:
Review: 2019 Mercedes-benz A250
BY: Sana Panjwani
The 2019 Mercedes-Benz A250 is a technology game-changer. Oasis Living took the hot hatch for a weekend spin – and a conversation
Luxury is a given when it comes to any Mercedez-Benz model, especially when the brand's slogan is "the best or nothing". It isn't a surprise
then when the global automobile
marque rolled out a hatchback of the
highest order — the five-door hot hatch
A250.
Sporty and sleek
On its exterior, the A-Class model
boasts a grey matte finish as its paint
job, bearing the look of a smooth
pebble that you can't help but run your
fingertips across. The car's flat design
features subtle creases and is coupled
with a sporty look afforded by large,
pointy headlights, smaller backseat
windows and two exhaust pipes hinting
a powerful engine.
Looks can be deceiving though so it's
worth noting that the two exhaust pipes
are simple embellishments. How do I
know? I stuck my hand in.
We all know that it's what is on the
inside that counts though, and the A250
does not disappoint. A first glance
shows seat designs resembling those
found in race cars, further elevating the
sporty look the hot hatch is aiming for.
The inside is also larger than one might
expect considering the compact feel of
the car from the outside.
Inside, along with the turbine-like air
conditioning vents, ambient lighting
strips and the brand-expected elegance
and sleekness, there lies a long panel
stretching from behind the steering
wheel to the middle, varying from a 14
to 20.5-inch display depending on your model. The panel's display splits in two,
one featuring the dashboard and the
other the general control systems of the
car.
The steering wheel is home to a set
number of buttons and two finger pads
as well to control each individual panel
display while driving but the screen
is touch-sensitive too, and there is
a touch-pad control system placed in
between the driver and passenger seat
as well.
Oddly enough, among the sleek controls,
you will also find silver toggles
scattered about for quick changes in the
car's dynamics, climate control, volume
and such - valuable inserts but the
design doesn't translate well with the
overlying aesthetic and ends up looking
cheap in comparison.
Hey Mercedes
Sporty, shiny, luxurious and other
adjectives aside, the A250 might have
come off as a glorified hatchback had it
not come equipped with the brand's new
MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience)
infotainment system which premiered
earlier this year in January.
Fundamentally, it's Siri in your car. A
quick "Hey Mercedes", or a press of a
button on the steering, will be met with
the car's artificial intelligence system
inquiring how it can help. You can ask
her to open or close the sunroof, switch
on/off the reading light, direct you to
a specific destination, play a certain
station or specific song, place calls and
plenty of other fun things.
The system is intuitive, learning in the
background during user interaction and
can then list suggestions for proposed
radio stations or destination stops
as well. It's highly user-friendly as it
minimises distractions from the road
by allowing you to rattle off certain
commands - nothing that impacts the
motions of the car though like rolling
down windows, indicating, or switching
on headlights. You can, however, state
that you feel hot or cold and the system
will accommodate accordingly.
There are a few hitches though. Accents
can be a small issue as can foreign
words. Asking the car to direct me to
Dubai didn't work, for instance, but after
physically typing in the destination, it pulls up a clear map. However, it isn't
real-time, and it doesn't vocalise the
directions. If you take a wrong turn, the
system is quick to map a new path.
Another exciting feature is the augmented
reality function which is supposed to pull
up an AR video of your surroundings while
navigating and display it alongside your map.
I say supposed to as I wasn't shown
the video to the degree I was expecting
(according to my research online) but
I was shown road lines. This provides
a visual aid to reduce your chances of
missing a turn - an excellent feature for
Dubai, undoubtedly.
One thing I found was that the system
responded to the call of "Mercedes" as
well which led me to believe that the
"Hey" wasn't needed. I experimented by
using different forms of greeting ahead
of "Mercedes" but received no response.
Likewise, if I casually dropped the word
Mercedes in conversation, the system did
come to life.
The system also has a knack of
subsiding once it takes care of one task
which is a tad irritating as you must
keep calling out if you need a few things
altered in the system.
If accidentally called, a simple
'Nevermind', 'Nothing' or even 'Shut
up' works but I advise against abusing
your AI just in case the computers do
rise against us one day. Better to play
it safe.
Conversing with the AI had its
annoyances as well then but it's hard to
not appreciate the technological stride
made - a definite game-changer and an
exciting feature to look forward to in
future series.
Other quirks tech-savvy drivers will
appreciate are NFC wireless charging,
seat kinetics which adjust automatically
throughout your journey (for the
passenger seat as well) and the option of
the safety features Mercedes-Benz offers
such as auto-steering, lane assist, parallel
parking, attention assist and such.
This car is not one for the technophobes.
Under the hood
The engine is as good as can be expected
from Mercedes-Benz but it does let out
loud revs when accelerating quickly.
Its gripping is not the best either, but
the A-Class isn't meant for zigzags and
quick turns. The average driver will be
satisfied with its performance unless
they're looking to squeeze every last bit
of its power out, that's when they'll find
the gears to be slow to shift at times.
Most models are FWD but AWD is also
available. The car is a huge step-up from
its predecessor and for an entry-level
Mercedes-Benz, it packs a lot of content
and will be attracting new buyers. If
you're looking for a sporty-looking, tech-savvy car that gets you from one spot
to another in optimum comfort, then the
A250 is a good place to start.