Fifteen years ago, Mercedes-Benz saw room below its traditional portfolio of rear-wheel-drive sedans for something different. A car tall but short of length, with power routed through the front wheels, provisions for alternative powertrains, and styling that wouldn鈥檛 tick the usual Benz boxes but instead would be funky and contemporary. The A-class was the result. Audi had a different idea. It would take a corporate front-wheel-drive platform, dress it up with familial and sleek styling, pack in a ton of gadgets, and sell it at a premium price. That car was, of course, the A3. The four-ringers鈥?idea was the better, much-copied one, and Mercedes-Benz has implicitly conceded defeat with its new, third-generation A-class. Mercedes鈥?CC (鈥淐 ompact Car鈥? architecture, which forms the basis of the A-class and will be shared with Infiniti, is decidedly conventional. Unlike with the innovative sandwich-floored first-gen A, there is no room to accommodate, say, a battery pack for hybrid or fully electric versions.

Fifteen years ago, Mercedes-Benz saw room below its traditional portfolio of rear-wheel-drive sedans for something different. A car tall but short of length, with power routed through the front wheels, provisions for alternative powertrains, and styling that wouldn鈥檛 tick the usual Benz boxes but instead would be funky and contemporary. The A-class was the result. Audi had a different idea. It would take a corporate front-wheel-drive platform, dress it up with familial and sleek styling, pack in a ton of gadgets, and sell it at a premium price. That car was, of course, the A3. The four-ringers鈥?idea was the better, much-copied one, and Mercedes-Benz has implicitly conceded defeat with its new, third-generation A-class. Mercedes鈥?CC (鈥淐ompact Car鈥? architecture, which forms the basis of the A-class and will be shared with Infiniti, is decidedly conventional. Unlike with the innovative sandwich-floored first-gen A, there is no room to accommodate, say, a battery pack for hybrid or fully electric versions.

Only the closely related B-class, which is taller and intended to be a people mover, can swallow a sizable battery pack, which will compromise interior space. Abandoning the previous model鈥檚 philosophy means the 2013 A-class isn鈥檛 the most spacious thing going. But there is plenty of room up front, even as it took us some experimenting to find a comfortable seating position. Neither the rear seats nor the trunk is particularly cavernous, but both will be large enough for most excursions or shopping trips. The all-four-cylinder A-class model lineup starts with the A180, which is available with diesel and gas-fired engines. Actually, the A180 offers a choice of two diesels, although it鈥檚 not much of a choice. The A200 likewise is available in diesel and petrol flavors. The latter has a 154-hp version of the 1.6-liter four. The A200 CDI uses a 134-hp, 1.8-liter OM651 that鈥檚 smooth and flexible, delivering its 221 lb-ft from 1600 to 3000 rpm.

It stormed up mountain roads with ease, rarely requiring a downshift below third gear. Only when you start to crest 100 mph does this midrange diesel lose steam. For European customers who plan to explore triple-digit territory with regularity, the A220 CDI and its 168-hp, 2.1-liter producing 258 lb-ft of torque is the better choice. This long-stroke variation of the OM651 is less polished and noisier than the 1.8, but those sins are sacrifices gladly made for the extra grunt. And even more twist is around the corner. A twin-turbo 2.1 diesel with roughly 200 hp and torque well over 300 lb-ft is a likely addition to the lineup; this engine is the one that will make it to U.S.-market Mercedes. It鈥檚 rated for 190 hp and 369 lb-ft in the GLK250 BlueTec that鈥檚 due here early next year. But twist isn鈥檛 the sole province of the A-class鈥檚 diesel engines: 258 lb-ft come courtesy of the gasoline-drinking 208-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged four in the A250. It鈥檚 this engine we鈥檒l see in the A-class derivatives headed our way, which include the swoopy CLA-class compact sedan, a crossover likely to be called the GLA, and potentially others. With our estimated 0-to-60-mph time of 6.5 seconds and a governed top speed of 150 mph, the A250 is decidedly high-po among its competitive set. But this is no wild bronco; the A250 piles on speed effortlessly and with cold precision.

With rear-wheel drive, the Jeep gets an EPA-rated 25 mpg combined (22 mpg city, 30 mpg highway), or 24 mpg combined (21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway) with four-wheel drive. Mercedes currently offers four diesel models, three of which use the same 2.1-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and seven-speed automatic transmission. The 2015 E250 BlueTec sedan features 195 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, and a choice of rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Rear-wheel drive models are rated at 33 mpg combined (28 mpg city, 42 mpg highway), while all-wheel drive models are rated at 31 mpg combined (27 mpg city, 38 mpg highway). The GLK250 BlueTec ML250 BlueTec SUVs both get a slight power bump to 200 hp, with mandatory all-wheel drive. They're rated at 28 mpg combined (24 mpg city, 33 mpg highway) and 25 mpg combined (22 mpg city, 29 mpg highway) respectively. The larger GL350 BlueTec uses a 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6, with 240 hp and 455 lb-ft.