really is the class leader. It's no match for the [old] and current BMW 1-Series dynamically (as expected), and probably is less sporty than the Audi A3, but where it counts for most consumers - luxury, features and interior space, the A-Class gets the job done. That's what I was saying.

Once my A250 arrives I can give more comprehensive feedback on driving dynamics. The A250 is in a different league than the A200, has bigger brakes, different suspension tuning etc.

[CALL_911]

The interior is nice and all but I do not dig that huge screen. No thx

[giant_mtb]

The interior is nice and all but I do not dig that huge screen. No thx

Same. I'm not a big fan of digital speedo/rpm gauges at all.

[cawimmer430]

The interior is nice and all but I do not dig that huge screen. No thx

You'll get used it.

[cawimmer430]

Same. I'm not a big fan of digital speedo/rpm gauges at all.

I wasn't either - until I tried it and experienced it.

A few months ago I would have scoffed at such a car and the technology - WHO NEEDS IT? Now I realize, after getting a new and more powerful computer, a better smartphone and a new car that's on the newest level of current technology - that this stuff does have its place in this world.

The really nice thing about MBUX - for a guy like me who travels a lot by car - is that I can engage with it and organize my meetings etc. via voice control. That's just one of the many features which I find very useful.

[Laconian]

You can do that with Siri/Google Assistant?

[cawimmer430]

You can do that with Siri/Google Assistant?

Sure, but MBUX offers some more interesting and useful features. Once my car arrives and I get to use MBUX in-depth I can report back on what's good and what's not. For now I view this feature as very innovative and useful, especially since I do not use the assistant and Calender features of my Samsung Galaxy S8. My iPad is limited to the WLAN around my apartment.


Here's the 9-Minute version of a 30+ minute MBUX presentation.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=urFF-fQXzu8

[CALL_911]

Man OEM infotainment systems are total trash. Thank God carplay and Android auto exist. Will def play a factor in my next purchase

[giant_mtb]

I wasn't either - until I tried it and experienced it.

A few months ago I would have scoffed at such a car and the technology - WHO NEEDS IT? Now I realize, after getting a new and more powerful computer, a better smartphone and a new car that's on the newest level of current technology - that this stuff does have its place in this world.

The really nice thing about MBUX - for a guy like me who travels a lot by car - is that I can engage with it and organize my meetings etc. via voice control. That's just one of the many features which I find very useful.

My biggest/only gripe with such things is that the screens, IME, just don't have the response time that an analog gauge does.

[cawimmer430]

My biggest/only gripe with such things is that the screens, IME, just don't have the response time that an analog gauge does.

The digital tachometer?

Doesn't the Lexus LF-A have a digital tachometer because the engine rev's so fast that an analog speedometer "can't keep up?" It would make sense that digital tachometers are much quicker to respond than analog.

The A200 digital readout seemed very responsive to me. Looking at the screen does take some getting used to because like most drivers I am used to analog speedometers.

[Laconian]

Also aren't most modern tachometers just running off CAN bus data? Or is there a separate side channel for engine speed?

[cawimmer430]

Also aren't most modern tachometers just running off CAN bus data? Or is there a separate side channel for engine speed?

I have no idea. Gotta ask the Engineering Explained guy!