Mercedes-Benz A-Class Hatchback boot space, practicality and safety
- Interior and boot space aren’t strong points
- Reasonable number of storage cubbies
- Five-door bodywork; no three-door this time
Buyers on the look-out for a premium hatchback were a picky bunch, and along with the cachet of the Mercedes badge, a comfortable ride, solid performance and fuel consumption they wanted a quality interior with bags of space.
The A-Class did offer a decent amount of space for the driver and front passenger but it didn’t have much legroom in the back and the boot is surprisingly small – practicality wasn’t a strong point of this Mercedes.
The luggage compartment is a bit short and not particularly deep although the bootlip is helpfully shallow. There’s some extra space available underneath the boot floor but the chunky rear lamp clusters eat into the width, restricting the size of the rear aperture.
With the rear seats in place there’s 341 litres of space, expanding to 1,157 litres with both sections of the standard 60:40 split bench folded over.
The awkwardly-shaped rear doors seem somewhat restrictive because of the sloping roof and the intrusive wheelarches. There’s storage space in the central tunnel behind the gearlever – automatic models have an extra space where the manual’s lever is located – a couple of cupholders in front and averagely-sized door cubbies as well as a glovebox that’s not exactly capacious, either.
Forward visibility is fine, but the small rear window and chunky pillars can cause a few problems when you are trying to reverse park.
Safety
- Score five stars in Euro NCAP crash tests
- One of the safest hatchbacks available
- Optional kit to bolster safety
There’s little argument that the Mercedes-Benz A-Class was one of the safest cars in this segment when new, as acknowledged by its five-star score by the crash-test experts at Euro NCAP back in 2013.
As standard it came with seven airbags, driving fatigue warning and radar-controlled collision prevention that brakes the car automatically if the system thinks a crash is imminent – no surprise given Mercedes’ decades-old commitment to improving standards and preserving life.
Euro NCAP rating
What is Euro NCAP? ⓘ | |
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Adult Occupant: | 93% |
Child Occupant: | 81% |
Vulnerable Road User: | 67% |
Safety Assist: | 86% |
Equipment and options
- 3x3 point rear seat belts
- ABS
- Alarm
- Body coloured bumpers
- CD
- Driver`s airbag
- Electric mirrors
- Heated mirrors
- Height adjustable drivers seat
- Isofix child seat anchor points
- PAS
- Passenger`s airbag
- Rear electric windows
- Remote locking
- Service indicator
- Side airbags
- Steering wheel rake adjustment
- Steering wheel reach adjustment
- Traction control
- Air conditioning
- Cloth seat trim
- Front electric windows
- Lumbar support
- Steel wheels
- Sat Nav
- Alloy wheels
- Audio remote
- Cruise control
- Front electric windows
- Heated seats
- Lumbar support
- Parking sensors
- Partial leather seat trim
- Sat Nav
- Electric driver`s seat
- Electric passenger`s seat
- Alloy wheels
- Audio remote
- Cruise control
- Front electric windows
- Heated seats
- Lumbar support
- Parking sensors
- Partial leather seat trim
- Sat Nav
- Electric driver`s seat
- Electric passenger`s seat
- Alloy wheels
- Audio remote
- Cruise control
- Front electric windows
- Lumbar support
- Partial leather seat trim
- Electric driver`s seat
- Electric passenger`s seat
- Heated seats
- Parking sensors
- Sat Nav
- Air conditioning
- Alloy wheels
- Audio remote
- Cruise control
- Front electric windows
- Headlight washers
- Partial leather seat trim
- Sat Nav
- Lumbar support
- Air conditioning
- Alloy wheels
- Audio remote
- Cruise control
- Front electric windows
- Partial leather seat trim
- Lumbar support
- Sat Nav
- Alloy wheels
- Audio remote
- Cruise control
- Electric driver`s seat
- Electric passenger`s seat
- Front electric windows
- Heated seats
- Lumbar support
- Metallic Paint
- Parking sensors
- Partial leather seat trim
- Sat Nav
- Climate control
- Headlight washers
- Air conditioning
- Alloy wheels
- Audio remote
- Cruise control
- Front electric windows
- Partial leather seat trim
- Headlight washers
- Lumbar support
- Sat Nav
- Alloy wheels
- Audio remote
- Cruise control
- Front electric windows
- Heated seats
- Lumbar support
- Parking sensors
- Partial leather seat trim
- Sat Nav
- Electric driver`s seat
- Electric passenger`s seat
- Air conditioning
- Alloy wheels
- Audio remote
- Cruise control
- Front electric windows
- Heated seats
- Lumbar support
- Parking sensors
- Partial leather seat trim
- Sat Nav
- Alloy wheels
- Audio remote
- Cruise control
- Front electric windows
- Air conditioning
- Electric driver`s seat
- Electric passenger`s seat
- Heated seats
- Lumbar support
- Parking sensors
- Partial leather seat trim
- Sat Nav
- Alloy wheels
- Audio remote
- Cruise control
- Front electric windows
- Sat Nav
- Air conditioning
- Electric driver`s seat
- Electric passenger`s seat
- Heated seats
- Lumbar support
- Parking sensors
- Partial leather seat trim
- Alloy wheels
- Audio remote
- Cruise control
- Front electric windows
- Heated seats
- Lumbar support
- Parking sensors
- Partial leather seat trim
- Sat Nav
- Electric driver`s seat
- Electric passenger`s seat
Dimensions
Length | 4292mm - 4367mm |
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Width | 2022mm |
Height | 1417mm - 1438mm |