Mercedes New A class 150 any use?

lomb

anyone have one of these, are they any good. going for an automatic so its this or the golf 1.6 fsi auto for the same money.

colm_mcm

what about the skoda octavia?







(joke...)

lomb

dont think skoda is a very good looking car, and anyway need a hatchback, worried about a classes reliability hence my original post. i think all manufactures should state their mean time b4 failure of critical compnents like engines and gearboxes driven normally. surely they do tests? worried about long term reliability of the cvt automatic, i heard horror stories of 5 grand for repair. essentially a steel belt on a variable sized cone moves up and down and could snap at any time.
the components being under the car dont help.
going with the golf, should have plenty of power and be a magic carpet with the 6 speed auto tiptronic, so i can enjoy it the odd time:D

whippet

how come no matter what car is being discussed someone mentions a skoda as an alternative !! Is it just me or is the extra few quid worth driving something that actually looks nicer?


Anyway .. the A150 is much better than the previous model. A friend had a 99 A140 and now the new A150 manual mind you.

Personally I don't like them at all, but he maintains that it handles great, very smooth ride and the engine has plenty to offer. Inside it is spacious (he has the 2 door jobbie) and very nicely speced.

colm_mcm

i just mentioned the octavia for the sake of it really

lomb

no worries thought it was the usual boards joke of consider an octavia:D
put down the deposit today, new car in a few weeks:D

colm_mcm

which engine/trim level did you go for?

lomb

1.6 fsi 16valve automatic comfortline in non metallic red with the anthracite upholstery. reviews on uk mkivs show it is an impressive car, the engine seems to be turbine smooth with a healthy output and great fuel economy. the gearbox appears to be its best point. not the DSG as in the diesels but said to be nearly as good. the dsg in the non comfortline in 105 bhp tdi form was another grand, but dont think she drives enough to cover the extra road tax/insurance etc. also comparing apples to apples the comfortline DSG was another 3 grand so its getting to stupid money.
i personally wouldnt have had any problem with the diesel as mated to the DSG u would never experiance the main problem with diesles topping out at 4000 rpm the dsg would have fixed that.
would have preferred the 2.0 turbo gti dsg personally, fantastic power coupled with great looks and great interior and technology a definate classic. maybe a used one for me in a few years for 7 or 8 grand:D

colm_mcm

sounds like a good (if not exactly obvious!) choice. be interesting to see if you actually get the car when they promise it. is it a factory order?

lomb

yep factory order, 4-12 weeks depending on moving an existing production slot around. u wouldnt really get a 1.6fsi in red out of free stock ireland is still a small country. anyway they preorder high spec cars that are loaded and people who are into 06 cars and want one now tend to pay overinflated prices.
need an auto as she has arthritis in her left knee.
the 1.6 non fsi non comfort was 2 grand less, but considering the dreadful fuel economy and a dire engine from the mid eighties, i didnt really have the heart to pay 23 grand for a car that had a dinosaur engine although most probably she wouldnt have noticed. glad she put me in charge:D although shes lucky i didnt come home with a gti;)
incidently what would u have gone for if u needed an automatic small/medium car in the golf class? thought this was the best value. the corrolla looked good on paper for 21 grand in 1.4 diesel form with MMT (multi mode transmission) but a chat with the toyota dealer confirmed that if u drive it like an auto in drive(ie foot to the floor it jerks uncontrollably), u need to lift off to let it change gear like a manual, sounded crazy and dangerous to me tbh in addition to the 14 week wait for it and no test car.

colm_mcm

you won't get a Corolla MMT for 21 grand I'm afraid, the basic Diesel MMT hatch is closer to €24k, and the gearbox isn't very smooth, you have to anticipate the gearchanges

lomb

perhaps it was 22500, he offered 1500 off for cash. yeah the mmt put me off, i cant understand why they dont put in a normal auto, perhaps minimizing power loss?
the cvt in the merc put me off also, belts driving a car? surely they could snap! and at 5 grand for a new transmission i dont think id be that impressed hence running with the golf.
what galls me is the 2 year warranty, he said alot of people sell and buy new after 2 years and a loss of 35-40% because they are scared something will go wrong. the reason they dont issue 3 year warrantys is no doubt partly linked to this and therefore keeping new car production up.
anyway vw have run with a six speed automatic and apparantly its responsive and ultra smooth as well as fuel efficent. should be a nice car anyway...

colm_mcm

toyota are gradually phasing out conventional automatics in favour of MMT gearboxes, reasons being it costs less is more reliable and fuel efficent than normal auto boxes. in fairness the new yaris MM is a lot better than the old MMT due to a better shift program, MMT boxes potentially could be very good if they could just get the upshift a bit smoother