Since the launch of BMW 1 Series model, the hatchback segment in India has become all more competitive. The rivalry between Mercedes-Benz and BMW will now resume in the luxury small car segment with 1 Series taking on A-Class hatchback of its competitor, which made its debut in India in the recent past. Both the companies are actively marketing their hatchback cars as the lowest priced offering in the Indian car market. However, the path for BMW will not be easy as Mercedes-Benz has taken away first mover advantage in this segment by launching its hatch long before BMW.
For its Indian operations, BMW has offered 1 Series offering in both petrol and diesel variants. The diesel variant is named as 118d and is equipped with a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder TwinPower turbocharged engine that churns out a peak power output of 143 bhp apart from attaining maximum torque of 320 Nm. As claimed by the company, this diesel variant glides from 0 to 100 kmph in just 8.6 seconds, besides reaching top speed of 212 kmph. Talking about the diesel engine of Mercedes-Benz A-Class, it has displacement of 2143 cc having 109 bhp and 250 Nm of torque. Considering this, the diesel engine of BMW 1 Series clearly phases out Mercedes-Benz A-Class in terms of performance.
While comparing the specifications of the petrol engines of both the vehicles, 1 Series gets the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine that generates a maximum power of 136 bhp while reaching a maximum torque of 220 Nm. This petrol motor is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, which transmits the power to the rear wheels. In case of Mercedes-Benz A-Class, the 4-cylinder 1.6-litre petrol engine derives power from its 122 bhp alongside the 200 Nm of torque. As evident above, even the petrol variant BMW 1 Series is much more powerful than the Mercedes-Benz A-Class.
In terms of pricing, 118d is is available in three trims namely Base, Sport Line and Sport, which are offered at respective prices of Rs. 22.9 lakh, Rs. 25.9 lakh and Rs. 29.9 lakh, respectively while Mercedes-Benz A180 CDI Style is offered at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 22.9 lakhs. 1 Series petrol version is offered at a aggressive price of Rs. 20.9 lakh and Mercedes-Benz A180 Sport comes at a price tag of Rs. 23.6 lakh. Again, BMW comes good in terms of pricing its car over Mercedes-Benz.
As claimed by the respective companies, the petrol version of A-Class gives a mileage of 15.5 kmpl whereas for BMW it stands at 16.28 kmpl. On the other hand, A180 CDI gives away 20.07 kmpl while BMW 1 Series returns 20.58 kmpl as per ARAI standards. So with identical statistics, not much can be differentiated between both the hatchbacks.
However, it is undoubted fact that BMW 1 Series is provided with extra set of features as compared to Mercedes-Benz A-Class. But to name a few features, the latest offering of BMW is provided with fog lamps, engine start/stop button, rear parking sensors, a music player having AUX support, six airbags and Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) in the base trim level. While the top-end variant gets 118d Sport Plus comes along features like keyless entry system, rear air conditioning vents and a sunroof.
A place where Mercedes-Benz A-Class enjoys its lead over BMW is the designing aspect. A-Class is based on the Modular Front Architecture (MFA), which was recently adopted by the company on its models like B-Class and upcoming CLA. As compared to BMW 1 Series, the car of Mercedes-Benz gets a sportier appearance with its attractive front fascia and flashy daytime running lights. To put things into overall perspective, BMW 1 Series is a better option opposed to Mercedes-Benz A-Class but still it will be interesting to see how the latter performs considering the fact that A-Class has enjoyed a tremendous response till now from the Indian car buyers.
