Mercedes-Benz A Class

‘A’ for attraction

With its killer looks and three different modes on offer — economy, sports and manual, the Mercedes A Class is a good but expensive buy  

Be its striking good looks or its superior performance, the Mercedes A Class sets the tone for premium hatchbacks in the country. It is the first of its kind, but given the Indian consumer’s mindset, whether it will make an impression on them or not is something that we are just about to find out.At first glance, its intriguing front end has one asking for more, especially the prominent grille with diamond shaped chrome inserts and elongated LED headlamps. Its coupe like profile further accentuates the design along with flared wheel arches, elegant looking alloys and side view mirrors with indicator inserts. As for the rear of the car, it is proportionate to the overall design, bringing forward LED tail lamp clusters.

With the exterior design being spot on, one would expect the cabin to offer something special. Unfortunately, typical of all Mercedes Benz cars, there are a hoard for buttons to play around with, keeping the central console in mind. However, the air conditioning vents look dynamic, giving the interiors a bit more of substance. Comfortable and sporty leather seats further enhance the in-house experience, though the lack of leg space at the back does play spoilsport.

Since this was a sports variant, it featured a 1.6 litre petrol engine under the skin that produces a maximum power output of 122 bhp with 200 Nm of torque. Besides the petrol version, Mercedes is also offering a 2 litre diesel engine on the A Class for customers who are more economy conscious. With a seven speed automatic transmission on board, the gear shift are more or less decent. However, with three different modes on offer —economy, sports and manual, the user does get to experience different characteristics of this machine depending upon the requirement. But, extensive noise vibrations from the engine, as well lack of insulation for the horn, does pose discomfort to the occupants.

Verdict

The attempt by Mercedes to offer the latest generation A Class does put into context the German manufacturer’s need to capture a new segment. But its hefty price tag and a repetitive cabin might sour the customers’ mindset, which however can be resolved by its exemplary exterior design.

Ford Eco Sport

Get ready for a ‘muscular’ ride

With its bold and stylish looks, as well as its superior performance,

the Ford Eco Sport is quite a trendy option for the urbane user

Ford Eco Sport has been one of the most awaited sub-4 metre compact SUVs for quite some time. The car is an attempt to provide urban customers with an SUV that has bold looks, an aggressive stance, comfort, and, on and off road capability.

It is after a very long time that a SUV like this has come in the market. Eco Sport has a dynamic appearance due to its front end, which provides a sculpted bonnet, slim headlamp clusters and chrome surrounded fog lamps. Its muscular profile stretches all the way from the front to the rear, with the sides offering flared wheels arches, roof rails and sporty alloys. A mounted spare wheel and elegant looking tail lamps highlight the rear.

It’s not just the SUV’s exteriors that are stylish and sporty, its interiors are equally eye-catching. Though the front dash is pretty similar to that of the Fiesta in terms of features, this compact SUV however offers additional elements such as Microsoft’s SYNC system, voice command, a start stop button, to name a few. The seating position up front is appropriate for the driver and co-passenger, while the rear offers a decent amount of head, leg and shoulder room.

Performance

To begin with, it features a 1.0 litre petrol engine, also known as EcoBoost. It is probably the smallest engine offering in a compact SUV, which churns out 125 ps of power with 170 Nm of torque. Considering the size and power delivery, the Eco Sport did surprise us, as it performed well both within the city and the highway. The 5 five speed manual transmission works well to hand out perfect gear shifts. All in all, this petrol variant returns a fuel economy of 16 kmpl, which we think, is really impressive.