OD Garage: Mercedes-Benz A-Class petrol fleet introduction
I'm in love with her â€"my long term companion, the A-Class! Every time I look at it, I don't mind living with that annoyingly stiff ride over bad roads, the irritating rattle from the seatbelt adjuster, the low ground clearance and the missing grunt from the turbo petrol. It is one of the best looking cars on Indian roads today and the good news is that it's going to be in the OD garage for some more time!
However, with such arresting looks, the wheels need to keep up too. This is one reason why the A-Class can be specified with various wheels. The standard wheels are a tad small but our car features a sportier 17-inch AMG style rim that wears a slightly low profile tyre. This aids in handling and ups the style quotient but then roads in Mumbai have only got worse after the monsoons. There are more potholes and broken patches,  as a result, both the front tyres recently developed a sidewall seperation in the form of a bubble. We immediately sent the car to the Mercedes-Benz service centre. Since there is no repair for such a problem, all four tyres had to be changed. The chaps at service were quick to replace them but the Continental tyres were replaced with Michelins. I must say the latter grip slightly better, however road noise has increased considerably.
The ride felt even more stiff initially but that was because the tyres were over inflated when the car came to us. With a slightly lower pressure, the ride is thankfully much better on broken roads and potholes. But as I write this report, the A is heading back to service once again. The brake pads already seem to be wearing out, unusual for a car that has clocked just a little over 12000km. More on this in my next report.