Mercedes-Benz A250 Saloon AMG Line 2019 first drive

Look closely: this isn’t the new Mercedes-Benz CLA, but rather a saloon version of the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchback. But wasn’t the CLA the saloon version of the A-Class hatchback, I hear you ask? It used to be, but now there are two of them.

Why? China and North America are the primary reasons for the need for a more conventional A-Class saloon, where the swoopier CLA sacrifices just too much practicality for style. The CLA, a big commercial success in its first generation, still keeps its place in the line-up, Mercedes taking the opportunity to dial up the driver appeal - with decidedly mixed results, as our recent road test has revealed.

That then leaves the A-Class Saloon to simply play the role of being an A-Class with a boot without the need to try and also be a coupé or any other kind of niche. Three boxes, five seats: an age-old formula.

The engine range is familiar from the A-Class hatchback, so you can have 1.3-litre and 2.0-litre turbocharged petrols and 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre diesels in various states of tune. They're hooked up to a six-speed manual, seven-speed dual-clutch automatic or eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, depending on the version.

Tested here is the mid-upper range A250, which uses a 221bhp 2.0-litre turbo petrol unit, decked out in range-topping AMG Line trim.

Lovely looking car, isn’t it? There’s something inherently classy about a well-designed saloon car that even the prettiest hatchback can’t get near. Looks are of course subjective, but in its transformation to a saloon, the A-Class now oozes style on the outside as well as the inside.

Dynamically, the A-Class Saloon is very similar to the hatchback. That’s not surprising: the two share the same wheelbase (although the overall length is up 130mm) and the weight increase is marginal. As with the hatchback, models higher up the range, such as this A250, use multi-link rear suspension, rather than the torsion beam setup of the entry-level variants.