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The Bottom Line: Literally everyone who is saying the word Mercedes today is actually pointing to Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes is the commonly used brand name that people know, but the company actually is Mercedes-Benz. The partnership dates back to 1901. It all started when Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler started their partnership.
It is generally acknowledged that the first really practical automobiles with petrol / gasoline powered internal combustion engines were completed almost simultaneously by several German inventors working independently. Carl Benz built his first automobile in 1885 in Mannheim.
On January 29, 1886, Carl Benz applied for a patent for his “vehicle powered by a gas engine.” The patent – number 37435 – may be regarded as the birth certificate of the automobile. In July 1886 the newspapers reported on the first public outing of the three wheeled Benz Patent Motor Car, called model no.1. A footnote in history is that Gottlieb Daimler sold the world's first truck, also in 1886. Their first automobile together was sold in 1892.
Emil Jellinek was an entrepreneur who worked with the Daimler Motors Corporation and helped create the Mercedes 35 hp motor car in 1900. Jellinek named the new car after his daughter, Mercedes Jellinek, and trademarked the Mercedes name in 1902. They built and sold around 1,200 cars over several years and this car is considered to be the first production line automobile.
The Mercedes Benz brand was born under a lucky star, with the current trademark comprising a three pointed star in a laurel wreath, which was created in 1925. It was just in time for the merger between Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie, which together became know as Daimler-Benz AG in the summer of 1926.
Fast forward 93 years to 2019 and Mercedes-Benz world wide sales led to a record 2,339,562 cars sold. At the same time, Mercedes-Benz maintained its leading position among the luxury car brands, for the fourth year in a row. Mercedes-Benz is a German globalautomobile marque, and a division of Daimler AG. We all know Mercedesis best known for their luxury passenger vehicles. Plus Mercedes-Benz also sells a full range of light and heavy duty tractors, vans, trucks, buses and coaches.
Mercedes cars are also known for their luxury appointments, and high prices. They sell several models that cost over $100,000, and go past $250,000. For example, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Maybach base MSRP manufactures suggested retail price is $173,000, plus options. Lots and lots of options.
But you have to start somewhere, and the Mercedes A-Class sedan is the least expensive car in the Mercedes-Benz lineup today. The base price is only $32,800, and you get a surprisingly luxurious interior for the money. This week Mercedes sent me a 2020 Mercedes Benz A220 2.0L Turbo Sport Sedan to test drive and review. As always with Mercedes, it's the options, that make the car stand out.
This 2020 A220 Sport Sedan starts at $32,800. Then you add the Denim Blue Metallic paint for $720, and the Bahia Brown Leather interior for $1,450. This combo is a two tone brown leather and brushed stainless steel trim interior that is just stunning. The Denim Blue Metallic paint job looks like a fresh pair of brand new Levi's jeans. The colors blend in, and align just right, to make this car look and feel extremely comfortable, inside and out.
That just starts the list. The optional equipment and value added packages total a whopping $12,310, plus the paint and leather for $2,170, and that adds up to $14,480 in options alone. The total MSRP window sticker price, including the $995 destination charge, came to: $48,275. So how did we get from $32 Grand to $48 Grand? Let me count the ways.
As stated, Mercedes-Benz builds cars with a nice base price, and let's you add what ever you want in Performance, Comfort and Multimedia packages. You get to decide what you want to have, in your brand new car. As Mercedes is the master in valued added packages, here are the options listed on the A220's window sticker.
The AMG Sport Steering Wheel for $360, a set of AMG Black multi-spoke 19" Alloy wheels for $800, heated and ventilated front seats for $1,030, Dynamic Body Control for $850, SiriusXM Radio for $460, 64 Color Interior Ambient lighting for $310, the wireless charging pad for $200, the Driver Assistance package for $2,250, the Exterior Lighting package for $900, the Multimedia package for $1,150, the Night Exterior trim package for $400, the AMG Body Styling package for $1,950, and the Premium Digital Media package for $1,650. These option packages total up to: $12,310, plus the $720 paint job, and the $1,450 leather interior upgrade, for a grand option total of: $14,480.
To get the performance job done it has a 2.0L liter inline 4 cylinder Turbo engine with 188 HP horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque, mated to a 7 speed DCT automatic transmission with steering wheel paddle shifters, and an ECO start and stop engine system to save gas.
The fuel economy numbers are 24 MPG miles per gallon city, 35 MPG highway, with a combined average of 28 MPG. Great overall gas mileage numbers for a Turbo engine Sport Sedan. The Greenhouse gas emissions are 6 out a 10 best, and the smog rating is a 5 out of 10 best. Again good numbers for a Sport Sedan with a Turbo engine and AMG upgrades.
Now that you have one of the best looking and driving A220 sport sedans that Mercedes can build, how does it drive? The car has the turbo power to make it go fast, AMG brakes that can stop on a dime, a suspension that handles like it's on tracks, and it looks fantastic in Blue Denim and Brown Leather. This car hits all the sweet spots, all at the same time, and does it for less than $48,300.
This is the lowest priced, entry level, Mercedes Benz sedan with enough performance, comfort, technology and safety options to match and beat the competition in it's class.
There is no other car company that has the prestige, loyalty and pedigree that Mercedes-Benz infuses into every car they build, and sell, worldwide. That's the Mercedes way.
Start the process with the best car, at the best price, to introduce the buyer to the brand, and then make them a life long customer. This mission statement has worked for Mercedes for well over 100 years now, and it looks to be on the right track for the next 100 years too. A word to the wise is sufficient. Stay Smart, Stay Safe, and Just Breathe.
Remember “You Are What You Drive ©”
And maybe, just for those reasons alone, you should “Drive one, Buy one, Today ©”.
This Bottom Line Review is provided by: Tony Leopardo © AutoWire.Net.
"Tony the Car Guy” is an automotive writer, editor and publisher in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you have a question, or comment for Tony, send it to tonyleo@pacbell.net or visit AutoWire.Net at www.autowire.net
Column Name: You Are What You Drive - A Bottom Line Review
Topic: The 2020 Mercedes Benz A220 2.0L Turbo Sport Sedan
Word Count: 1,250
Photo Caption: The 2020 Mercedes Benz A220 2.0L Turbo Sport Sedan
Photo Credits: Mercedes Benz Internet Media
Series number: 2020 - 20
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2020 Mercedes Benz A220 2.0L Turbo
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