BMW v Mercedes v Audi v VW: Which luxury small car is BEST?

Thanks to everyone for lending us cars for this video:

When it comes to luxurious small family cars, it doesn’t get better than the Mercedes A-Class, Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Volkswagen Golf.

The question is if you’re in the market for a car such as this, which should you go for? Well thankfully Mat’s got his hands on all four and he’s going to put them all to the test!

So let’s take a look at how the four compare. Starting with the Mercedes, it’s recently had a mid-life facelift, so it comes with a few changes compared to the original 2018 release. There’s a redesigned lower bumper, a bigger grille, and a new steering wheel on the inside. Apart from the clearly fake exhausts around the back, it looks pretty smart, and the infotainment & digital dial display is easily the best of the four cars here. When it comes to price, the range kicks off at £32,000.

Next up we have the Audi, which comes with a cheaper starting price than the Mercedes, at £27,000. When it comes to the design it looks pretty smart from the outside, with a huge grille up front which is flanked by two sharp, well-designed headlights. There are creases around the side, and it looks relatively plain around the back. Step inside and although the infotainment system is quite good, there are lots of scratchy plastics to be found throughout the cabin.

The BMW’s next in line, and it has one thing no other cars here have - real exhaust tips on show! All-in-all the 1 Series looks quite smart on the outside, although we’re not a fan of the grille up front Thankfully though the interior quality makes up for this, with high-quality materials found throughout the cabin along with a high-quality infotainment system on the dash. However, the same can’t be said for the digital dials, which seem a bit basic and dark. When it comes to price, the 1 Series kicks off at around £28,000.

Then finally we have the cheapest car here, with the Golf range starting at around £26,500. On the outside, it’s unmistakably a Golf, and although we really like the design around the rear and side, we think the front end could be the worst-looking of the four cars here! Thankfully the interior looks really smart and clean, but these looks come at a price, with nearly all functionality coming through the infotainment screen… What’s so wrong with physical buttons?!

So can you pick a winner, or are the four too evenly matched? Let us know which you would pick in the comments, or stick around and join Mat for this all-new group test!

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:31 Prices
01:27 Design
04:24 Interiors
08:13 Back Seats
11:06 Boots
13:47 Driving - VW Golf
15:13 Driving - Audi A3
16:31 Driving - BMW 1 Series
17:55 Driving - Mercedes A-Class
19:04 Verdict

[carwow]

Which of these cars is best? VOTE BELOW!

[fatbelly]

I didn't realise VW had become so expensive compared to equivalent German models. And in that colour the Golf looks like it's still waiting for its top coat.

[michaelstaunton]

Finally a car test with normal regular vehicle in the real world and not from top end of market !

[TechBaffle]

The Mercedes won because Mat worked on his relationship with the car 😂

[Prof.Dr.Diagnose]

What i love on my 1 Series is, that there's a dedicated place for the parcel shelf. Sounds like a minor point, but i wouldn't want to miss it anymore. Other than that, it suits my driving style and my requirements on a car perfeclty.

[rjadiemen]

Can we just appreciate the fact that the Golf has a spare wheel

[gcm]

Let’s not forget that VW are bringing back physical buttons in the Golf which should lift the practicality of the interior.

[Troy-McLore]

Just had an A Class for a week whilst my C was in for work, I was actually impressed. It's a good car.

[MaxFiveGames]

So Mercedes won because it has the worst suspension, the worst trunk size and the worst interior quality. Great thx Matt.

[SECTUERANS]

Hi I bought the Audi A3 35 TFSi S Line 6 speed in May 2023. In my eyes it is just brilliant. It replaced my 66 plate Audi A1 1.4 TFSi a complete different world altogether. Love Audi because they just look great.

[dean]

Ordered my A3 S-Line today with help from this video, thanks.

[BkSMedia]

Would love to see the German hatchbacks duke it out with the Japanese/Korean hatchbacks for proper consumer advice.

[Dr.Bob]

We own a 1 series, without the M package the ride is great and there’s no tire noise, best car I’ve owned thus far! Purists will nag that it’s fwd, but for a daily driver it rides and steers great, comfort on long journeys is impressive and so is the economy.

[neb]

I don’t quite understand how the Mercedes is still on top given the “facelift” which has made the car worse, and with the price being almost 5k more than the Audi and BMW.

[SidulTube]

BMW v Mercedes v Audi v VW: Mobil kecil mewah mana yang TERBAIK? saya suka yang warna kuning

[ronit]

It’s incredible to me that after half a century of kinda modern cars we still haven’t solved the back seats, comfort problems.

[Dannyjones]

Just sold my 21 plate BMW M135i but it was definitely the best car I've ever owned. Quality service from start to finish x

[nevillewilliams]

Matt I know that you have a thing about fake exhausts and I fully agree with you. I would like to point out that I have a 2014 CLS and can guarantee that both exhausts produce emission!

[paultasker]

Got that 1.5tsi Dsg in my golf 7 and agree with all the comments. It can move briskly but there is a 1 second lag between pressing the throttle and acceleration. Seems by the others to be a common small turbo trait. And also the Dsg tends to pick high gears to boost economy. It's a very good everyday engine feeling brisk enough, fairly economical and quiet when you're not thrashing it. However it's not a fun engine. If you really push it gets loud as if it's saying please drive me normally! The 1.4 tsi was a little nicer in that regard and the 1.6 turbo in our other car, a 2012 mini cooper S manages to avoid the turbo lag and the harsh noise. It begs you to drive it quickly although again use the midrange grunt rather than rev it to the red line. Was probably much easier then with less emissions targets.

[Rayfano]

Personally I like this configuration of the 1-series very much! It is better with this black grille. But the overall exterior of the A class (except for the exhaust pipe)