Mercedes-Benz A-Class

The 2021 Mercedes-AMG A45 S hyper hatch proves not everything from AMG needs a V8. Good things can come in small packages.

The smallest model in the Mercedes range is more luxurious than ever before, but comes with a high price.

James gets a chance to sample the manic Mercedes-AMG A45 S without speed limits, and with a new set of sticky tyres.

The A35 sedan isn’t just worthy of the AMG badge, but one of the strongest representatives in Mercedes-Benz’s large fleet of compact models.

The software fault could cause a loss of power steering control, according to the recall notice.

The end of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatch has been pushed to 2026, from as soon as this year.

Independent safety ratings for some of Australia's top-selling new models have expired from today.

Although it's the car giant’s top-selling compact passenger car, the Mercedes A-Class won't be replaced when the current car reaches its end.

Pushing the pedal to the metal in a spanking new Mercedes-AMG E63 S down Mount Panorama’s Conrod Straight with the speedo counter nudging 250km/h might seem like a silly thing to do on a Monday morning, but to any car enthusiast worth their salt, it’s quite literally the Holy Grail.

Having purchased this car brand new 6 years ago I can say that this car has been great and I still love it today. Back in 2013 there was an 8 month wait for these cars and Mercedes couldn’t make them fast enough. It was a new model, new shape with lots of great tech, what wasn’t to like? It seemed like everyone wanted one, fast forward several years and now they are very common cars on the road, Mercedes-Benz’s gamble paid off, the A class was a hit with the younger generation and it’s a car that still appeals to many buyers today. I optioned mine with the AMG Package (18” Wheels, body styling, sports suspension, black mirrors, AMG brake callipers), Command Package (DAB+ digital radio, Harman Kardon 12 speaker stereo and larger screen) and the Driving Assistance Package (Blind Spot assist, Lane keeping assist and DISTRONIC plus). Although these options made the wait longer for the car, they were well worth it and 6 years on the car has plenty of up-to-date tech in it for my day-to-day drives. The A250 has a great engine, it’s zippy around town and this car pretty much drives itself on the highway. Selecting Sport mode the car springs to life, the exhaust is more noisy and the it holds gears for longer. The DISTRONIC system combined with cruise control controls all your speed and will automatically brake for you when you come too close to another car. It’s great in bumper-to-bumper traffic and on the highway. The car drives beautifully and it’s well built, you feel very safe in it. The gear selector is up out of the way which leaves lots of storage throughout the centre console, I love this but it might not appeal to all buyers. The interior lighting is great, with lights under the rear of front seats so the rear passengers can see their footwell, there are also lights under the headrests and also in the door handles. Opening the front driver and passenger doors you are greeted by a Mercedes-Benz sign in the door sill which lights up… it’s a bit naff but it’s a nice touch. The sunroof really compliments the interior and is a must for me in every car now. I’ve always been a big fan of the Mercedes-Benz Command system, there is no touch screen but I don’t miss it, the wheel/selector in the centre console works really well and the car also has voice recognition for your everyday functions. Plus, no touchscreen means no grubby fingerprints on the screen. A noticeable feature lacking when I purchased this car was keyless entry, thankfully this is now available on the current generation A class. Having owned this car for 6 years now, it does have it’s faults, some faults I hope have been addressed in the current generation of this car. The ride is on the firm side, it’s actually too firm, you really feel every bump in the road. This is fine for driving short distances but if you are doing long drives each day I would imagine it’s not very pleasant. Also the front seats could be better. Again, fine for short trips but on longer trips the seats become uncomfortable, there just isn’t enough support and you feel like you are sitting on a bench seat. I am sure every article on this car will mention the rear seat room, don’t every try to get tall people in the back, if you do make sure it’s a short trip. The rear boot space isn’t great either. Now, the 3 biggest problems with the car. 1) There is no spare tyre! You don’t even get a jack! All you get is some liquid puncture repair kit that uses an air compressor to spray the liquid goo into the wheel. Having had a flat tyre in this car it’s cheaper to call someone out to fix the tyre than to use this repair kit as it’s about $140 to replace the kit. Ridiculous. I will never buy a car without a spare tyre again. 2) The turning circle is terrible! Not great when you are driving inner city Sydney. 3) The transmission isn’t great. Selecting reverse takes far too long to kick in when you are trying to do 3 point turns and generally it’s really laggy when you are at low speeds, it gets confused and doesn’t know which gear to select so you have to put your foot down in order to force it to make a decision. I was lucky enough to be part of the corporate programme for the first 3 years while owning this car, something new buyers should definitely look into. You get a reduction on the dealer delivery fee, free servicing for 3 years, 4 years road care and complimentary pick-up and drop-off when your car is due for a service. They come out to your work/home, pickup your car, take it away for the service and then bring it back when it’s all done. Perfect if you don’t need your car for the day when you are at work. Overall it’s a great car, it does have its flaws but for me and my daily commutes it’s a great little car. There is lots of storage, the electric front seats are heated which is heaven in winter, a noticeable omission is an option for ventilated from seats, an option which us Aussie’s would appreciate. The car will reverse park itself, the system has never failed and I’m so reliant on this now I feel I couldn’t reverse park manually if I tried. Servicing isn’t cheap but it’s not exorbitant either, it’s a Merc so you will pay for that privilege.

2015 Mercedes A45 (Pre-facelift) review The A45, once a king of ‘hyper hatches’, has been on the market for almost 6 years. Much has changed since then – the facelifted Audi RS3 in 2017, the Ford Focus RS in 2016, and even Mercedes’ own upcoming W177 A35 and A45. The competition has brought not only even more engine performance to the table, but also improvements in technology and luxury. Yet despite these changes, the pre-facelift A45 is still able to hold its weight against these newer giants. Let’s delve into the details to see why I still love my A45. Background I bought this 2015 A45 second-hand from a dealership, at a very low mileage of 2,800kms. Fortunately, the previous owner was a car collector who helped run the car in. Given the low mileage, the car was still new, inside and out. My previous car was an automatic 2014 Subaru STI hatchback (shared with my own mother, who didn’t want manual). While handling was superb, the power department was sorely lacking due to a detuned spec, since Subaru doesn’t make strong automatic transmissions for shame. The A45 seemed like a natural evolution from the STI as another turbo 4 with all-wheel drive. Exterior design The pre-facelift A45 harkens back to Mercedes’ former design language –an era of cars returning to aggressive lines and edges, which was exemplified by the C63. The W176 was a radical departure the previous W169 design, which really was a sore reminder of Mercedes’ disastrous marriage with Chrysler. My A45 is fitted with the optional aerodynamic pack, which includes little spoilers on the front bumper, and a rear wing that would normally be suited for a JDM racer. Whether or not these bits of aero are actually useful is questionable, however, styling-wise it makes the car really stand out amongst all the other compact Euros on the road. Many of my (millennial) friends have commented that they enjoy the look of it as it adds to the ‘sportiness’ of the car. Lol. The headlights are fitted with bi-xenons, with LEDs for daytime running lights (DRLs). Visibility is great at night, however, the individual LEDs make the lights look outdated compared to modern LED DRLs found on most cars now. The rear diffuser on the pre-facelift is bland. If I could be bothered, I would retrofit the facelifted diffuser, which has a significantly more aggressive appearance. I have changed out the original wheels for facelift black AMG wheels, found on most AMGs from 2016 onwards. The original wheels on the car were silver, which made it a nightmare to maintain due to brake dust that accumulated so quickly. Plus, the new styling helped add to some of the aggressive styling. Interior The interior of the A45 has elicited a wide range of responses from my friends. This has varied from impressive and luxurious, to over-the-top and gaudy. At the time of purchase, I felt the interior looked great, predominantly due to the Recaro bucket seats that come standard in Australia. Fast forward to 2019, and the infotainment system feels and looks quite dated, even against Audi’s virtual cockpit and especially due to the new MBUX system in the new A Class. The flat-bottomed steering wheel has a nice chunkiness to it. The alcantara is a nice-touch when brand new, but quickly turns into a disgusting mess after a few thousand kms. The gear-shifter paddles are constructed from solid aluminium, which is nice to touch when cool, but horrible if it’s been sitting in the sun. One last note: the leather in the A45 is Artico leather, Mercedes’ own fake leather. Great for animals, not so great for suppleness. Despite this, it has held up very well over time in my car over 37,000 kms. I would note that early 2013 models had issues with seats deforming very quickly, which was covered under warranty at the time. In the boot, available space is… limited to say the least. This is to be expected from a compact hatchback, but there are many times where I wish the rear opening was wider. This is rectified in the new W177 A class, where the taillights have now been split into two to allow a wider opening. Despite these sizing challenges, I have successfully used the A45 on numerous occasions to help friends move house. Drivetrain The M133 2.0L inline-four was (and still is) a great engine. Power in the pre-facelift was rated at 265kw and 450Nm, which was bumped up to 280kw and 475Nm in the facelift. On a MAHA dynamometer, my A45 pulled roughly 280kw and 458Nm peak torque at the engine. This equated to 223kw at the wheels. AMG tuned the A45 to be incredibly linear, mimicking a naturally-aspirated engine. The transmission is a 7-speed dual-clutch, in-house designed by Mercedes. The pre-facelift has slightly taller gear ratios compared to the facelift, which partly explains its slower 0-100 times. When pushing on the throttle at high RPMs, the car shifts extremely quickly, whether upshifting or downshifting. Mercedes has also included a nifty function to jump to the lowest gear when you hold onto the downshift paddle. This means you can suddenly jump down from 6th to 3rd gear on the highway with a single press, rather than frantically jamming it multiple times. Around the city at low speeds, the car is rarely jerky from a standstill when driven in Comfort mode. The problem is that at lower RPMs, the box is slow to respond to manual gear changes as it spends a long time figuring out how to obey your commands. On hills and steep slopes, the box sometimes has difficulty engaging 1st gear quickly, which leads to a soul-crushing few seconds of clutch grinding. Sometimes a stick-shift really is better. Exhaust The A45 has a typical exhaust note of many inline-4s, as seen on the Golf R, Audi S3, Mistubishi Evo and Honda Civic Type-R. Unlike the latter 2 JDM examples, the exhaust note is significantly more refined without sounding like a cannon strapped on. What defines the A45 from all others though, is the crackles and pops that AMG has tuned into the exhaust system from stock. In Sport and Manual mode, you will get magnificent sounds when letting your foot off the throttle, and terrific *cracks* when you upshift on full throttle. The only shame is that the exhaust is completely beaten by the Audi RS3, both in note and decibels. Whenever I hear one on the road, I always tell my beating heart to be still… Handling The A45 initially came with Pirelli P-Zeros, which held well in the dry, but had somewhat sketchy handling in the wet and poor longevity. They were replaced at the 18,000km mark by Michelin Pilot Sport 4Ss, which have lasted extremely well. The only difference is that steering feedback feels relatively muted compared to the P-Zeros mid-corner, which reduces confidence slightly. Thankfully, the car did not come equipped with the optional performance suspension, as it would have shattered my spine on Sydney’s atrocious roads. Around corners, the car remains very planted, and the electro-mechanical steering provides enough feedback to know what’s going on beneath you. The unfortunate thing with the A class is that it was designed as a front-wheel drive car first – the engine hangs off the front axle and weight distribution is heavily biased towards the front (61/39). This isn’t helped by the Haldex-type 4matic drivetrain, as the rear wheels only engage in certain scenarios. As a result, experience driving a FWD car will help you drive the A45 quickly around bends. Compared to the auto STI, the Scooby has a relatively more rear-biased drivetrain, with a permanent power distribution of 45/55 between front and rear. This creates a noticeable difference between the two cars around bends, with the STI having a slightly stronger sensation of being pushed from behind, unlike the A45 where you feel the front wheels pulling you out. Whether or not this is a good thing is ultimately up to preference, as both cars will hold their own on a tight circuit. Maintenance Throughout the last 2.5 years of ownership, the car has been simple to maintain and service. The first three years was under capped pricing, which helped to keep maintenance in check. However, outside of the warranty period, things such as changing differential oils, gearbox fluid etc. will be quite costly at the dealership. When it comes to brakes, they have oddly lasted me extremely long – at over 37,000 kms, the wear indicator has not been triggered yet. I will be upgrading to aftermarket brake pads in due time, as this will help drastically reduce brake dust. Conclusion The A45 still makes for a great car to drive – it is still brilliant both in terms of power delivery and handling. The only downside is that technology has suddenly improved so drastically in the last 6 years, with new infotainment systems and aesthetics that leave the old W176 in the dust. Despite this, the drivetrain and package ensures that I still have a huge smile on my face every time I drive.

George (“Dubya’) Bush once quipped: “There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.” I pondered such wisdom when I bought my second A class, although this time a W169 (or is that a ‘Dubya 169’) A170 instead of a W168 A160. In 2008 I bought a 1999 A160 – the W168 which was the same model that failed the ‘moose test’ by rolling onto its side – and it was so horribly bad it made me swear I never to buy another A class. Which I didn’t until, that is, I did. You see, for all the W168’s awfulness it had one redeeming quality. My wife liked it. She liked its compact size in parking, the fact it was a Benz, and that it wasn’t too ostentatious. She liked it so much this meant, when the automatic box was about to pass away to mechanical heaven, we coerced the car to a Mercedes Benz dealership in Sydney around 2010 and traded it in the next model; the W169 A170 that I still own and which is my daily workhorse. The W169 A class is a compact hatch and while it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing shape**; it’s one with tremendous ability to park in small spaces and still seat 4 adults – 5 at a pinch if the back passengers don’t mind being friendly (** actually, it’s shape is not that displeasing either. It seems to be one that never catches the eyes and renders that car more invisible than, say, a corolla). The driver and passengers sit high as the car utilises a sandwich floor plan concept where, in a frontal collision, the engine is designed to slide below the passenger cell. It has 8 airbags, two of which need replacing due to the Takata recall, and is far safer than the old W168. With ABS, traction control, electronic stability control, EBD and a funky parabolic rear suspension (“leaf suspension by any other name…”), this is a car that’d not only miss the moose, but kiss it on the way past. Of course, after having offended said moose the A class’s lack of acceleration would mean the oversized deer would catch the car quickly. However, despite its pasty 85kW and 0-100km/h time of 10.9 seconds, I’ve won many of my (so-called) ‘traffic light drags’ – primarily due to the fact no one else realised they were in a ‘race’. I wouldn’t condone such activity in any other car except an A170 since, if you trying to accelerate it like crazy, this usually means a modest pace off the lights and keeping up with traffic. The current model has, of course, the delightful A45 AMG in its line up, but I doubt even the wizards at Aufrecht Melcher Großaspach would be able to coax excitement out of my W169. What else could be coupled to such a powerhouse engine? Why, a CVT of course. There’s enough drone that someone good with the bagpipes could probably mimic it, but it also allows – via the gear shift knob – for seven pseudo gears. The ultimate irony beyond all of this is a button labelled ‘C/S’, which is for comfort or ‘sport’. Sport, in this instance, means it may hold onto the higher RPMs a bit longer in order for you, say, overtake… if you were so inclined to take your life in your hands. One thing in the W169’s favour is its rear parabolic spring suspension which, truthfully, is far better than it should be and which can be quite a lot of fun. This may also be due to “progressive rate dampers”, but I’ve not noticed them (which, one may argue, is the value of being ‘progressive’!) The W169’s interior is a major step up from the previous model. It’s difficult to describe the W168’s awful interior except imagine the hardest plastic known… and then layer it everywhere in a car’s interior. The W169, by comparison, is delightful. Sure, there are some hard plastics, but it takes most of its design cues off the W204 C class at the time. The infotainment system is dated by today’s standards, yet still manages to connect to the telephone by BlueTooth (if you’ve purchased an additional MB dongle, however), and has Sat-Nav using a map information on a DVD that Mercedes decided to stop updating post 2010. There is a six CD changer and a auxiliary connector for iPods, but no USB port. The centre console has a useful LED display, for example in navigation despite the old map data, and there’s a single climate control. The seats are manually adjustable with a primitive lumbar support, and the steering wheel adjusts for rake and reach. Steering is accurate, although unexciting, and there are controls on the steering wheel for the centre console, telephone and volume. Handy, to be honest. Finally, there are automatic wipers, although they are sometimes fooled when driving beneath the shadows of trees. However, this improved interior is let down by the ‘all-in-one’ stalk off the steering wheel that controls indicators (up for right, down for left), the automatic wipers (twist one part), the rear wiper (twist another), and high beam. Thankfully, the cruise control is on a separate stalk, which feels remarkable thin and fragile; but this is on the same side as the main stalk and I occasionally mixed them up in the beginning. The main light controls are a dial, with an automatic option, and the interior mirror automatically dims. But before you think that Mercedes has completely cast off the cheapskate image of its disastrous merger with Chrysler, there is one curious cost saving that should not have made it to the cabin’s ergonomics. The dial to control the light is lit, but the light options surrounding it are not. I search on several MB forums and found this cost cutting happened even as far as the E class of the period. Come on MB! The passenger experience is one a companies should target. I can image, for the cost of a few LEDs, that this may a decision point in purchasing, say, an X3 instead of a GLC; as one may ask if a company cost saves in the visible area, then where else? In contrast, all the BMWs, VWs and Audis I’ve driven from the period with dial controls also have the actual selection lit. The hatchback nature of the car makes it useful and the fact you can fold down (or even remove, if I read the manual correctly) the rear seats does allow it surprising utility. It is also quite frugal on the fuel, with my latest lead-footing only consuming (on average) 8L/100km. Servicing is reasonable, although the next one will see the entire front drive shafts replaced because of weeping CV joints (apparently they are a unit, despite my deep, deep suspicions otherwise), and the intervals are about 15,000km. Tyres are inexpensive, costing last year about $130 per tyre for Pirellis, and wear well. The brakes are disc and seem to be holding up well too. For a car this age, I now take it to a good independent mechanic instead of MB… there’s a story there, which I shan’t go into suffice to say my wallet eventually recovered. The final chapter for this car, on which both children learnt to drive by touch, is that it’s going to middle child for university once the airbag is replaced. Despite being a decade old, it’s still a safe model compared with other cars of its age and allows easy parking, especially in Sydney. Its frugal and, provided one realises the ageing nature of its Sat-Nav data, an excellent run about. Will I miss it? Probably. Will I buy the current A class to replace it? Remains to be seen. At this stage I believe it’s my last A class Benz, but, you know, I’ve had that feeling before. What’s that adage? Fool me once…?

It's 5pm on a Sunday evening in the Victorian Alpine Region. The golden sunlight is glistening in through the snow gums; falling softly on to the black road. Rounding the bend the 381hp, 475nm A45 AMG engine begins to snarl and growl as the right foot is eased into the carpet. "What a sound!" I begin to think as the rev's build. All from a turbo charged four cylinder engine, who would've thought.. A quick flick up on the aluminium paddle and the fun continues again all the way up to a touch over 6000rpm. Bang! The exhaust explodes on the upshift as you begin to listen to this sweet mechanical gear box sound. Changing gear like a transformer shifting state when going from 2nd to 3rd. I arrive at the top of the mountain expecting the firework theatrics to cause all of Victoria police to be waiting for me. "No fun for you!"(Soup Nazi). Thankfully no one but the cold mountain air and a few rabbits are around to greet me. Surely this amount of enjoyment can't be legal, but it is. For $78,000 I managed to secure myself a 2017.5 A45 AMG Yellow Night Edition with 26km on the clock and Dunlop Sportmaxx TT tyres. Ever since 2014 when I watched Chris Harris drive the original gen one A45 around the track on youtube I wanted one of these machines. Four years later and If I'm frank, stretched the wallet a little bit I can finally say I own one. I'll start firstly with trying to address your question of 'why' did I buy the A45. To answer this, I believe it's best found in reviewing it's closest rivals, VW Golf R, Ford Focus RS, Audi RS3 and BMW M2. I shall try to keep my thoughts on these other cars brief to my own experiences as this is a review on the A45, an honest owners review. I test drove the Golf R Gen 7/7.5 (friends and dealer vehicles), Ford Focus RS (dealer), BMW M2 (dealer), not the Audi RS3. To start with the Golf, the rumble of the exhaust sounds mean and muscular, the seats are super comfortable and the interior is slick and ergonomic. However, it felt compromised by it's main target buyer. It's 'IMHO' families looking for a fun second car to compliment their family SUV, and in this I say perfect car for the job. But it's lead to the suspension feeling spongy(better on the 7.5) and if you rev it, it won't rev standing still past 4000rpm... And I thought this was a hot hatch?? The Golf R has lost it's fun factor, it's grown up a lot since it's university raspy six cylinder R32 days. It scored it's first job at one of the big four and wears a suit to work. You bump into it like an old friend at the pub you haven't seen in a few years. Sharing old stories about chasing girls, spray painting brake calipers and rocking obnoxiously loud exhausts because it was fun. You shake hands and say good bye, hoping to see them again one day. The Ford Focus RS was a real stand out, catching me totally unaware. The dealer one I test drove was black and had the wheel upgrade. My god shifting that thing was an experience. The acceleration feels faster than the A45 and before you know it, you have taken second and the 80km/hr speed limit is a thing of the past. I hear a curse and upset grumble underneath the breathe of the salesman sitting next to me as he cries "Mate keep it under 80!". This thing is on, it is definitely on. It feels very 'focused' pardon the pun, twitchy almost, ready to race and take on anyone. The RS would bring a knife to a gun fight and win. The shifter although in a great position was clunky with no feel. The major downside of the RS though and you know it's coming... Was the refinement. The interior went totally a miss, feeling rubbery and with cheap plastics. If VW can build a car with similar performance and price to the Ford Focus RS why does it not have the same level of comfort? The infotainment looked like something out of an 80's Atari game console, the game Pong has more resolution. Crap. I won't go into the recall on the head gasket debacle, but I felt the reliability probably wasn't there either. Next I drove the BMW M2 and to be honest I believe this may have been the best car out of them all, including the A45. I still think about that 3ltr turbocharger inline six cylinder engine. Revving that machine was like nothing else. It was so free spinning, just magical like only a six cylinder could be. It's analogue rev counter ripped up and down like a formula one car. It was comfortable, nice looks and sophisticated. However, who ever considers this a sports car for under a $100,000 is kidding themselves. Every one I looked at brand new was minimum 105K. It was too expensive for me and If do have one gripe is that the interior hasn't changed since my 1995 525i that I owned. But a superb machine none the less. The RS3 well, I never drove one. The interior was top notch with those diamond leather seats, #drool. The salesman down at Brighton Audi was rude and told me I couldn't afford one(probably true haha) and gave me a bad vibe. Having said this I have tracked and owned a number of Audi's and they have all been great cars. However, sitting in the white RS3 sedan I longed for the AMG down the road. The A45 is the one for me. All the others have certain individual points that were perhaps better than the A45. But overall the A45 covers them all off with poise and composure. I chose the Yellow Night Edition over a matt silver version with out the optional aerodynamic package. It looked great but the Yellow Night interior with it's yellow stitching and black exterior highlights was utterly lush. I love the fact that at night when unlocking the vehicle the lights flash orange and then a deep electric blue comes on fading into a white running light. So trick. It's the little details in the AMG series that AMG should be really proud of. The infotainment system is gorgeous, regardless of the 'ipad' look. As you switch modes the graphics are refined and unique. The touch points around the cabin are crisp and feel expensive. The aluminium is cold to touch and the leather is tight. You get plastic paddles in the RS3, yet beautifully crafted aluminium ones in the AMG that had a distinct thud when changing. Ciao Bella. On driving the AMG spiritedly, it grips and grips. It's not old school Porsche 944S2 feedback through the wheel but it's very good. The AWD 4MATIC system for me feels kinda front wheel drive when entering the turn, with a feeling that it may begin to understeer at times if pushed a bit too much. However, it may just be my lack of driver ability. Get it right though and the cliche 'on rails' comes to fruition. As the AWD lines you up on the exit to the turn, pick up the throttle and prepare the jump to light speed. The suspension and brakes are just right, allowing you to build and build your confidence as you pick up the pace. It truly is a remarkable machine when being pushed. Quickly on the downsides, it's expensive $28,000 on top of a Focus RS and Vdub R (could buy a Fiat Abarth as well), it's fuel consumption is probably worse than the Apollo Space Rocket during a launch sequences (which I assume the others are just as bad) and for some unknown reason the exhaust pipe tips are fake. The seating position is snug, I am 5ft 11 90kg, making my thigh get a cramp on long drives over 3hours. I've driven a touch over 4000km including a one way trip to Sydney and have averaged 9.9ltr/100km over the life of the vehicle. During the highway driving the best I saw it was 7.3ltr/100km at night 8deg. Driving hard look at 15-16. Practical, reverse camera is great, auto park is a useless feature which I've never use and safety features I can attest to involved in the driver assist package all work as advertised. Servicing is approx $550 first year, $1100 second and third years. Huge sunroof is lovely for summer drives. I hope you enjoyed the review, see you on the twisties!