Is the A-Class really a work of art?

You may recall the original version, a boxy car which was successful enough but not really in the Merc mould. It suffered an ambush by some European motor hacks who somehow contrived to make it topple over in the so-called elk test.

That's a swerving manoeuvre carried out for Scandinavian markets where such wildlife is abundant and where avoiding action is often required.

Anyway, the A-Class was swiftly swapped for the model we revere today, a car with all the elegance which was missing in the original. Now we have an A-Class worthy of the three-pronged badge.

I first saw it at a press driving day at the Wakefield gallery and was immediately impressed that Mercedes-Benz had accepted it had to rip it up and start again. Not many manufacturers have the guts for such radical action.

The result is stunning. The first new-look A-Class was good but the latest is sublime.

It is a car which fits better into the ranks. You might imagine starting off with this one and then moving upmarket via C-Class, E-Class and so on as funds or career progression allows.

I'm impressed. Plus points for this car are many - the ride and handling are brilliant, the engines are excellent and the cabin is arguably the best I've seen for the money. Mercedes-Benz - you can see why the brand inspires songs.

I'm not totally convinced with the access via the very narrow aperture of the front doors. And give me a real handbrake and gear lever in place of these computerised buttons. A week on and I'm still not properly got the hang of it.

But the cabin a glitzy, stunning set up which works fantastically well. The huge screen - one huge one divided into two sections - is fabulous and the switchgear has the quality you expect from Mercedes-Benz.

It looks like a work of art, from the upmarket upholstery to the engineered air vents which look like something of a fighter jet.

It is a sporty car, with a 0to 60mph time of 6.6 seconds yet because it is a hybrid you can in theory get 256.8mpg out of it. It can charge from zero to 100 per cent in 90 minutes and you can get 44 miles of electric-only driving.

At the heart of the cabin is a mouse-type affair which controls the radio, satellite navigation and other functions. It looks complicated but it is surprisingly easy to operate.

The car is spacious with lots of room, especially in the back seats, and it has a great boot of 310 litres rising to 1,125 litres with seats down.

This model is a sporty one but not outrageously so. It is neat and modest and there is very little by the way of AMG badging.