[washout04]

Just some quick thoughts after test driving the A250 this weekend.

Design
I think this is obviously a strength and the design outside and in is probably the class leader (although personally I prefer the more understated 1 series design). It looks like a much bigger car in the flesh than you expect with more leg room in the back than I thought it would have although the boot seems smaller and less useful than the 1 series and the headroom noticeably tighter. I was a big fan of the front end, drilled rotors, dash and seats but wasn’t a fan of the ipad style screen. Also the diamond grill added to all the red accents I thought looked like it was trying too hard and cheapened the design a little.

The column mounted shifter and electronic parking brake are mistakes in my opinions.

Engine/gearbox
Nice rorty little unit with plenty of punch and with a similar blip on shifting as in the Golf Gti. Quiet when you’re cruising and with a bit of exhaust note when you want it. The big letdown was the 7speed Dual Clutch transmission. I found that it was a little jittery when parking on a hill and while quick on up-shifts when speeding up, I found that it was caught out more often than not when downshifting in cornering. Also (and this is a problem similar to the GTI) when in normal mode the engine seemed to shift way too early and in sport mode it was revving way too high. I can understand what they are trying to do but a better balance would make both modes more usable. Was kinda embarrassing to be casually driving around a corner with the engine sitting between 3500 and 4500 haha.

After having tested the 125i with the 8speed ZF, I can safely say that the 8speed is vastly superior. Like magic it always seems to be in the right gear and was noticeably quicker on downshifting than the 7speed DCT on the merc.

Driving/handling
Another strong point. It seems pretty sharp with quick steering in sport mode and while there isn’t much feedback to speak of, it sticks to the corners like glue. The downside is the suspension is firmer than the 1 series M sport suspension, and there was a lot of road noise coming in.

Overall
A great car that is absolutely packed with options (especially vs the 125i’s lack of included options in Australia) and a real step up from the previous A class. I would give the A class 4 out of 5 and the 125i 4.5 out of 5.

[kab_m2]

Originally Posted by washout04

Just some quick thoughts after test driving the A250 this weekend.

Design
I think this is obviously a strength and the design outside and in is probably the class leader (although personally I prefer the more understated 1 series design). It looks like a much bigger car in the flesh than you expect with more leg room in the back than I thought it would have although the boot seems smaller and less useful than the 1 series and the headroom noticeably tighter. I was a big fan of the front end, drilled rotors, dash and seats but wasn’t a fan of the ipad style screen. Also the diamond grill added to all the red accents I thought looked like it was trying too hard and cheapened the design a little.

The column mounted shifter and electronic parking break are mistakes in my opinions.

Engine/gearbox
Nice rorty little unit with plenty of punch and with a similar blip on shifting as in the Golf Gti. Quiet when you’re cruising and with a bit of exhaust note when you want it. The big letdown was the 7speed Dual Clutch transmission. I found that it was a little jittery when parking on a hill and while quick on up-shifts when speeding up, I found that it was caught out more often than not when downshifting in cornering. Also (and this is a problem similar to the GTI) when in normal mode the engine seemed to shift way too early and in sport mode it was revving way too high. I can understand what they are trying to do but a better balance would make both modes more usable. Was kinda embarrassing to be casually driving around a corner with the engine sitting between 3500 and 4500 haha.

After having tested the 125i with the 8speed ZF, I can safely say that the 8speed is vastly superior. Like magic it always seems to be in the right gear and was noticeably quicker on downshifting than the 7speed DCT ion the merc.

Driving/handling
Another strong point. It seems pretty sharp with quick steering in sport mode and while there isn’t much feedback to speak of, it sticks to the corners like glue. The downside is the suspension is firmer than the 1 series M sport suspension, and there was a lot of road noise coming in.

Overall
A great car that is absolutely packed with options (especially vs the 125i’s lack of included options in Australia) and a real step up from the previous A class. I would give the A class 4 out of 5 and the 125i 4.5 out of 5.

nice review. i had a look at one recently too and had pretty similar view.
i felt the looks were definitely a winner straight away but the more i looked at it the more bored i got with it. this is different to the f20 which i hated straight away but love now.
what i really dont like is the interior. all that fake carbon fiber looks ridiculous and way too much red everywhere. a lot of cheap plastics in there too. i think the interior of a gti is much nicer and the f20 even nicer than that, if a bit understated. i didnt really mind the ipad like screen though.
handling wise i thought it was great but the gearbox was crap. all over the place and pales in comparison to other double-clutches like DSG. bms ZF is vastly superior to both though. throttle response was ok but the car didnt really feel all that fast to me.

what will be the real test though will be the a45 and how it stacks up against the m135i. i hope it doesnt do too well as i will be picking up my new m135i in a month!