A few pics and some thoughts:
Interior was not too bad, but kind of plain with that huge expanse of black on the passenger side. I'm not a fan of the stuck-on screen either. The idea isn't terrible, but the execution is really bad with that huge shiny bezel around the screen. And it was constantly making plasticky squeaking/creaking noises as the car drove. Also terrible is the shiny silver paint on the tach and speedo faces (is this a Mercedes or a Kia?)
I really wanted to try a diesel while I was over there, but was seriously unimpressed with this one. The power was sufficient (92HP and 150 lb*ft, IIRC), but man was that ever a nasty, noisy, coarse and clattery engine. Revving it past 2,500 was thoroughly painful, but necessary if you needed to accelerate with any haste (merging onto the motorway, for example). But, once you were up to speed, it was actually really nice to just short-shift the thing and ride that wave of torque from 1,800 to 2,200 rpms. On a narrow, winding road in fourth gear, or on the motorway in sixth, you could keep the revs down around 2,000 rpms, and the engine was actually quite pleasant - loads of torque and very little noise or harshness.
The transmission was pretty underwhelming also: huge throws, kind of a rubbery feel, and a vague engagement point on the clutch (which also had huge travel). Still, I prefer rowing my own: I can't imagine how underpowered that car would feel mated to an automatic.
The car also had that stop-start feature (engine shuts down at stoplights, etc.). I actually thought it was really neat and decided to leave it on. Yes, the car rattles and shudders to life, but the silence while sitting was worth it, IMO.
Handling was pretty decent. AFAIK, the car had the standard suspension, but did have V-rated 225/45R17s on alloy wheels. The steering was decently weighted (pretty heavy, actually), and the suspension had enough starch in it to keep cornering enjoyable. Not to the point of actually being "fun", mind you, but enough to make driving at a semi-spirited 6/10ths pace (had the wife along, so wasn't going to go any faster) a pleasant experience. Cruising at 70-80 mph on the motorway was just fine, as one would expect from a Mercedes (even a small one).
Over 2,200 miles of driving, my fuel consumption was 4.9l/100kms. Not bad I suppose, but still not worth the tradeoffs, IMO. Diesel was around CDN$2.60 per litre, while petrol was around CDN$0.05-0.10 cheaper. If I lived over there, I'd either consider a larger diesel (less need to rev it) or probably just stick with a gas engine. I'd love to try the 1.4L TSI engine in the Euro Golf to see how it compares.
Funny thing is, as much as I'm "meh" about the A-Class, I'm actually kind of intrigued by the B-Class. Basically the same car, I know, but I just think the B-Class is more honest about its mission. The A-Class tries to look sporty (oh, I forgot to mention the horrid visibility out the back window and the rear side windows. Stupid sloping roof), but doesn't have the driving chops to back it up. I actually think the B-Class looks better, and of course it's actually more practical with the raised roof and decent-sized windows.
I could live with a rubbery transmission and clattery diesel in a practical car (B-Class), but it just seems wrong in something that sacrifices practicality for a chopped roof and sporty look (A-Class). Of course, having said that, I still couldn't see myself choosing either of these cars over a Golf. The Golf looks better (inside and out, IMO), drives better, is cheaper, and doesn't suffer that lingering bit of pretensiousness that comes with a three-pointed star on what is still basically an economy car.
Couple things I forgot to mention: horrible visibility out the front for parking maneuvers because of that tall hood. And it looks really ugly. I know it's because of the pedestrian safety regs, but other manufacturers seem to do a better job of it.
Car had a collision sensor feature that would flash a warning light and chime if you got too close to the car in front. Seemed to work okay, but it gave a few false alarms when cornering sharply. I think it would pick up fence posts or even tall grass at the side of the road and scream at me when there wasn't another car for miles.
I was expecting the system to be tied into the cruise control (adaptive cruise, I think they call it?) but it didn't seem to be. No owner's manual in the car, so couldn't look it up.
