2012 Mercedes-Benz A-class

VEHICLE HIGHLIGHTS

Mercedes-Benz A-class safety rating

Mercedes-Benz A-class

Mercedes-Benz’s A-Class doesn’t just wear a badge; it’s the car you buy when you want a daily that feels properly considered, especially in a segment where the choices are loud and loyalty runs deep—think Audi A3, BMW 1 Series, Volkswagen Golf R-Line. Not a single new A-Class sits on local showroom floors anymore, so if you want one, you’re buying used and making peace with that. There are 47 on the market right now, and prices swing from R59,500 for a well-loved early car (read: high mileage, basic everything) to a frankly optimistic R984,888. Most buyers will hover around R439,900 and that’s not a bad place to be, given the competition. You get your pick of petrol or diesel, and the gearbox options are all over the map—manuals, automatics, semi-automatics, even dual-clutch if you know what you’re looking for. The A200 Auto is everywhere, with five available between R569,900 and R799,800, but if you pack smart and don’t feel like bleeding, the A200 A/T is the one: R419,900 to R429,950 nets you the latest shape without the pain. You’re looking at cars from as far back as 2002 up to 2026, with an average mileage of 97,718 km, which means most of these have actually seen SA’s roads, not just the Sandton City parking lot. Diesel fans can score an A 220 CDI BE A/T from R215,500 to R249,900 and that matters, because over any serious mileage, you’ll spend less at the pumps than you will in a petrol. What really tips the A-Class in your favour, though, is the interior—MBUX remains best-in-class, the physical controls still feel expensive, and on paper at least, you’re getting more cabin polish than a Golf for the same money. That’s the point.