We all know real-world economy sometimes falls far off the official fuel consumption, so when I saw the A-Class had a 74.3mpg combined figure, I wasn’t expecting to get near it.

But I have actually come quite close, achieving 65mpg on longer journeys.

The only problem is that it is a real effort to drive ‘economically’ as the A-Class is just too much fun to drive.

The steering is well weighted and there is plenty of pull available at lower gears.  It cruises well at motorway speeds and there is little noise from the engine.

Also, the interior is comfortable and the technology is so easy to use that even my seven-year-old nephew had no problems navigating around the entertainment system to find more ‘appropriate’ music to listen to (One Direction!).

The interior trim is luxurious and there are a few useful touches like storage space for my sunglasses in the roof lining.

However, there are a few niggles.

The novelty of the seatbelt tightening when the key is inserted is slightly annoying now and the satellite navigation can, at times, leave it quite late to give instructions which has resulted in a few wrong turns and exits being missed.

But I am clutching straws to find faults. The A-Class is a great all-rounder and I am yet to find something I really do not like about it.