Mercedes-Benz A250 Sport Review 2015
The rise of the ‘warm’ hatch has been a really interesting phenomenon over the last few years. The European hatchback manufacturers are now tending to offer at least one relatively quick grade in their lineup: the BMW 125i, Peugeot 308 GT, and Volvo V40 T5 come to mind.
Mercedes-Benz is no different. Sitting one rung beneath the proper Benz hot hatch, the A45 AMG, is the $51,000 A250 Sport, which Chasing Cars recently sampled at Sydney’s Eastern Creek raceway. While the A250 isn’t greatly differentiated visually from the rest of the A-Class lineup, under the bonnet it is quite characterful indeed.
The A250’s turbocharged two-litre four produces numbers about on par with its competitors: it makes 155kW at 5500rpm, and 350Nm of torque right through from 1200–4000rpm. There’s plenty of twist, then, but to really maximise the A250’s power, it likes to be worked hard. That’s just what we did—and wringing the A250 Sport’s neck around Eastern Creek is thoroughly enjoyable.
Switch the adjustable drive mode to ‘Sport’ and the car really amps up the feedback. The seven-speed dual-clutch gets snappier and delays shifts to just about redline; but it’s the noise that really changes character in the ‘Sport’ mode. Suddenly, it produces all sorts of lovely little overruns through the exhaust notes, and plenty of pops and crackles. It does a fair old job imitating the much pricier A45 AMG in this manner.
Dynamically, the A250 is in a different league, of course. It’s still compact, light and quick, but its front-wheel-drive architecture means understeer is fairly commonplace when you push the A250 hard through tight corners under throttle. It also misses the trick electronic differential of the Volkswagen Golf GTI to cut that sort of behaviour – but learning when to let up a little bit brings the A250’s cornering largely under control.
The cabin’s a bit tight but not an uncomfortable place to be: the front bucket seats are quite comfortable, though the busy dash hasn’t dated especially well. The A250’s interior isn’t as cohesive as the Audi A3 it competes against, though it’s more interesting than the BMW 1 Series.
Priced in the mid-fifties on road, the A250 Sport excels in offering accessible, everyday performance in an enjoyable package – it’s competitive in its class, though the rear-wheel-drive BMW 125i will sway some away from the Mercedes on a dynamic basis.
Mercedes-Benz C200 Review 2015
10 years ago
The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a great car, but does the $62,400 entry-level diesel, the C200 Bluetec, represent the best value proposition of the lot?
Chasing Cars recently sampled the C200 at Sydney’s Eastern Creek raceway to find out. The diesel C200 sits one rung up from the base C200 turbo petrol ($60,900), and is powered by a 1.6-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder producing 100kW of power at 3800rpm, and 320Nm of torque between 1500–3000rpm. Stepping up to a quicker diesel means an additional $8,000 outlay for the 155kW, 500Nm C250 Bluetec ($70,400).
As we found on track, the extra eight grand is money well spent. When pushed in a fast-paced environment, the oil-burning C200 reveals itself to be just a little too sluggish and slow. Turbo lag is problematic, while the 320Nm torque figure doesn’t provide the characteristic shove of the best diesels in the Mercedes-Benz range.
The C250 solves those issues: it has a second turbocharger to largely eliminate the lag factor, and the additional 180Nm of additional torque certainly doesn’t hurt. The two diesels do share a slightly agricultural character in common, though, being noisier than we’d like in a vehicle of this calibre.
No matter the engine you opt for, though, the W205 C-Class really has reset the expectations for the small luxury class. The interior of the updated car is superb, taking a number of design cues straight from the flagship S-Class. The C-Class certainly has the best-executed cabin in its class, and one of the most resolved in the Mercedes lineup today.
The Obsidian Black example that we drove was a little dark inside thanks to its black leather, though the natural, textured ash wood trim was simply gorgeous. The stitched dash is also lovely, and attention to detail like this is extended further if you option the Exclusive package, which provides a leather dash top in addition to other luxuries.
The previous-shape C-Class wasn’t as on point through the corners as the BMW 3 Series. The new model still doesn’t hit BMW levels of sharpness through bends, though it represents an improvement: cornering is more direct than any C-Class before it, and there is a predictability and balance in driving the C-Class. It feels heavy and secure. When driven hard, the rear-wheel-drive architecture lends itself to some enjoyable handling characteristics, and faster models provide an ability to balance the throttle through sweeping bends to great effect.
The relative age of the current 3 Series, and Audi A4, mean that the C-Class hasn’t had to fend off much competition this year. However, with a midlife update to the 3 Series incoming, and an all-new Audi on its way, it’ll be interesting to see whether the Mercedes maintains its tight grip on the small luxury sedan market in Australia.
Car news, 07 May ’25: Luxury car tax facing the chopping block, BYD beats Tesla for best selling EV, and more
5 months ago
Lukas Foyle
Contributor
Every important car news story breaking today, one convenient read
Thanks for joining us this Wednesday, May 07th 2025. Notably in car news today: Labor could toss luxury car tax, BYD Sealion 7 more popular than Tesla in April.
Browse this issue:
- The ALP could be scrapping the controversial Luxury Car Tax
- BYD Sealion 7 triumphs over Tesla in EV battle of attrition
- Jaecoo J8 price and specs revealed ahead of June launch
- Mercedes-Benz C350e marks the return of Benz PHEVs
Why the ALP could be scrapping Luxury Car Tax
- The recently reelected Australian Labor Party (ALP) is reportedly considering scrapping Luxury Car Tax (LCT), according to a report published by The Australian. The move helps firm up free trade with Europe in the face of the impact of US trade tariffs imposed on the EU.
- Introduced in 2001, the LCT imposes a 33 percent tax to vehicles valued above $80,567. Meanwhile, fuel efficient vehicles (those with a claimed fuel consumption below 7.0L/100km) have a higher $91,387 threshold.
- An economic domino effect has observedly begun from US tariffs. Australia hopes to use the abolishment of LCT to establish free trade with Europe and other continents.
- Claims of abolishing LCT follow from requests of the European Union to help its increasingly struggling automotive industry following recent US tariffs as well as steadily increasing competition from Chinese carmakers.
READ: Luxury Car Tax on the chopping board as Federal Government eyes trade negotiations with Europe
BYD Sealion 7 triumphs over Tesla in EV battle of attrition
- The BYD Sealion 7 has claimed the title of April 2025’s best-selling EV, pulling ahead of several EV brands including reigning Australian EV sales champion Tesla.
- BYD’s Sealion 7 midsize electric SUV shifted 743 vehicles in April, impressive for its third month on sale. Its closest rival, the Tesla Model Y, sold just 280 units, with the Model 3 trailing close behind at 220 registrations.
- Tesla has informed Chasing Cars that they believe the May 2025 sales rollout of the all-new 2025 Model Y will stabilise the brand’s uncharacteristically low sales figures.
- Several electric vehicles outsold either model of Tesla in April, including the MG4 (363), Kia EV5 (342), Kia EV3 (336), and Geely EX5 (324). The Tesla Model Y remains the most popular EV in Australia year to date, with a total of 3394 deliveries.
READ: BYD Sealion 7 outsells Model Y to be most popular electric car in April
Jaecoo J8 price and specs revealed ahead of June launch
- Luxury Chery subdivision Jaecoo has announced pricing for its new J8 medium/large size SUV ahead of its official June 2025 launch date.
- The Jaecoo J8 will initially be sold in two trim levels, starting at $49,990 drive-away for the J8 Track front-wheel drive and $54,990 drive-away for the J8 Ridge all-wheel drive. Both vehicles will be powered by a 183kW/385Nm two-litre turbocharged four cylinder.
- The Jaecoo J8 rivals similar unique monocoque softroaders including the $44,190 (MSRP) Subaru Outback, $50,240 (MSRP) Mazda CX-60 and $53,000 (MSRP) Hyundai Santa Fe.
- Despite being a key selling point in overseas markets, the Australian model Jaecoo J8 will not be available with a six- or seven-seat configuration. A Chery spokesperson divulged to Chasing Cars the importer was “disappointed” to miss out.
Mercedes-Benz C350e marks the return of Benz PHEVs
- Mercedes-Benz Australia has announced it will be bringing the new C350e plug-in hybrid to Australia – the first time the three-pointed star has offered a PHEV since the discontinuing of the A250e sedan in May 2022.
- The Mercedes-Benz C350e is available to order from today, with a starting price of $98,200 (list). It features a 25.4kWh battery, two-litre turbocharged four cylinder, and nine-speed automatic transmission with P2 mounted electric motor. Combined output is quoted to be 230kW and 550Nm.
- Mercedes-Benz claims the C350e is capable of up to 100km (NEDC) electric-only driving range. Standard equipped 11kW AC charging accomplishes a full charge in a claimed 2 hours, with $1500 optional rapid DC 55kW charging accomplishing a 0-80 percent charge in 20 minutes.
- The C350e rivals similar mid-size European executive sedans, primarily the $88,990 (list) Volvo S60 T8 PHEV and upcoming Audi A5 PHEV.
The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Thursday 08th May at 4.30pm Sydney time.
