2009 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Gets Facelift, Still Not For America

Want a premium brand city car? How about a Mercedes A-Class? Of course, you'll have to be in one of the markets that actually gets the car (not the US). But we're not too disappointed. This here is the new 2009 version that will be released later year, but even with freshened styling and a cleaner engine lineup, we're not sure if we'd actually want one.

Yes, the fuel-saving addition of engine stop-start technology is nice. And yes, the A150 "BlueEfficiency" model gets 40 MPG. But look past the aerodynamic enhancements, low rolling resistant tires and allegedly "extensive" weight savings. You see, the most economic offering is the 52 MPG A160 CDI. And even though that's uber-efficient, you just know that Mercedes USA would never bring that puny 82 HP oil-burner to our shores. What's more, even if Mercedes were to bring over the A-class, and even if we did like it, it may simply be too expensive to justify. In the UK, a current 2008 A 200 CDI 5-door starts at £19,710, which converts to nearly $40,000. The cheapest 3-door models are still about £13,500—over $27,000. But maybe we're wrong. What's your say? Do you want an A-Class?
[MotorAuthority, CarScoop]