Mercedes Benz A Class A160 CDI Review

Good Points
The car feels very solid in every regard. Handles corners very well, maintaining a feeling of flat cornering with little roll and a low center of gravity. Feels well-balanced front and rear. Acceleration is smooth and responsive. This 2.0 litre engine gets great mileage! At 1600 miles, I'm still breaking in the motor, but my mileage varies from 40-67mpg. I get 40mpg in the city with the A/C on, in city traffic, with a heavy foot. I got 67mpg while driving at 100 km/h, and averaged 50mpg on a two hour road trip with five adults with some city driving and highway speeds of 140-180 km/h. The controls are very sensible and the HVAC system is superb! Despite the fact that this is a practical family car well-suited for a busy city due it's logical size, I thoroughly enjoy driving it with enthusiasm on the curves of the Amalfi Coast. It represents the name plate well, despite being a "poor man's Mercedes" with high quality materials, fit, finish and performance.

Bad Points
I bought the smallest turbo diesel because of the cost savings, but I wish I had opted for the much more powerful 180 or 200 CDI, with 109 hp and 140 hp respectively. My 160 only has 82 hp and although its legs are long enough to run all day long at 160-180 mph, I would like to have the passing power the other two variants provide. I've spoken with four independent sources, both Mercedes mechanics and non-MB mechanics, and all have assured me that the engine and components of all three CDI variants (160/180/200) are identical. For a few hundred dollars, I can get a mechanic with an original MB computer to re-flash the software in my car's onboard computer to think it's an A 200 CDI. I'm going to do this to nearly double my horsepower and nearly maintain the same fuel economy. In fact, the 160 and 180 get the same mileage without modification. I will risk my two year warranty to have this horsepower increase, but I do not expect mechanical problems in this first couple of years anyway.

General Comments
Outstanding value for the right to be a Mercedes owner and enjoy the style, great economy, smooth ride and performance of this A Class A 160 CDI. It is just the right size for a small family commuting in a city, as well as making extended road trips. Other 2006 diesel 5-door models I considered prior to purchasing the A160 CDI were: Toyota Yaris, VW Polo, Renault Clio, Citroen C3, Honda Civic and RAV4. The Civic and RAV4 were too expensive, though, like the Mercedes, were much more car than the Yaris, Polo, Clio and C3. For "only" $5-10K more, I was able to step up from the basic, but reliable economy cars to the Mercedes which feels five times more solid and is a hundred times nicer throughout. The only thing I'd change if I were to buy the car all over again is that I'd buy the A180 CDI which has much more power and a six-speed transmission vice the five-speed which comes with the A160 CDI.