Hatchbacks are not necessarily all that popular in the US as they are in Europe. As such, most European manufacturers don’t even offer their hatchback versions in the US. Mercedes is one of them because the A-Class hatchback can not be bought in the US which means that if you want it you will have to import one from Canada.
It’s exactly the same with the Audi A3 because you can only buy the sedan version of the A3 in the US. BMW’s small hatchback is called the 1-Series and you also can’t get one in the US. The only true Mercedes hatchback you can get in the US is the AMG GT 4-door which is not exactly compact.
Either way, we can still take a closer look at the A-Class because it is a fairly competitive small car. If you love the way the A-Class looks and you want the next best thing, be sure to check out the CLA-Class or the A-Class sedan because both of these are based on the A-Class hatchback and are similar in most aspects.
Europe has a completely different automotive culture when compared to the US which is obvious the moment you take a look at both the cars and the road infrastructure. Pick-up trucks are to the US what hatchbacks are to Europe.
Because not enough people are even interested in buying them. Europe was structured long before the US was which means that an average European city is a lot older when compared to an average city in the US. This means that the infrastructure in the US was built with cars in mind while old European cities were structured long before cars became a thing.
That’s why the US never had the need to downsize cars in order for them to be drivable in urban city environments. Furthermore, the US has a fairly strict safety policy when it comes to crash regulation which means that manufacturers have to spend a lot of money in order for their cars to satisfy those policies and thus be able to enter the US market.
This means that if a car is not popular enough, it makes no sense to sell it there because potential profits are not large enough. That’s the very same reason why Europe does not get pick-up trucks. They are inefficient and way too large for both an average European and an average European city.
Maybe, Mercedes, Audi, and BMW will eventually offer their hatchbacks to the US market, but only if it makes sense financially. A perfect example of how unpopular hatchbacks are in the US is the VW Golf which is one of the most popular cars as far as the European market is concerned while it barely manages to make sense in the US.
The Mercedes Benz A-Class sedan – Best Mercedes alternative for the A-Class hatchback
If you love both the size and the looks of the Mercedes Benz A-Class hatchback you can get the same experience with the A-Class sedan because both of these are built on the same platform. It is rather obvious that both of these A-Class models are competing for the same potential customer.
Between these two it makes more sense to go for the A-Class sedan because it does look a bit more premium while being equally as useful. Maybe the rear passenger space is a bit more generous with the hatchback, but a sedan simply feels more upmarket and Mercedes-like.
The entry-level A-Class sedan costs $33,950 which is a fairly reasonable price considering how luxurious this small automobile is. The 2.0L 4-cylinder engine on offer pushes out between 188-211hp and the torque on offer is ample for a luxurious and smooth ride.
The Mercedes Benz AMG GT 4-door – THE hatchback
If you love a practical hatchback and you love the Mercedes badge, chances are that you will also love the AMG GT 4-door hatchback. This model is available in a few different powertrains and all of which are potent and exciting with the AMG GT63 S being the most potent one with more than 640hp.
The AMG GT 4-door is technically a hatchback, so it fits within the Mercedes hatchback model range. It does more than a few A-Class sedans but if you can swing $136k, you are surely going to enjoy it.
FAQ Section
Are pick-up trucks coming to Europe?
Pick-up trucks have technically been in Europe ever since they were originally imagined. However, Europe only gets “small” pick-ups like the Ford Ranger or the Toyota Tundra for example. The Ford F-series was never available in Europe and is not likely going to be available in Europe for a long time.
Mercedes even tried to popularize the pick-up in Europe and try to steal stubborn US-made pick-up truck customers with the Mercedes Benz X-Class, but the X-Class can easily be considered as an epic fail because almost no one bought it.
Are small hatchbacks better than small sedans?
Last year I was shopping for a new car and the final two contenders were the Audi A3 Sportback and the Audi A3 Sedan. The differences between them are only in regards to one being a hatch and the other one being a sedan. In the end, I chose the sedan because I believe that it simply looks nicer and even drives nicer.
Sedans are simply more enjoyable because they are more refined and they make the car look way nicer. As such, small hatchbacks are a great idea for tight parking spaces and busy streets, but the reality is that the size differences between the Sportback and the Sedan were rather minimal.
Are small hatchbacks going extinct in the US?
It seems like the current atmosphere in US traffic trends is moving away from smaller hatchbacks more and more. VW is trying to sell the Golf in the US but it seems like they are not moving as many units as they have hoped for. As such, it’s reasonable to think that small hatchbacks might actually go fully extinct.
However, the dawn of the EV is upon us and many automakers are focused on making small EV hatchbacks which means that EV hatchbacks might even save the day if everything stays as it is.
