OUR CARS
hile it may look
suspiciously like I
booked a French and
Belgian road trip in
the originally scheduled week
of Br e x it t o t a k e a d v a nt a ge of
Calais’ reasonably priced liquid
refreshment establishments just
i n c a s e s uc h a n opp or t u n it y shou ld
not be a thing in the future, believe
me when I say it was a coincidence.
Well, not entirely coincidental, but
when in Rome and all that...
Maybe Theresa May should visit
Calais to get what everyone must
a g r e e i s a go o d de a l on at le a s t
something – and I can recommend
to her the surprisingly Tardis-like
Mercedes A-Class to transport the
l iqu id s p oi l s ba c k t o Bl i g ht y.
The trip properly tested the load-
carrying ability of the A-Class for the
first time. The parcel shelf is a doddle
to remove and slide in behind the
front seats, and the rear bench splits
60/40 with a single button-push to
release both sides. It folds pretty f lat,
too – f lat enough to create a large
usable space – and the seatbacks are
g r ipp y e nou g h t o s t op y ou r c a r go
sliding around. With the seats up, the
W
Desperate cross-channel booze run reveals hidden talents
MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS
boot is 370 litres, and with it down,
it’s 1210 litres, which is among the
best on offer in the class.
There’s a lip to navigate, but
otherwise there’s plenty of room back
there – enough for the 10 boxes of
wine I bought for a friend’s wedding
this summer, about the same again
for friends and family (okay, and our
household...), plus our luggage for a
two-night stay and some shopping
from a nearby supermarket, and it all
f it t e d i n ju s t a si n g le l ay e r a c r o s s t he
w hole f lo or w it h no i mpa c t at a l l on
rear visibility. The wine alone filled
two and a half shopping trolleys, but
there would have been room in the
Merc for the same again.
That extra weight did have some
impact on the A-Class’s dynamics,
as you’d expect. Curiously, it curedin part some of the low-speed jitters
we’ve experience on all three variants
sampled across this long-term test.
T he c a r fe lt mor e s t a ble at mot or w ay
speeds, although some agility was
sacrificed. Yet it remained the sort
of car you could enjoy driving, and
cumbersome it was not.
While initial step-off was blunted a
touch, economy was hardly damaged,
the final 150 miles of the trip barely
less economical than the 350 miles
before it. We averaged 41.4mpg over
the weekend – an impressive result
given the increased motorway
speeds in France and Belgium
over those in the UK, and
that extra weight for a hefty
chunk of it.
The trip threw up some other
new discoveries about the
A- C l a s s. Fi r s t , it ’s r e a l l y not a
fan of crosswinds. The wind was
howling across the wide open
motorways of northern Belgium,
and continual adjustments to the
w he e l w e r e ne c e s s a r y t o k e e p t he
car in a straight line. Perhaps Ishould have added some extra weight
on the way out.
Second, in heavy stop-start
traffic with the radio off, the engine
makes quite a din at idle. That was
discovered after turning the rather
abrupt stop-start system off, so
there’s some coarseness whether you
w a nt t o k e e p t he s y s t e m a c t i v e or not.
Third, and making any other gripe
pa le i n c ompa r i s on , w a s ju s t how
d a r n r e l a x i n g it w a s t o c ov e r s uc h
large distances at such speeds. The
A-Class does its best impression of
its bigger Mercedes brothers, not
only with the execution of its cabin
but also with its high-speed, long-
distance comfort and refinement.
The hallmark of quality in a car on
such journeys is whether you could
si mpl y t u r n a r ou nd a nd do it a l l
again at the end of it. This A-Class is
one such car.
MARK TISSHAWMG ZS
MILEAGE 4529 LAST SEEN 10.4.19
The more time I spend in our MG, the
more jealous I am of everyone I’m
carrying – my parents were recently
full of praise for the comfort and
space in the back seats. I’m also still
reeling from how much boot space
it has (more than the Ford Focus
I ran for a while). It’s just a shame
the driver’s seat is short on lumbar
support and there’s no telescopic
steering adjustment. OK
Dacia Duster
MILEAGE 4072 LAST SEEN 10.4.19
A modern family’s motoring
needs extend not only to short-
limbed toddlers but also an ageing
population of grandparents. Having
safely and simply stowed both
octogenarian and nonagenarian in
our Duster’s front seat at various
times, I see the appeal of wide-
opening doors, high seats and good
seat adjustability. MM
Ford Focus ST-Line
MILEAGE 2413 LAST SEEN 17.4.19
Our Focus has been earning praise
from colleagues – although several
have reported an odd rattle when
opening or closing the doors. We
tracked it down to the pop-out door
edge protectors, part of the £550
Convenience Pack. A shame that
a (very useful) feature designed to
keep your doors’ premium sheen
sounds a little, well, cheap. JA
A-Class is adept at long journeys
KEYLESS GO
Car failed to recognise the key
after a fuel stop. Took five minutes
of getting in and out to sort it.
INTERIOR LIGHTING
Normally, coloured mood lighting
feels a bit gimmicky; in the A-Class,
it creates a cool ambience at night.
LOATHE IT
LOVE IT
MILEAGE 3652
WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT
To see if Merc’s Golf rival has come of
age – and to try to pick the ‘perfect’ spec
OWN ONE? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE
MERCEDES-BENZ
A250 AMG LINE
Price £30,465 Price as tested £35,170
Faults None Expenses None
Economy 39.2mpg Last seen 27.3.19
TEST DATA
OOUURR C CAARRSS
24 APRIL 2 019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 69