Mercedes A210
These days, the unlikeliest cars are putting on a performance act. With even the super-sensible Vauxhall Zafira packing a turbo, it was only a matter of time before the tuning experts at Mercedes turned their attentions to the A-Class.
The A210 Evolution was a promising project but feels a little undercooked. With sporty looks and the image of a shrunken AMG supersaloon it had potential, but the result lacks the poke to earn true AMG status. A high standard of equipment isn't quite enough to justify the hefty price tag.
These days, the unlikeliest cars are putting on a performance act. With even the super-sensible Vauxhall Zafira packing a turbo, it was only a matter of time before the tuning experts at Mercedes turned their attentions to the A-Class.
A high-sided, compact MPV is not the obvious place to flex high-speed muscle, but where there's a willing customer, there's a way. Instead of the modest 123bhp 1.9-litre engine that previously topped the range, Mercedes has plumped for a 140bhp 2.1 unit. This will haul the A210 to 60mph in a hot hatch-like 8.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 127mph. On the road this translates into swift, if not electrifying, performance. The A210 is noticeably faster than other cars in the range, but fails to produce the sort of hair-raising turn of speed you may have hoped for.
Sports suspension improves the handling, and the A210 feels reassuringly grippy through the corners. Yet it lacks the agility to make cross-country sprints a fun experience. What it lacks in road-going thrills, however, it tries to make up for in appearance. Sporty 17-inch alloys, AMG bodystyling and chrome exterior trim certainly look the part, and the interior goes even further with a two-tone leather and Alcantara look from Mercedes' Designo trim line.
Originally destined to carry the AMG badge, the A210's performance was deemed too lukewarm for the tag. Now called Evolution, the car falls into a strange no-man's land between luxury mini-MPV and thoroughbred hot hatch.
But the
