THE Mercedes-Benz A-class is a miracle car in more ways than one. It not only survived what was perhaps the most embarrassing pre-launch publicity in the past 10 years - the infamous "moose test" debacle - but came out of the corner fighting and now rates on the "desirable" list of many motoring writers. That miracle only sightly outshines the car itself. It is a stunning example of efficient packaging while defying the rules with passive safety standards equal to or better than most family-size cars. These help over-ride the A160's competent but unexceptional road behaviour.