If Mercedes brought the A-Class over, would you buy one?

I would. The new A-Class is pretty sharp looking, and a good alternative to a C-Coupe.

No, I wouldn't. There are far too many poor-handling oversized heaps of trash on the road with inadequate brakes and stupid drivers. I admire the A-Class but it's just too small. Even our C seems too small. Some moron driving alone in a Chevy Suburban would run over an A without even noticing. Also, does the A-Class have enough power for quick merging in today's 80-mph highway traffic?

I have actually driven the A-Class in Canada. 3 years ago MB had one making the rounds of dealerships when I picked up my E420. It took a while to get used to the clutchless shift, but it was not bad at all for acceleration (obviously not a quick as the E420) but compared to your average Toyota I would say it was easily as quick. It is also not as small as you might think. The SMART car is for sale in Canada now and that is a small car. My wife is pictured in the car and she is only 5 feet tall. I have not driven in, but I have sat in it and aside from being a little short in elbow room it is pretty good for size inside (the two seats are staggered for more elbow room). The SMART is also the only car on the road in Canada to pass a new rear offset crash test. It is supposed to be very safe. I would buy one for my wife if I had a place to park it (if I can find someone else in our building we could put two in one parkling spot). I don't think I'd want her taking it on the highway, but it really is designed as a city car.

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Jason Priest
1999 E430
1995 E420 - retired
1986 420SEL - retired

The A class is a descent size. Don't bash it until you've actually driven in one, it will surprise you. Its stability issue was taken care of like 7 years ago but people keep going on about it.
After all what do you think prompted BMW to bring the 1 series over. Lets face it with gas prices going up, OPEC cutting production again next year, and unless v8's start getting 25mpg or higher, it sounds like a smart move by these companies.

Coming August 2005

Sport Vision Tourer B (American A-Class)

mbusa.com future models

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Paul