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Viruses, Empty shelves, mask issues and more.. What a way to start the year well I have a plan B There’s only so much room for bad news and we’ve certainly had our fill of it So what better way than to drive off somewhere to chill out.. literally and take a almost brand new AMG A class out for a spin in the English B roads? An offer from SIA for cheap tickets to UK and a business conference allowed me to grab a week off and visit the land of pies, beans and more. Given my limited time, I’ve narrowed it down to a couple of spots and I’ll be sharing them as we go along 🙂 Let’s get to A... Which stands for AMG A class! So with B roads and many miles to cover, I was lucky and scored an upgrade from a Ford Focus to a Mercedes AMG A class. A brand new one with almost nothing on the odometer 150 quid a day for a spin in a brand new car? Not bad at all First thing to note, this version is made in Germany BUT that’s a Renault Diesel engine... and don’t let that engine cover fool .. It’s a 1.3l turbo diesel with a seven speed DCT but a proper multi link suspension. But if you get over that and get on with driving, it’s pretty good. The cabin surrounds you in nice well fitted plastics that have a soft touch. The steering wheel has great heft and the seats are really comfortable, even after 400 miles. Pick up is delivered like a wall of torque with instant reaction and within seconds you are approaching illegal speeds. Legroom at the back has improved greatly and whilst the ride is now both firm and yet comfortable despite the AMG package. The handling is superb and the steering reacts well without being twitchy. It firms up significantly at speed whilst remaining easy to use when parking and the dimensions of this compact sedan are good despite the improved legroom. Visibility all round is decent. The downsides? The noise insulation at speed isn’t good and the engine can be heard. It’s not a great soundtrack but I’ll forgive that given the power it produces. Plastics lower down are still hard but the cabin does feel well put together. The MBUX is a mixed bag.. the navigation works but the steering controls are not easy to use and the voice system is too sensitive. Whilst the steering well is meaty and lock to lock ratio is tight, there are too many things which feel gimmicky after the first five minutes. The LED screen does look nice but it’s not tilt able and tall drivers might not like the angle. Trying to make adjustments whilst driving is a little harder than it should be. Even so it’s a great ride and the fuel consumption is amazing. Didn’t even use a quarter tank after one full day out with eight hours of driving. On the B roads or the highway, this car cuts through the air and is such a pleasure to drive. When we were presses for time the car easily responded to our more urgent needs with great aplomb.