This is a family-sized hatchback/wagon that has been offered in Canada since the fall of 2005. It had originally been intended for the US market as well, but Paul Halata, head of MBUSA, didn't want to depreciate the brand image!
His loss, our gain: it is a 4.27 metre (168 inch) long car on a double floor sandwich concept, with a transverse front engine. It has ample room for four large adults, and will fit five adults adequately. Rear head and legroom is particularly generous. The trunk is massive at about 20 cubic feet, loaded only to the level of the luggage cover.
This car is based on the A-Class, the Mercedes that was re-engineered back in 1997 after it failed the "Moose Test". Since that time, all Mercedes cars have come with Bosch's excellent ESP stability control system, which takes the rough edge off the handling of taller vehicles. Unlike other conventional Mercedes cars, there is no "ESP Off" button on the dash, so they're taking no chances.
The ones sold in Canada only come with a two litre gasoline engine in two states of tune: 134 HP naturally aspirated and 190 HP turbocharged. The lower-powered one will run from 0-60 MPH in a little under 10 seconds, and the Turbo is under 8. Top end for the 134 HP car is about 122 MPH and the Turbo is limited to 130 MPH (the Turbo is not limited in Europe, and will do 140 MPH). A 5 speed manual is available, or a CVT automatic. Fuel economy for the manual 134 HP car is 25 MPG US in urban driving and a little over 35 MPG US on the highway.
EuroNCAP has rated the car at five stars in crash testing.
A really large sunroof is available (see photos), which lightens up the interior quite a bit.
The front suspension is by the ubiquitous McPherson strut; at the rear, instead of a torsion beam axle it has a so-called Omega axle, which is a variation on the good old De Dion suspesnion. It offers the benefits of independent suspension (ride comfort) and a solid axle (perfect camber and toe control).
Equipment levels are high, compared to Europe, where much of the standard equipment in Canada is an extra-cost option. Prices are substantially lower in Canada than in the car's home country, after factoring this in and deducting EU sales taxes. The base price here is $29,900 CAD.
Examples of base equipment:
- 6 airbags, including windowbags
- multicontoured front seats (10 manual adjustments)
- ESP, ABS, Brake Assist, Steer Control
- three 12 V outlets, extra interior lights, including 4 reading lamps and footwell lighting
- cruise control
- front and rear fog lights
- automatic air conditioning
- 4 power windows
- Radio/CD with ipod attachment
On the road, the electrically assisted steering weights up a bit, compared to at parking lot speeds, when it is very light. I tried a swerving lane change at 62 MPH with five aboard and it was done with aplomb - the ESP did not intervene or flash at me! The roadholding is good, but the base suspension is clearly tuned for comfort. The 109.5 inch wheelbase helps with ride comfort also. Ambient noise levels are very low, in fact remarkably so.
Acceleration with the base engine is subjectively brisk and more than adequate for any driving conditions I can think of. During a 30 minute urban/suburban test drive around Victoria BC, the average fuel consumption - according to the onboard computer - was under 8 L/100 km (30 US MPG), and this was in a car with the CVT automatic, which is a little less efficient than the 5 speed.
The interior has a high quality feel to it, and it does not betray any obvious evidence of cost-cutting.......fit and finish is excellent.
So having test driven this car, we decided to order one on August 18th. It should be here in about 2.5 months.....ours will be the same colours (interior and exterior) as the one below:
Linear Mode
