Mercedes-Benz A200. Click for more photos  New Mercedes-Benz
A-Class  Mercedes-Benz A200.  It might seem an odd thing to say
of the world’s oldest car-maker, but this is new ground
for Mercedes-Benz.  Not that the company hasn’t built front-
drive, compact hatchbacks before, but the first models to use
the A-Class tag missed their targets by a fair bit.  And even
though it had its moments as a hatchback, those early A-Classes
never really did manage to feel or drive like a proper Mercedes-
Benz should.  Which is where the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class comes
in.   Not only does it need to appeal to a hatchback buyer, it
must also appeal to a potential Benz buyer. Combine those two
agendas and you can see why this is new turf.  But the A-Class
has the job in hand right from the start, purely because it
looks terrific. The proportions are still those of a five-door
hatchback but the upright peasantry of the previous model is
gone.  The interior is neat and classy (although there’s plenty
of plastic on the dashboard) a