Mercedes-Benz A-Class Saloon practicality & boot space

• Decent legroom, front and rear
  
• Rather tight on headroom in the back
  
• Large boot is easy to access
  

If you go into the A-Class Saloon expecting it to be a cramped compact executive saloon, you're in for a pleasant surprise. In terms of overall space inside, it's very similar to the  A-Class Hatchback it's based on, which means lots of legroom front and rear, and masses of rearward travel for the front seats. It's bright and airy inside, especially if you spec it with a panoramic roof.

In the rear, things aren't quite as rosy. Yes, it has decent leg and kneeroom in the rear, unless you have the fronts pushed right back. Headroom, though, is tight, which is a trait that's not shared with the Hatchback. You'd be hard pushed to consider this car a five seater, though - it's a comfortable four seater, and should be judged as such.

Boot space is adequate, with a luggage capacity of 405 litres with the rear seats in place. This drops to 315 litres for the A 250 e plug-in hybrid, because the battery pack is under the boot floor. The opening is wide and low, with a flat floor and nicely concealed boot hinges. The rears fold down with 40/20/40 split for additional flexibility.

Will it fit in my garage?

It's a sign of how cars are growing in general that the A-Class is larger than the C-Class from two generations is. But no matter, with a length of 4,549mm and a width of 1,992mm (including door mirrors) it's well sized for the average UK garage and parking space, although rear visibility leaves a little to be desired – especially so if you've not optioned parking sensors or a rear-view camera.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP rating for hatchback sister car
  
• Lots of standard safety equipment
  
• Options include brilliant Distronic adaptive cruise control
  

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class Hatchback has received a full five-star Euro NCAP rating, which is as you'd expect from Mercedes-Benz – as the Saloon has not been individually tested yet, and is very closely based on that car, this is a great indicator of overall safety levels.

Standard-fit LED headlights, Active Brake Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist and a speed limit recognition system are all highly effective in helping the A-Class Saloon avoid incident and accident in the first place.

Optional safety equipment

In addition, a £1,495 Driving Assist package adds the following features:

• Active Blind Spot Assist
• Active Braking Assist with cross-traffic function
• Active Distance Assist Distronic (adaptive cruise control)
• Active Emergency Stop Assist
• Active Lane Changing Assist
• Active Speed Limit Assist
• Active Steering Assist
• Evasive Steering Assist
• Pre-safe plus (when a rear-end collision is imminent, this system will warn following traffic and locking the brakes on standstill

Most of this tech is taken from grander models in the Mercedes-Benz range, and effectively will drive semi-autonomously on the motorway. As a safety system, this is brilliant, as it introduces much-needed sneeze factor.

Watch: Mercedes-Benz A-Class Euro NCAP crash test video