The A-Class didn’t get off to the best of starts.

Remember the elk test? Whisper it quietly around any Mercedes-Benz personnel, for it’s enough to make them wince, even after all these years.

It was in 1997 that Mercedes-Benz made headlines for all the wrong reasons. The elk test, if you don’t remember, was a safety test designed to test stability in Scandinavian countries where wandering elks are common.

In this case, a motoring journalist tipped an A-Class, casting doubts on its safety. It was no laughing matter. This model was, and still is, very important for the company.

But 13 years on, Mercedes-Benz had the last laugh. The A-Class created a new type of car, the premium-compact car.

The A-class went on to set new standards for safety, style and versatility, and proved that the company didn’t have to concentrate only on the expensive luxury and sports markets.

In fact, some 125,000 have been sold in the UK, making it one of the best-selling Mercs in the range.

The new-generation model, tested here, takes it a stage further with new safety and luxury features and a much-improved cabin. More of this later.

Style-wise, it appeals to more younger drivers now. If there was one criticism of the original version, it was that it had a staid image.

Today’s A-Class is similar in looks and style to the original, such is Mercedes-Benz’s tendency to allow models to gradually evolve. The revisions to the model’s exterior in three and five-door body shapes are subtle in the extreme.

Keen eyes may spot the changes. Front and rear light units have been remoulded, the front bumper and radiator grille have taken on the new generation of design characteristics familiar from the new SL, SLK and C-Class models, and mirror housings are now body coloured. Side rubbers are no longer present and there are new alloy wheel options, but the major changes to the range are to be found under the skin.

Along with the B-Class model range that’s been worked over in a similar vein, the A-Class is the first to feature Mercedes’ new ECO start/stop technology. While the idea certainly isn’t new, the German manufacturer believes it has come closer to perfecting it than anyone else, with a less intrusive system that’s smoother and quieter.

For lovers of zippy compact hatches, this is an interesting choice. More discreet than the higher-powered versions of some of its rivals, it’s just competent around town and at high speed. Key to the A-Class appeal is the loftier driving position that gives a commanding view for a relatively small car, without leaving you feeling like a van driver.

The chassis feels taut and there’s little flex to be felt from the potholes and drains of city streets, but the ride remains refined on a long motorway journey. The A-Class is one of the comfier compact hatchbacks, with a cabin that makes the most of a limited amount of room. The boot space might be found wanting as the summer holidays come around, but having carved itself a niche as a second family car, that’s unlikely to cause much consternation.

If history repeats itself, potential customers are more likely to be concerned with the raft of new technologies available, including, but by no means exclusive to, the ECO start/stop system. An automated parking system is also available as an option, capable of seeking out a suitable space before neatly slotting the car into it.

Mercedes believes its system can park in a smaller gap than any other manufacturer’s, 5.18 metres, and a hill-start facility has also been added to the electronic stability programme, along with a remarkably advanced and blissfully simple-to-use voice control navigation and phone system, with a hard-drive for file storage.

These upgrades are important for Mercedes, because the A-Class is a car that encourages a phenomenally high number of return customers.

The strategy is clear: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Rather than make unnecessary changes to the model and risk putting off happy customers, some well-chosen additions and revisions have been made to keep interest high, but the basic elements that have consistently proved popular are intact. Return buyers ought not to be disappointed.

PRICE: £14,600 for entry-level model. The range spans £14,600 to £19,050.

ENGINE: A 1.6 litre unit which generates 103bhp via front wheel drive.

PERFORMANCE: Top speed 109mph, 0 to 60mph in 12.6 seconds.

COSTS: average 47.1mpg.

INSURANCE: Group 10.

EMISSIONS: 139g/km.

WARRANTY: Three years’ unlimited mileage.