Mercedes A-Class Saloon Review 2023

If you’re reading this then there’s a possibility it is. It’s basically identical to the Mercedes A-Class hatchback so you get smart looks, a beautiful interior, excellent infotainment and a car that is comfortable to drive with a great range of engines. The A35 model is even genuinely fun to drive.

Going for the saloon model, meanwhile, means you get a car that looks like one of the larger saloons Mercedes is famous for, albeit one that has shrunk ever so slightly in the wash. Can a small saloon car be cool? We think so, particularly when it’s as good looking as the A-Class.

Tempting as it is to go for the A250e plug-in hybrid version of the A-Class Saloon, the cheaper models will prove economical enough for most people. 

The A200d and A220d diesels both pass the RDE2 (Real Driving Emissions step 2) standards which means you don’t have to pay the diesel surcharge on first year VED and also the increased BIK (Benefit in Kind) company car tax for them, too. It’s down to choosing between 150PS or 190PS, then, the 150PS feeling brisk enough for the majority of drivers.  Granted, though, diesels are reducing in popularity, so it'll be the 200 petrol model that sells in most numbers. 

And trim? The Executive models of either the Sport or AMG Line come with the A-Class’s most advanced interior/infotainment options, including the largest of the two screens that make up the instruments and central touchscreen, they add wireless charging for your smartphone and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay onto the standard kit list.

Audi will happily push you in the direction of an Audi A3 Saloon, while BMW does a 2 Series Gran Coupe which is a four-door coupe (basically a saloon) as part of the BMW 2 Series range. Both are comparable to the Mercedes in terms of size and price. 

There is of course the Mercedes CLA, which is slightly less practical but more stylish, and if you want a small saloon, you could also consider the Honda Civic Saloon or the Hyundai i30 Fastback, the latter available as a high performance N model to rival the AMG A35.

Other than that it’s quite possible you’ll be downsizing from something like a Mercedes-Benz C-Class, or indeed either of its Audi or BMW rivals, the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series, respectively.  

The look inside the A-Class isn’t just cool and sophisticated, but so too is the quality.  With its new tech Mercedes-Benz clearly went on a spending spree on interior materials, with things like the air vents – both in their turbine-style look and slick operation – looking like they belong in a much more expensive car. 

You do pay for that in some other areas, go searching around the interior and you’ll find the odd low-rent material – the plastic that separates the cup holders for example – but you do have to look pretty hard and they’re an aside to what’s otherwise a very nicely finished, and constructed interior. Bear in mind this is the cheapest Mercedes model, and it's mostly very impressive.

Indeed, the A-Class is one of the few cars where it can claim to have an interior that’s at least a match for, if not better than, the one you’ll find in the Audi A3 Saloon.

All A-Class Saloons come with two screens, one for the instruments – replacing the conventional analogue binnacle –  and one for the infotainment. But what size they are depends on your trim choice, with SE, Sport, Sport Executive, AMG Line Executive getting a rather modest-looking 7-inch instrument display. 

AMG Line Premium and Premium Plus cars, meanwhile, get the larger 10.25-inch digital display with high definition graphics. The basic models also get a 7-inch central screen while Sport Executive, AMG Line Executive, AMG Line Premium and AMG Line Premium Plus have a 10.25-inch screen.  Really, you want the bigger screens in order for the cabin design to look its best. 

The larger screen isn’t just prettier to look at, it also includes augmented sat-nav directions that are transposed onto an image of the road ahead on the screen. It looks cooler than anything any other car offers but also makes following directions significantly easier. Thankfully, Mercedes latest MBUX operating system comes as standard. In all it powers a 100W stereo with DAB, with dual Bluetooth interface, hard drive navigation and live traffic info (free for three years) it also having Hey Mercedes voice activation. 

What’s a little bit disappointing is that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are only standard on trims containing Executive or Premium in their names. To get that in anything else, you’ll need to add the Executive Pack, which bundles CarPlay or Android Auto in with Parking Assist, wireless phone charging, electrically folding mirrors and that larger 10.25-inch central multimedia display. 

The AMG A35 4Matic comes with the larger central screen as standard, it also coming with an excellent 590W Burmester stereo if you opt for the A35 4Matic Premium Plus model.

There’s no difference in cabin space between the A-Class hatchback and saloon according to Mercedes-Benz’s numbers, but in practice headroom is slightly more limited in the rear of the saloon thanks to the more rakish slope of the rear window. 

Even if that’s not an issue, then the perception of space is a bit less back there, because of the proximity of the window in comparison to its hatchback relation. It is fine for kids but a squeeze for taller adults. 

The third middle seat’s a bit of an afterthought, like every car in this class size in truth. Two Isofix child seat mounts are fitted on the outer rear seats, which fold in a useful 40/20/40 split, to allow longer loads from the boot. 

The boot itself is a decent size, the saloon gaining volume over the hatchback, with 405 litres in the petrols, 410 litres in the diesels and 345 litres if you’ve opted for the plug-in hybrid. 

It might be around 40 litres bigger than the hatchback on paper, but losing the hatchback opening for the narrower saloon bootlid does make getting bulkier things in more tricky. You’ll not, for example, be able to pop the rear seats down and chuck an old fridge in the back to take to the tip, but then, that’s not something you’ll be doing every day. 

Oddment storage around the interior is good, with plenty of door bins, cubbies and cup holders for you to lose your car detritus. The A-Class Saloon is reasonably practical for a car this size, if not quite as accommodating for both luggage and passengers as its hatchback relation.

In terms of exterior dimensions, the Mercedes A-Class Saloon is 4,519mm long, 1,796mm wide and 1,446mm tall. That makes it 130mm longer than the A-Class hatchback, but 140mm shorter than the CLA.

There is plenty of engine choices with the Mercedes A-Class Saloon, encompassing everything from frugal diesels and a plug-in hybrid, to a 306PS range-topping AMG model. Saloon buyers are denied the A 45 model that’s offered as a hatchback and in the CLA, because even someone in the choice-obsessed Mercedes product planning department must have spotted that an A 45 saloon was just too close to the CLA 45 AMG to be justifiable. 

The base 116PS 1.5-litre turbodiesel is a fine engine, badged A180d, offering a mix of smooth, easy performance, despite its relatively modest output. Upping to the 2.0-litre turbodiesel gains more performance, with the A200d having 150PS and the A220d 190PS, both also benefiting from being RDE2 (Real Driving Emissions step 2) approved, so aren’t party to additional BIK and VED payments of non-RDE2 turbodiesels. 

They’re fitted exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission, while the A180d comes with either a 6-speed manual as standard, with a seven-speed automatic being offered optionally. 

The petrol engines follow those transmission choices, with the 1.3-litre turbo petrol with 136PS, badged A180 being a six-speed manual as standard, as is the A200, which manages 163PS from the same size engine. Both, again, are offered as seven-speed automatics optionally. 

The A250, a 2.0-litre with 224PS is offered from AMG Line upwards and comes with the seven-speed auto as standard. The autos all work well, with only the odd jolt if you’re hesitant with the accelerator, while the six-speed manual is light and easy enough, if a little bit imprecise across its gate.

The small petrols feel a little bit overwhelmed in comparison to the easy nature and flexibility of the turbodiesels, while the diesels return better economy, too. But with less people buying those nowadays, we reckon the A200 petrol offers a decent compromise between performance, economy and price. 

The plug-in, badged A250e mates a 160PS petrol 1.3-litre with a 102PS electric motor, it working very well together and offering good, useable, electric-only range. It’s only offered with the eight-speed automatic transmission. 

Topping the range is that AMG model, the A 35 4Matic, developing 306PS from its 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and driving all four wheels via an AMG version of the seven-speed automatic transmission. 

Refinement is good across the range, with the small diesels being surprisingly hushed, the hybrid offering near silent running in EV mode and the petrols hushed if you’re not pushing them too hard – as you sometimes need to. Wind noise is nicely suppressed, as is road noise, making the A-Class Saloon a quiet, comfortable place to cover big miles in. 

Mercedes-Benz has a long history of innovating with safety equipment and all its cars feature lots of standard kit to make them as safe as possible. 

The A-Class Saloon is no exception, all come with, (deep breath) an active bonnet, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Driver and Front Passenger Airbags, a Driver’s Knee Bag, Driver and Passenger Window bags, Attention Assist, ABS brakes with Brake Assist, Stability and Traction Control system, automatic headlights, Isofix rear-seat mounts, Speed Limit Assist and a tyre pressure monitoring system among their standard equipment.

Optionally there’s the potential to add a Driving Assistance Package which includes Distronic Active Distance Assist and a Pre-Safe system that primes all the safety systems prior to an accident. 

The saloon hasn’t been independently tested by Euro NCAP, but the hatchback has, it scoring a full five-star rating, The saloon should protect passengers just as well, if not slightly better thanks to its longer boot helping in a rear impact. 

The A250e can drive as far as 45 miles on electricity alone, at up to and beyond motorway speeds, making your commute potentially emissions free. In practice you might find that figure is slightly lower, but it's still healthy for a relatively compact plug-in hybrid. 

The A180 sits in groups 18-20, the A200 23-24 and the A250 29-31, the variance depending on the trim level.

 The plug-in hybrid is group 28-29, while the diesels start at group 17 for the A180d, rising to group 19, the A200d being group 23-24. The A220d sits in groups 26 and 27. That range-topping AMG model, meanwhile, attracts a rating of 35, which is hardly surprising given its performance.

Mercedes-Benz as a brand has a good reputation for reliability, coming in ninth out of 34 manufacturers in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, with a rating of 87.3%. BMW achieved the same rating, while Audi was a little lower at 87.1%. 

The A-Class saloon and its various related models are all relatively new cars, so it's difficult to paint an accurate picture of their longer-term reliability. We have heard some reports of the trick infotainment screens going black or glitching, however. 

The VED and BIK tax champion in the A-Class Saloon range is obviously the A250e plug-in hybrid, but its list list price means that you need to do plenty of miles to recoup the savings in tax and fuel.

The A200d with its RDE2 passing diesel engine is cheaper for its first year VED than the smaller A180d, while the A220d matches the A180d. Likewise, those bigger diesels actually benefit from lower BIK charges for company car drivers. 

The petrol choices start with emissions of 133g/km so will pay £215 for the first year, with the A250’s 154g/km meaning a first year payment of £540. The AMG is worse, with 184-193g/km meaning a first year VED payment of either £870-£1,305, with its £40,000+ price tag meaning it’ll attract the higher £475 payment for the following five years.

SE models come with 16-inch alloy wheels and a diamond pattern grille on the outside, while on the inside you get air conditioning, reversing camera, heated front seats, keyless go, seven-inch digital instruments, seven-inch multimedia touchscreen, Sat nav, DAB and man made leather trim. 

Sport models look, unsurprisingly, spotier thanks to their 17-inch alloy wheels, two-zone air conditioning and multifunction sports steering wheel. 

Sport Executive models keep the sporty looks but add more equipment.  They get the Parking Package, Mirror Package (automatically folding and dimming mirrors) 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen, Smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and Wireless Charging.

AMG Line models look even sportier thanks to their/ 18-inch AMG alloy wheels, AMG bodystyling, Sports Seats and contrasting red stitching interior.  

AMG Line Executive models, meanwhile, get these sportier looks but with the uprated equipment, including the Parking Package, Mirror Package, 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen, smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as wireless charging.

AMG Line Premium takes another equipment hike adding, keyless entry, 10.25-inch instrument display, 64-colour ambient lighting, Augmented reality sat nav, illuminated door sills, 225W advanced sound system and an armrest with two cup holders. 

AMG Line Premium Plus models, meanwhile, get all the kit, including Multibeam LED headlights, panoramic glass sunroof, electrically adjusted front seats with memory and traffic sign assist. 

The Mercedes-AMG A35 4Matic is available in three trims starting with the basic model. It looks very sporty on the outside thanks to 18-inch AMG alloy wheels, AMG bodystyling, active exhaust system and wider wheel arches. Inside, you get aparking camera, seven-inch digital instruments with AMG menu, 10.25-inch touchscreen media screen, sat nav, DAB, the Mirror Package, heated seats, dual-zone climate control, wireless charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and leather upholstery. 

AMG A35 4Matic Premium  models get more kit. They get 19-inch alloy wheels, the Night Package (with black highlights on the body kit), Keyless Entry, a larger 10.25-inch digital instrument screen and augmented reality sat nav. To that list you can add a 225W upgraded stereo, rear armrest with cupholders and ambient interior lighting with 64 colours. 

AMG A35 4Matic Premium Plus models sit right at the top of the range. To the standard kit list fitted to other A35 models, they add an Adaptive damping system, AMG aerodynamic package, Multibeam LED headlights, panoramic glass sunroof, traffic sign assist, electrically adjustable front seats with Memory Pack and a Burmeister surround-sound stereo.