The Mercedes A-Class distils the luxury of the brand’s flagship models into an easy-to-park package.
Couple that with the fact that the A-Class is typically the most affordable Mercedes, and it’s no wonder it’s a runaway success. While diesel, plug-in hybrid and performance options are available, the standard petrol engines are going to be the best choice if you drive on a variety of roads and cover a normal annual mileage. The most popular A-Class petrol engines are called the A180 and A200.
Mercedes A-Class A180 vs A200 compared
| A-Class A180 | A-Class A200 |
Pros:
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Cons:
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Performance
| A180 | A200 | |
| Horsepower | 136hp | 163hp |
| 0-62mph (secs) | 9.2/8.8 | 8.2/8.0 |
| Top speed | 134mph | 140mph |
The A180 and A200 use the same 1.3-litre, four-cylinder engine, just with slightly different states of tune. Even the A180 has enough power for all day-to-day driving situations, although it can start to feel a little underpowered at high speeds – such as going up a hill on the motorway.
Both versions of this engine can get a little shouty when you have to use a lot of revs, but the A200’s extra dollop of power means you shouldn’t have to work the engine quite as hard – so, depending on the roads you drive on, you might hear the engine more in the A180 than in the A200.
The A200 is just a tad more eager to accelerate, and has a little more oomph at motorway speeds. You’re likely to appreciate it if you regularly drive on faster roads.
Running costs and economy
Mercedes’ quoted MPG figures are identical for the A180 and A200, with up to 47.9mpg possible for both versions. In the real world, we wouldn’t be surprised if the A200 actually proved marginally more economical than the A180, because the extra power means you don’t need to rev the engine out quite so often.
On paper, the A180 sits in a lower insurance group than the A200 – between 19 and 21 for the A180, depending on trim level, compared to 23-24 for the A200. The actual difference in the cost of your premiums for an A180 versus an A200 is likely to be trivial.
Which is best?
If you’re going to be spending the majority of your time around town, or aren’t hugely fussed about the performance of your car, the A-Class A180 will be more than sufficient. For faster roads, we’d prefer the extra power of the A200, although the A180 doesn’t feel out of its depth either.
There’s very little difference in cost on the used market between an A180 and an A200 with similar spec, age and mileage, so the more powerful and just as economical A200 looks to be the better-value option.
Shop used Mercedes A-Class cars for sale or read our Mercedes A-Class review
