We took the Mercedes-Benz A250 4MATIC out for one last hurrah – there won’t be another Benz like this very soon.
Over the weekend, I had the chance to get behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz A250 4MATIC Sedan. Sure, it’s not anyone’s idea of a dream Mercedes, but personally, I love driving something with historical significance. The A-Class will still be around a few more years but Mercedes-Benz has no replacement planned.
It feels like just yesterday that Mercedes-Benz found its footing with younger premium car buyers. The company’s Modular Front-Drive Architecture (MFA) broke new ground for the century-old carmaker, enabling the creation of numerous models in different body styles.
A little over a decade ago, Mercedes-Benz’s compact car lineup consisted of two Euro-centric models – the A-Class and the B-Class. I call them Euro-centric because these were body styles that worked best in Europe: a 5-door hatchback and a compact MPV. Here in Malaysia, they sold in small numbers, being fully imported and poor value next to the locally-assembled, fully-loaded C-Class variants. Plus, the A-Class and B-Class were never given the same prestige as the C-Class – they were marketed as practical, economical premium compacts.
That all changed with the debut of the first-ever Mercedes-Benz CLA. This wasn’t the first car built with the MFA underpinnings but it was the first of a new generation of Mercedes-Benz compact cars that took style and presentation to a new level thanks to a coupé inspired shape. The CLA defined the styling of an entire generation of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The A-Class on the MFA platform also followed this new philosophy of design over practicality. Soon, the MFA spanwed a crossover ‘GLA’ model as well as a shooting brake version of the CLA.
Not only were the next Mercedes-Benz compact cars more stylish, they were also more sporty too. By this time, the AMG division had been properly integrated as a business unit of Mercedes-Benz and the compact cars got special performance ‘AMG 45’ variants powered by the most powerful production 4-cylinder engine under the hood with all-wheel drive. By the end of the 2010s, the impact of the new compact Benz class cars was undeniable. A generation of young rich car buyers had switched away from Audi and BMW to get the “Best or Nothing” in the small premium class.
As impactful as they were, this wave of compact premium Benz vehicles had their downsides. For one, some models were less appealing than others. The B-Class, for instance, remained the unsexy sibling without a performance version from AMG. The GLA featured some really strange styling and found itself unable to draw traditional SUV buyers with its hatchback-like design. More than anything, the MFA platform was holding all the cars back with its harsh ride, less-than-stellar handling and its cramped, impractical interiors. Locally, the cars were still held back in popularity by the lack of local-assembly and the large price gap between the standard and AMG 45 models.
Of course, the first MFA platform had drawbacks: harsh ride quality, cramped interiors, and average handling. Some models, like the B-Class, lacked appeal, while the GLA’s design polarised buyers.
That all changed with the follow-up generation. The MFA2 platform brought a new CLA and CLA Shooting Brake but more importantly it brought a more SUV-like GLA, a boxy GLB as a ‘rugged and practical’ alternative to the B-Class, and an A-Class in both 5-door hatchback and 4-door sedan body styles. On top of that, the new MFA2 platform resolved most of the complaints relating to the ride and handling. It now wasn’t back-breaking and it was an absolute joy to drive hard and fast. Plus, the cabin ergonomics were also improved while designers also paid special attention to set each cabin and exterior apart to keep the identities of each model distinct. We also got AMG 35 models too, and these gave customers a chance to own serious performance without overspending or committing to a car that was built for a racetrack. The AMG 45 models were somehow enhanced too – though the shock factor of such insane performance had since faded from the memory of most enthusiasts and customers.
More importantly for Malaysians was that local-assembly was introduced on key models such as the A-Class Sedan and the GLA. This gave customers access to a huge range of compact premium Benz variants at all price points. In fact we just wrote about this last week. Read that article here.
So that leads us to our test drive with the A250 4MATIC Sedan – the first of its kind and the last of its kind, really. In the history of the Malaysian automotive industry, I don’t think any other vehicle has combined performance and brand value quite like this car at this price. You get all-wheel drive and over 220 horsepower, for under RM250,000. You get a handsome sedan silhouette, compact and nimble performance, exceptional driving character with the three-pointed badge on the hood. It’s a pretty great package.
However, it’s not long for this world. There is no A-Class successor, which means that once the NEW CLA arrives in Malaysia we’ll slowly start to see this model phased out. Whether that’s in a matter of months or in a year, the clock is ticking. Should you go out there and buy an A250 4MATIC right now before you miss out? Maybe not. There are other options. Volkswagen has a Golf GTI for less money, but that’s strictly front-wheel drive, a 5-door hatchback and doesn’t have a premium badge on the hood. And we don’t mean that for the sake of brand snobbery – Mercedes-Benz still has the interiors with the most atas aura even amongst its premium peers.
It’s also worth nothing that there are plenty of more affordable, LARGER, more comfortable options out there for this price. And plenty of electric options too. So maybe don’t rush out to buy an A250. However if you’re a fan of pocket rockets I think you need to go to your nearest Benz dealership and ask to test drive one of these. It’s just plain fun and a testament to just how much can be perfected in a single generation. And if you’re still someone who thinks that Mercedes-Benz doesn’t know how to make a ‘drivers’ car’, you might just have your mind changed.
Mercedes-Benz A250 4MATIC AMG Line
Engine: 2L Turbo In-Line 4 With 48v Mild-Hybrid
Displacement: 1991cc
Transmission: 8-speed Dual Clutch Automatic
Max power: 221 hp +14 hp (electric)
Max torque: 350Nm + 150Nm (electric)
Top Speed: 250km/h
0-100km/h: 6.4secs
Price: RM263,888
