Alphabet's letters have long been used alongside digits to express human feelings, emotions and expressions.But things changed when BMW officially decided to symbolize its vehicles with digits(3,5,7....ser) while its stablemate stuttgart's Merc began to use letters to highlight its products:(A,C,E,M,S...class).Hence,digits & letters have since begun fighting over the crown of the leadership using any possible means available even getting pregnant!!
Yes....Can U believe it?
Less than 2 months after BMW's announcement of its awaited baby arrival MERC has announced it will deliver a new facade for its baby vehicle in the early days of 2005 in europe leaving us no clue of whom the father might be.
One thing is for sure & that is the three pointed star will not allow the blue & white propeller to grab all the attention with its 1 as statistics suggest that the new A-class will be Longer and wider than its predecessor, will be available with a choice of seven engine options, all of them available in both 3 & 5 doors models being 4 petrols & 3 diesels.The top performer is the turbo-charged 2.0 193 bhp unit said to make it a head to head contester with VW's GTi .The ride quality is said to be improved compared to the current A-class which suffered in its early days from handling problem but all this is history now with new back axle and an adaptive damping system maintaining a smoother response to the road surface and a sharper, better controlled reaction from the car's body when turning the wheels.
So far so good but where does the one stand in accordance to all this?
Well,Munich sticked to its strict rules when building its infant comer: The engines will be longitudally fixed in the front driving the rear wheels as opposed to FWD in the baby Merc making the back a tighter place for adults because of the transmission tunnel.
So far only 4cyl units will be adopted in this ultimate driving baby as the diesel's 137-mph top speed with 161 horsepower 120i version will top the range for now while the two gas engines will be the entry-level 114-hp 1.6 and the 148-hp 2.0-liter.(hmmmmmmmm can't wait for a 6 cyl M version of this hatch).What really makes this hatch an ultimate one is its handling :The 50/50 weight distribution is achieved by alloy front suspension & steel rear suspension making it the best handler in its class.
So who shall win this time:Digits or letters?
well, as an ultimate bimmer I'll be biased towards the One but that doesn't mean that the new A-class is bad,it just doesn't feel to be the ultimate hatch with its sandwitch like design.
What I'm sure about is that this world will become a noisier place to live as babies cries will be heard all around.........Pampers will get a massive sales boost .....I'm sure...