Had a wander around a few dealers today while I was waiting for mine to be serviced. Amongst others I had my first proper look at the Merc A class and BMW 1 series.
The A class was a definite no for me. I just don't like the overall shape and although the interior is impressive from the tech point of view, it felt too fussy for in-car use. Maybe a huge screen across the dash is something you would get used to but it just looks wrong to me.
The new 1 series was much more impressive. They had a M135 in the showroom in a metallic grey not too dissimilar to Daytona, maybe a bit lighter, and the big kidney grille didn't stand out against that colour like it does on the blue press cars. The whole car looked spot on IMO. It definitely looks way better in the metal, especially in that colour, than in the pics . The interior was very nice too, had the tech but still looked like a proper car dash. Build quality felt good the doors and boot shut with a nice solid thud. The boot seemed to be as big as in my Sportback.
The 1 series is now definitely on the list of possible next cars for me.
