I was recently given the opportunity by my local Mercedes dealer to take one of their new cars off the lot, as a loaner vehicle for one week. I was given the key fob to a brand new 2020 A220 4-Matic, which had only 5 miles on the odometer.
The engine on the A220 is an efficient and capable 2 liter, 4 cylinder turbo. The A220's 7-speed automatic transmission worked well with the engine to provide ample power whenever called on to pass whatever I deemed slow, along my two and a half hour highway commute. In case you're wondering, not everything was deemed slow. For a non-diesel, non-hybrid gas powered car it returned a fairly decent 31 mpg average, on premium fuel. A bit less than the 35 that is supposedly possible, perhaps attainable with less passing. With that being said, I would have preferred a turbo diesel, if it were an option on the A-class, sadly it isn't an option on the A-class.
The the A220 delivered 31 mpg in town and with the "Efficiency" mode activated the A220 returned returned a respectable 24.2 mpg on the 15 minute loop to and from my son's school. Driving downtown, to the store and back home, the car returned a still decent 17.2 mpg.
I was told (by my Mercedes rep) that the Mercedes computer voice recognition is smart and understands voice commands in normal speak, quite well. The good news is that it does do a very good job and you can ask it to perform many various voice commands. In fact, before I knew where everything was, I was able to have Mercedes voice command turn on the heated seats and operate the radio. "Hey Mercedes, turn on the driver's heated seat" or "Hey Mercedes, turn the radio to FM 105.9". When the GPS is activated (mine wasn't) you could also ask Mercedes to look for coffee, among other interests. Too bad Siri doesn't understand me this well.
My car had the Premium Package, which sported the ever modern and sleek, electronic cockpit. The glass electronic displays show the speed, tachometer, radio and much more at your fingertips, depending on the setting. Most everything, after about 5-10 minutes of exploring can be quickly figured out.
In the A220 cockpit there are different "themes" you can select off the digital screen, such as "Trip", "Experience", "Efficiency", "Lounge" and "Standard", plus an option to make your own. If you chose certain settings, like Standard theme you'll have the engine shut off whenever your car rolls to a stop, and most settings have the handling and engine set for" Comfort" mode. There was also a "Kinetic" option under the "Comfort" menu that allows you the ability to have the seat move subtly to increase comfort over longer drives.
The "Experience" theme, on the menu, stiffens the ride up a bit for handling and adjusts the transmission for quicker gear shifts and higher rpms. The Experience setting also shows more data on the display, and keeps the car from shutting off at every stop, thank God for that. I've never appreciated cars that shutoff the engine at each stop, for "eco" reasons. Perhaps it's just me, but becomes quite annoying as the engine starts up and stops as you inch along in heavy traffic. I can't help but think how hard that must be on the drivetrain, especially the starter and the battery.
The car did experience one issue, where the rear passenger side taillight stopped working for a period of time, but seemed to work the next time I checked it. I don't know if that is an issue that involved loose connections or electronics, but it has been returned to the dealership.
Overall, this was a better car than I had expected and it should be a fun car to live out the duration of a lease.
What I Liked
-(Optional) The 4-Matic Traction
-(Optional) Electronic Displays
-(Premium Pkg) The Seats are comfy in town and on longer highway drives, as what I expect from Mercedes.
-The Interior & Exterior Looks
-The Handling
-The Hushed ride
-Turbo 4 Cylinder Power
-7-Speed Automatic Transmission
-The Thumbs Up from other Drivers
What I Didn't Like
-Lack of Turbo Diesel Engine option
-Premium Fuel
-Smallish trunk
-Door & seat belt chime
-Is the taillight problem an isolated issue ?
The engine on the A220 is an efficient and capable 2 liter, 4 cylinder turbo. The A220's 7-speed automatic transmission worked well with the engine to provide ample power whenever called on to pass whatever I deemed slow, along my two and a half hour highway commute. In case you're wondering, not everything was deemed slow. For a non-diesel, non-hybrid gas powered car it returned a fairly decent 31 mpg average, on premium fuel. A bit less than the 35 that is supposedly possible, perhaps attainable with less passing. With that being said, I would have preferred a turbo diesel, if it were an option on the A-class, sadly it isn't an option on the A-class.
The the A220 delivered 31 mpg in town and with the "Efficiency" mode activated the A220 returned returned a respectable 24.2 mpg on the 15 minute loop to and from my son's school. Driving downtown, to the store and back home, the car returned a still decent 17.2 mpg.
I was told (by my Mercedes rep) that the Mercedes computer voice recognition is smart and understands voice commands in normal speak, quite well. The good news is that it does do a very good job and you can ask it to perform many various voice commands. In fact, before I knew where everything was, I was able to have Mercedes voice command turn on the heated seats and operate the radio. "Hey Mercedes, turn on the driver's heated seat" or "Hey Mercedes, turn the radio to FM 105.9". When the GPS is activated (mine wasn't) you could also ask Mercedes to look for coffee, among other interests. Too bad Siri doesn't understand me this well.
My car had the Premium Package, which sported the ever modern and sleek, electronic cockpit. The glass electronic displays show the speed, tachometer, radio and much more at your fingertips, depending on the setting. Most everything, after about 5-10 minutes of exploring can be quickly figured out.
In the A220 cockpit there are different "themes" you can select off the digital screen, such as "Trip", "Experience", "Efficiency", "Lounge" and "Standard", plus an option to make your own. If you chose certain settings, like Standard theme you'll have the engine shut off whenever your car rolls to a stop, and most settings have the handling and engine set for" Comfort" mode. There was also a "Kinetic" option under the "Comfort" menu that allows you the ability to have the seat move subtly to increase comfort over longer drives.
The "Experience" theme, on the menu, stiffens the ride up a bit for handling and adjusts the transmission for quicker gear shifts and higher rpms. The Experience setting also shows more data on the display, and keeps the car from shutting off at every stop, thank God for that. I've never appreciated cars that shutoff the engine at each stop, for "eco" reasons. Perhaps it's just me, but becomes quite annoying as the engine starts up and stops as you inch along in heavy traffic. I can't help but think how hard that must be on the drivetrain, especially the starter and the battery.
The car did experience one issue, where the rear passenger side taillight stopped working for a period of time, but seemed to work the next time I checked it. I don't know if that is an issue that involved loose connections or electronics, but it has been returned to the dealership.
Overall, this was a better car than I had expected and it should be a fun car to live out the duration of a lease.
What I Liked
-(Optional) The 4-Matic Traction
-(Optional) Electronic Displays
-(Premium Pkg) The Seats are comfy in town and on longer highway drives, as what I expect from Mercedes.
-The Interior & Exterior Looks
-The Handling
-The Hushed ride
-Turbo 4 Cylinder Power
-7-Speed Automatic Transmission
-The Thumbs Up from other Drivers
What I Didn't Like
-Lack of Turbo Diesel Engine option
-Premium Fuel
-Smallish trunk
-Door & seat belt chime
-Is the taillight problem an isolated issue ?
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