Merc dusts off the illustrious 'E' word and sticks it to the fastest A-class
Evocative name, Evolution. Mitsubishi, BMW, Lancia and Mercedes themselves have all used it to denote more focussed performance models. The last time Merc used the Evolution suffix it was on a spicier development of the excellent 190E 2.5-16. So its appearance on the new range-topping A-class raises expectations.
Visually, the A210 Evolution doesn't disappoint. With its AMG bodykit, twin oval tailpipes and 17-inch wheels, it looks sharp, and under its dramatically raked nose is the most powerful engine yet fitted to a production A-class. That said, 140bhp isn't really going to worry many modern hot hatches.
It's not exceptional for a mini-MPV either, now that Vauxhall has launched the 187bhp Zafira GSi. The regular A210 Evo is close on price at £18,990 while this long-wheelbase version, costing £900 more, comes within a couple of hundred quid. It's not the uneven contest it would appear to be, though, because at 1195kg, the Merc is a massive 350 kilos lighter than the Zafira, which lifts its power-to-weight ratio close to the gutsy Vauxhall's. The A210's 2084cc re-work of the A190 engine also produces a healthy 151lb ft of torque, giving it a superior torque-to-weight ratio.
Inside, the standard Evo's seats are trimmed in dark grey leather and Alcantara but our test car had the 'designo' option pack. For £890 you can choose a different colour for the seats (in this case a slightly tarty imperial red), with matching leather covering the instrument shroud, gearlever and wheel rim and edging the 'designo' logo'd floormats. Instruments are white-faced with red needles, and fillets of charcoal-coloured wood veneer adorn the door casings and centre console.
First time you prod the throttle the A210 feels encouragingly lively. The engine revs freely with a typical four-pot growl, though the car we tried also had a distant whine reminiscent of a light- pressure turbo. Peak power arrives at 5500rpm, peak torque at 4000rpm, and the unit does its best work in the mid part of its rev range. Mercedes claims zero to 62mph in just over eight seconds, and it does feel quite sprightly, though not nearly as punchy as the Zafira all-out (Vauxhall claims 7.6sec for the
0-60 sprint).
Sadly, there's not much else to enjoy about the fastest A-class. The stubby gearlever moves with a light but loose action and the clutch feels rubbery, but the real crime is the steering which doesn't seem very responsive right from the moment you first turn the wheel. Even manoeuvring you need to do more arm twirling than expected because it's so low geared, requiring over three and a half turns between lock-stops. The upshot is that on a decent road the A210 always feels slow-witted and rather reluctant to turn. You've got to grab a big handful of lock for even modest corners and although there's a fair amount of grip from those rubber-band tyres (skinny sidewalled 205/40 ZR17 Dunlops) not a lot of feedback gets through to the lightly weighted rim.
Surprisingly, the ride is genuinely supple around town and on A-roads and remains composed until you hit really testing sections of B-road. Here the tallness of the leaning A-class becomes an issue. Over choppy sections there's a mild pogo-ing response, kickback through the wheel rim and, worse, if the front wheels are loaded with power, the steering wheel writhes with torque steer before the ASR traction control gets a chance to intervene.
Mostly, though, it's the slow, light steering of the A210 Evolution that disappoints. Perhaps it's a legacy of the calamitous Elk Test and has been specified to soften even the sharpest input. Whatever, it robs the A210 of the crispness you expect and contributes to a driving experience that, even in MPV terms, lacks any spark of appeal. Evolution is generally taken to describe advancement but it also throws up a few dead ends. The A210 is one of them.
